Southeast Yunnan is one of the most naturally spectacular areas of the People’s Republic of China, featuring pine forests, arid badlands, barren hills and tropical rainforests.
The diverse city of Jinghong is the capital of Southeast Yunnan and this is a good place to use as a base when exploring the area. It is possible to hire a guide here to go trekking and there are plenty of places to spend the night as well as a wide range of shops and restaurants offering a range of cuisines.
Southeast Yunnan is also comprised of the Yuxi Prefecture and Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Getting around is simple as most places can be reached by bus from Jinghong in 30 minutes or less. Another good way to get around is by hiring a bicycle.
A great way to explore this region is by taking a ferry trip, which takes passengers along the Mekong to Chiang Saen. These ferry trips can take anything from one day to four days, depending on the starting point and destination. Just sit back and relax as the mountainous scenery slips slowly past.
Getting There & Away
Access is from Jinghong’s small airport, which receives flights from Thailand and also connects to a number of China’s major international airports such as Shanghai (60 minutes). There are regular buses to Jinghong from Kunming (8 hours) as well as several other towns and cities in Southeast Yunnan.