Winter in the Tropics: Off-the-Beaten-Path Travel Tips for Xishuangbanna

Food: General rule: Street food outside Gaozhuang is better than street food inside Gaozhuang, which is better than the night market. Most of the restaurants inside Gaozhuang are run by people from Northeast China (not authentic, not traditional local flavors). * Hand-grabbed rice: Not a must-try. It's more about the experience. If you want good taste, we recommend stir-fried dishes and barbecue. * Barbecue: Dai-style roast chicken, lemongrass grilled fish, grilled pork belly * Rice: Hand-grabbed rice, pineapple rice * Cold dishes: Cold chicken feet. Prices and flavors are similar at the night market. If you want something special, we don't recommend the night market. * Not every restaurant serves grilled dishes. * The riverside night market is for locals. Juice, cold dishes, and barbecue are half the price, but the atmosphere is not as good. Most of the stalls sell clothes, accessories, and phone screen protectors. Sometimes you have to admit that there are areas for tourists. * Starlight Night Market is very big. Go down to the bottom level. * Recommended dishes: * Desserts, coffee, and fruit are all good. No bad experiences. Buy fruit from older local vendors. * Mixed vegetable soup * Oil chili Attractions: Wild Elephant Valley: You won't always be lucky enough to see wild elephants. The best months to see them are January to March. Xishuangbanna Primitive Forest Park: The plants here can also be found at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden. The botanical garden has plants that the park doesn't, but the park is closer to the city. Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Best time to visit: May to August is the best time to visit. Before April, most of the flowers haven't bloomed. Bougainvillea blooms in April, and other flowers bloom after May. April to November: You can book a night tour and see fireflies. Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden and direct bus: Tour guides are better than other private tours. You need to buy a shuttle bus ticket. The east garden is 15 km, and the west garden is 7 km. Walking is not realistic. West garden: Strangling phenomenon, hanging garden, dancing grass, tallest tree in China, lotus leaves that can support a person, poison from Empresses in the Palace East garden: See large plants, very impressive Bring your ID card. Local transport and tickets: Yunnan Tour app