Jinghong

Getting there

By plane 1 Xishuangbanna Gasa Airport (JHG IATA) (Gasa Town, about 5.6 km away from the city center), ☏ +63 691 215 9130. Daily flights from Kunming and a few other cities in China. China Eastern flies twice weekly between Bangkok (BKK IATA) and Jinghong. The airport has two terminals, T1 (international including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) and T2 (domestic China). Airport restaurants cost 3-4x more than food in Jinghong.

By train 2 Xishuangbanna Railway Station (西双版纳站) (about 2 km from Xishuangbanna Gasa Airport; bus nos. 4, 6, 7, 68 and the Railway Station Express Bus all stop outside the station). There are over 20 trains per day from Kunming. The journey time from Kunming to Jinghong is about 3 to 4 hours. There is also one cross-border train daily from Laos, which stops here at 16:20. (updated Oct 2022)

By bus There are over a dozen sleeper buses from Kunming daily, from around 09:00 to 22:00. They cost ¥150-260, depending on the coach quality. The bus takes around 8 hours, and will travel over some bumpy dirt roads. It may be a "sleeper bus" (lying down) even during the day. From Yuanyang coming down to Jinghong is a bit more tricky. First option is from Xinjie or Nansha you backtrack to Jianshui (3–4 hours) and take a sleeper bus to Jinghong from there (¥177, 12 hours, at 13:30 and 16:30). Second option, again from Xinjie city you can take a bus to Luchun (¥38, 5 hours), spent the night there and catch the one and only Luchun to Jinghong bus at 08:00 the next morning (¥120, 12 hours). Be aware that the second option will take you through very bumpy, rough and many times unpaved roads crossing endless mountains, rice terraces, banana plantations and little villages so it's not for the fainthearted but the scenery is stunning. Landslides are often and many times small streams go through the unpaved road so it's not recommended during the rainy reason, you might get stuck in the middle of nowhere due to a blocked road. Furthermore there will be a few

Getting around

By bus The airport bus can easily reach the city from the airport, and the airport special line No. 1 also passes through the night market and temple attractions. The price is ¥4. The tourist route can choose ordinary bus and tourist line. Among them, ordinary bus No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and bus Z21 pass through many tourist attractions, and the price is ¥3. Attractions will have corresponding tourist bus lines, most of which are ¥5 for round trips. Payment methods can be credit card or coin.

By taxi The starting price of taxis in Xishuangbanna is ¥7 (3 km), including ¥2 fuel surcharge.

Rent electric car There are many places in Xishuangbanna where you can rent electric car (or a shared battery car parked on the side of the road). For many local residents, electric cars are one of the main ways to get around.You can also rent an electric car in Gaozhuang for about ¥35 per hour. A motorbike licence is not required for these rentals, but a deposit and identification information is required. The few interesting parts of town are definitely walkable. Down by the Nancang it may be possible to hire a boat for a bit of river cruising.

See

Religious sites 1 Xishuangbanna Zongfo Temple (西双版纳总佛寺), 18 Baji Road, ☏ +86 6912160502. 08:00–18:00. The Xishuangbanna Zongfo Temple was one of the first Pali-speaking Buddhist monasteries to be established in Xishuangbanna and is said to have been built in 615. On 18 June 1990, Zhao Puchu, the president of the Chinese Buddhist Association, changed the name of the temple to "Xishuangbanna Zongfo Temple". (updated Sep 2022) 2 Mange Temple (曼阁佛寺), 102 Zhongxin Lane. 08:30-17:30. The Mange Temple is the oldest Buddhist temple building in Jinghong, located in the Mange Cottage, just north of the Lancang River Bridge and not far from the river. The Mange Temple is a typical Theravada Buddhist monastery and is one of the ancient temples in Xishuangbanna. The monastery was built in 1477 and the original site is 1km west of the compound. 3 Manjinlan Temple (西双版纳曼景兰大佛寺), 2 Mannong Fengbodhi Avenue. 08:30-17:30. Free. (updated Nov 2022)

4 Mengle Temple, No. 1 Mengle Ave, ☏ +86 691 8998555. 08:00-17:30. The biggest temple in Xishuangbanna. In the southern area in Jionghong, you can hire bicycle to go there. ¥120. 5 Manduan Buddhist Temple. (updated Dec 2024) 6 Manbeng Copper Pagoda. (updated Dec 2024) 7 Manlei Temple. A tranquil temple that offers insight into local Buddhist practices and a serene escape from daily life. (updated Dec 2024)

Parks and nature

8 Manting Imperial Garden (曼听御花园), No.35 Manting Road (on the southeast of the city, around 1 km from the center), ☏ +86 691 2160296. 08:30-17:00. Another pleasant park which is divided in eight parts, the main entrance, the National Cultural Plaza, the Tropical Orchid Garden, the Peacock Garden, the Life-leaving Lake, the Buddhism Cultural Quarter, the Planting Memorial Quarter and the Dai Cultural Teahouse. There are extra performances of singing, dancing and fire (which cost extra as well), check with the counter in the entrance for times and fees. ¥63. (updated Oct 2022) 9 Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Gard

Do

Songkran. If you are in the town during the Thai (Dai in that area) New year there is a massive celebration with Dragon boating and capped off with a massive city wide water fight on the final day of celebration. Riverfront Walks. The town is on the Nancang River, a wide tributary of the Mekong. There is excellent walking along the riverfront.

Buy

Bank of China with 24-hour ATM is available a few minutes walk from the bus terminal. Cross the road and turn right as you leave the terminal. There are other banks in the area as well. The usual Chinese tourist gimmicks, somehow more here than anywhere else in China. Local Dai produced items also available.

1 Mekong Starlight Night Market (湄公河·星光夜市), Gaozhuang Xishuangshi Scenic Spot, on the right side of the New Bridge, ☏ +86 691-2221171. open all day. Every night there is a big night market in Xishuangbanna Park just on the right of the New Bridge. (The new bridge is the suspension bridge all lit up at night, and the right side is looking at it as you would be leaving Jinghong across it). You can buy almost anything here and there are endless street food stalls. The river side is all bars serving food, some with good live music.

Riverside Night Market, West side of Thailand Street, Binjiang Avenue, Yunjinghong Sub-district (you can see the night market right after crossing the Xishuangbanna Bridge from Gaozhuang Xishuangjing), ☏ +86 13114296076. Daily 16:30 - 24:00. It takes approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes to walk from start to finish without stopping. It's a very long night market stretching along the river, offering a great variety of local specialty clothing, snacks, toys, and souvenirs. It's very lively, and the prices are quite reasonable. (updated Dec 2025) 2 Thailand Avenue (Tai Guo Jie). A large open market and Thai themed stores centered around a stage. There