Gasa & Ailao Mountains

A Huayao Dai town at the foot of the Ailao Mountains, with the tropical Gasa River valley, the old village of Dabinglangyuan, primeval forest at Shimen Gorge and the Tea Horse Road — rich in ethnic culture.

Gasa lies in the southwest of Xinping Yi and Dai Autonomous County in Yunnan's Yuxi Prefecture, in the valley of the Gasa River (the Yuan River section of the upper Red River) on the eastern slopes of the Ailao Mountains. At about 600 m, it has a hot, dry valley climate with spring-like winters and is the heartland of Huayao Dai culture. A visit has two parts: down in the valley are the Huayao Dai villages — best represented by Gasa's market days, the old village of Dabinglangyuan on the southern outskirts and Damuyu Village in Mosha Town downstream — where you can see Huayao Dai costumes, flat-roofed earthen houses and bamboo stilt houses and enjoy Dai-style barbecue; up in the mountains is the Ailaoshan National Nature Reserve, where a route over the mountains from Gasa links the Longxi Clan Manor, Nan'en Waterfall, Shimen Gorge, the Tea Horse Road and the Jinshan primeval forest, with sunrise over a sea of clouds on winter mornings. Halfway up the mountain, the Chu Orange Estate is Chu Shijian's famous rock-sugar orange plantation. The best season is the dry season from November to April, and the Huayao Dai Flower Street Festival is held in the first lunar month; the May–Oct rainy season is hot and wet, with thick fog and slippery roads in the mountains, but the waterfalls are at their fullest. Getting there: from Kunming it's about 2.5 hours via the Yuxi–Yuanjiang Expressway to Xinping town, then about 1.5 hours more to Gasa. The town has a bus station, but the Ailao Mountains sights are spread out, so drive yourself or hire a car with driver. Allow 2–3 days: one for the Huayao Dai villages and market, and one for the Ailao Mountains loop (combined ticket for Shimen Gorge about ¥40). Note: stick to the open trails in the Ailao Mountains primeval forest and never cross the reserve on your own; temperatures vary widely in the mountains, so bring a jacket, and watch out for leeches and flash floods in the rainy season.

Top sights

• Gasa Huayao Dai Town – A Huayao Dai town on the banks of the Gasa River. Its market, held once every five days, along with the Huayao Dai costumes and food, are t…
• Dabinglangyuan Village – An old Huayao Dai village south of Gasa, where earth-roofed houses are nestled among areca palms, mango trees, and bamboo groves. Visitors…
• Damuyu Village (Mosha) – An ecological village on the west bank of the Red River, home to the Daiya branch of the Huayao Dai, with earthen flat-roofed houses, farml…
• Nan'en Waterfall – The signature waterfall of the Ailao Mountains, about 100 meters high, pouring down from the mountaintop, with a roadside viewing platform.
• Longxi Clan Manor – A Republican-era manor halfway up the Ailao Mountains, with courtyards and watchtowers blending Chinese and Western styles that reflect the…
• Shimen Gorge (Xinping) – A gorge in the primeval forest of the Ailao Mountains, with clear streams, waterfalls, and moss-draped vines, a 2–3 hour hike, and a nation…
• Ailao Tea Horse Road – A well-preserved stretch of an ancient post road at a mountain pass in the Ailao Mountains, with stone-paved trails through primeval forest…
• Jinshan Primeval Forest – A primeval forest at Jinshan Pass in the Ailao Mountains, at about 2,300 meters above sea level, covered in moss and ancient trees and home…
• Chu Orange Manor – A rock sugar orange plantation founded by Chu Shijian, the “Orange King,” in his later years, with thousands of mu of orange groves on the…
• Mopanshan National Forest Park – A national forest park near Xinping county seat, with dense primeval evergreen broadleaf forest and a popular summer retreat for sea-of-clo…

Where to eat

• Gasa Hotpot King (Caosu Yellow Cattle Hotpot, Dai Garden Branch) – Champion of the 2024 Gasa Hotpot Festival. Multiple parts of Ailao Mountain small yellow cattle are cooked together in…