Southeast Yunnan

A scenic belt in southeast Yunnan made up of the Yuanyang rice terraces, Jianshui Old Town, Mile's hot springs, Puzhehei's karst lakes and Bama.

Southeast Yunnan roughly comprises Honghe and Wenshan prefectures, a travel combination lying south and east of Kunming. The Hani Rice Terraces (Yuanyang) are a World Cultural Heritage Site, and in the winter and spring flooding season, sunrise at Duoyishu and sunset at Bada and Laohuzui are a photographers' paradise. Jianshui Old Town preserves the Zhu Family Garden, the Confucian Temple and Tuanshan Village, and pairs well with Yunnan's narrow-gauge "Mi Gui" train. Mile has Dongfengyun and hot springs. In neighboring Qujing, Luoping (part of Northeast Yunnan) is often added on the way for its early-spring rapeseed flowers. Puzhehei is known for its solitary peaks, lakes and lotus flowers, and Bama in Guangnan is regarded as a "Shangri-La" hideaway. Common loops of 6–8 days are Kunming–Mile–Jianshui–Yuanyang–(return), or Kunming–Luoping–Puzhehei–Bama–Mile. High-speed trains run from Kunming to Mile, Jianshui and Puzhehei, while Yuanyang requires a bus transfer from Jianshui or Mengzi. In winter the terraces are often wreathed in a sea of clouds in the early morning, and mornings and evenings in the mountains are cold. Jianshui purple pottery, Mengzi crossing-the-bridge rice noodles, Shiping tofu and the Hani long-street banquet are the flavors that define Southeast Yunnan. The best time to see the Yuanyang terraces is concentrated in winter and spring, but in summer, after the rice is transplanted, the terraces turn a sea of green and are also well worth seeing.

Destinations

• Yuanyang Terraces & Jianshui
• Puzhehei
• Mile
• Guangnan

Itineraries

• Southeast Yunnan Spring Flowers & Rice Terraces Grand Loop – A spring loop through Southeast Yunnan, connecting Luoping's canola flowers, Puzhehei, Bamei, Yuanyang, and Jianshui.
• Kunming Outskirts, Dongchuan Red Earth & Mile – Based in Kunming, a week linking the Stone Forest, a night in Dongchuan's red earth and the red-brick town of Mile.
• Jianshui Old Town & Yuanyang Rice Terraces – Take the high-speed train to Jianshui to explore the old town and ride the mini-train, then head up to Yuanyang for sun…
• Kunming to Hanoi by Rail: 7 Days Along the Yunnan–Vietnam Line – From Kunming, through the southern Yunnan old towns to the Hekou border, then via Sa Pa and an overnight train to Hanoi.