Tips & Stories

On January, Yunnan is still going through with the mid of the wintertime. The average temperature of Yunnan on January is from 3℃ to 17℃, with a large daily temperature difference. Therefore, a thick coat is necessary for you to keep warm during the night when travelling in Yunnan in January.

Besides, you should also pay attention to the intense ultraviolet ray in Yunnan, since it’s a land with an average altitude of 2000 meters and mainly in a geographic feature of the plateau. It’s better to prepare sun cream and sun protection wearing such as a hat, sunglasses.

In general, Yunnan is still one of the most ideal destinations for you to visit in China in wintertime. No matter when you’re visiting in Yunnan, you can always enjoy its fresh air and its transparent blue sky. Yunnan boasts the mildest climate and shares different climates in different regions. There are always good places for you to explore and visit throughout the whole year in Yunnan.

When travelling in Yunnan in January, we would suggest you:

-keep warm and prevent dehydration

– pay attention to sun protection

-prevent high altitude reaction

The most classic touring route in Yunnan is the 7 DAYS CLASSIC ADVENTURES IN DALI, LIJIANG & SHANGRI-LA. Shangri-La is a must-go destination if you’re really into the snowy scene of Plateau Mountains in winter.

However, if you intend to find a shelter to get rid of the coldness, I would recommend other popular destinations for your reference. They’re Tengchong, Xishuangbanna and Yuanyang.

As an expert in tailor-made tours, we would recommend you to spend around 4 to 5 days’ time on each destination to appreciate the authentic natural beauty and culture essence of each place. It’s also recommended to combine different destination into one tour if your schedule is flexible and you’re willing to spend 10 to 14 days on the road of exploration.

Tengchong (ideal duration for visiting: 4 Days)

If you want to launch on a journey of searching for natural beauty, joy, and ancient experience, then you should go to visit Tengchong! Tengchong is the famous border city of Yunnan and the hometown of overseas Chinese, a provincial-level historical and cultural city.

The main touring attractions of Tengchong include:

He Shun Ancient Town

Heshun Ancient Town, built on the hillside, is an important town on the Ancient Tea Horse Road and an important part of the Southern Silk Road. It is located 4 kilometres west of Tengchong County. The halls, archways and ancient houses of Ming and Qing dynasties are all over the ancient town.

Volcanic Geothermal National Geological Park

There are 97 volcanic bodies and several grades of lava platforms in Tengchong Volcanic Geothermal National Geological Park, which is the best destination for exploring volcanic landforms.

Thermal Sea Park and Gaoligong Mountain

Located in Qingshui Township in the southwest of Tengchong County, Thermal Sea Park has an area of about 9 square kilometres and has more than 80 gas springs and hot springs. It is the best place to enjoy a hot bath in the cold winter.

Ginkgo Village & Black Fish Gorge

In this quaint village, ginkgo trees are planted in the yards of almost every household, and the ground is covered with thick fallen leaves. Occasionally, the wind blows, and the yellow ginkgo leaves are falling down! Under the sunshine, the whole village is golden, and being in it is like a fairyland.

CLASSIC 4 DAYS TOUR OF THE BORDER CITY TENG CHONG IN YUNNAN

Xishuangbanna (ideal duration for visiting: 5 Days)

“Hot weather” is a major feature of Xishuangbanna’s climate. The annual average temperature in Xishuangbanna is 21.9℃. The climate here is mainly divided into dry and rainy seasons. November to May of the following year is the dry season, and the weather is cooler, which is the peak season for tourism.

Places you cannot miss when visiting Xishuangbanna

Gaozhuang night market

Gaozhuang Night Market is the largest and one of the busiest night markets in Xishuangbanna. The products sold here include clothing, handicrafts, native products and so on. Of course, what attracts tourists the most is the colourful and unique cuisine here. Most of the food here share strong ethnic minority characteristics, and some of them are from Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Wild Elephant Valley & Man Jing Lan Dai village

Wild Elephant Valley is a place frequently visited by wild elephants in Asia. It is named because of the frequent occurrence of wild elephants. It is also the only place in the country where wild Asian elephants can be observed from a safe distance. According to expert statistics, more than 300 wild elephants currently live in the primaeval forest of Xishuangbanna.

Tropical Rain Forest Valley & Tropical Botanical Garden

The botanical garden is divided into east and west areas. If the west area is like a huge park with dense scenic spots and rich landscapes; then the east area is closer to the original rainforest landscape, with scattered scenic spots.

5 DAYS TROPICAL TOUR IN XISHUANGBANNA

Yuanyang (ideal duration for visiting: 2 Days)

Yuanyang terraces lie in the southern part of Ailao Mountain which belongs to Yuanyang County, Yunnan Province. They are masterpieces that created and left by Hani people for generations.

Wintertime is the best season to visit Yuanyang terraced fields, especially for photography lovers. After the terraced fields are irrigated in winter, the Yuanyang terraces seem to become a huge net mirror under the sky. Every sunrise and sunset, the smooth water surface of the terraces reflect a magical light.

There are four main terraced field attraction spots: Bada, Laohukou, Jingkou and Duoyishu.

Bada terraced field is the area that stretches over 14,000 acres. The fields you can observe here is magnificent, especially around the sunset time. The colour of the surface of the water varies as the lights changes. Another perfect spot to watch the sunset scene is the Laokukou. Jingkou is the only spot that you can buy the ticket, without the ticket you cannot enter into these four main attraction spots. You will have the chance to visit the local minority group’s village at Jingkou as well.

7 DAYS CLASSIC PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR OF YUNNAN (IN STONE FOREST, YUANYANG, JIANSHUI AND FUXIAN LAKE)

When most parts of the northern hemisphere are still silent in the cold winter, Yunnan continuously radiates its unique passion and charms, which allowing tourists to enjoy the fun of the journey even in the cold January. Visiting Yunnan in January, the vastly different mountains and rivers here and this vast, profound and charming ancient land, will deeply touch you.

With the scene of mountains and rivers and the flower fields that in the light, Tengchong is a touring destination which full of surprises. In this extraordinary countryside, all your imagination about a pleasant visiting in the rural area can be satisfied with its atmosphere infused with local colour. If you want to launch on a journey of searching for natural beauty, joy, and ancient experience, then you should go to visit Tengchong!