Yunnan guide
South of the Tropic of Cancer, Xishuangbanna is a humid, tropical pocket of Yunnan where the language, the food and the architecture are Dai rather than Han.
Jinghong, the capital, is the base for everything and has a genuine night market where the stalls are set along a river with sit-down sections rather than takeaway counters. Manting Park, modelled on a royal Dai garden, is a good first hour, and the Wat Bubeng temple next to it is the town's central temple.
The Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden is the reason to come. It was founded in 1959 and holds well over 10,000 species, with sections for tropical rain forest, orchids, medicinal plants and a lake district. The Menglun tropical botanical garden, 70 km away, is the wilder and quieter one, and the Menglun bamboo sea next door is a forest of giant bamboo.
The Wild Elephant Valley and the Butterfly Valley are large enclosed areas with observation and activity programs, and they are popular with families. The butterfly season runs roughly May to October.
The Mekong runs along the Laos border, and Jinghong is a few hours from the border crossing at Mohan, which is the road route into Laos. Crossings open and close with notice, so check current arrangements before planning a route north or south.
Dai food is the real reason to eat here: sour and sour-spicy flavours built on lemongrass, galangal and lime, with dishes such as ga ba, pa sai and a distinctive use of fermented pork. Order what the restaurant recommends for the house special and eat with rice.
Flights from Kunming take about an hour and run several times a day, which is by far the best option. The bus takes the better part of a day over the mountains. Plan two nights, and go to the botanic garden early in the day while the heat is still manageable.