Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden 中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园Zhōngguó Kēxuéyuàn Xīshuāngbǎnnà Rèdài Zhíwùyuán

Why go to Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden

Run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, this vast research garden beside the town of Menglun holds more than 13,000 kinds of plants in themed collections, from palms, bamboos and orchids to towering banyans and aquatic plants. The landscaped West Park is easiest to tour by electric cart, while the East Park protects a patch of primary tropical rainforest threaded with shady walking trails. It is one of the best places in China to see what a real tropical forest looks like.

The story

The botanist Cai Xitao founded the garden in 1959 on a gourd-shaped peninsula almost wrapped by the Luosuo River, a Mekong tributary, which is why locals call it Gourd Island. Some foreign botanists once argued that China had no true tropical rainforest, because no dipterocarps, the giant trees typical of Asian rainforest, had been found there; the discovery of dipterocarps in southern Yunnan in the 1970s settled the debate, and the garden now has a collection of them.

What to see at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden

• Palm Garden 棕榈园: A themed palm collection in the West Zone, not far from the Victoria lily pond and the garden hotel.
• Victoria Lily Pond 王莲池: A pond of the giant Victoria water lilies, one of the garden's well-known plants, near the palm collection.
• Shade-plant Garden 荫生植物园: A themed collection of plants that grow in shade, in the West Zone beside the garden's museum.
• Green Stone Forest 绿石林: A 225-hectare part of the East Zone, one of the only two parts of the east open to visitors.
• Tropical Valley Rainforest 热带沟谷雨林: About 90 hectares of tropical valley rainforest in the East Zone, open to visitors.

How to visit Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden

The West Zone, about 300 hectares, is the main tour area and the quickest way into the collections; the garden has a west gate on the main road before Menglun and a suspension-bridge entrance on the river side. The garden says a full tour takes more than four hours on foot, or over three hours by tour vehicle. The East Zone's Green Stone Forest and valley rainforest are the only parts of the east open to the public, and the garden is open every day.

How to get to Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden

Menglun is about 70 km south-east of Jinghong, roughly 1–1.5 hours by road. Buses run from Jinghong's Banna bus station, or take a taxi or hired car.

Where to stay

There is a hotel inside the garden's West Zone, handy for early and late hours, and Menglun town at the river gate has guesthouses, which suits the night walks.

What to eat

• Lemongrass grilled fish 香茅草烤鱼: A Dai dish of fish marinated with lemongrass and spices and grilled over charcoal, found across Xishuangbanna.
• Pineapple purple-rice 傣式菠萝紫米饭: Purple glutinous rice stuffed into a hollowed pineapple and steamed, a Dai dish served across the region.

Tips for visiting Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden

• The garden is open every day. Ride the electric cart round the West Park's collections, then walk the rainforest trails in the East Park; allow a full day for both.
• Stay overnight in Menglun to join a guided night walk, when stick insects, geckos and, in early summer, swarms of fireflies come out.
• It is hot and humid for most of the year, so bring water, a hat and insect repellent for the forest trails.

Nearby

• Xishuangbanna & Jinghong 西双版纳与景洪 50 km
  Gilded Dai temples, a Mekong-side night market and April's Water-Splashing Festival

Also within 30 km: Mengyuan Fairyland 勐远仙境 (30 km).

On the map

Open Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Official website
• Wikipedia (Chinese)