This trip route connects Kunming and Vietnam from north to south. It will satisfy your yearning for the South Asian tropical amorous experience, with places full of feeling, of ethnic and charming natural sceneries, and you can also experience the unique arts and crafts.
Yes, what I am talking about is the Honghe Prefecture.
Section I: Kunming - Luxi
Luxi, A'lu Ancient Cave
"First Cave of Yunnan," located in Luxi County, is a spectacular underground, water-eroded cave which is a natural art treasure. Every step will surprise to you!
Address: A'lu Mountain Foot, Luxi County
Transportation: The shuttle bus starts at Kunming Eastern Bus Terminal and runs to Luxi, bus fare is CNY47, distance is 170km, and duration is 2.5 hour.
Ticket: 120 Yuan/person (discount is offered very often)
Chengzi Ancient Village
Chengzi Village was unknown to the public until the visit from CCTV in recent years, but still few people have been there. It is 25 km from Luxi County and earth-roof-built houses are the most prominent feature of the village. The roof of a neighbour's house is your courtyard. Neighborhoods live in harmony here and doors are unbolted at night.
Address: Yongning Township, Luxi County
Transportation: Rent a car at Luxi Bus Terminal to Chengzi Village or take the bus to Yongning Township and walk to Chengzi Village, around two km away.
Ticket: Free
Accommodation: youth hotel, however the condition is a bit rough
Recommended cuisine: do not miss the burned potato at Hengyuan Yitong Square, known for being a Luxi specialty, with a lot of spices, and cold chicken rice noodle is also good. Yuang Sheng Yuan Dining Room is recommended. Luxi Eight Bowls and Ancestral Home Cooking are good.
Section II: Luxi – Mile
Keyi Village, Mile County
Address: 22 km from Mile County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture (Keyi Village, Xisan Town)
Bus route: at the gate of Mile Grand Hotel, or gate of Jinlong Hotel, or Ranweng Road cross on Mile Avenue, take Bus 12 directly to Keyi Town (interval time of 15 to 30 minutes, ticket fare: 6 Yuan).
Accommodation: it is recommended to take a single-family villa, a small villa has 5 rooms, and a large one has seven rooms, the price is between RMB 100 - 500 Yuan.
Food recommendation: Mile stewed chicken, stewed chicken rice noodle, mutton soup pot.
Section III: Mile - Mengzi
Mengzi is a green land on the Tropic of Cancer, the total trip from Mile to Mengzi is 149.95 km, a drive of about two hours.
Nanhu Lake
Yunnan's Cross Bridge Rice Noodle originates from this place, and Nanhu Lake is located in Mengzi City, also called Grass Lake. It is named by the three mountains of Mt. Peng Lai, Mt. Abbot, Mt. Yingzhou. Green water ripples in the Nanhu Lake, as if it was scenery in a fairytale land.
Beese Village
One of the "Eighteen Strange Things in Yunnan": "Train goes abroad rather than domestic and slower than car" is how the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway is described, passing through Beese Village, which is called "Little Paris".
Address: Caoba Town, Mengzi County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan
Ticket: 20 Yuan for adult, and 10 Yuan for child.
Opening hours: 8:00-17:00
Accommodation: Beese Village is about six km from Caoba Town, 13 km from Mengzi County, which is the centre of Honghe Prefecture.
Only half an hour's drive can get you there. Accommodation in Mengzi County is recommended, for the condition is good. There are various grades and prices of hotels for you to choose from. The standard room price for three-star hotels is commonly between 140-200 Yuan. Also, you can choose the small hotels or hostels at lower prices, generally less than 100 Yuan/day.
Food recommendation: Mengzi Cross Bridge Rice Noodle, Copper Pot Beef Cross Bridge Rice Noodle, Package Tofu.
Section IV: Mengzi – Gejiu
Gejiu (Tin Capital)
As the past capital of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, and as the 2,000-year-old Tin Capital, Gejiu cannot be said to be a tourism city. This is one of the routes to Yuanyang Terrace, and it takes about 45 minutes for 34.6 km from Mengzi to Gejiu.
Jiaji Village in Gejiu
Go and see the pear flower in Jiaji Village, Gejiu. In the evening you can enjoy the night scene of the so-called Oriental "Florence", Asian "Venice" and China's "second little Hong Kong", or drive to Shadian to visit the Shadian Grand Mosque with a reputation of "Little Mecca".
Address: South to Jijie Town, 5 km from Village Committee of BiYeHong Village, and 30 km from Jijie Town Government.
Ticket: Free
Recommended cuisine: rice noodle, burnt tofu, Gejiu barbecue. Gejiu's barbecue operates very late into the night, and besides burnt tofu, you can also enjoy burnt potato, chives, pork, beef, diary cake etc. Key recommendation: water dipped rice flour, mini kebab, mini rice flour, three-line minced meat cake, milk liquor and so on.