Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden

 

 

Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, also known as Menglun Tropical Botanic Garden, is China’s biggest botanic garden with the most diversified flora species. It sits on a peninsula shaped by Suoluo River,one tributary of Lancang River. Situated in Menglun Township, Mengla County, the 1,100ha Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Garden is only 96km from Jinghong City and 100km from Mengla County. Blessed with  abundant rainfall and annual average temperature of 21.5℃ , Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden with an altitude of 500m is a natural greenhouse which nurtures over 12,000 species of plants, among which there are over 6000 kinds of unique, rare and endangered tropical plants. Since its establishment in the 1950s by a famous botanist, it has developed by leaps and bounds. Aside from the already substantial collection, it keeps absorbing new members each year.

Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden consists of two areas: botanic garden area and rainforest area. The botanic garden is divided into 13 theme parks: Tropical Fruit Garden, Palm Garden, Aquatic Garden, Herb Garden, Bamboo Garden,Dipterocarp Garden, Spices Garden, Rare&Endangered Plant Reservation Area, Banyan Garden and Tree Garden and Precious Tree&Flower Garden etc.

Many exotic and interesting plants we never see or hear thrive here. For instance, the Rain Tree which can spray drizzle, the legendary Banyan which proves that a single wood will make a forest, the Black-heart Tree which can still survive after being chopped into pieces, the most  poisonous Antiaris toxicaria (Pers)Lesch, the Maytenus which can be used to make anti-cancer medicine, the titanic Sky Tree, the most precious spice tree: Cananga odorata, the Fragrant Bamboo which is used to prepare the famous bamboo rice, the Miracle Fruit which can change our taste, the Corypha umbraculifea Linn  which can be used to engrave Buddhism scriptures, the nutrient Pig Oil Fruit, the Tusanhua Tree which can grow 3 meters high annually, the predatory plant Nepenthes sp which lives on insects, the Hard Wood and Soft Wood which are very heavy and light respectively, the Egg Fruit Tree whose fruits look and taste like eggs, the Traveler’s Banana Tree which can store several liters of water under their leaves. Besides, you can also see the colorful midair garden composed of many Aerophyte plants, the grotesque phenomenon of Old Truck Blossoms, the brutal vampire trees and the magnificent Tree-Knots. In a word, it miniatures the essence of tropical rainforest.

 

 

Travel Tips

Admission Fee: 80RMB

Opening Hour: 8:00 to 18:00

Traffic: you can take the long distance bus from Jinghong City’s Bus Station, it takes one and half a hour,the fee is 12RMB

After you get off in Menglun Township, you can see the Luosuo River Midair Bridge first, which measures over 100m in length and 3m in width. Encircled by forest and decorated with flowing water, you can enjoy very nice view from this bridge. Drifting along this river is very interesting and it will only cost 25RMB.

Smoking and feeding fish are not allowed within this Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Garden

This park is very big, to save energy, you can rent a scooter to tour around this park, which will charge 100RMB per time.

If you visit this park with the help of a travel agent, you can enjoy the free guide service, otherwise, you need to pay

There are restaurants inside, you can eat the Dai people’s food or Sichuan Food as well as Guangdong Food.