Going wild in the wilderness

The prefecture's governor, Dao Wen, says study tours and jungle treks for families are becoming star offerings this year.

Xishuangbanna received over 54 million visitors from January to September in 2023 and another 670,000 during the three-day New Year holiday.

On a recent visit to the area, I joined a group of photographers, birdwatchers and hikers, as we were guided by Chen through pristine tropical rainforest one sunny afternoon in December.

We hiked for 3 kilometers, picnicked in the rainforest and climbed trees in a jungle hidden behind a mountain range about a half-hour drive from the prefecture's main city, Jinghong.

The initially unremarkable trek became increasingly incredible as the tall palms gave way to trees as high as skyscrapers that created a canopy that blocked out most of the light.

"Welcome to the rainforest. We just walked through a little grassland to start," Chen joked in reference to these towering trees.

As we continued on, he often stopped, pointed at a plant and talked about its function in the ecosystem. He also alerted us to the presence of various insects that camouflaged themselves so well that we wouldn't have noticed them if they hadn't been pointed out.