Visit the Parashorea tomentella forest at year’s end and bask in a ray of tropical sunlight.

    For thousands of years, the Parashorea tomentella trees have stood there, accompanying the wind, embracing the rain, bathed in sunlight, swaying gently. “If I had another life, I would want to be a Parashorea tomentella tree, standing as eternal, without the poses of sorrow or joy. Half rooted in peaceful earth, half dancing in the wind, half casting shade, half basking in sunlight. Very silent, very proud, never relying, never searching.”

    When we’ve borrowed enough scenery and lives from elsewhere, what we ultimately need to traverse are the ravines and chasms within our own hearts, to find the hidden reefs and treacherous shallows of the soul. It’s a process of searching high and low, of struggling in all directions, which may eventually lead to a sudden moment of clarity—or to finding nothing at all. But having chosen to set out, one needs a touch of defiant resolve. Like the Parashorea tomentella forest, if you don’t go there yourself, you’ll never encounter that intoxicating expanse of green.

Practical Tips for Visiting the Parashorea tomentella Forest:

1. Transportation

★ Dedicated Tourist Shuttle Bus

Departs from Jinghong South Bus Station at 8:30 AM and returns from the scenic area to Jinghong around 3:00 PM.

★ Direct Bus Service

Buses depart at 9:50 AM and 4:30 PM from Banna Bus Station (Fantan Factory) to Mengban, where you can get off at the Parashorea tomentella scenic area.

★ From Jinghong City → Mengla County → Parashorea tomentella Forest

From Jinghong to Mengla County, major bus stations operate services daily between 7:00 and 18:00, with a bus every 15 minutes. From Mengla County Bus Station, buses depart daily between 8:00 and 17:40 to Yaoqu and Mengban, with one bus per hour. Get off at the Parashorea tomentella Forest.

Self-driving Routes:

★ Starting from Kunming

Take the Kunming-Mohan Expressway and the Xiaomeng Highway to reach Mengla County. Then drive northeast out of Mengla County toward Mengban and Yaoqu, approximately 14 kilometers to the Parashorea tomentella scenic area.

★ Starting from Jinghong City

After crossing the Xishuangbanna Bridge, drive straight along the Kunming-Bangkok Highway to Mengla County. Then drive northeast out of Mengla County toward Mengban and Yaoqu, approximately 14 kilometers to the Parashorea tomentella scenic area.

2. Accommodation and Dining

Dining: The Weimeiya Rainforest Restaurant in the Parashorea tomentella scenic area serves wild vegetables, farmhouse chicken, and Nanla River ecological fish and shrimp. Along the road from Mengla to the Parashorea tomentella Forest and near the scenic area, there are farm stays and Dai-style restaurants where you can dine.

Accommodation: Lianya Xiaoshe in the Parashorea tomentella scenic area offers lodging with good facilities and reasonable prices. Alternatively, you can stay in Mengla County, where there are several business hotels to choose from.

3. Other Tips

★ Clothing: Bring a few short-sleeve shirts and one or two long-sleeve jackets. Xishuangbanna’s weather changes frequently, and there can be significant temperature differences between morning and evening in winter, so pack sweaters to layer with short sleeves.

★ Medications: Band-Aids, mentholated oil (mosquitoes are plentiful in Xishuangbanna), motion sickness pills, and anti-diarrheal medication.