Welcome to Forest Cafe,Yunnan, Xishuangbanna, South China!!!
Thank you for paying attention to our trekking service!!!
Welcome to join our trekking !

We do not spoil the environment
We do give extra money for accommodation to the local people
We do bring medicines to the local people

Some tour examples...

0. Ethnic culture one day tour Time: 8:30 A.M. start from Jinghong to a modern Dai village, 1.5 hours on the highway by mini-bus. After the Dai village we continue the trip to a moderately sized Aini village, a 15 minutes bus ride on a bumpy road. We visit the Aini village, take a walk in the jungle to a typical, fairly traditional Bulang village which takes around 40 minutes. After the Bulang village we walk down the hill crossing a huge tea plantation. Along the way you will enjoy breathtaking views of valleys studded with rice fields. Around 5 P.M. we will be back in Jinghong. Option: If the day of your choice is Sunday, we can visit the Sunday Market.If you like we can also visit a small home-style tea factory, JingEn temple or the 300 years old Jingzhen temple. 2010 photos on this trek

1.800 years old Pu'er tea tree tour Departure time: 9:00 A.M. 1 hour mini-bus ride to the old Aini village near Nannuoshan. 2 hours walking on a jungle path to see the old Pu er tea tree plantation. All the tea trees are between 300 and 800 years old. At noon, we drink local tea and have lunch with an Aini family or at an Aini restaurant. If you like the tea, you can also buy some from local people for the best price. The whole experience lasts 5 to 6 hours.

2. Easy tropical rainforest day trek  This trek starts with a 1 hours journey by mini-bus to a big Dai village north of Jinghong. From there there is a jungle footpath parallel to a small mountain river that we will follow for about 1.5 hours. We will have a break midway and then continue to the waterfall where you will encounter a lot of ancient trees and fascinating rainforest plant species. This trip s particularly worthwhile during the rainy season (May to October). Afterwards we walk downhill along the rocks (in the dry season) back to the Dai village and get the bus back to Jinghong. The whole experience lasts about 5 hours.

3. Mengkuan one day trek We will leave Jinghong around 8:30 AM by public bus. After 1,5 hours we get off in Mengkuan and walk for about 5 hours along a track that allows for beautiful views of rice paddies, pineapple and tea plantations. Along the way we will cross six different villages populate by Ake, Aini and Dai tribes. There will be a steep uphill climb at the beginning that might be a little demanding, but later the track is fairly easy to walk. Only the last 40 minutes are more taxing, because the path leads steeply downhill. We return to Jinghong in the late afternoon.

4. Easy 2 days trek This trek kicks off with a 1 hour public bus ride to a Dai village , followed by 5 hours walking along the bank of the Mekong ­- a lot of up & down walking to be more precise! The second day also demands 4 to 5 hours of walking, albeit at a much more relaxed pace and less uphill. The path we follow on both days allows us beautiful views of the Mekong river and the stunning mountain panoramas of the China - Burma border region. We will see many rubber and tea plantations as well as mountain rice fields. Ethnic groups that settle in the area include Dai ,Aini and Ake people. The night will be spent in a 600 years old Dai village that is brimming with atmosphere!( bedroom and bathroom in Dai people's family house) 2010 photos on this trek

5. Moderate level 4days (November - Next May is the best time) At 8:30 AM we take a minibus to Galanba .The drive takes approximately 1 and a half hours, our destination is a medium-sized Dai village. From there it's a beautiful 4 hours walk along a small trail to an small Aini village inhabited by only 17 families. The first night we will rest in the traditional home of a very hospitable Dai people's family. 2nd and 3rd day: On both days we face uphill and downhill 5 or 6 hours walks through dense forests, rubber plantations and mountain rice fields. The night of the third day will be spent in a hillside Aini people's village that offers ravishingly beautiful views down into misty valleys. Before reaching our overnight destination we will cross the Mekong by ferry boat and then walk along the confluence of the Mekong and Luoshuo rivers. 4th day: An easy 3 hours walk downhill to a riverside Dai village. From there we will get a private ferry boat for a 3 hours upstream ride on the Mekong to Ganlanba. Our journey ends with a 1 hour drive by public bus back to Jinghong. Overnight village. ethnic groups: Dai ,Aini ,Ake original forest, cloud sea Look nice picture on this trek: 2008 ,4 days Mekong River & mountains trekking

6. Moderate level trek 3 days This trek begins with a 1.5 hour bus ride to Mengkuan. From there its a 3 hours walk to a 600 years old Dai village where we spent the night with a hospitable Dai people's family. Our accommodation includes hot water shower and toilet (something that can not always be taken for granted on treks like this!). The second day we will walk along a small, winding forest path following a small stream. There's a lot of up and downhill climbing involed! The night will be spent in a small Aini people's village that houses 11 families. On the third day our track leads us downhill for about 2 hours. There's some vantage points where we can enjoy truly breathtaking views of the rolling Xishuangbanna mountainscape. After that the terrain is more even and we will walk for another two hours until we reach the Ake village where a mini-van will come to pick us up and takes us back to Mengkuan. From there's its a 1.5 hour bus ride back to Jinghong. Ethnic groups: Dai ,Aini ,Ake

7. Thursdays 2 days trek Bulang people Option 1 (start on Wedensday) 1rt day, Time : leave 8:30am ,2.5hr bus ride to the place begin trek, 4--5hrs walk through Bulang ,Dai,Aini villages . 2nd day, Thursday : visit colourful market ,then 4--5hrs walk plus break . Terrain:some up and down hill ,great view of biggest valley in Xishuangbanna ,tea processing factory . Ethnic groups :Aini ,Dai ,Bulang (very old temple ,nice atmosphere) Overnight :guesthouse . Option 2 (start on Tuesday, 2.5 days trek) 1rt day, Time : leave at 1:30pm ,2.5hr bus ride to the place begin trek, 1.5hrs walk to Bulang people's villages , with more than 200 families, most women still dress up their traditional clothes.Stay overnight at Bulang family. 2nd day, Time: leave at 9:00am, 1 hr go down hills and 3 hrs go up hills, walk through tea plantation, sugarcane plantation and some rice fields in a big valley, to the other Bulang village. Stay overnight at Bulang family. 3rd day, Time: leave at 8:00am, 2 hrs walking to the Thursday market, passby an Aini people's village, spend ha1f an hour on the minority market, then 2.5 hrs walk down hills.on the way, we can see the biggest valley in Xishuangbanna with thousands of wet rice fields. Look nice picture on this trek: 2009. Dec. 2days trek

8. 3 days hard forest & jungle trekking tour(November - Next May ) Yao Time : leave 8:30am ,2hrs bus ride to the place start trek 1th Day : 1 hour go-up walking on a limestone hill. 2 hours up and down walking through the forest. 2th Day : 6 hours hard walking on small parth in the forest&jungles, top three high mountains, cross one river.highest mountain is about 1200 meters. 3th Day : 4 hours up and down walking on small parth in the forest&jungles Note: the 2th day & 3th day , maybe can see wild animals in the forest but can not garantee Ethnic groups :Yao , Dai Overnight :Yao village. Look nice picture on this trek: 2009. Dec.3 days forest trekking

9.Bus tour in xishuangbanna
A. visit to Galanba for a daily vegetable market ,botanical garden ,Ake ,Jinuo .Flower Belt Dai ethnic villages
B. Ake ,Aini,Dai village with great view of Mekong River view ,rubber ,pineapple plantations .
C. Sunday market ,Aini, Dai village ,octagon temple ,small tea process factory .sugarcane plantation .come back from old road,see dam,waterfall,amazing Liusha River .
D. Thursday market ,Bulang ,Aini ethnic (2 branches ), Aini village ,very nice surroundings
E. luxury Pu er tea bus tour
1th 1 hours rubber dinghy boat from Jinghong to Galanba visit a water dai village .Afternoon visit an insteresting Pu er tea shop.
2th hours drive from Jinghong to Menlun Botanical garden ,overnight inside garden .
3th Menlun toYiwu ,3-4 hours drive ,visit local family Pu er tea cake processing workshop and wild old tea tree ,ancient tea horse caravan trail .Overnight in Yiwu guesthouse .
4th Yiwu to Jinghong ,5 hours drive ,visit Jinuo ,Chinese Dai , flower belt Dai ethnic villages on the way back .

10.Speed boat to Thailand/Jinghong

This boat start from Jinghong Port , passby Myanmar border and Laos border, arrive Chain saen Port of Thailand by Mekong River. Or from Chain saen Port of Thailand back to Jinghong Port.

Journey time: It takes around 9 hrs to Chain saen .

Ticket price(one way) of boat company : 820yuan RMB included accident insurance 20 yuan(The customs force every passenger to buy the insrrance).

Leaving time: (normally)Every Tuesday , Thursday , Saturday, at 8:00 A.M.
Note:If in dry season(from January to April), the boat is possible to stop running, because almost no rain in this area and the water level of Mekong River is very low.If the boat company can not find enough passengers, it is also possible to stop running.

When to buy your ticket?
It is better to buy your ticket 1 or 2 days in advance, because normally the boat company will finish the report to the customs at 3:00PM of the day before leaving day.If you bought the ticket from Thailand to Jinghong, you need stamp your visa at customs office before 5 PM, one day in advance.

Thailand Visa: On this boat trip to Thailand, you do not need Laos visa and Myanmar visa.If you are Europen and American, you can have 15 days free Thailand visa. For other people ,you need get your visa before you enter Thailand.
Note:You can book your tickets at Forest Cafe with the same price and get your tickets at Forest Cafe.You do not need to pay any extra booking service fee, because the boat company will pay us service fee.Our booking service is free and convinent for you , save your time. The staff of boat company can not speak English.Thanks for taking our booking service! Forest Cafe has been running bunisness since 1994, if without many people's support, we cannot run the business until today.

12.Off the beaten trek around Yangshuo
A. day trek from Fuli to Gaotian ,nice scenery 5-6 hours walk .price depends on number of group members
B. Putao to Xingping 5-6 hours through villages , the most beautiful photos of Li River come from where Sara was born .


What is required on your trekking?

These hikings require that you carry the following items in your backpack:

a light raincoat or an umbrella
an extra change of clothes, long shirt & pants (wear in the evening to prevent malaria)
good hiking shoes and extra socks
sunglass, sunscreen and a hat
mosquito repellent
any personal medication that you need
flashlight or head lamp
sandals for stream walk
sleeping sheet if you have.

Dos and don'ts:

Please ask the people or the guide before you take photos! Please pack out all the trash (especially plastic, cigarets etc.) don't give candy or gifts to children!
Don't smoke drugs in the family house where we stay in.

Thank you and enjoy your trek !!!
   
    Sara

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