Wild Elephant Valley

Wild Elephant Valley is about 50kms north of Jinghong City and is actually a nature reserve for tropical rainforest and various species of wildlife. Here in the jungle live a herd of 70 wild Asian elephants. Wild elephants usually come out at night, prompting the construction of a small hotel on the tree tops for tourists who want to observe the elephants up close. Tourists can stay in the tree dwellings("hotels in the tree") and wait for arrival of a herd of wild elephants, breath in fresh air, view the tropical rainforest, and meanwhile listen to twitter of birds and clear and melodious gurgling of the stream; also a 2-kilometer long cable way in the park enables people to enjoy rainforest view from the air.

To the Dai people, the elephant is the symbol of good luck, strength and longevity. The wild elephants of Xishuangbanna live mainly in the Wild Elephants Valley (yexiang gu), at the junction of the western and eastern part of the Menyang natural reserve. At dawn or dusk, the best time to see the impressive beasts, visitors can view many of the 300 strong elephant herd from an observation tower in the valley. The dense forest in Xishuangbanna, known locally as the "kingdom of elephants", provides a harmonious environment for the giant animals.