After the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek and hiding out in Kunming during China’s Golden Week, we headed south in Yunnan Province to visit the stunning terraced rice fields of Yuanyang. The spectacle promised to be absolutely magnificent! Indeed, October marks the end of harvest season and the beginning of the water-filled rice terrace season, creating breathtaking reflections and colors. To make sure you don’t miss a thing about this natural gem, follow our complete Yuanyang guide!
We made this trip to the Yuanyang rice terraces in 2013, but this article has been completely reviewed and updated in September 2025. If you notice any price changes or have additional information that could be relevant, please don’t hesitate to leave us a comment!
Presentation of the Terraced Rice Fields
If you’ve never seen rice terraces before, prepare to be absolutely mesmerized! Yunnan had already won us over, but this panorama worthy of an artist’s masterpiece is simply breathtaking! Spoiler alert: we’ll see others during our world tour, notably the rice terraces around Ubud in Bali, Indonesia, and the rice terraces of Sapa in Vietnam!
Historical background
Known as the Yuanyang terraced rice fields, their official name is actually “Honghe Hani Rice Terraces“! Indeed, these landscapes and irrigation systems were conceived and created by the Hani ethnic minority. Just imagine – these rice terraces were shaped and carved by hand over 1,200 years ago! And they stretch over more than 16,000 hectares, all on mountainous plateaus between 1,000 and 2,300 meters of altitude! Their functioning is incredibly ingenious: the forests on the hills capture the clouds, rainwater flows from the trees and is channeled to villages and basins through a canal system.
Tourism development
Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013, the Yuanyang rice terraces site is a heavyweight in Yunnan tourism. Following this recognition, the site obtained the right to develop facilities for tourists. Basically, this means they simply built 3 platforms at the 3 best viewpoints over the paddies. They also set up a bus system to transport tourists from platform to platform. This way, you can discover the place in just one afternoon!
After chatting with some people on site, we learned that many families invest all their money in tourism. (We actually wrote an article about tourism development in Yunnan.) Locals then buy a minibus to drive tourists around or launch into building a hotel. We still got the impression that most locals were busier building their own guesthouses than working in the rice fields. Well, all this remains fairly discreet for now and doesn’t harm the incredible beauty of the place.
In addition to their UNESCO inscription in 2013, the Yuanyang rice terraces joined the list of World Heritage Irrigation Structures in September 2025! The goal is to highlight ancestral systems that promote agriculture and ecology. We can imagine this will secure the place and that the site shouldn’t change too much in the coming years. Plus, since access is still somewhat complicated, this also helps keep these paddies preserved despite everything! In short, it seems the government is seeking to preserve this millennial cultural heritage. In any case, we’re delighted to see that mass tourism hasn’t – yet – swallowed up Yuanyang :).
For more information, we invite you to read the UNESCO article.
How to get to Yuanyang
The rice terraces are located near major cities, but especially less than 100 km from the Vietnamese border and 150 km from the Laotian border! To situate yourself, these terraces are located in Yuanyang District, in southern Yunnan, with 3 main villages: Nansha, Xinjie, and Niujiaozhai. You’ll arrive by transport in Xinjie, the gateway to visiting the rice terraces.
From Kunming
To save a hotel night and handle the 7-hour journey from Kunming, we would have gladly taken the train, but no luck – there isn’t one. So it’s a night bus for us!
By bus
In the evening, we board a sleeper bus, lying in our cozy little bed 70 cm wide by 1.6 m long. Fortunately, we’re not too tall – it’s tougher for people over 1.8 m!
But honestly, there are worse things and I’d rather be lying down than sitting for a long bus journey. So we fall asleep peacefully until about two in the morning, when the bus stops and the driver announces we’ve arrived in Yuanyang. A few people hurry to get up and get off. We think: “WTF! What are we going to do in the parking lot until 7 A.M.???” Well, we grab our backpacks and try to find a quiet corner in the parking lot. That’s when the driver, amused by the situation, explains that this is the bus terminal and that, actually, we can sleep until 7 a.m. inside the bus. PHEW!
Every day, buses leave from Kunming’s south bus station (this one) for a day or night journey to Xinjie. In principle, they depart at 10:20 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. This journey takes about 7 hours and the ticket costs around 150 yuan each.
By train
There’s no direct train between Kunming and Xinjie. You must take a first train between Kunming and Jianshui (2 hours) and a bus between Jianshui bus station and Xinjie (3 hours with departures every 30 minutes).
To understand the different modes of transportation in the country, we have written a comprehensive guide on how to get around China.
From Lijiang
If you’ve just done the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek, you’ll probably pass through Lijiang! To get to Kunming, you have the choice between plane and train (respectively 1 hour for 700 yuan, and 4 hours for 240 yuan). To reach Xinjie from Kunming, please refer to the section immediately above.
From Vietnam
If you’re traveling by bus, you’ll necessarily cross the border between Vietnam and China at Lao Cai and Hekou. The journey between Hekou and Xinjie is done directly by bus and takes at least 4 hours.
If you prefer flying, the ideal is to land in Kunming, then take a bus to Xinjie. You can find all the schedules on this website.
This article contains affiliate links to partner sites. When you use our links to book accommodation, a car, or an activity, you don’t pay anything extra, but we get a small commission. This helps us to offer you free, independent, and ad-free content. Thank you for your support!
Where to stay?
Nansha is the large village that is mistakenly referred to as Yuanyang. The bus might drop you off there (instead of Xinjie). Nevertheless, we don’t recommend sleeping there! First, it’ll mean quite a few round-trip trips between the accommodation and the rice terraces if you stay several days. And then, why deprive yourself of a view directly onto the rice terraces from your room?
Therefore, we recommend sleeping in Xinjie, which is closer, or right in the locality of Pugao, to have your feet directly in the paddies. That’s the option we chose and honestly, we highly recommend the experience! Seeing the rice terraces and even the sunrise from your room is amazing, isn’t it?! We stayed at the Sunny Guesthouse and it was perfect: the terrace looked directly onto the rice fields! Prices are reasonable and you’ll find dorms as well as double rooms. Count on 45 yuan for a night in a dorm and 150 yuan for a double bed.
Note: if the Sunny Guesthouse is full, try Jacky’s Guesthouse, also a superb hostel (dorm or double room)!
Map of the Honghe Hani rice terraces
To make it clearer with all the names you’ll find in this article, here’s a little map of the Yuanyang rice terraces :).
How to visit the Yuanyang rice terraces
Here’s all the practical information so you can visit and best enjoy the place!
Best time to see water-filled rice terraces
We were in Yuanyang in early October and it was the beginning of the season for admiring the famous mirror effect. Indeed, between November and early April, the basins are filled with water – this is the ideal period for admiring this incredible landscape! The rest of the year, you’ll see lush green rice terraces. Farmers plant rice around March and it grows until harvest in September. It’s also beautiful, but the effect is perhaps a bit less impressive. Judge for yourself the photos between October and peak season!
How many days to stay in the rice terraces?
Being at altitude, the weather is very variable and it’s not uncommon for thick fog to be part of the scene. We advise staying at least 3 days on site. That’s what we did and we appreciated every second spent in front of this true jewel! In 3 days, you’ll have time to walk among the different viewpoints, visit one of the markets, and discover the surroundings…
Getting from Yuanyang or Xinjie to the Hani rice terraces
If you’re staying in Nansha, you’ll easily find transport to get to Xinjie (Yuanyang old city), where the rice terraces are located. The journey takes less than 1 hour. Once in Xinjie, minibuses circulate between the different villages and viewpoints, costing about ten yuan per person per journey. To give you an idea, Xinjie – Pugao takes a little less than 1 hour. You can very well move from one point to another on foot – we detail the different hikes below. Only, it takes longer! If you’re pressed for time, opt for a complete minibus tour.
Tip: ask your hotel if they can organize a day through the rice terraces for you. They often have drivers to do tours of the area.
Tickets and prices
Entry to the Honghe Hani rice terraces costs 100 yuan per person. It includes access to the 3 platforms we detail below. To this rate, add the minivan ticket to move from one viewpoint to another if you don’t do everything on foot. Count about 10 yuan per person per section!
Tip: since we arrived very early in the morning, we simply took a local minibus instead of the tourist buses to take us to our guesthouse. The driver simply didn’t stop at the official entrance. At the same time, he has no interest in doing so… He simply took us to our destination. This way, we were able to spend 3 days in the rice terraces without paying the entrance fee… Only downside: we didn’t have access to the 3 official tourist viewpoints. But there are other equally magnificent viewpoints, starting with the terrace on our guesthouse roof! In short, you can very well do without the 100 yuan. You just need to find viewpoints on your own, some being right next to the platforms or villages!
Main viewpoints
The Yuanyang terraces are roughly divided into 3 zones, where the 3 platforms are located.
Bada
Bada is the viewpoint closest to Xinjie. It’s the main starting point for hikes through the terraces. The terrain isn’t too rugged, the path is paved, but the view is perhaps a tad “less impressive” than the other 2. The place is known for the sunset over the rice terraces. In short, if you’re only spending one day on site, we recommend focusing on Bada.
Duoyishu
At Duoyishu, you’re in the heart of the rice terraces. The panorama is simply incredible and that’s why we stayed in Pugao. Bonus: you can see the sunrise from your hotel! We didn’t witness this phenomenon, but it’s common to observe a sea of clouds in the early morning. If you choose not to pay for access to the 3 platforms, this is the ideal area to explore the surroundings at will and find equally magical viewpoints!
Laohuzui
Next to Mengpin village, Laohuzui is THE spot for observing sunset over the rice terraces. Also called “tiger’s mouth,” these terraced rice fields are the farthest from Xinjie and the lowest. Therefore, the paid platform overlooks Laohuzui for a spectacle of pure beauty! It would be possible to go down a bit, but the terrain is steep.
Hiking
Sure, the views from the platforms are very pretty. But what’s even more impressive in our opinion is walking among the rice terraces to observe locals working and enjoy the landscapes! Although there aren’t really developed trails for walking, you shouldn’t be afraid to go anyway. We never felt like we were disturbing people in their work and we were always welcomed with big smiles. The paths aren’t marked or paved for the most part, but with a good app like maps.me, you’ll easily find your way.
Since these 3 sectors are relatively far apart, you can very well walk for several hours to go from one end to the other. In short, the possibilities are numerous! Here are the different hikes you can do for half a day or a full day:
- Quanfuzhuang – Bada via Gingkou (also called Jingkou) (3.4 km, 170 m elevation gain, 170 m elevation loss)
- Qingkou – Bada (5.4 km, 450 m elevation gain, 370 m elevation loss): This is probably the most popular trail! Entirely paved and very well marked, it’s one of the easiest trails. It’s ideal for getting a very good overview if you’re only spending one day in the rice terraces.
- Pugao – Aichun via Azheke or Yanzijiao – Aichun via Azheke (5.7 km, 450 m elevation gain, 300 m elevation loss): These 2 trails cross the Duoyishu paddies to end in the villages of Azheke and Aichun, 2 villages renowned for their mushroom houses. In Aichun, you’ll have the chance to see the blue rice terraces where the sky reflects!
- Shengcun – Bada via Lao Yin Zui and Malizhai (7 km, 400 m elevation gain, 400 m elevation loss)
- Shengcun – Duoyishu (8 km, 440 m elevation gain, 465 m elevation loss)
- Pugao – Bada via Shengcun (15 km, 900 m elevation gain, 900 m elevation loss): This is the same route as Shengcun – Bada, except we start directly from Pugao.
- Pugao – Laohuzui via the villages of Puduo and Dongpu (13 km, 600 m elevation gain, 900 m elevation loss)
Going to Yuanyang market
In Yuanyang district, the Yuanyang market is renowned for its colors, products, and the different ethnic minorities that gather there (Hani, Yi). Only hitch: it’s rotating, meaning it changes location every day! Yet another reason to stay at least 3 nights on site ;). It’s the villages of Xinjie, Niujiaozhai, and Shengcun that take turns hosting this typical and authentic market. We can’t recommend one of the 3 highly enough – it’ll surely be a unique experience! Advice: ask your hotel where the next market will take place.
If you’re traveling to China and want to access Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Google, know that these sites are blocked. Also, in public transportation, you’re not certain about connection security…
You’ll therefore need to use a VPN during your stay. For our part, we’ve had a subscription with ExpressVPN for several years and are delighted with it!
End of our trip in Yunnan
So there you have it – with this article ends our series on the marvelous region that is Yunnan, a little gem! We’re taking you to the karst region of Guilin and the city of Canton, the last stops in China, before flying off to Taiwan.
Did you like Yunnan and the Yuanyang paddies? Do you have other suggestions for visits? Leave us a comment – we want to know everything ;).
P.S. – To prepare your next trip, find all our advice for visiting China (tips, itinerary, transport…).
Pin it
Join the discussion