Jingmai's old tea forests, where tea trees grow under taller forest cover tended by Bulang and Dai villages for centuries, became the world's first tea-themed UNESCO World Heritage site in 2023.
- Good for:
- Tea lovers, slow travelers, anyone combining Pu'er and Xishuangbanna
In the spring harvest you pick buds and young leaves with a tea family in the morning, help wok-fire, roll and sun-dry them in the afternoon, and taste the result that evening.
Etiquette and what to know
The harvest depends on the weather, so dates move from year to year; a smaller autumn picking is also possible. The oldest trees belong to particular families and their leaves are valuable, so pick only where your hosts ask. Jingmai is under three hours by road from Jinghong; guesthouses are simple, and a driver makes the trip far easier.
