Pu'er

Pu'er (普洱; Pǔ'ěr) is a prefecture-level city in southern Yunnan Province, world-famous as the namesake of Pu'er tea (普洱茶), China's most celebrated fermented tea. The city (formerly known as Simao) is the centre of a vast tea-growing region that has been producing tea for over 1,700 years. The landscape of Pu'er is a rolling green quilt of tea plantations, rubber forests, and tropical vegetation. Beyond the tea, Pu'er is known for the Wild Elephant Valley in the Xishuangbanna region (the southern part of the prefecture), where Asian elephants roam freely in the nature reserve. The climate is subtropical — warm and humid year-round, with a rainy season from May–October. The best time to visit is November–April (the dry season).

By Plane

Pu'er Simao Airport (SYM) has direct flights from Kunming (50 min), Chengdu (1.5 hr), and Beijing (3.5 hr). The airport is 3 km from the city centre. A taxi costs about ¥10–15.

By Train

Pu'er Railway Station is on the Yuxi–Mohan Railway. High-speed trains from Kunming take about 2.5–3 hours (¥100–150).

By Car / Road

Pu'er is 400 km south of Kunming on the G8511 Kunming–Bangkok Expressway (4–5 hr drive). The expressway continues south to Xishuangbanna and the Laos border.

Pu'er city is compact. Taxis are cheap (¥8 flagfall). For the tea mountains (50–100 km) and Wild Elephant Valley (120 km south), a hired car or tour is recommended.

• Pu'er Tea Horse Road Museum — Museum about the ancient Tea Horse Road trade route. 9AM–5PM, free.

• Pu'er Tea Plantation — Endless tea terraces around Pu'er, many offering tours and tastings. The best-known plantations are on the Nannuo and Wuliang mountains.

• Wild Elephant Valley (野象谷) — The Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve's section where wild Asian elephants are most commonly spotted. Walkways, observation towers, and an elephant show. 8AM–6PM, ¥65.

• Pu'er National Forest Park — A large tropical forest park with walking trails, waterfalls, and a canopy walkway. ¥50.

• Pu'er Ancient Tea Horse Road — A well-preserved section of the original cobbled Tea Horse Road near the city.

• Meizi Lake — A pleasant lake in the city with a walking and cycling path.

• Tea plantation tour and tasting — The essential Pu'er experience. Visit a tea mountain, watch the picking and processing, and taste the famous aged Pu'er tea.

• Elephant watching — Visit Wild Elephant Valley during the dry season (November–April) for the best chance of spotting wild elephants.

• Rainforest hiking — Trails in Pu'er National Forest Park and the surrounding mountains.

• Tea ceremony — Many tea houses in Pu'er offer traditional gongfu tea ceremonies. ¥50–100.

• Photography — The green tea terraces and mist-shrouded mountains are stunning.

• Pu'er tea-infused dishes — Some restaurants serve dishes cooked with Pu'er tea leaves. ¥30–60.
• Crossing-the-bridge noodles (过桥米线) — Yunnan classic. ¥25–50.
• Dai minority cuisine — Spicy, sour dishes from the local Dai people, including lemongrass fish and sticky rice. ¥30–60.
• Wild mushroom hotpot — In season July–September. ¥60–120.
• Roasted tea leaves with peanuts — A local snack. ¥10–20.

• Pu'er tea — Aged raw Pu'er (生普) or fermented ripe Pu'er (熟普) — both are excellent.
• Yunnan arabica coffee — Increasingly famous coffee from the Pu'er region.
• Bottled water — tap water is not recommended.

• Budget: Guesthouses near the bus station (¥80–150).
• Mid-range: Hotels in Pu'er city (¥200–400).
• Upscale: Tea plantation resorts (¥500–1,200), including the Pu'er Sun River Resort.

• Pu'er tea — The definitive purchase. Available in raw (sheng) and ripe (shou) types, loose or in cakes (bing). Prices from ¥50 to ¥10,000+.
• Pu'er tea wares — Yixing clay teapots, tea cups, and tea trays.
• Yunnan coffee — Locally grown arabica coffee beans.
• Wild mushrooms — Dried local mushrooms, including porcini and matsutake.

• Xishuangbanna (Jinghong) (2 hr south) — Dai minority culture, Buddhist temples, tropical rainforest.
• Wild Elephant Valley (1.5 hr south) — Asian elephant reserve in the rainforest.
• Mohan/Boten border (3 hr south) — Cross into Laos (Mohan is the main land port).
• Jingmai Mountain (3 hr south-west) — UNESCO World Heritage tea plantations, one of the oldest tea-growing regions in the world.
• Yuanjiang (3 hr north) — Hani rice terraces (a less-crowded alternative to Yuanyang).