Some information
Not much people travel to Yuanyang when in
It takes quite a hassle getting there, option 1: take a bus from Kunming Nanyao Bus Station to Jianshui (4 hrs), from Jianshui take a direct bus (3.
5 hrs) to Xinjiezhen around 8am, if you miss it, catch Jianshui ��" Lvchun bus at 11.30 ��" 12.10 (pass through), or a bus to Nansha then transfer to Xinjiezhen, which is complicated. Option 2:
To get around, the public transport which consists of either motorized tricycles, mini buses or vans do not run so early or till so late. You can easily arrange to rent a car/van for Y200/day. Or you can hike around if you have the time and a map with you (make sure you are physically fit).
There isn’t much choice in accommodation, you can stay at: 1) Backpacker Rendezvous +86-(0)873-562-4625, a small guest house with 3 rooms. The owner, Tam, speak fluent English, when he has no guests, he would sometimes close his guesthouse to travel on his own, so call in advance to be sure he is at home. 2) Yuanyang Chenjia Fangshe guest house (next to the old bus station). There is a terrace overlooking the rice fields while eating your breakfast. Yuanyang is not a touristy place, there are many villages, no entrance fees except visiting the Qingkou village, nightlife is out of question.
I went there with some of my husband's colleague, they hired a van to take us there and arrange our stay in one of the hotel situated at the hill top. Yuanyang is near to the border of Vietnam, so if you plan to cross over to visit Vietnam after China, do remember to make a stop in Yuanyang for their breathtaking rice terrace, if you can!
