China · Tea Plantation Tours

Full-Day Tea-Making and Paper-Craft Tour in Kunming with Aini Trek

1 Day Moderate pace

The journey

Trip highlights

01 Experience traditional Dai papermaking and Puer tea-making
02 Explore Aini villages and their tea plantations
03 Trek through jungle and plantations on Nannuo Ancient Tea Mountain
04 See an 800-year-old ancient tea tree

Head into the picturesque landscapes of Kunming, formerly known as Yunnan-Fu, in China and witness the art of Dai papermaking. Learn how Puer tea and paper are traditionally made, explore three Aini villages and their tea plantations, and see an 800-year-old tea tree on Nannuo Ancient Tea Mountain.

Walk through three Aini villages and interact with locals who live in houses built on stilts.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 1 Day

Tour type Private

Activity level Moderate

Accommodation Not included

Transport Included

Wheelchair access No

City Kunming

Languages English, Mandarin

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Markets, Traditional Crafts, and Aini Village Trekking

Meet your tour guide at 8:30 AM and take a 40-minute drive from Jinghong to Menghai to visit the local morning market set up by ethnic groups such as the Dai, Bulang, Aini, and Lahu.
Transfer to Menghun to see the traditional Dai papermaking process.
Witness the Puer tea-making process and then head for lunch.
Travel to Nannuo Ancient Tea Mountain and begin a trek from an Aini village through jungle and tea plantations to visit an 800-year-old tea tree. The trekking time is about 3 hours.
Walk through three Aini villages and interact with locals who live in houses built on stilts. If it is the tea harvest period, see how the Aini people make tea.
Arrive at the last village and drive back to your hotel in Jinghong.

Where this trip takes you

Menghai morning market, Nannuo Ancient Tea Mountain, Aini villages

The route

Where you'll travel

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

Transport
Non-alcoholic drinks, breakfast, and lunch
English-speaking Chinese tour guide

What's Not Included

Tips

Know before you go

Puer Tea-making - Xishuangbanna is the origin of Puer tea production. This mellow-tasting tea goes through a fermentation process and is tightly compressed. Puer tea is considered an "antique," which means the longer it is left to ferment, the better the taste.
Dai Papermaking - The Dai people use the bark of the mulberry tree in their papermaking process. This paper feels very rough but is durable. Handwriting on these sheets remains indelible for hundreds of years. Dai culture and history have been recorded on this paper, especially the Buddha scriptures of Xishuangbanna.
Nannuo Ancient Tea Mountain - Located to the east of Menghai County, Nannuo Ancient Tea Mountain is a famous tea-growing area. It is home to the king of ancient tea trees, which stands 5.5 meters tall with a main stem circumference of 1.4 meters and is over 800 years old. This area is the primary economic resource of the Aini people.

Logistics