Kunming is famous for its geomancy in history, from which you can drive southward to listen to music (played with traditional stringed and woodwind instruments) in Xishuangbannan, northward to visit the snow-capped mountain in Shangri-la, westward to watch the volcanoes in Tengchong County and eastward to appreciate rape flowers in Luoping. Below is Kunming Travel Guide for visitors, and hopefully it will be helpful for the visitors.

The word ‘Kunming’ derives from a number of legends, of which the most famous one is that it’s a general name for an ancient ethnic group in southwest China. With a long history of over 1,200 years, Kunming was said to be built during Hongwu period during the Ming dynasty, designed by a national-famous geomancer Wang Zhan from Jiangxi, and it has evolved into a tourist hub in west China up to now. Neighboring Guizhou Province in the east, Sichuang Province in the north, Vietnam and Thailand in the south and Burma in the west, Kunming serves as a window to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, South Europe and Africa, whose topography lowers from north to south with an average altitude ranging from 1,500 to 2,800 meters.

Surrounded by mountains on 3 sides and heavily influenced by southwest airflow of warm and moist from Indian Ocean, Kunming belongs to the low-latitude mountainous plateau monsoon climate with a long duration of sunshine and a short period of frozen days, whose average annual temperature is 15℃ and precipitation is 1,035 millimeters, and it feels like spring all four seasons in Kunming, so it has the nickname “City of Perpetual Spring”, making it an ideal site for recreation, holiday and travel throughout the year.

Dominated by the Han people, Kunming is a multi-ethnic city with over 7.26 million people, serving as home to over 20 ethnic minority groups, which are mainly the Yi ethnic Group, the Hui ethnic Group and the Bai ethnic group.

The amazing natural scenery and glorious cultural heritages enable Kunming to become a global tourist hotspot for visitors together with its unique folk customs, and Kunming is bestowed with over 200 sightseeing spots, highlighted by Stone Forest World Geo-park, Dianchi Lake, Jiuxiang Karst Cave and World Expo Garden.

If you want to explore more about Kunming, please come to the city to experience its authentic culture and natural beauty with your friends or family, and more information about Kunming travel guide is also available in my blog.

Since money is the subject of this article, it will be wise for those who are planning for a travel to Cancun to be careful about their withdrawn money from the banks. Exchange bureaus and other financial institutions should be visited only during the day. You should also check whether the companies with whom you do business transactions with are affiliated with popular national banks like Bank of Nova Scotia, Santander, Banorte, and Banamex. Aside from these tips, there are a lot more you can do to secure your own travel. Everything depends on how you manage your privacy and resources.

China is a vast and exciting travel destination, offering plenty of new and exciting experiences for budding explorers from all across the globe. Visiting China with a touring group is one of the most popular ways to see the country, and before taking a look at some of the tours available, many assume that cities such as Beijing and Shanghai will be on the itinerary, as well as obligatory trips to see the Great Wall of China and the famed Terracotta Warriors.

There is much more to discover on a tour of China however, and there are so many different areas to explore that you could visit hundreds of times and see something new and different. Before looking into group tours of China, take a look below at some of the things that you could see on an expertly arranged trip to China.

Kung Fu Monks

Asia has long been associated with martial arts, and the image of monks dressed in orange who fight for discipline rather than violence has become iconic. The Shaolin Monks are one of the most famous groups of martial arts experts in the entire world, and a trip to the Shaolin Temple in the Songshan Mountains gives travellers the chance to see some of these great monks in person.

The temple is an important Buddhist shrine as well as being one of the centres of Chinese Kung Fu, and lucky visitors can enjoy a demonstration of this ancient martial art from some of its greatest disciples.

The first pass of the Great Wall

Jiayuguan is the first pass at the western end of the Great Wall of China. Most people tend to see the iconic eastern end of the Great Wall which is surrounded by trees and majestic hills, but real adventurers will want to see the lesser-known western end. The fortress that remains used to be visited by many people who travelled along the famous Silk Road network of trade routes and is the most intact ancient military building which still stands.

The scenery surrounding this section of the Great Wall is completely opposite to the iconic image of the Great Wall which is held in the minds of many; the land is mostly dry and arid.

Nine Villages Valley

Although this area is mostly unheard of by Western tourists, the Nine Villages Valley has been on the World Natural Heritage List since 1992. The area was hidden and remained untouched for over 600 years, meaning that the natural beauty of the area has been able to blossom. The alpine forests are home to a number of protected species who, like the Tibetans that inhabit most of the villages, have escaped the ravages of urban development.

The remoteness and inaccessibility of the Nine Villages Valley has meant that it is not awash with tourists, making it a real hidden gem of China.

Cuba is a popular place for backpackers and in recent years, the number of backpackers has considerably increased. It’s an inexpensive way to see the island and enjoy the culture but it’s an especially good way to become intimate with all the natural wonders and beauty to be found.

Many backpackers prefer to stay off the grid, so to speak, by staying at hostels that are found in big cities, smaller towns and in nearly every tiny village. Hostels are private hotels that are numerous and inexpensive. You can find them nearly everywhere; they range from a building dedicated to renting no-frills rooms to tourists to residents who rent out a room or two in their own home. There are hostels as low as $6 per night or as costly as $20 per night. One advantage of renting a room from an individual is that you’ll likely be invited to share the family’s meals rather than having to eat at a restaurant. Of course, you should compensate the family for their courtesy.

While you are backpacking through Cuba you’ll taste some of the best food in the world. It will enhance your trip if you avoid popular restaurants and patronize the many paladares you’ll find along the way. A paladar is a small family owned restaurant; quite often the family members are the only employees. You’ll get to eat home-cooked meals and more than likely you’ll be treated to old family recipes you’ll never find at the larger commercial restaurants. If you want authentic dining experiences, paladars are the ideal places to take your meals.

One of the best things about backpacking is the mobility you have. You can explore streets too narrow for vehicles and see everything up close and personal rather than peering through the window of a vehicle. You can explore villages and towns without having to worry about finding a parking space or dealing with traffic.

You’ll definitely want to visit the Vinales Valley in the Sierra de los Organos area. Just north of the town of Vinales in the province of Pinar del Rio, this is one of the greenest places in Cuba and recently was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site. Although it is a popular tourist attraction you’ll find many isolated areas that you’ll want to explore that are unspoiled by civilization. You’ll enjoy the sight of many mogotes, which are hills with round tops that date back to the Jurassic Period; they are rich with vegetation and you’ll find dozens of species of plants clinging to them. Mogotes are thought to have been formed by the erosion of plateaus by underground rivers.

You’ll also want to explore and observe the coffee plantations and the many farms in the area that still use farming methods dating back to ancient times. The area has small, idyllic villages to stroll through and hundreds of caves and underground rivers that you might want to explore.