Atlas of China
Kunming to Jinghong 昆明 – 景洪
Door to door, the high-speed train comes out ahead: about 3½ hours against about 3½ hours by flight, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. Fares run ¥219 against about ¥400. The stations are in or near the city centres, which is what tips it.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed trainKunming South 昆明南 → Xishuangbanna 西双版纳 | 3 h 8 minC381, fastest | 3½ hours | ¥219standard class | 2507:20–19:22 |
| FlightKunming Changshui (KMG) → Xishuangbanna Gasa (JHG) | 1 h 10 minin the air | 3½ hours | about ¥400varies by day | 506:55–22:20 |
By train
25 direct high-speed trains a day run from Kunming South to Xishuangbanna, between 07:20 and 19:22. The fastest, C381, takes 3 h 8 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥219. Coming back, 25 trains a day, the fastest 3 h 2 min (C306, 07:13 to 19:47).
Jinghong: Trip.com and the railway list the city as Xishuangbanna; the China–Laos Railway station is on the edge of Jinghong.
By air
5 nonstop flights a day from Kunming Changshui (KMG) to Xishuangbanna Gasa (JHG), 1 h 10 min in the air, 06:55 to 22:20, with China Eastern Airlines. 5 fly back. Door to door, with the airports at each end, count about 3½ hours; fares vary by day and are typically about ¥400.
At the other end
Featured places around Jinghong in Xishuangbanna.
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Xishuangbanna & Jinghong 西双版纳与景洪
Gilded Dai temples, a Mekong-side night market and April's Water-Splashing Festival
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Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden 中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园
China's largest botanical garden, with giant banyans, palms and true primary rainforest
Around Kunming: Chengjiang Fossil Site & Fuxian Lake, Green Lake Park, Western Hills & Dragon Gate.
On the map
Open either city on the illustrated map, or put both in a trip and let the planner lay out the days and the legs between them, with the same tables these numbers come from.
Book
About Kunming · Xishuangbanna, with Jinghong · Where Kunming reaches in a day · All routes
Trains are every direct train on 2026-10-28 or 2026-11-11 in the 12306 timetable, with standard-class fares; one weekday, so weekend and holiday services differ, and the fastest train may not run every day. Flights are the airlines' schedules for 2026-10-28, plus routes Wikipedia lists for small airports. Drives are routed on OpenStreetMap roads (extract of 2026-10-21) where the pair was routed, else estimated from the distance. Door-to-door times add about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time to a flight. How to book is in the guide to trains and 12306; the rail times are open data on the data page.