Yexianggu,
meaning “Valley of Wild
Elephants”, covers an
area of 369 hectares by
the Sancha River in
Mengyang Town, and is
situated 47 kilometers
north of the city of
Jinghong.
The valley, wide open
and with hills rolling
gently at an altitude
ranging between 747 and
1055 metres, is covered
by tropical rain
forests, crisscrossed by
rivers and streams, and
teeming with such
endangered species as
Asian wild elephants,
wild oxen, green
peacocks and monkeys.
Situated at the juncture
of the two parts of the
Mengyang Nature Reserve,
Yexianggu provides a
natural thoroughfare for
all sorts of animals,
and for this reason it
is frequented by wild
elephants. In fact this
is the only place in
Xishuangbanna to marvel
at these giant animals.
With a
five-kilometer-long
passageway, a
300-metre-long overhead
corridor for
elephant-watchers,
hotels built right in
the trees, as well as an
elephant training
school, a butterfly
breeding centre, and a
caged bird paradise, the
Yexianggu Wildlife
Valley is a favorite
tourist destination in
Xishuangbanna. |