I thought Hainan was great for kids, until I went to Xishuangbanna.

Xishuangbanna is a treasure trove for kids✨! Walk with elephants🐘 at Wild Elephant Valley, and act as an elephant mom, helping bathe and feed them; hike through the rainforest, catch crabs🦀, wade through streams, and swing on rope swings; celebrate the Water Splashing Festival💦 in Manyuan Village, cut banana trees, make Dai pottery, and explore rainforest insects at night~ - 1️⃣ There's no off-season in Xishuangbanna! There's only peak season and super peak season, so if you're traveling independently, book your accommodations in advance! It gets expensive and hard to book during peak season! 2️⃣ Direct flights to Banna are a bit pricey✈️. Flying to Banna via Kunming is relatively cheaper! 3️⃣ The temperature in Banna is recently between 15–30°C⛅️. There's a big temperature difference between day and night, so bring a light jacket or windbreaker! 4️⃣ Try to dress your kids in long sleeves and pants to protect them from mosquito bites! 5️⃣ Rainforest trekking is a must-do in Banna. The trails aren't long but they're amazing. It's a great way for kids to connect with nature and learn about rainforest plants and animals. It's worth it! 6️⃣ Wild Elephant Valley is worth visiting, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're only going to see wild elephants. Seeing them is purely a matter of luck! I took my kids there to interact with elephants up close, and we also saw monkeys and butterflies. 8️⃣ Avoid the popular photo shoots. Buy a set of Dai clothes at the night market for around 40 RMB and take your own photos. It's beautiful and practical! 9️⃣ You can go to the Starlight Night Market, but don't buy jade or handicrafts you don't understand! - 🙆‍♀️We stayed at the Wanda Vista Xishuangbanna Resort with our kids, and we didn't move around at all, so we didn't have to lug our luggage back and forth. 💁‍♀️Here's our itinerary: D1: Arrive in Xishuangbanna from various locations. D2: Banna—Manyuan Village/Manzhang Village Morning: Visited Manyuan Village, the "Mushroom House"🍄, experienced Dai pottery and Dai paper making, and enjoyed a Peacock Feast. Afternoon: Participated in Dai cultural heritage activities, such as learning about the scriptures on palm leaves, making Dai pottery, Dai singing and dancing, the Water Splashing Festival, and elephant-foot drumming. D3: Rainforest Trekking A must-do for first-time visits with kids! We chose a short 5 km trek🚶‍♀️, which was perfect for the kids to experience nature, splash in the water, and catch bugs🦀️. The distance was manageable, and the small valleys, rope swings, strangler figs, and wild hot springs♨️ along the way were all fun. We also had a picnic. Evening: Went on a night exploration of rainforest insects, participating in courage challenges and insect meet-and-greets. D4: Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden - Starlight Night Market Morning: Botanical exploration, learning about exotic flowers and plants, and participating in plant science quizzes and puzzle games. Afternoon: Attended a lecture on biodiversity, then returned to Jinghong City to explore the Starlight Night Market. Evening: Explored the Starlight Night Market and experienced the local night market culture. D5: Wild Elephant Valley—Departure Interacted with elephants up close at Wild Elephant Valley. The baby elephants were super cute✨, and they would hide the food we gave them, haha. We went with a family tour group and used the VIP channel, so we didn't have to wait in line. The kids got to interact with the elephants, bathe them with brushes and water guns🫧, feed them carrots, and shovel their poop... They even got volunteer certificates. The kids were so happy! After the activities, we departed based on our flight schedule.