March is a good time to refresh your body and feel the natural atmosphere in Kunming. As the ever-growing days beckon people to spend more time outside, you'll easily find many places in Kunming to stay outside and enjoy the fresh spring days.
Take your camera when you go walking. Look for signs of spring emerging everywhere and take photos that you can use for collages, decorations, and photo projects; or, you can just share the marvels of spring through your photos with people online. (Upload them to a site such as InKunming Forum)
Here are 9 places in Kunming to enjoy in the embrace of nature.
Kunming Zoo 昆明动物园
Kunming Zoo, located on the urban-north Yuantong Mountain (圆通山), is the most famous place for cherry-blossom viewing in Yunnan province. March is the best time to enjoy cherry blossoms and begonia flowers.
Moreover, the zoo was founded in 1950. It features some 5,700 animals under 333 species categories, including giant and red lesser pandas, Asian elephants, peacocks and other birds, gibbons, monkeys, zebras, giraffes, Bengal tigers and lions.
Tips:
-Opening time: 7:00-19:00
-Admission: 15 yuan per person
1. You can take a taxi from the downtown Kunming to Kunming Zoo and the fare is estimated from 15 to 20 yuan.
2 You can also take buses (No.4, 22, 59, 74, 83, 92, 100 and 129) to the zoo.
Heilongtan Gongyuan 黑龙潭公园
Heilongtan (Black Dragon Pool) is one of the best places for enjoying the plum blossom in Kunming. A total of 20,000 roots of plum blossoms bring colors to the harsh winter in Kunming, southwest China’s Yunnan province.
The park, also known as the Dragon Fountain Temple (Longquanguan) is located at the foot of Longquan Hill, about 17 kilometers (10 miles) north of the downtown of Kunming.
Tips:
-Opening time: 06:00 - 18:00
-Admission: 10 yuan per person
-You can take no.9, 79 and 128 buses to Black Dragon Pool Park.
-A cab to the park from the city center will run around 40 to 50 yuan.
-To get there by bicycle, just take Longquan Lu (龙泉路) north until it ends and follow the bilingual signs, which will send you one kilometer east.
Pear-flower landscapes in Chenggong
A field of pear flowers has become a scenic spot in Chenggong New Area of Kunming. Baozhu Pear is the most well-known native breed in Chenggong. According to the history, a monk called "Baozhu" once took a pear sapling to Kunming. The sapling was grafted with another pear tree.Thousands of pear trees will make you feel good.
Tips:
-Self-driving routes: North Cai Yun Road(彩云北路) – East of South Outer Ring Road（东外环南路） – Shilijingcheng(实力锦城)Residential Quarter – Tianshuijiayuan(天水家园) Residential Quarter– Wujiaying Street(吴家营街道)
-You can take the No.170 bus to Yunnan Nationalities University in Chenggong New Area, and then, take the No. 223 bus to the orchard (Wujiaying Street).
Jiaoye Gongyuan 郊野公园
Located at west suburban of Kunming, Jiaoye Gongyuan (Jiaoye Park) covers an area of 180 hectares and thousands of peach trees have been planted here. Since 1990, the park has received millions of visitors.
Tips:
-Opening time: 8:00-18:00
-Admission: 8 yuan per person.
-You can take C61 and C62 buses to the park.
-Jiaoye Park is the only park in Kunming, which admits pets.
Kunming Botanical Garden 昆明植物园
Kunming Botanical Garden has a good view of greeneries in Kunming. The garden is 12 kilometers away from downtown Kunming. It is adjacent to the Black Dragon Pool Park, where ancient trees grow luxuriantly to form a famed scenic resort.
Covering a total area of 40 hectares, the garden was first built in 1938 for the purpose of cultivating rare and precious flowers, medicinal herbs, major trees and endangered floral species etc. It has collected some 4,000 species of plants and established 10 special plant gardens and experimental districts.
Not long ago, the garden was awarded the title of “International Camellia Garden of Excellence”.
Tips:
-Opening time: 8:00—18:00
-Admission: 5 yuan per person
-You can take no. 9, 79 and 128 buses to Black Dragon Pool Park.
-A cab to the park from the city center will run around 40 to 50 yuan.
-To get there by bicycle, just take Longquan Lu (龙泉路) north until it ends and follow the bilingual signs, which will send you one kilometer east.
