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Voykit pocket guide · China
Benzilan
Spend half a day for the river bend walk and East Bamboo Forest Temple; add a night if you want a quiet riverside stay.
Benzilan is a tiny riverside town in extreme north‑western Yunnan. The main attractions are a short walk to the first bend of the Jinsha River and the East Bamboo Forest Temple 15 km away. A single night in a basic hotel lets you see the river, the temple and the traditional houses without rushing.
- Country
- China
- Best months
- Oct–May (check)
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (check)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥80–120 excl. bed · Mid ¥120–180 excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Meal at roadside restaurant | ¥30–50 |
| Bottle of water (500 ml) | ¥2–4 |
| Bus ticket Zhongdian → Benzilan | ¥15–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- KMG · Kunming Changshui International Airport
- —
Typical fares
- Zhongdian → Benzilan bus
- ¥15 (check ticket office)
- Micro‑van to East Bamboo Forest Temple
- ≈¥30 round trip (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk along the commercial road; micro‑van or bus to the temple (≈15 km (9.3 mi), ~30 min).Walk along the commercial road; micro‑van or bus to the temple (≈9.3 mi (15 km), ~30 min).
See and do
Known for
- First bend of the Jinsha River
- East Bamboo Forest Temple
- Traditional river‑bank houses
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| East Bamboo Forest Temple | Micro‑van or hitch‑hike 15 km (9.3 mi) northwest; about 30 minMicro‑van or hitch‑hike 9.3 mi (15 km) northwest; about 30 min | ≈45 min |
| First bend of the Jinsha River | Walk 8 km (5 mi) northwest along the road; 15 minWalk 5 mi (8 km) northwest along the road; 15 min | ≈20 min |
Sleep
- Local hotels on the main road
- Double en‑suite ¥60–80 per night; Huan Ying Guan Lin ¥100 (holiday price).
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | 对不起duìbuqǐ |
| Thank you | 谢谢xièxiè |
| How much is this? | 这个多少钱？zhè ge duōshǎo qián? |
| Where is the bathroom? | 厕所在哪里？cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Steep drop‑off to the river bank; use the built‑in staircase.
- No English spoken in most hotels.
Generally safe; watch the steep riverbank steps and keep valuables secure on buses.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Benzilan yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- First bend of the Jinsha River
- East Bamboo Forest Temple
- Traditional river‑bank houses
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikidata – Benzilan: www.wikidata.org/wiki/QXXXXX
- Wikivoyage: Benzilan, revision 5163769 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5163769
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/benzilan). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.