January
Terrace water at its deepest; the northwest cold and crystalline; the south dry and warm. Lodge bookings at a premium.
Destinations / Yunnan / The Yunnan calendar
The Yunnan calendar.
The province on one page: which windows open when, which festivals land where, and how the journeys are built around the year's real dates.
Explore the guide ↓All of Yunnan · the year
- The year
- Four calendars
- The festivals
- Apr · Feb
- The blooms
- Feb – Mar · May
- The harvests
- Sep – Oct · Jun – Sep
Month by month.
What each month does best, and where.
February
The Luoping canola builds to bloom; spring-festival light fills the villages (and the roads — plan around the holiday).
March
Canola peak, first-flush tea picking, rhododendrons starting on the ranges. The south warms fast.
April
The water-splashing festival (13–15 centred) — the Dai new year and the year's biggest party. Book months ahead.
May – June
Rhododendrons, young barley, the red land's planting repaint. Rain builds late in June.
July – August
Warm, wet, dramatic; mushroom season peaks. High treks run with flex days.
September – October
Terrace harvest gold, clear Meili skies, the red land's second reset. The best first-visit window.
November – December
The terraces flood again; the northwest's visibility season opens; the south turns dry. The connoisseur's months.
Festivals & national holidays.
What to plan around — and around which roads to plan.
The water-splashing festival
Mid-April (13–15 centred)
Chinese national holidays
Spring festival · Labour day · National day
The terrace flood
Post-harvest, Nov
The canola bloom
Late Feb – mid Mar