Yuanyang Rice Terraces

In the mountains of southern Yunnan, the Hani and other peoples have over more than a thousand years sculpted whole mountainsides into thousands upon thousands of rice terraces, cascading in fine curving lines from the forested ridgetops down into the valleys, a feat of hand-built engineering and one of the world's great cultivated landscapes, now a World Heritage Site. The spectacle is greatest in the winter and early spring, when the harvested terraces lie flooded with water and, catching the light of sunrise and sunset, turn into a vast staircase of mirrors reflecting pink, gold and silver skies, while mist drifts through the valleys. Viewpoints such as Duoyishu, Bada and Laohuzui are set up for the dawn and dusk crowds, and the Hani villages, with their distinctive mushroom-shaped houses, live amid the terraces they maintain. It is a landscape shaped entirely by people yet as beautiful as any wild one.

What you'll find

• Duoyishu at sunrise - the terraces catching the dawn light, the classic view.
• Laohuzui at sunset - the dramatic sweep of terraces in the evening light.
• The flooded mirrors - the water-filled terraces reflecting the sky in winter.
• Hani villages - the mushroom-roofed houses of the people who built the terraces.

When to go

November to April, when the terraces are flooded and mirror the sky, is by far the best time; the classic views are at sunrise and sunset, when the light and mist transform them. In summer the terraces are green with growing rice, still lovely but without the mirror effect. The high, misty setting can be cold and cloudy.

Practical notes

It is remote, a long drive from Kunming into the mountains, and the appeal is entirely at dawn and dusk, so you build a visit around being at the right viewpoint for the light, which can mean very early starts and disappointment if the sky is grey or foggy. The main viewpoints are ticketed and can be crowded with photographers. The flooded-mirror scene is seasonal, so timing is everything.

Nearby

The old town of Jianshui with its historic architecture is on the way; Kunming is the distant gateway.

Key facts