Pu'er

Pu'er gave its name to one of the world's most complex and sought-after teas, aged in the humid subtropical forests where the Mekong River tributaries run cold. Ancient tea trees — some over 1,000 years old — still grow in protected groves accessible to visitors. The city sits near the borders of Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, giving it a distinctive multicultural character shaped by the ancient Tea Horse Road (Ancient Tea-Horse Road) that connected Yunnan to Tibet and beyond. Minority markets, forest trekking and tea-plantation tours make Pu'er an off-the-beaten-path delight.