Sanchahe is a huge rainforest located north of Jinghong.  The entrance has a number of displays introducing visitors to the massive amount of wildlife in the forest, with one building of preserved butterflies lovingly maintained and shown off by an old professor.  The blossom here and many others lie in a garden just outside that building.

The preserve contains a large enclosed bird sanctuary as well, with numerous peacocks strutting about while smaller flying birds dart overhead.  The peacock gave no plumage display on this day; I guess I wasn’t dressed colorfully enough for him to flirt with me.

A long gondola ride takes visitors over top of the forest.  Below, multi-tiered canopies typical of a rainforest could be seen, but apparently this rainforest like many others in the world is endangered; three- and four-level canopies have been reduced to two.

An unusual tree with white leaves appears below.  Guides can take visitors deep into the forest, but on this hot and humid day, it was more satisfying to see it from above.

Deep in the forest at the end of the gondola ride stands a series of treehouses, which can be rented by tourists for extended stays.  People stay here for a chance to see elephant herds passing through late at night.  No elephants were seen during this day trip, but elephant tracks could be found along the muddy riverbank.