Simao Pu'er Airport

机About this airport

Simao Pu'er Airport — still sometimes called Simao Airport after the city's former name — serves the city of Pu'er in southern Yunnan, the city that gives its name to China's most internationally traded aged fermented tea. The airport's modest size reflects Pu'er's provincial character; most international visitors arrive via Kunming connection.

Routes connect primarily from Kunming (approximately 50 minutes), with some additional domestic destinations [VERIFY: current routes — May 2026]. The high-speed rail line to the Laos border that passes through Pu'er has improved overland connectivity; the Kunming-Vientiane railway stops at Simao and continues south through the mountains to Laos. This connection gives Pu'er a new role as a transit point for the international railway corridor.

The Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest — inscribed by UNESCO in 2023 — is approximately 100 km west of Pu'er city by road and is the primary internationally significant attraction. The ancient tea gardens of the Bulang and Dai communities, with trees estimated to be several hundred years old, are the source of some of the world's most prized Pu'er tea. Visiting during the spring harvest (March–May) gives the most active experience of tea production.

Pu'er city's tea culture market, tea museums, and the Chamakedao (Ancient Tea Horse Road) cultural sites offer additional context. The surrounding countryside has significant ethnic minority village culture, including Hani, Bulang, Wa, and Dai communities, giving Pu'er a cultural diversity that complements its agricultural heritage.