One of the top sites in China. So popular with photographers, a new hobby that grew with wealth building up in the country that you will have a hard time finding a good spot at the photography spots in the morning. Also many girls in China like to call themselves "哈尼" as a nickname because Hani sounds like "Honey" and they think they are cute then - and no, I didn't do that ;)

I think the main reason this is not visited by more people in general is that the effort it takes can be quite big. You need to get a coach from Kunming to the nearby towns (very luxurious) and then onwards with small vans to where you are staying. The protected area has a ticket and with the ticket you get a one-time visit to the photography spot. If you were smart and got a good guesthouse in one of the villages you get free views anytime of the day which was actually better in my case because as you can see the sunrise photo was cloudy. The only downside is that you don't have the same panoramic heights. The aforementioned photographers would still stay at these spot for hours for the chance to get a good shot. After 90 minutes in the cold (I went in December maybe not a good idea lol) I went back to my resort for a hot shower and then just walked around the rice fields itself. The latter was actually more fun and worth although they are muddy and if you slip and fall you are on your own. It's fun to explore though. The guesthouse was also cheap and staying for two nights enabled you to learn a lot about their culture, the way of life and figure out how to get to Pu'er from there (trust me, it's far away and not the right approach).

Highly recommended.