Ganlanba — the "Olive Plains" — is a wide flat valley along the Lancang River about 35 km southeast of Jinghong, and the most concentrated area of traditional Dai villages in the prefecture. The valley floor is patchworked with rice paddies, banana plantations, and wooden stilt houses; over a dozen villages cluster within a 10 km radius, each with its own monastery, white stupa, and main hall.
The commercial focus is the Dai Park (Daizu Yuan), a curated village complex with daily water-splashing performances and reconstructed traditional houses — touristy but a decent introduction. For something more genuine, hire a bike and cycle the back roads through Manchunman, Manga, and Manting villages, each with a working monastery you can step into.