Come to Dali! Experience the romance of Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake!
✨Dali, a city full of poetry and romance, is like a dazzling pearl embedded in the colorful clouds of the south🎈.
💐Xiaguan wind, Shangguan flowers, Cangshan snow, Erhai moon—the wind, flowers, snow, and moon of Dali are a stunning natural masterpiece🖼. Erhai Lake, with its deep blue hue, feels like a dreamland🌟. The water is as clear as a mirror, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and the majestic Cangshan Mountain. Rent a bicycle🚲 and ride along Erhai Lake, with the breeze gently brushing your face, bringing a refreshing coolness, as if all your worries are left behind. The scenery along the way is picturesque; Xiaoputuo quietly stands in the center of the lake like a pearl; the Bai-style houses in Xizhou Ancient Town are arranged in an orderly fashion, with blue tiles and white walls, simple and elegant, as if telling stories of the past.
📷Attraction Introduction
📍Erhai Lake
✅Erhai Lake is the "pearl" of Dali, a highland lake with clear water, surrounded by Cangshan Mountain, offering picturesque scenery.
🎫: Free (boat rides require an additional fee, about 100-150 RMB)
📷: The popular glass balls by Erhai Lake, Shuanglang Ancient Town, Xiaoputuo
📍Dali Ancient Town
✅Dali Ancient Town was the capital of the Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms, with a long history. The ancient town features many Bai-style buildings and handicraft shops.
🍲: Locals’ hidden gem: Ark Fatty’s Kitchen Wild Mushroom Hotpot, authentic Yunnan flavors and unique mushroom dishes, with especially fresh ingredients, highly recommended👍!!
📍Cangshan Mountain
✅There are nineteen peaks and eighteen streams on the mountain, with magnificent scenery, suitable for hiking and cable car tours.
⏱️: 08:30-17:30 (cable car hours)
🎫: Cangshan ticket 40 RMB, cable car tickets charged separately (Gantong Cableway about 100 RMB, Ximatan Cableway about 300 RMB)
📷: Yudai Cloud Tour Road, Ximatan, Qilongnü Pool
📍Shuanglang Ancient Town
✅Known as the "paradise by Erhai Lake," it has many artistic cafes and guesthouses.
📷: White tables by Erhai Lake, glass balls, Nanzhao Style Island
📍Xizhou Ancient Town
✅One of the birthplaces of Bai culture in Dali, famous for Bai-style houses and tie-dye craftsmanship.
📷: Xizhou rice fields, Yan Family Courtyard, Bai tie-dye workshop
📍Dali Luji Theme Park
✅Known as "Daliifornia," the Sky Meadow offers a panoramic view of Cangshan and Erhai Lake. It’s an all-in-one spot for food, fun, and activities, including Luji’s mini go-karts, outdoor rock climbing, mini golf, and more—definitely worth a visit!
⏱️: 10:30-22:00 (paid activities close at 19:30)
🎫: No entrance fee (activities charged separately)
📷: Cliff Auditorium, Sky Cable Car, Sky Mirror, Misan Meadow
📍Longkan Pier
✅Famous as a filming location for the movie "Breakup Buddies," with stunning red dawn redwoods in winter and sunrise views in summer. It’s also one of the starting points for the lakeside bike path.
📷: Red dawn redwoods at the pier, Erhai sunrise, S-curve on the bike path
📍Wenbi Village
✅Known for the "Rainbow Road" leading to Erhai Lake, perfect for Japanese-style photos, offering a 100-point viewpoint overlooking Cangshan and Erhai Lake💯.
📷: Rainbow Road, lakeside swing
📍Ideal State (Dali Santorini)
✅Pure white buildings built against the mountain, with blue-domed churches, cactus gardens, and arched corridors, as if you are in Santorini, Greece.
⏱️: 10:00-17:30
📷: White arched corridors, lavender fields, brown cave walls
🚫Important Tips
▫️The UV rays are really strong! Besides applying sunscreen, physical sun protection works better!
▫️Don’t trust strangers who strike up conversations; they usually want to sell you something.
▫️Leave your high heels at home—they’re not practical at all!
▫️Bring a light jacket; the temperature difference between day and night is significant!
▫️Dali’s weather is changeable; carry a sun/rain umbrella and a power bank to avoid your phone running out of battery.
▫️Avoid buying freshly cut fruit! It’s expensive and not necessarily fresh.
▫️Avoid buying jade, silver jewelry, etc.—it’s easy to get scammed! When buying shawls or small items, remember to compare prices at several shops.
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🏘️Accommodation Recommendations
📍Dali Ancient Town: Convenient for sightseeing and dining, and you can enjoy the lively atmosphere of the ancient town at night. For guesthouses, Ark Mu Zhai Inn is a great choice, with a courtyard full of greenery, comfortable and cozy rooms, and a very artistic vibe.
📍Xizhou Ancient Town: Ideal for those who like quiet, pastoral scenery. The Bai-style houses are charming, and there are many artistic guesthouses to experience.
📍Shuanglang Ancient Town: Perfect for those who want sea views and care about the environment. The lakeside sea view rooms offer wide views but are relatively expensive.
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✅Delicious Food in Dali
👉Dali Ark Fatty’s Kitchen: A must-try in Dali Ancient Town, the wild mushroom hotpot is authentic and delicious! The broth is a slow-cooked chicken soup made from free-range mountain chicken, simmered with over ten kinds of fresh mushrooms. The soup is incredibly flavorful! After eating, buy a mushroom gift pack to keep showing off at home!
👉Ya Hehe Wild Fruit Sour Soup: The sour soup base has an irresistible aroma when served. The traditional sour soup is made with various fresh wild fruits, offering a rich, layered taste of sour, spicy, fresh, and fruity flavors! Fresh beef, free-range chicken, and vegetables cooked in the pot are all delicious—you’ll fall in love with it at first bite!
👉Pounded Chicken Feet: A generous portion with very fresh ingredients, the sour and spicy flavor is addictive. The fruit-flavored pounded chicken feet are recommended for a richer taste.
👉Yang Ji Claypot Rice Noodles: A long-established shop with a stronger flavor profile. The stinky tofu soaks up the broth and melts in your mouth, with a fragrant and pungent taste that’s very addictive.
I'd played it in Singapore before, and when I saw it was also available in Dali, I decided to add it to my itinerary. It didn't disappoint; I had three rides and was completely blown away, especially my son. Compared to Singapore, the slides are longer and the scenery is even more beautiful. I highly recommend it. To avoid peak traffic, we went around 5:00 PM. While the sun was still strong, there weren't many lines. Aside from a short wait for the cable car, everything else went smoothly. After our three rides, the sun was almost setting. The scenery was stunning, and many influencers were livestreaming the experience. Overall, it was a very satisfying trip.
Honestly, it's quite fun, especially taking the kids out. However, there are lines to get your tickets, pick up the car, and even get up the mountain. The driver of the mountain shuttle bus is incredibly aggressive, though, and it's much more thrilling than taking the cable car.
We came here right after getting off the train in Dali. The kids thought it was okay, the scenery was nice, and you could see Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake. But there were too many people, and cars couldn't get in. We waited in line for half an hour, and it was hard to get a taxi when we got out. The taxis were only available after 7:30.
It had just rained when I went there, but the staff immediately debugged the machine to test the road surface after the rain stopped. It took some time to wait for the recovery, but the time was okay. While waiting, I went to the hill next to me to check in and take pictures. The scenery was beautiful and very photogenic. The air was fresh and refreshing. The experience was also good. There were four road options, but one was not open for maintenance. I played the other three, which were also very good. The brakes were not sensitive at the beginning, and I was a little scared of two consecutive downhills. Later, I changed the brakes to be easy to use and I was not afraid. I bought three tickets. After coming down, I can take the cable car directly back to the starting point. It is very convenient and I also enjoy the scenery.
Standing on the mountain overlooking Erhai Lake, the scenery is beautiful. The Luji experience is great. Sliding down and taking the cable car up is really cost-effective. My adults and children like it very much. The 3 tickets I bought are not enough!
Although it was windy and rainy today, the four of us had a lot of fun. I recommend taking children there, they love playing.
I didn't expect to experience this kind of car when I came to Dali. I had a lot of fun.
It's great. You can choose different roads to drive. The three times are completely different experiences. The view is wide and you can enjoy the wind and freedom.