Erhai Lake—the core landmark of Dali

About

Shaped like a crescent moon, the lake stretches 130 kilometers around the full loop, sitting at an altitude of 1972 meters, with the snow-capped Cangshan Mountain as its magnificent western backdrop. Unlike Buddhist temples and ancient architectural relics, Erhai focuses on primitive plateau lake scenery, wetland ecology and Bai ethnic rural customs. Core highlights include the West Bank Ecological Corridor with the famous Panxi S-curve, Longkan Pier for sunrise viewing, Xizhou Ancient Town with golden rice fields, Shuanglang Ancient Town (the top sunset viewing spot), Little Putuo Island for winter seagulls, Nanzhao Customs Island and Haishi Ecological Park. Travelers can experience lakeside cycling, boat cruises, Bai folk culture and cliff top sea views. It can be perfectly combined with Cangshan Mountain cable car tour and Chongsheng Temple Three Pagodas to form a classic Dali natural and cultural one-day or two-day itinerary.

Travel Tips

Take public buses from Dali Ancient City to Caicun, Panxi or Xizhou villages for the west bank corridor

Erhai’s main lake area, ecological corridor and all roadside viewing platforms are completely free of charge

Only official lake cruises, island entry tickets and individual paid scenic spots require separate advance real-name reservation

Wear breathable flat non-slip shoes for long-distance cycling and walking

The plateau ultraviolet radiation is extremely strong, so prepare high-SPF sunscreen, sunglasses and a sun hat

Bring a thin windproof jacket due to large temperature differences between morning, evening and the lakeside

Do not litter into the lake, trample farmland or drive unlicensed electric vehicles to avoid traffic penalties

Drones are restricted in many lakeside ecological protection zones