Nature

Cangshan Mountains

The mountains are a national level Geopark and Nature Reserve and have much to offer to plant, bird, flower and hiking enthusiasts. Normally you'll take one of the chairlifts up the mountains and hike about 3-5 hours to the other chairlift to go down again.

Erhai Lake

Visit the Guanyin Temple and several islands in the Erhai Lake. Go with a group and enjoy a great day out. Boats can easily be arranged in towns near the lake, as the owners come into the town to drum up business. You can see what you get from the photobooks they carry.

Cloud Traveller's Path

The Cloud Traveller's Path is an extremely well built path and in a better condition than many sidewalks in Chinese cities. It's supposed to be at an altitude of 2500m. Most signs along the way are both in Chinese and English. There are chairlifts at Zhonghe - which is an old Daoist temple and well worth a visit - and near the Gantong Temple. The 11 km route will take about 4 to 5 hours walking. The mountains are home to beautiful wild camellias, orchids, rhododendrons, azaleas and abundant birdlife. The prefecture Dali is home to some of the rarest camellias in China and Cangshan is the source of most of these.
Most of the lower slopes are covered in replanted pine forests, while the higher slopes, and steep valleys show a more natural forest cover.

Butterfly Spring:

Chicken Foot Mountain:

Culture

Markets

Tang Dynasty Three Pagodas

Markets are always nice to visit; the sea of colours accomplished by the smell of herbs and tea, and shopping locals.
Most markets are held according to the lunar-calendar. Some markets rotate between villages. When you like to visit a market, ask us to organise a tour according to your whishes.



Examples of markets around Dali:
Φ The market in Shaping is every Monday morning
Φ Xizhuo has a market every morning
Φ The market Shanba is held on Wednesdays. A lot of livestock is present
Φ Yousuo and Shaxi have Friday markets
Φ On Tuesdays you can go to the market in Guanping          

Wase - east side of the Erhai Lake

Shaping Market

Situated about 30km north of Dali, you find the small town Shaping. It offers a lively weekly Monday morning market with plenty of local colors. The market starts early.
Visiting the market in Shaping is a great opportunity to meet local farmers and witness the lively horse trading.
There is not much to buy - unless you are a farmer of course - but you can experience the feeling of life in a small country town.

If you stay in Dali's Old Town, the Tang Dynasty Three Pagodas is just 10 minutes by bike to the northwest. You find them next door to the Three Pagodas Hotel. It is worth a visit because of the Tang architecture, the numerous statues of Buddha and Guanyin with influences from both India and China, the dragon fountains, and the two small museums.
The Three Pagodas is one of the best preserved Buddhist structures in China. The Central Pagoda is almost 1200 years old and represents a period in which Dali was a Buddhist Kingdom. However, the compounds behind the pagodas were destroyed in the 1920s earthquake and later in the Cultural Revolution. 
It is a massive complex that continues far up the mountain. A climb up the mountains is rewarding; it offers a beautiful view over Dali's Old Town and Erhai Lake.

Qing Dynasty houses

Xizhou has almost 200 private houses registered on the national heritage list. These houses date from the Qing Dynasty. They are one of the best example of traditional Qing architecture in China and are exquisitely detailed.
Building craftsmen from Xizhou were famous throughout Southeast Asia and travelled to Vietnam, Myanmar and throughout Southwest China to build and decorate houses. After they made their fortune, they returned to Xizhou to construct their own 'palace'.
Knock with us on the these doors, and most doors will open for you to see the interesting architecture.