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With all 19 peaks over 3,500 m the CangShan mountains are an impressive site. Cross the mountains and get to Nuodeng. You will get inspired by nature and culture; the mountains are noted for a very rich and diverse flora, while cultural relics of the Bai and Yi people as well as the lively contemporary markets will make you feel in an undiscovered world.
Visiting Guanping, Yunlong and Nuodeng
We leave in the early morning and first we take the highway in the direction of Baoshan. After a 40 minutes drive, we slide into the mountains North via a new highway. The scenery is magnificent and after each curve you are surprised by again another natural scenery. Of course, we stop whenever you want to make a picture.
On Tuesdays we visit the colorful local market in Guanping with Bai and Yi people. This village is only visited by a few tourists, which makes the experience even more special. Local farmers - Yi and Bai people - from nearby mountain villages visit the market by horse.
The market is very colourful and big for such a small place. Besides the daily needs such as fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, snacks, seeds, herbs, spices, tools and clothes, the vendors also trade all kinds of local livestock; horses, donkeys, goats, cows, pigs, chicken and so on.
Then, we continue to the small town of Yunlong, a short drive. But before we visit the center, we drive to a viewpoint in the mountains where you can witness the Yin and Yang symbol that is formed by the river in the landscape and splits the town into two different parts.
After we visited the town Yunlong, we cross the river by an old wooden bridge. We drive 7 km through the mountains to the small and very old - founded in 863 DC - and charming village Nuodeng. The ancient village is situated at the Tea-horse road, that links Pu'er and Tibet. Traders used to buy salt in Nuodeng and then resold it in Tibet.
Take your time to walk around; the small alleys are worth it. But.... give the mules and horses free passage, they are the main transportation of building materials and other goods. There is a major possibility that you will be invited by some friendly local people to have a cup of tea together. It is also possible to drink good coffee in a charming small Inn.
The village is sloping and only accessible on foot. The streets are in large cut stones. We advise using a stick if it rains.
If you're done sightseeing, we will visit the small historical museum.
If you choosed for a one day tour we heading back to Dali.
For a 2 days tour you have the choise staying in the friendly Gujing Inn in Nuodeng or drive back to Yunlong to check-in in a hotel. Early in the evening, we will have dinner.
2 Days tour: Head to your next destination after breakfast
The next morning after breakfast, we leave Nuodeng or Yunlong and drive back to Dali or we drive you to your next destination.
Getting back to Dali will take about 2 hours.
- Because one of the highlights is the market in Guanping, we can only start this tour either on Monday or Tuesday as the market is held on Tuesday.
If we leave on Monday we will visit the market on the second day.