How to Get to Lugu Lake from Lijiang Ancient Town, Where is Lugu Lake, and How to Play in Lugu Lake

It has been more than half a month since I came back from Lugu Lake, but I still haven’t recovered. I always feel like I’ve been there but haven’t been there at the same time. Maybe it’s because the scenery there is so beautiful that my heart is still there, I haven’t forgotten it, and my shadow is still there. That place is Lugu Lake.

Before going to Lugu Lake, my impression of Lugu Lake was only from what other people said. Some said it was good, while others said it was not that great.

After I went there, I was amazed.

Maybe everyone has their own standard for judging whether a scenery is good or not, but according to my own standard, it is undoubtedly a 90-point scenery.

Let’s talk about our itinerary. We are a group of four (two couples) who drove from Chengdu to Lugu Lake. We departed on May 27 and returned on May 30.

Before we departed, we booked our accommodation. We stayed at Lugu Lake for two nights and at Xichang for one night.

We departed from Chengdu at 7 am and arrived at Lugu Lake around 6 pm (ps: there is a highway from Chengdu to Xichang, but it is a provincial road from Xichang to Lugu Lake). We only stopped for a restroom break and had lunch in a county near Xichang. It was basically a long drive, but we were chatting and eating snacks and fruits, so it was pretty enjoyable.

From the ticket booth to our accommodation, it was about 10 kilometers. We stayed near Dazhu Wharf. Before we checked in, we couldn’t help but stop on the road to take pictures.

After checking in, we found that the accommodation was very good (ps: We stayed in the “Warm Heart Duplex Suite” of Lugu Lake “Quiet Time” Resort Courtyard). The house is mainly made of wood. The first floor is a reception area that sells tea and coffee. There were several coffee machines and a wall of cabinets filled with tea cakes from different regions that are sold to the public. A complete set of tea ware was placed in the center of the room, which looked very stylish.

There is a small, book-like area on the second floor public area where you can drink tea and read.

The room is very big. In our suite, there is also a set of tea ware on the wooden coffee table downstairs. The sofa and other furniture are also made of wood. The bed is upstairs, with a vintage dressing table and chairs next to it, which is very unique.

Since we arrived early, we decided to go to Goddess Bay to watch the sunset based on the strategy we had made beforehand and after communicating with the shopkeeper (it is said that Goddess Bay is the best place to watch the sunset, while Caohai is the best place to watch the sunrise).

Unfortunately, the weather was cloudy that day, so we didn’t see the sunset. However, we had a very satisfying steamed stone pot fish that night. It was affordable (more than 3 pounds of fish, vegetables, potato rice for four people for 150 yuan), and the taste was amazing. The fish was very fresh and the sauce was unique. The next night, we couldn’t help but go back to eat again.

After we had our fill (haha, no alcohol, but we had plenty of fish soup), we returned to the inn. Both families brought travel tea sets and tea leaves. Each person contributed a cup of Pu’er tea, and we drank tea and chatted, which was great.

The shopkeeper told us that the view of the sunrise from their courtyard was excellent, so we agreed to get up at 6:30 to watch the sunrise. However, it was drizzling the next morning, so my husband and I quickly got dressed and went to the second-floor terrace to get a feel of it before going back to bed.

Our itinerary on the second day was the most important part of the trip. Lugu Lake is about 70 kilometers around, and we started driving around the lake after breakfast at 9 am. We drove very slowly, stopping at beautiful places to take pictures, see the sights, and experience the scenery.

Riguo Peninsula

Personally, I think Riguo Peninsula is the most beautiful. It is also a place where tourists gather. It’s worth mentioning that we were worried about too many people at Lugu Lake during the Dragon Boat Festival, but it was fine, there weren’t too many people. It is said that the peak seasons for Lugu Lake are the Spring Festival, summer vacation, and National Day.

You can take a photo of a heart-shaped island from a high point on Riguo Peninsula, but the best position has been occupied by businesses. They charge 20 yuan per photo, and a lot of people choose to take photos, especially young couples.

After walking down a series of steps, you can reach the shore, where there are red, yellow, and blue boats parked. You can take a boat to tour the lake.

There are many wharfs around Lugu Lake where you can take a boat, but each wharf can only take you to certain areas. This is probably because it is located on the border between Sichuan and Yunnan, with many villages, so everyone is doing their own thing. If there was a complete boat tour plan, it would be very popular. For example, you could take a boat from Dazhu Wharf to Riguo Peninsula, which would allow for a longer boat ride and more time to enjoy the scenery.

We had lunch near Riguo, which was grilled meat. It didn’t leave a deep impression on us, but I remember we chose to eat there because the owner was very enthusiastic and kept recommending it, and we hadn’t decided what to eat.

In the afternoon, we continued driving around the lake and went to Lover’s Beach, Caohai, Walking Marriage Wharf, etc. Since we had plenty of time, we should have visited all the attractions around Lugu Lake.

Lover’s Beach

Lover’s Beach is actually just an ordinary beach. It got its name because of the two trees on the side of the lake. The water in Lugu Lake is very clear, and you will have a deep feeling of this at Lover’s Beach because you can see the small fish and pebbles in the lake very clearly. Of course, my friends also saw water snakes, not just one, which made my heart beat faster as I was picking up stones on the shore.

Caohai

Caohai is a very special place. It is said to be 15,000 mu (about 1,000 acres) in size. We went there during this season and saw a lush green sea of grass. It is said that it is the most beautiful when the grass is yellow.

You can also take a boat to tour Caohai. You can take a small wooden boat from the local area to the depths of Caohai. We didn’t think it was necessary, so we didn’t take a boat.

Walking Marriage Bridge is a long wooden bridge with many food stalls and shops selling tourist products. I bought a pair of Walking Marriage Ducks. It is actually a small wooden sculpture painted with oil paint. I specifically asked the shopkeeper why they were called Walking Marriage Ducks, and she couldn’t say why. Maybe it’s because there is a Walking Marriage Bridge here and the Mosuo people have the custom of walking marriage, so they named them Walking Marriage Ducks.

Later, we visited the Mosuo Museum, which is very well built and introduces the history and customs of the Mosuo people. I was unable to take a closer look due to my health.

Dazhu Wharf

Since we didn’t see the sunrise on the second day, we felt like we wouldn’t be able to see it on the third day either, so I didn’t get up early on the third day. However, one of my friends got up early, and although she didn’t see the sunrise, she took a photo that I think was the most beautiful one of the trip.

Our itinerary for the third day was very simple. Since we had basically seen everything we wanted to see on the second day, we went to Dazhu Wharf to take a boat ride on the third day, and then we drove back to Xichang.

Return Trip to Xichang

The trip was a bit tiring, and we were not feeling our best on the way back to Xichang. The trip back took longer than expected by one or two hours. We left Lugu Lake around 3 pm and arrived in Xichang around 9 pm. We found a Xichang barbecue restaurant near our accommodation and had a hearty meal. However, the other couple said that this Xichang barbecue was not as good as the one downstairs from their apartment.

Our accommodation in Xichang was also amazing. It was a courtyard house near Qionghai Lake. It was very quiet and the price was very reasonable. It is called Xichang Hemu Inn. It is a place that we would definitely go back to when we visit Xichang again.

Across from the inn is a large farmers’ market. Xichang has a lot of fruits. We went to the farmers’ market to buy a lot of fruits on the fourth morning, including different varieties of mangoes, cherries, and watermelons. When we got back, we found that they were all delicious.

Of course, we had to see Qionghai Lake while we were in Xichang. But I have to say, after we came back from Lugu Lake, we felt that the two places were not comparable. After taking a quick look, we continued driving towards Chengdu. We had lunch in Ya’an along the way because I remembered that the Ya fish I ate when I was going to Yunnan was very good, so I kept saying on the way there that I had to try it again when I came back.

However, it was a bit disappointing. Maybe the two steamed stone pot fish dishes we had at Lugu Lake were too delicious, leaving a deep impression on us, so we didn’t think this Ya’an restaurant was that good.

We returned to Chengdu around 5 pm, and the trip came to an end. Overall, everyone was very satisfied. We saw beautiful scenery, ate delicious food, and most importantly, we had a safe and sound journey.

Finally, I have to say a few things:

1. The journey from Chengdu to Lugu Lake by car is quite long. There is no highway after Xichang, and the road is okay, but novice drivers should not try it. I think the road is quite dangerous;

2. It only takes 3 hours to get to Lugu Lake from Lijiang, which is much closer than from Chengdu;

3. Lugu Lake, which belongs to Yunnan, has very few restrooms, and they charge a fee;

4. Lugu Lake, which belongs to Yunnan, does not have a designated parking area for viewing (there is no designated parking area, basically you can only park on the side of the road. Lover’s Beach has a parking lot, but it charges a fee). The parking situation is relatively good at Lugu Lake in Sichuan;

5. We only saw a dedicated lakeside viewing corridor along Lugu Lake in Sichuan. I didn’t notice any in Yunnan.