How to explore Lugu Lake?

Preparation Tips

🧡 Documents: Bring valid IDs like your ID card. Students and seniors can enjoy discounted tickets with their credentials.
🧡 Clothing: The highland weather is unpredictable with significant day-night temperature differences. Pack a light down jacket, sun-protective clothing, hats, sunglasses, and scarves.
🧡 Other essentials: Sunscreen, moisturizing skincare products, power banks, and rain gear.

Transportation

🧡 External transport: From Lijiang, take a direct bus to Luoshui Village at Lijiang Bus Station, or opt for a shared ride to Lugu Lake. Self-driving via the Lining Highway takes about 4 hours—drive cautiously during the rainy season.

🧡 Lake loop transport: Charter a car (around CNY 200-400/day; ask your homestay host to arrange a local driver) for guided tours and scenic stops.

🧡 Accommodation recommendation: **Lugu Lake Xiwuyu Lakeside Designer Hotel**
A prime lakeside stay with exceptional design, the only homestay in Lugu Lake with an elevator. Perfect for photos 📸, offering warm service and flawless amenities.

Must-Visit Spots

**First Stop**
🧡 **Love Wharf**: Straddling the Sichuan-Yunnan border, it marks the divide between the Grass Sea and the Bright Sea. In summer, the lake dazzles with blooming white flowers; in winter, mist shrouds the sunrise, painting the lake gold.

🧡 **Grass Sea & Walking Marriage Bridge**: A symbol of Mosuo matrimonial traditions, lush with reeds 🍃 in summer—ideal for photos.

🧡 **Goddess Bay**: The best sunset spot—catch the "tangerine sea" glow around 17:30 (winter) or 19:00 (summer).

🧡 **Sichuan Lovers' Beach**: Great for sunset photos 🌇 and water play.

🧡 **Luyuan Cliff**: Adorned with colorful prayer flags, it overlooks Lugu Lake’s source—perfect for drone shots.

🧡 **Gem Goddess Mountain**: The Mosuo sacred peak, accessible by cableway, offers panoramic lake views and China’s highest-altitude cave.

🧡 **Lige Viewing Platform**: Nestled against the goddess mountain, this heart-shaped bay is a drone photography hotspot.

🧡 **Yunnan Lovers' Beach**: Features a photogenic lakeside tree under clear skies.

🧡 **Luoshui Village**: The earliest developed village with full amenities, hosting Mosuo bonfire parties at night.

Food Recommendations

🧡 **Firewood Chicken**: Slow-cooked free-range chicken in a rustic stove, served with sauce-soaked flatbread—smoky, spicy, and aromatic.
🧡 **Stone Pot Fish**: Fresh lake fish steamed in a stone pot yields milky broth and tender meat, paired with mushrooms and veggies.
🧡 **Mushroom Hotpot**: Slow-simmered with local chicken, matsutake, and porcini for a rich, nourishing broth.