Beyond Lijiang, China: The Lugu Lake Guide

Hidden in the northwestern mountains of Yunnan, Lugu Lake (near the city of Lijiang) is a breathtaking alpine escape sitting at an altitude of 2,685m. This horseshoe-shaped “Pearl of the Plateau” straddles the border of Sichuan and Yunnan, offering a rare glimpse into the matriarchal Mosuo culture and some of China’s clearest, most serene waters.

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How to get to Lugu Lake from Lijiang

The most common route for tourists travelling to Lugu Lake is via Lijiang, Yunnan. Lijiang is also a great base for visiting other places such as Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge and Shuhe Ancient Town.

Bus from Lijiang to Lugu Lake

While we didn’t know at the time of our visit, there is actually a public bus available from Lijiang to Lugu Lake (thanks to our lovely friend Lena for the info!!). The bus departs from the bus station in Lijiang and stops in front of the south gate of the Lijiang Old Town. This is the cheapest option 59 CNY (8 USD) pp, and takes about 5 hours in total with 2 rest breaks along the way.

Shared taxi (Pin che) from Lijiang to Lugu Lake

One of the easiest ways to get there is to ask your hotel or hostel to help arrange a “pin che” (拼车, pīn chē) or collective taxi. Typically this should cost about 80 CNY (11 USD) pp, with a journey time of about 3.5 hours which make it much faster than the bus.

Fly into the local airport at Lugu Lake

If you want to fly directly from Kunming, there is also Ninglang Luguhu Airport which is about 40 mins south of Lugu Lake by car. Keep note that this airport services domestic flights only.

To get to Lugu Lake from Lijiang, you can take a public bus (5 hours, 59 CNY), a shared taxi or “pin che” (3.5 hours, 80¥), or fly into Ninglang Luguhu Airport. The shared taxi is the most efficient balance of cost and speed for most travellers heading from Lijiang Old Town.

Travel tips for Lugu Lake

The lake is about 78kms all the way around, so the most efficient way to see all the key scenic spots is to get a car. The cost of a car is about 80¥ (11 USD) pp, which you can arrange via your accommodation. When we visited, we split a car between 4 people for 200¥ (28 USD).

what To do in Lugu Lake

TAKE A BOAT RIDE

Hire a small boat and explore the lake! Don’t worry, you don’t need to do any of the paddling (unless you want to). Just sit back and let the locals guide the way.

Where we got on (somewhere on the Sichuan side), the advertised pricing is around 140¥ (18 USD) pp for 60 minutes but this pricing can definitely be negotiated down, especially if you have more people.

GO FOR A WALK

No matter where you stay, views of the lake are going to be stunning! Grab a coffee or tea as you wander along the lakeside and enjoy the scenery.

Local culture

The Mosuo people (摩梭), also known as the “Kingdom of Daughters” (女儿国), are a matriarchal society with a unique culture where women hold positions of power. Inheritance passes through the female line, and traditional “walking marriages” (走婚) allow for free unions without cohabitation.

Grass Sea and Flower Sea

Take a small boat from the Sichuan side of the lake to see the Grass sea (草海, caó hǎi) and Flower sea (花海, huā hǎi). The Flower sea is a part of the lake where there is a high concentration of a specific type of aquatic plant. During blossom season (we visited in June/July), you can see thousands of small white flowers covering the surface of the lake.

Walking Marriage Bridge

Visit the Walking marriage bridge (走婚桥, zoǔ hūn qiaó), which is a popular spot for where the local Mosuo people go to date each other. As a tourist though, it’s a very pretty walk which continues after the bridge, with plenty of local vendors selling snacks such as yak skewers and dried apples. Your driver will drop you off one side and you can meet them on the other side of the walk. If you’re lucky, you might also catch the local market!

Lige Peninsula

Visit the Lige peninsula (里格半岛, lǐ gē bàn daǒ), enjoys the panoramic views from the top and then take a short hike down to the peninsula.

Yunnan couple’s beach (云南情人滩, yún nán qíng rén tān)

Sichuan couple’s beach, this one is nicer (四川情人滩, sì chuān qíng rén tān).

WHERE TO STAY at Lugu Lake

YUNNAN SIDE

We stayed on the Yunnan side in Luoshui village (落水村, luò shǔi cūn), this is a great spot with access to plenty restaurants and walks along the lakeside. It’s one of the original villages that were developed around the lake to accommodate tourism so there’s plenty of options. Another good reason to stay here is the fact that you can see the sunrise over the lake from this side, which makes it an even better!

Another popular village is Lige (里格村, lǐ gē cūn), which is further north and near the famous peninsula (or “half-island” as it’s called in Chinese).

SICHUAN SIDE

Sichuan side is less developed for tourism than Yunnan, but will retain more of the original feel of the place. Locals told us that the provincial government in Sichuan put in stricter rules around the development of buildings to ensure they retained their original style of the Mosuo people, so you can expect a more authentic experience but fewer options.

What to EAT and drink at Lugu Lake

SNACKS

Yak Skewers

Along the walk past the Walking marriage bridge, you’ll come across plenty of vendors selling yak skewers (牦牛串, maó niú chuàn).

Dried Apples

Before we arrived, mum had mentioned that the dried apples (苹果干, píng guǒ gān) at Lugu Lake were especially delicious, and she was right! Later we found out from our local driver that the apple season runs from August to October and often the excess apples that are not sold during the season are what are turned into dried apples.

MEALS

Rice Noodles

For breakfast, locals typically have rice noodles (米线, mǐ xiàn) in the morning. They come in all types of varieties, spicy and non-spicy, and you can get them for as cheap as 15-20¥ (2-3 USD) from any of the local street side restaurants.

Stone Pot Fish

Stone pot fish (石锅鱼, shí guō yú) is a local delicacy here and often prepared with fish freshly caught from the lake.

Mushroom and Chicken Hot Pot

Mushroom and chicken hot pot (菌土鸡火锅, jùn tǔ jī huǒ guō). If you’re lucky enough to be visiting Yunnan during its rainy season, you’ll get to fully experience how much Yunnan locals love their wild mushrooms and fungi. In China, free-range chickens are prized for their better texture and flavour, so you’ll often hear them referred to as “tǔ jī” rather than simply just “jī”.

Cured Pork Ribs Hot Pot

Cured pork ribs hot pot (腊排骨火锅, là paí gǔ huǒ guō) are another typical food you can find all across Yunnan and especially around Lijiang. This is another hot pot style dish where the cured ribs are chopped into small pieces and stewed in a delicious broth over a flame at your table and you can add any assortment of veggies and other items into the mix based on what you like.

DRINKS

Roasted Milk Tea

Due to its high altitude mountainous terrain, Yunnan is great for growing coffee beans. You’ll see plenty of coffee shops wherever you go. Milk tea lovers can try the Roasted Milk Tea (烤奶, kǎo nǎi) which is a specialty of Yunnan.

Tibetan Butter Tea

Try the Tibetan Butter Tea (酥油茶, sū yoú chá), which is a thick, creamy tea made with butter and various ingredients such as sesame and peanuts, depending on the recipe. It comes in both sweet and salty versions, which are equally tasty but very different experiences. Generally first timers prefer the sweet variant, while the salty version is better for those with a more adventurous palate.