Dali, Yunnan Province, China

Dali, much like Lijiang, has an Old Town district. In Dali however, this district is free to enter and feels much more like a real life town than a tourist attraction. With wider streets and shops lining the cobbled pedestrian-only walkways (of course there are still ebikes) you really get a feel for traditional Chinese life. This incredibly interesting section of Dali is bustling with tourists and locals alike, on their way to fruit stalls and shops selling fashionable clothes as well as traditional styles, there is also a huge business of hiring out eBike/bicycles/miniature cars (2 and 4 seaters) to add a little adrenalin to your exploration, or just genuinely make it easier to get around. These transportation options tend to start from 30Y upwards.

There is also the Emerald Lake, which you can see how it gained its name due to its water being such a vibrant – yet maybe not healthy – green colour. Although not as big as the Diamond Lake in Kunming, Emerald Lake has a fantastic view of the opposite shoreline and has tours out onto the water too. We ate lunch here, provided by one of the fruit stalls and BBQ stalls littered around this area.

Emerald Lake is a rather long walk from Dali and the Old Town district, much longer than expected when you look at a map. Although the walk through the countryside is a lot more interesting than the bus route, I would suggest the bus (3Y per person) or hiring one of the many eBikes/mini cars if you are short on time or just don’t fancy a 2 - 3 hour walk.

Dali definitely has more character to it than Lijiang, but feels a lot smaller, which could lead to a very relaxing holiday!

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If you have any more questions or feel there is something I could add to this piece, feel free to message me. We didn’t spend too much time here and so my experience is limited.

We found ourselves in Dali after hitch hiking up to Tiger Leaping Gorge, then to Shangri-La and Lijiang. From Dali we headed back to Kunming to start our next adventure 1000KM away in Chengdu, Sichuan Province!