Adventure Travel in China

A Day Biking on Erhai Lake, Dali

Post by Marco FerraresecloseAuthor: Marco Ferrarese Name: Marco Ferrarese
Email: info@monkeyrockworld.com
About: Marco Ferrarese has been teaching English, living and travelling around East, South and South East Asia since 2007. An underground musician and writer for many years, he has lived in Europe, the USA, China and Australia and is currently based in Malaysia. He has explored 22 of the 34 provinces by train, foot, rickshaw and any other overland form of transportation. He writes for CnAdventure Blog and has published a book about his Chinese adventures in Italian language.See Authors Posts (32)

We have talked about Dali before, but for such a hotspot, there is always some new suggestion to be given. Lying sandwiched between the Chan Shan mountain range to the west and Erhai lake to the east, Dali is a fantastic starting point for adventurous bike trips along the shoreline.

Rise early and rent a bicycle from one of the numerous shops lining the streets of the old town. You can get a bike for around 15/20 yuan, although your bargaining skills can help you getting this price even lower. Leave an ID card or your passport as deposit, and set off to the North Gate, following the way to the Three Pagodas Temple.

We suggest two itineraries, to be done in one or two days, with an overnight stop in Wase town, on the eastern side of the lake.

One Day Bike Trip
Bike north, out of the North Gate of the Old Town and towards the Three Pagodas Temple. You will find a turnoff to the east, take it and bike it all the way down until you get to a big roundabout with a Chinese Arch. This is where the main highway connects with Dali Old Town. Be extremely careful, because traffic Is heavy and for some parts of this route, you will have to partake the road with trucks, cars, buses and heavy vehicles. Keep the right side and bike as close as you can to the fields. Bike for a few minutes, you will arrive to a first junction with a gravel road swindling off to the right. Do not take it, and keep on going. When you cross the second junction, turn right on the gravel road and keep on biking. You will arrive to the shoreline in minutes. This will make you travel slower than staying on the highway, but what would be the sense of a day out on the lake if spending it inhaling the exhaust fumes of the highway? These side roads lead you through a number of villages, paddy fields, plantations and small temples. The locals are friendly and you will have so many picture opportunities you might linger longer than you expected. Get back on the main highway and stop in one of the many restaurants for lunch, and then set off again for

Xi Zhou This is a little village where tourists are usually taken to see a Bai minority show and tea ceremony. Forget about it and explore the beautiful old buildings and soak in the traditional Yunnnanese everyday life for a while before heading out west and cross the main road to reach the second destination of this trip

Zhoucheng besides another tourist trap, the tied dye fabric shop (you can get the same clothes and aprons for much cheaper in Xi Zhou, if you really wish), this town built along the length of the road has friendly locals, and a very colorful daily market in the main square. You can see a very old temple here, sample different kinds of food and shop for bargains. DVDs at 3 yuan each are some of the cheapest seen in all of China.

Now, get out of the market and bike back south. It is easily a couple hours biking back: the main road, at time of research, was under construction, be therefore very careful. A cold Dali beer and some steaming jiaozi are waiting for you back in the Old Town!!

Two days bike trip

Follow exactly the same itinerary as day one, but after Xi Zhou, keep on the main highway and bike again for a couple hours circling the northern tip of the lake. You need to reach the village of Wase before the nightfall, and find accommodation there. There is a nice and colorful Sunday market in Wase, so if possible, try to time your visit for it.

The options you have now are two: to cycle back to Xi Zhou and Dali Old Town from there, or to keep on going down the East Lake shore from Wase to Manjiang and later into Xia Guan proper, which is Dali New Town. Now you can bike back to your guesthouse, rest, and get ready for a day on Chan Shan mountain or prepare to set off east to Kunming, or North to Lijiang and further into Sichuan or Tibet.