1. Weibao Mountain (Taoism) and Yi market (every
10 days): one and half hour bus ride to Weishan
– the
first capital city of the Nanzhao kingdom. The old tower,
gate, street and local houses are preserved much
better than in Dali. A real old town where people still
live happily, playing cards or Chinese chess on
the street, very little clean tea houses, restaurant,
and cinema. Handcraft shops still busy on making
weight scales, leather shoes, oil lamps, metal pots,
write letters for people, grand stone mills The
Weibao Mountain is 40minutes away from the town,
one of the famous Taoist Mountain in Yunnan. Although
lots of wooden carving and status in the temple
were destroyed during cultural revolution, but the
layout and atmosphere are different from one to
the other. Some are small with pond and beautiful
windows, some are quiet with lots of plants, some
are big with pray hall and courtyards. But all surrounded
in woods, each has a special god and story.
30minutes before Weishan, every 10 days, there is
a great Yi market sale food, clothes, animals, tea
and orchid. Fabulous to see colorful Yi women carrying
basket shopping, villagers come by horse cart buying,
men are choosing and dragging animals on the way
home.
2. Chicken Foot Mountain (Buddhism): Famous
around South-east Asia, is the birthplace of Jiaye
Buddha. The pilgrims come here all year around.
From the top of the mountain, which about 3100meters
high, the Golden Pagoda facing to east where is
sun comes out, and west is Cangshan Mountain range
and Erhai Lai.
3. Jianshuan is the area the original Bai
lives. People here are specialist on wood and stone
carving and making cheese. Thousand Lion Mountain
is a mountain has about 1000 lions carved on
the rocks in different gestures and sizes, it's
a spot with no tourist except local Chinese spend
weekend here. Shibao Mountain grottoes were
carved 300years during the Nanzhao kingdom, its red
rock is geomorphologically very impressive, has a very
scenic view over the valleys and the other temples.
Shaxi is a very important township village
along the tea-horse trail, now is protected by government.
It has stalls, temple, stage and square. Located
in a beautiful valley where the river is running
through and old stages scattered in other villages
surrounded. Very beautiful hikes and interesting
visiting.
4. Bai village visiting and cheese tour:
Dali is the very rare place people makes fresh cheese
in china, there are two kinds, one is come out a
long narrow sheet called "Rushan", which is crispy
after deep fry or it can be melt as foreign cheese
in the oven; the other one is in a block called
"Rubing", which is heavy and tasty, soft after light
fry, goes very well with tomato in salad. During
the visit of Bai traditional houses and farming,
you will see the whole process of making cheese
and taste the fresh cheese, after all we will arrange
you stay in a local guest house by the east bank
of lake, you will enjoy the beautiful sunset reflects
on the Erhai Lake and delicious Bai food.
5. Tea tour: Dali is on the south Tea-Horse
trail, it is the main place making "Tuocha" – compacted
green tea transported from here to Tibet by horses.
There are few tea factories around the area, allows
people to visit. More information is available on request, do not hesitate to write us an email or to call us for the possibility
of visiting.
6. Yunlong, ancient Bai village Nuodeng located
on the tea and horse trail, was one of places producing
salt, many old bridges and the most traditional
Bai courtyards.
7. Hiking in the Cangshan Mountain: As a wind
screen of Old Dali town, the summit of Cangshan
mountain is Malong Peak which is 4122meters, of
course it's hard march along the cliffs after 3700meters,
it's hard to believe there is a TV station at the
second highest summit Zhonghe Peak which is 4090m,
people still maintaining the facilities.
There are
lots of Bai legend about this Cangshan Mountain
upon its miserable clouds, marble, spring pools,
waterfalls and magnificent gorges, 18 streams and
19peaks all named beautifully by the king of Nanzhao
Kingdom.
Hiking in Cangshan is a great expedition,
starts from Higherland Inn is the nearest and most
beautiful way to the summit. Five hours up and three
hours down, you will walk through Pine tree forest,
bamboo bushes, azalea plateau, rocky marble pass,
and grand pools which locates 3700m, squirrels are
jumping among the trees, you can get great view
of Whole Erhai Lake and Dali valley, if one is lucky
can also see the summit of Jade Dragon Mountain
at the far north and Chicken Foot Mountain at far
east. The very scenic and very charming hike on
Cangshan Mt range is the Cloud Pass which winding
around six mountains (gorges) and five creeks (waterfalls),
there are three temples in-between (two already
turned up commercial, one is very quiet), the distance
is 18km.
The gorge is deep and green and water is
amazingly clear and green blue. The pass was repaved
by stones in 2004, its flat and has the open view
of Erhai Lake and Old Dali town, sometimes you can
hear the wind whistling in the gorge, sometimes
you can be chilled in the shade of pine trees, sometimes
you can be excited by pheasant passing by but all
the time you will be refreshed by the clean air
and powerful sunshine.
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