Cycling tour around Lugu Lake, Nangling, Lijiang

There are a few ways to explore this magical Lugu lake.In my previous post, I have shown you how to explore the inside of Lugu Lake. Now here is how to explore around the Lugu Lake.

1. Self drive a rented electrical car at CNY300-500. The price difference is depending on the seats which is from 2 person to 4 person car.
• Pro:
• The flexibility of going around the places you wish to go.
• Not restraint by a time limit for staying at one spot.
• Can even travel in the dark
• Can travel far
• Less dangerous compare to a bicycle on the road
• Less tiring
• Not expose to the sun, rain and dust
• Cons: 
• You need to find charging station if you are going to circle the whole lake. The power of the battery may not last that long
• Parking is a pain especially at the crowded spots such as the Lige Village and Walking Marriage Bridge/Caohai Lake
• Expensive
• You need to be a map savvy
2. Hire a chauffeur. At first the chauffeur will offer you a very low price to attract you which is starts from CNY100. Once you started to name your route and your desire. It can goes up to CNY1000-2000.
• Pro:
• You don't have to drive and someone knows the road better than you 
• If you are going in a larger group, it is more economical.
• No parking issue as the chauffeur will just drop you at someone near the spot and wait for you.
• Someone can help you and your group to take picture
• Less tiring
• Less dangerous among all options
• Not expose to the sun, rain and dust
• Can travel far
• Can even travel in the dark
• Cons:
• It is the most expensive option of all but the vehicle used is not luxurious.
• It can be stuffy inside the car if too many people
• Can be restraint by a time limit at one spot if you are not paying enough
• You might not able to go all the tourist spots around this lake if you are not paying enough
3. Cycling which is cost starts from CNY25 per day. It can get more expensive depend the bicycle you use. But not more than CNY50.
• Pro:
• Cheapest
• You get to enjoy the cold breeze
• Exercise while traveling
• You enjoy the slow pace of life and feel the nature
• No parking issue
• The flexibility to go to the places you wish to go
• Not restraint by a time limit for staying at one spot
• Cons:
• Super tiring
• Must be map savvy too
• You can't go around the island in one day.
• Must back to your hotel before dark as there is no road lights
• Very dangerous as there are some tour buses are driving too fast
• Can be very hot and need to wear a mask to avoid dusty road

As what you can see, this is my option despite it is the lousiest option. I don't like it because it is tiring and it can be really hot in the afternoon even during winter. However, I just want to explore this once a while. Or maybe this is my first and my last time. The reason it is very tiring is because you need to cycle up which is up to a 45 degrees slope. At Lige Town, it is almost 70 degrees slope. No way you can cycle but to push.

If the terrain is same like Erhai Lake, it will be a comfortable ride. The traffic can be very scary especially on the sharp corners. There is no bicycle lane and we are sharing the small road together with buses and lorries. It was pretty scary.

For a slightly photogenic bicycle like this, it costs CNY30/day. It is heavier and tougher to ride up the hill. However, it is for photo purpose, everything is worth it.

We are riding towards to the westward of where we stayed. There are quite a number of checkpoints which is worth to rest and take a photo. One of the place is the Lige Village. The busiest and the most crowded spot in the west of Lugu Lake. If you are travelling to the east, the most crowded spot will be the Walking Marriage Bridge/Caohai Lake.

The Lige Village is at the foot of Gemu Holy Mountain and the dwellings are distributed half in the lake bay and half in the peninsula. With its unique location and the landscape, the village is enjoyed by a lot of tourists. 

The Lige Island is one of the 7 pearl-like islands in the Lugu Lake. The island is in the north edge of the lake and supported by the Green Mountain and the Gemu Holy Mountain. 

According to the legend, the lake water is composed by the tears of the Goddess Gemu and the lake is a mirror of the Goddess Gemu, thus the weather in the lake changes from time to time. 10 Mosuo families living in the village are in great harmony and most of the seniors are blessed with longevity, hence the village was titled as the Penglai Island. Some people named the village as the Daughter's Kingdom in the Water. 

You can get to the Lige Island by using the local Mosuo boat, Zhu Cao Chuan. The price is at CNY50/pax. It takes about 10 - 15 minutes to reach the island. The whole trip is about 60 minutes.. The minimum passenger to depart is 10.

The island that you saw on the lake is the Lige Island. Yes, you actually can walk to the island. There is a bridge made to connect to the island from the peninsula. So you can save some money from taking the boat. You can still experience the boat to other noteworthy islands on this lake such as Liwubi Island and Xiwa'e Island.

The view here is amazingly stunning. There is a reason for this place to be so crowded. Anyway, my suggestion as a photographer is to avoid visiting this place during the morning or afternoon. Only comes in the evening. It is hard to take a good picture of the lake when the sun is shining through your camera and all your subject has been darken. Below is the panaromic shot of the Lige Village. Click to enlarge.

The should build a cycling path around the lake. Cycling on the narrow road pose so much danger to the tourists. By making this cycling path, the terrain is flatter and less dusty compare to the road. This is something they should look into very seriously. Other than that, I really think cycling is actually a great way to enjoy the lake.

Our cycling journey ends at Gemu Holy Mountain before we decided to turn back before the sky getting dark. We managed to get back to our hotel which is located at Xialuoshui. The journey is just one third of the whole Lugu Lake. In another words, you need 3 days to finish cycling and exploring around the Lugu Lake. If you have extra money, just pay for an electric car or hire a chauffeur if you come in bigger group. 

Bicycle Rental: CNY25/day
T&C for Bicycle rental: Must return the bicycle to the shop before 7.00pm or 8.00pm no matter what time you rent it.
Recommended?: 2/5