Lugu Lake is located at the border between Sichuan and Yunnan, and is jointly managed by Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. It is approximately 700 kilometers from Chengdu, 250 kilometers from Xichang, 600 kilometers from Kunming, and 220 kilometers from Lijiang, with an elevation of 2500-3000 meters.
Why is Lugu Lake so special?
- Unique Structure: Lugu Lake is a plateau fault erosion depression lake, formed by a northwest-southeast fault and two east-west faults.
- Multiple Branches: Lugu Lake belongs to the Litang River system, a tributary of the Yalong River, a tributary of the Jinsha River, which is the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. There are a total of 18 rivers flowing into the lake (11 in Yunnan and 7 in Sichuan).
- Unique Customs, Warm Local Culture: Naxi and Mosuo ethnic groups reside here, where everything is so magical and quaint. From marriage customs like “Chengdingli”, “Axia Marriage”, and the matrilineal family system to funerals, everything here is unique. Each ritual, each custom, is a beautiful and touching story, accompanied by melodious songs, filled with a sense of mystery, romance, poetry, and picturesque scenery, igniting imagination and nostalgia.
- Transportation: There is no public transportation available to Lugu Lake. Visitors can either drive by themselves or rent a car. From Chengdu, take the Chengdu-Ya’an Expressway to Ya’an, then follow Provincial Road 307 to Lugu Lake (or fly or take a train to Xichang and then charter a car). From Kunming, take the G5 Kunming-Chengdu Expressway to Panzhihua, then to Lugu Lake. From Lijiang, take Provincial Road 991 to Ninglang County, then to Lugu Lake.
Lugu Lake, with abundant sunshine, is very suitable for visiting throughout the year, and of course, capturing photos in this pristine natural scenery is also very beautiful!
- Spring: March to May, snow melts, temperatures gradually rise, small wildflowers begin to grow by the roadside, and the grass gradually turns green;
- Summer: June to August, the grass sea presents a large expanse of emerald green, and the lake water is clear and deep blue;
- Autumn: September to November, the most colorful season, gingko leaves turn yellow, and the grass sea puts on a golden warm outfit;
- Winter: December to January, a season with little rain, it is very comfortable to bask in the sun during the day.
How to travel in Lugu Lake?
However, “how to travel” has become the biggest confusion. Joining a tour group or traveling independently? One day or two? Visit Luoshui Village or Lige Island? Take a pig trough boat or ride a bike? …
A spontaneous trip may be carefree, but preparing a perfect itinerary will definitely make your journey smoother.
2-Day Tour Itinerary for Lugu Lake
Day 1: Lijiang Old Town → Lugu Lake Depart from Lijiang, passing through Dadong Township → Ahai Power Station → Cuiyi Township → Lugu Lake Viewing Platform → Circumambulate the lake → Walk Marriage Bridge → Grass Sea Viewing → Afternoon tea at Xiaoluoshui (butter tea, Sulima wine, plateau potatoes, Mosuo pancakes, and specialty roasted chicken) → Dinner (a rich Mosuo marriage banquet) → Mosuo bonfire party → Stay in a Mosuo-style room.
Day 2: Lugu Lake → Lijiang Old Town Wake up early for sunrise at Lugu Lake → Take a car to the dock at 8:00 am → Take a pig trough boat tour of the lake → Visit Liwubi Island (observe the chieftain’s tomb, experience the culture of the Mosuo ethnic group) → Return to the dock by boat → Visit a Mosuo family (learn about Mosuo ethnic customs) → After lunch, return to Lijiang, ending the mysterious journey of the Eastern Daughter Kingdom.
4-Day Tour Route Design
Day 1: Lugu Lake → Daluoshui Village → Lige Island → Yongning Hot Springs Drive to Lugu Lake on the first day, passing through Daluoshui Village to Lige Village. Visit a local family on the island, enjoy specialty dishes, learn about local customs, watch the Flower Building Love Song, and soak in Yongning Hot Springs in the evening… Truly a fulfilling and enjoyable day.
Day 2: Lugu Lake → Lige Island → Xiaoluoshui Village Depart from Lige Village, passing through Xiaoluoshui Village to Dazui Village. This journey can be done on foot or horseback, mainly to admire the lake scenery and stay in Dazui Village.
Day 3: Liwubi Island → Xiwawo Island Take a boat from Dazui Village across the lake to Luoshui Village, take a pig trough boat tour of the lake, and visit the Heart of the Lake Island. In the evening, you can join a bonfire party or go to the Hushi Bar to play chess, read books, or drink and eat grilled fish, roasted potatoes, etc., at the barbecue stalls on the roadside.
Day 4: Lugu Lake Wake up early to watch the sunrise, linger by the lake for a while, take some beautiful photos, and then end the trip to Lugu Lake.
1-Day Lake Circumambulation Hiking Tour
Route Design: Daluoshui Village → Lige Island → Xiaoluoshui Village → Dazui Village → Zuosuo → Caohai Bridge (Lover’s Bridge) → Sanjia Village → Daluoshui Village. Depart from Daluoshui Village in the morning, where you can watch the sunrise.
It’s not difficult to find a path along the lake. Even if there’s no path, it doesn’t matter; just climb a small dirt slope, and you’ll basically be walking on the road. There are many beautiful villages along the lake. After arriving at a village, you can chat with the villagers to learn about the life of the Mosuo people. The villagers are very simple. After arriving at Caohai, you can take a pig trough boat directly back to Daluoshui Village, depending on personal stamina.
1-Day Bicycle Riding Tour
Route Design: Lige Island → Viewing Platform → Nise Village → Xiaoluoshui Village → Luyuanyan → Dazui Village → Aokua. Lugu Lake is a great place for cycling and enjoying the scenery slowly.
Depart from Lige Island in the morning, and soon you’ll reach the viewing platform to get a panoramic view of Lugu Lake. Then you can ride along the road, passing many Mosuo villages along the way, and pass by the Naxi Jingtang. Finally, arrive at Aokua. If you’re still energetic, you can continue riding to Zhongwa. Along the way, the beautiful scenery will definitely sweep away the fatigue of cycling.
9 great photo spots around the lake
Langfashi Beach (蒗放石滩)
Located by the lake, there is a wetland and a sea of flowers. There are usually few people here, so you can enjoy yourself without worrying about being disturbed. There are also superb lake viewing angles here.
Grass Sea & Walking Marriage Bridge (草海&走婚桥)
These two spots are actually together and are must-visit check-in spots for Lugu Lake. The aged wooden bridge stretches over the grass sea. Walking across the entire bridge seems to fulfill a wish. In spring and summer, the grass sea is lush green, while in autumn and winter, it turns from golden yellow to dry yellow, offering beautiful scenery at any time.
Goddess Bay (女神湾)
The name alone is very enticing, haha, it seems like you could take goddess-like photos here. Pigs trough boats dotted on the lake surface, each with its own mottled colors. At sunset, golden beams of light sprinkle on the water, inadvertently softening the journey.
If you want to have a lake tour plus photography package, the price is almost between 2000-3000, excluding clothing and makeup. These types of photography tours are still far from the level of wedding photography, but ordinary photography tours are too expensive, with low cost performance.
The more popular approach now is small group tours, where 2-4 people share a car, taking you around and taking photos for you, with half-day and full-day fragmented itineraries available, priced at around 300, which is the most reasonable option for friends or couples traveling.
Dazhu Lover’s Beach (达祖情人滩)
This is the most famous lover’s beach at Lugu Lake, where the color of the water changes from green to blue. Dazhu is a small village by Lugu Lake, exuding an artistic atmosphere everywhere.
Luyuan Cliff (泸源涯)
Covered with colorful prayer flags and scattered with rocks, this place is full of Mosuo people’s reverence for Buddhism, immersing oneself in it will evoke a sense of mystery reminiscent of the western Sichuan and Tibet.
Nise Lover’s Tree (尼塞情人树)
The lover’s tree is a landmark scenic spot in Nise and a must-visit photo spot for various wedding photography. Two trees grow by the lake, appearing as if they are growing in the lake from a distance. The two trees seem to be leaning against each other, but there is still a distance between them, beautiful yet lonely, much like the state of a couple. Later, some trees were planted next to them, making them look less lonely.
Rige (里格)
Rige is the most famous peninsula at Lugu Lake, and its panoramic photo has become the standard photo of Lugu Lake. But to be honest: the view of Lugu Lake and the Rige Peninsula from the Rige viewpoint is really stunning. It’s a 10-minute walk down from the viewpoint to the Rige Peninsula. Many colorful pig trough boats line the shore, priced at 10-15 yuan per person.
Hongyaizi Lover’s Bay (红涯子情人湾)
Lugu Lake has several lover’s beaches, and Hongyaizi is relatively primitive and quiet. The waves on the lake surface are transparent and three-dimensional, and the lake is clear. There is a tree with a crooked neck on the shore, quietly guarding the tranquility and purity of Lugu Lake, watching batch after batch of passing travelers.
Daluo Water Lake (大洛水湖畔)
Daluo Village is the largest village in Yunnan Province by Lugu Lake and has the most complete range of living facilities. There are classic photo spots by the lake, such as white tables and glass balls. The artsy shops along the street are also good photo scenes, and many people choose to stay in Daluo for convenience.
Private photo spots
Of course, every place has some secluded and almost unknown scenic spots where tourists cannot be found, and many locals are unaware of them. It takes an adventurous and aesthetic spirit to discover these beautiful scenes.
Abandoned Earth Wall (废弃土墙)
This place is not found on the map. It was discovered by local photographers when they were on their way to Gemu Goddess Mountain. It looks like ruins, but it’s exceptionally beautiful and stylish in photos. It’s roughly located at the foot of Gemu Goddess Mountain, on the way from Lugu Lake to Niyuigou. Pay attention to the scenery along the way.
Gemu Goddess Mountain Foot Flower Sea (格姆女神山脚花海)
Not far from the earth wall, the flowers change with the seasons, just like the earth wall, it’s a rarely discovered photography sanctuary, and you can often see wandering cattle and horses.
5 Beautiful Guesthouses for Photography
Exquisite guesthouses, whether in public spaces or guest rooms, are breathtakingly beautiful even with just a casual snapshot. However, these types of guesthouses have a common characteristic: they are slightly expensive, and prices may double during peak season.
Dengfeng Half-Mountain Boutique Hotel (等风半山精品酒店)
Located halfway up the mountain in Langfang, Dengfeng faces Lugu Lake and stands opposite Gemu Goddess Mountain. Quiet and retro with an artistic touch, Dengfeng adopts a stepped architecture to preserve the viewing terraces of each floor. Therefore, most rooms have a terrace where you can lie down, smell the fresh air, gaze at Lugu Lake in the distance, and feel the changes in light and shadow brought by the wind teasing the clouds, quietly passing by.
Qieman Holiday Hotel (且曼假日酒店)
Qieman can be considered one of the first boutique guesthouses built in Langfang, Lugu Lake. It stands on the top of the mountain and has the best view of the lake. Sitting there is like taking a beautiful photo. Rooms don’t need much decoration; the lake view and the distant Goddess Mountain are the most expensive luxury in the rooms.
Yuanshe Lake View Guesthouse (原舍湖景客栈)
Yuanshe is next to Dazhu Lover’s Beach, enjoying the best lake view of Lugu Lake. The Mediterranean-style rooms are very suitable for couples, and the glass balls at the entrance attract many people to linger.
Shilili at Rige Lehaiju Guesthouse (诗莉莉·在里格乐海居客栈)
Built against the mountain and nestled by the water, the hotel combines unique Mosuo style with Tibetan style. The red and white colors complement each other, wandering through the courtyard, corridors, and rooms of the hotel, it’s like walking into the mysterious Potala Palace in Tibet.
In the evening, when Lugu Lake disappears into the night, the countless stars overhead become the most beautiful scenery on the roof of Rige Lehai, as Rige Lehai is located between the valleys, it’s the perfect place to gaze at or photograph the stars. Feeling the tranquil lake surface, gazing at the twinkling stars, one can’t help but sigh: this is truly a pure land.
Ecolife Heterogeneous Living Guesthouse (Ecolife异构生活客栈)
The uniqueness of this guesthouse lies in its unconventional exterior design and room decorations, which are not the traditional square or rectangular shapes of China. The irregular shape is the biggest feature of heterogeneity. In addition, Ecolife also has the only viewing pool at Lugu Lake, capturing the whole world of water and sky.
Drinking tea and enjoying the lake view, savoring wine and admiring the scenery, in the picturesque scenery of the blue sky and white clouds, experiencing the mysterious and ancient Mosuo style with Ecolife, and experiencing the true nature of the lake and mountains.
5 Major Photography Tips
Many times, what’s more frustrating is not knowing where to take good photos but facing beautiful scenery without knowing how to make the photos look good. For some photographers, a good photo may take them hours to days to achieve, but for ordinary people like us, are there some quick tips to improve? Here are five simple suggestions for taking photos.
Choose the right time
For a good photo, lighting is the most important. No matter how beautiful you are and how well-dressed you are, without light to illuminate your beauty, you know, all that’s left is a heavy sigh. Simply put, in terms of direction: light is divided into top light, side light, bottom light, and backlight.
We are most used to top light because the sun is always overhead. We prefer side light, which is the light of sunrise and sunset. Bottom light generally has a terrifying effect, while backlight is the easiest light to control and is used for shooting silhouettes. In terms of quality: light is also divided into hard light and soft light, with the light at noon being the hardest and should be avoided. The light is the softest before and after sunrise and sunset.
Tips:
- Photographers who are always at Lugu Lake have summarized the following best shooting times
- Best shooting time in the morning: Summer 05:00-06:00; Winter 07:00-08:00.
- Best shooting time in the afternoon: Summer 17:00-18:00; Winter 16:00-17:00.
Dress properly
To take beautiful travel photos, you need to look beautiful first. Models play a crucial role in whether a photo is good or not. Of course, not every girl is beautiful and hot, but as they say, three points for looks and seven points for dressing up. Good clothing and styling can make up for the shortcomings of appearance or add icing on the cake. Combining the environmental characteristics of the travel destination with appropriately dressed clothing can definitely enhance your photos.
- Long skirts: Isn’t this a weapon for taking photos? But many petite girls are afraid to try, but in fact, choosing a well-fitting long skirt can have a lengthening effect on the body line. Petite girls can choose skirts with higher waistlines, with the upper body tight-fitting, and the lower body can be naturally draped, or you can choose a slit skirt, which can elongate the legs. For tall girls, it’s just how you wear it, and you’ll be full of temperament.
- Short skirts: Short skirts are relatively playful compared to long skirts and don’t take up much space when traveling. But be careful to avoid exposure. Lugu Lake is suitable for relatively clean-colored skirts and not too complicated patterns.
- Speaking of pants, pants are really not recommended. Pants require high requirements for leg shape, which makes it difficult to wear beautifully. Only when pants are worn well and legs are long, it will look good. Unless there’s one possibility, loose-fitting pants with a T-shirt, casual style (yes! It’s very suitable for boys).
- Local traditional costumes or ethnic style costumes. Lugu Lake is a place with distinct ethnic characteristics. You can buy a set of local characteristic costumes suitable for the area (of course not Mosuo costumes, I personally think they are not very suitable for photos), buy some simple cotton and linen clothes with ethnic patterns, which not only allows you to better understand and integrate into the local culture but also makes you look more down-to-earth in the photos.
Talking about clothing types, let’s talk about colors. If you want a fresh and clean look, wear light colors: white, light blue, or light-colored stripes or checks, as well as small floral prints. If you want to highlight yourself or look sexy, wear red or yellow. If you want an artistic feel, wear solid-color cotton and linen clothes in white, blue, or yellow. There’s not much else to say. Taboo: black, highly saturated blue, green, red, purple, whoever wears it knows.
If the above is still not enough for you, then I can only resort to my killer move—prepare N beautiful hats! Not only does it perfectly solve the hairstyle problem, but it can also create many more looks.
Learn to pose
People often ask about posing for photos, which is somewhat related to body flexibility. Just like many people’s silhouettes look great, but when you take photos, they don’t look as good, mainly because silhouettes are intended to showcase contours and lines, so they have certain requirements for body movements, and it’s very difficult for the body to pose elegantly.
Here are a few poses with relatively low requirements for the body that you can refer to (some photos were taken at Erhai Lake in Dali).
Side profile looking into the distance, touching your hair while looking down, looking back and smiling (yes! Very difficult), pretending to read or talk on the phone, looking up at the sky, back view (slightly to the side, don’t hunch), sitting (upright!), lying down, walking, running, spinning, jumping, playing in the water, interacting with small animals, taking photos in the mirror, and using props such as hats.
Learn to imitate
This is the ultimate move and the easiest photography strategy to start with. Find travel photos you like that were taken at the same destination, with a similar body shape to yours. After mastering facial expressions, just copy their clothing (similar type and color, no need to buy new ones) and mimic their movements. Gradually, you’ll find that you no longer need travel photos as references. Where to find references? There are plenty online!
Conclusion
From being isolated from the world to now being world-famous, Lugu Lake is indeed worth staying for a few days and taking a slow walk, seeing slowly. Being integrated with natural and human landscapes like this; being able to cast aside worldly troubles and get away from the hustle and bustle of crowds; especially with its unique Mosuo culture and ethnic customs, it is rich and unique in content.”
