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Yunnan · 大理

Dali

Villages and fields run between the Cangshan range and Erhai Lake.

A boat crosses Erhai Lake with hills across the blue water.
DaliA boat on Erhai Lake, Dali.

Erhai’s shore, Cangshan and the villages between them.

Dali through the year

March–May

Spring

Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple

Walk up to the Three Pagodas in late afternoon. When clouds gather over the mountains, the light on the pale stone can shift in minutes.

Three stone pagodas glow in late sunlight against dark mountains and clouds.
Three Pagodas of Chongsheng TempleLate-afternoon sun warms the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple beneath dark spring clouds.

June–August

Summer

Cangshan from Caicun

From Caicun, look west toward Cangshan. Summer clouds can build over the peaks and catch the evening light.

Sunbeams radiate behind a towering cloud above the dark Cangshan range.
Cangshan from CaicunEvening sun breaks around summer clouds above Cangshan, seen from Caicun.

September–November

Autumn

Xiaoputuo Island

Head to Erhai’s east shore for the view of Xiaoputuo, where the small temple sits against layers of hills.

Gulls skim Erhai Lake in front of a small island temple and hazy mountain ridges.
Xiaoputuo IslandGulls skim Erhai Lake around the temple on Xiaoputuo Island.

December–February

Winter

Dali Old Town from Wuhua Tower

Climb Wuhua Tower on a clear winter day for the rooflines of the old town and the mountains beyond.

Dark tiled roofs in Dali Old Town run toward blue mountain ridges under a clear sky.
Dali Old Town from Wuhua TowerWinter light picks out tiled roofs and mountain ridges from Wuhua Tower in Dali Old Town.