Given its high elevation, Dali's climate is gentle and mild much of the year, with June to September being the rainiest months. Popular activities include touring the nearby countryside, particularly the waters around Erhai Lake, by bike; hiking or riding the cable car up the verdant slopes of the nearby Cangshan Mountains; and visiting the historic Three Pagodas.
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For the more adventurous, take a bike tour into the beautiful landscape surrounding the city, or choose from a number of rock climbing excursions that offer beautiful vistas of the city and lake.
Bike, drive, or stroll around Erhai Lake. Named for its ear-like shape, there are seventeen villages around Erhai's picturesque waters, as well as Qing-era architecture and banyan forests.
Stay at the Linden Centre in nearby Xizhou, where you can learn more about Yunnan through exploring, enrichment and volunteer activities from tea cultivation to participating on archeological digs. Stay for multiple days and absorb the fresh air and laid-back simplicity of this well-preserved Bai village.
Visit the “Three Pagodas,” Dali’s most famous site. The three pagodas are amongst the oldest structures in southwestern China and were built in the 9th century. The middle of the three is the largest pagoda, around 233 feet (71 meters) tall, flanked by the two others at 135 feet (41 meters) tall each.
Take a chairlift up to the Zhonghe Temple atop the snow-peaked Cangshan Mountains that border the city, and relax among the wild azaleas as you gaze down on sleepy Dali and Erhai Lake.
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Spend 11 days luxuriating in China’s lush Yunnan province, making your way from Kunming to Dali, Shangri-la, and Lijiang. You’ll stop at local markets, enjoy a fascinating look into China’s lush nature at Green Lake Park and the Yangtze Valley, hike through the iconic Shangri-La, and stay at the luxurious Banyan Tree.
Take an incredible 19-day luxury journey through Vietnam and China, seeing local life in villages to big cities as you stop in Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa, Yuanyang, Lijiang, and Kunming. You’ll ride a traditional Vietnamese junk, make friends in a Black Hmong village, and wander through the Stone Forest.
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