Dali｜Departure to Dali, Yunnan's romance is all here

Number of days：5 days
Time: September
Average cost: 3500 yuan
With whom: and friends
Updated: 2021.09.30

Kunming or Dali? This time during my Yunnan trip, I was debating whether to choose Dali or Kunming. After discussing it with my bestie, I felt Dali was more artistic. So, we quickly decided on Dali.

Transportation:

I've been using Mohi Car Rental for the past few years and highly recommend it for everyone. I initially thought the cost of renting a car would be high, but it wasn't. We rented an IX35, and with insurance and other expenses, it came to around 160 yuan per day. For a group of four like us, that's around 40 yuan per person per day, which is quite a bargain.

Accommodation:

There's really no need to stay in a cookie-cutter hotel in Dali; find a B&B you like. There are plenty of B&Bs in Dali, and many are exceptionally well-decorated. Staying in one of these B&Bs gives you a true sense of Dali living.

Food:

In Dali, or Yunnan in general, you can enjoy a wide variety of bizarre delicacies. On the dining table, you'll see all sorts of insects and even unfamiliar mushrooms. We had several mushroom hotpots, and it turns out that hotpot made with Yunnan's various mushrooms is incredibly delicious and fragrant.

Day 1: Dali Island Tour

After arriving at Dali Station, we first went to pick up our car. It was conveniently located right next to the train station.

Then we set off on a self-driving tour around the island. It turns out that so many people now know how to have fun. When we picked up our car, we met several people who were also picking it up, all of them on road trips to Dali.

This time we drove around the island and passed many scenic spots. We started from Jinsuo Island, then passed Tianjing Pavilion, Wenbi Village, etc., and finally ended with Jinsuo Island.

Look at the Little Putuo here, the scenery is really beautiful. The water here is incredibly clear, with Little Putuo right in the center, and even a clear reflection of it underwater. You can take a boat to Little Putuo to see it, but I'm not particularly drawn to such attractions. In order to avoid damaging Little Putuo, we didn't go to the island.

This is Shuanglang. No matter which scenic spot in Dali, it looks super beautiful. It was already noon when we arrived in Shuanglang, so we decided to have lunch there. There's a Shuanglang Corner Time Garden restaurant there. It's well-reviewed, and the dishes we ordered were based on recommendations from a reviewer. We had chicken gravy rice noodles, flower pancakes, and stir-fried seasonal vegetables, all of which were quite delicious.

Originally, we planned to go to the Moon Palace after dinner, but we were so busy wandering around that by the time we remembered to go, it was already past its closing time. So, we ended up going to the Cape Library instead.

This library has been recommended by many people, and I personally think it's quite nice and quiet.

And so, we kept driving. In reality, we had no specific destination in mind, not even a clear idea of where we were going. Our principle was: just keep going. If the scenery was good, we kept driving. As the car continued to move forward, even the scenery changed. I passed by this popular tourist spot during my trip and saw many people recommending it online. The reason is that there are vintage cars, windmills, and staircases here, and everyone says they take great photos. I knew it wouldn't be particularly beautiful when I saw the promotion, but I didn't expect it to be that bad. It felt just average.

After that, we returned.

Day 2: From Cangshan to Xizhou

Our trip started in Cangshan, and our final destination for the day was Xizhou. Our plan was to stay overnight there. We'd already booked a B&B the night before. Actually, there wasn't much need to do. It's not peak season now, so we could have visited the B&B first and then decided. Before going to Cangshan, we took some photos at Ideal Country. This place feels a bit like Aranya in Qinhuangdao, but in fact, it is a little worse than Aranya. After taking some photos here, we went to Cangshan Mountain. Cangshan Mountain is a huge mountain, stretching for more than 50 kilometers. Cangshan National Geopark is also a super large park. There are 3 cable cars and 3 hiking trails here. We spent the whole morning in the National Geopark, walking for a while and then taking the cable car.

We first took the cable car to Gantong Temple, and after getting off the Gantong Temple, we walked to Jizhao Temple.

The name of Jizhao Temple is so nice, but once inside, I found it was not quiet at all. Now Jizhao Temple has become a popular online tourist attraction, and many online celebrities come here to take photos every day.

So, I prefer Gantong Temple. Gantong Temple is a very solemn place. Everyone here can only speak in a low voice.

The koi in front of the temple are particularly large and beautiful. We had lunch right on the mountain, bringing some fruit and other treats. For dinner, we went to Duan Gongzi, another internet-famous restaurant. But in Yunnan, there's no need to rush to a popular restaurant. The owner of the B&B said that the smaller the place, the better the food.

Day 3: Xizhou, Dali

On day three, our itinerary was to Xizhou, Dali. We stayed at the Tiangu Xiyuan Boutique Hotel. The hotel's design is exceptionally high-end, a style I really like.

We woke up early and headed to the commercial district. It was incredibly bustling, and I felt like that evoked the spirit of life.

At first, the scenic area was very quiet; it felt like the whole place was to ourselves. Gradually, more people showed up, and it really was because we woke up too early.

We also had lunch in Xizhou Ancient Town, and we opted for a Chinese breakfast. It included mushroom and chicken soup, purple sweet potato and white fungus porridge, and more. It was delicious. In fact, Dali culture started here. This ancient town has been quiet for thousands of years. It's just that due to the recent rise of tourism, Xizhou Ancient Town has become more and more famous, and many tourists come here every year to check in.

Walking in the ancient town, we saw so many local snacks that foodies like us couldn't walk at all. We probably tried more than 10 kinds of snacks.

In Xizhou Ancient Town, we saw a beautiful field. It was stunning. We also took some lovely photos along the way. Afterward, we went to a small town next to Xizhou. It was a short drive, about 10 minutes. It's truly a place where locals live. I saw some uncles and grandfathers chatting nearby.