A Must-Experience: Feeding Red-billed Gulls at Dianchi Lake in Kunming

Number of days: 2 days
Time: November
Average cost: 200 yuan
With whom: and friends
Updated: 2025.02.27

Every year from the Beginning of Winter to March of the following year, Dianchi Lake in Kunming welcomes red-billed gulls that fly thousands of miles from Siberia to spend the winter. The main places to watch the seagulls are the Haigeng Dam and Haigeng Park at Dianchi Lake.

Comparing the two gull-watching areas, Haigeng Park and Guanjing Road, near Dianchi Lake, I think each has its own characteristics: Guanjing Road is more convenient, with multiple bus routes available. If you drive, there are several temporary parking lots on Guanjing Road for gull-watching vehicles. More importantly, the red-billed gulls here are very friendly and will boldly stand on your hands to eat food. To the south of Haigeng Park lies the vast Dianchi Lake. In the morning, the sun shines and the scenery is breathtaking.

Viewing Road

Red-billed gulls love bread, especially chunks of bread.

One afternoon in late November, we went to Guanjing Road to feed the red-billed gulls.

We went to a nearby supermarket to buy a few bags of bread and a few sausages (to feed the red-billed gulls).

From Wuhua District, Kunming, where we live, drive southwest to Guanjing Road, which is 11 kilometers. Turn west onto Yinghai Road and turn left at the intersection of Dianchi Guanjing Pier onto Guanjing Road. You will see police officers directing parking in several parking lots on the left side of the road.

Guanjing Road runs north-south. To the west of Guanjing Road is the Dianchi Dam. The top road of the dam is paved with tiles, and there are cement guardrails along the edge of Dianchi Lake, which is very safe.

When you walk into the Dianchi Dam, you will see red-billed gulls stopping on the road surface and guardrails to beg for food.

Walking into the Dianchi Dam, you will see red-billed gulls stopping on the road and guardrails to beg for food.

Walking into the Dianchi Dam, you will see red-billed gulls stopping on the road and guardrails to beg for food. src="https://dimg04.c-ctrip.com/images/1mf5o12000irv8wap8DDA_R_800_10000_Q90.jpg?proc=autoorient" /> Walking into the Dianchi Dam, you will see red-billed gulls pausing on the road surface and guardrails to beg for food.

Walking into the Dianchi Dam, you will see red-billed gulls pausing on the road surface and guardrails to beg for food.

If you hold the bread in your hand, the seagulls will come to pick it up, and the brave ones will even stand on your hand and peck at the bread.

Red-billed gull begging for food

src="https://dimg04.c-ctrip.com/images/1mf4r12000irv8j7e47A1_R_800_10000_Q90.jpg?proc=autoorient" /> Red-billed gull begging for food

Red-billed gull is not afraid of people

Just teasing me, I won't eat it anymore

Eating while standing on your hands is easier src="https://dimg04.c-ctrip.com/images/1mf1d12000irv8m7l7156_R_800_10000_Q90.jpg?proc=autoorient" />

We fed the seagulls for more than an hour on Guanjing Road.

Haigeng Park

The next morning was sunny, so we decided to go to Dianchi Haigeng Park to feed the red-billed gulls.

Today is the weekend, and considering the difficulty of parking, we took the bus.

There are bus routes 73 and A1 from Wuhua District to Haigeng Park, both of which take more than an hour, and the terminus is south of Jianguo Puyin Hotel.

Get off the bus and walk west for a few dozen meters to reach the main entrance of Haigeng Park.

Haigeng Park, located on the north shore of Dianchi Lake, is a beautiful park and a prime viewing spot for Dianchi Lake. Lined with lush green trees along the lake, it features orange-yellow trails and a variety of brightly colored sculptures, creating a refreshing and beautiful environment.

The main entrance of the park is located at the easternmost end of Haigeng Park. Enter the east gate and head a short distance south to Dianchi Lake.

Schematic diagram of Haigeng Park

It's a sunny day today, and there are many tourists in the park, almost all of whom come to watch the seagulls.

Haigeng Park stretches from east to west. The eastern section of Haigeng Park is a group of century-old eucalyptus trees. The only protection along the edge of Dianchi Lake is the temporary cloth strips pulled up from the eucalyptus trees.

Every year, tens of thousands of Siberian red-billed gulls come to Kunming to spend the winter. There are flocks of seagulls on the sea (Kunming citizens call Dianchi Lake "sea") and in the sky.

Red-billed gulls flying in the sky

Red-billed gulls flying with graceful posture

Flocks of seagulls in the sky

Tourists lean over the guardrail to feed seagulls

Flocks of seagulls in the sky

Flocks of seagulls on the water

We held up the bread and learned to call the red-billed gulls by saying "gull, gull"; but the red-billed gulls here would dive and peck at the bread, and would not land on the hands of the gull watchers.

We held up the bread and learned to call the red-billed gulls by calling “gull, gull”

It seems that the red-billed gulls here are not from the same "family" as the group of red-billed gulls to the west of Guanjing Road. They are very timid.

Walking west along the lakeside slow path of Haigeng Park, after passing Tuanjie Square, there is a section of Haigeng Seaview Corridor. The corridor has a one-meter-high guardrail along the beach. There are more tourists on this beach.

We walked west along the beach until we reached Haigeng Amusement Park (over 1,200 meters).

The long lakeshore, the turquoise long embankment, the clear lake water, and the red-billed gulls from Siberia, we walked for more than two hours in the afternoon.

After leaving Haigeng Park, we wanted to go to Guanjing Road again.

We took a taxi and drove 200 meters towards Guanjing Road, but we were stuck in a traffic jam.

The driver said that the traffic police blocked several intersections and directed vehicles to drive in one direction; if you want to go to Guanjing Road, you need to take a long detour in a rectangular route.

We got off the car and hailed another Didi car, and walked for a while towards Guanjing Road. The traffic jam was serious, so we had to give up going to Guanjing Road.

Go to Kunming Dianchi Lake in winter to feed the red-billed gulls, you will definitely want to go again.