The beautiful Lugu Lake is a place with legendary stories

Number of days: 12 days
Time: April
Average cost: 2400 yuan
With whom: and friends
Updated: 2025.05.11

At the junction of Sichuan and Yunnan, there is a beautiful lake, like a peaceful sleeping beauty, lying quietly among the green mountains. The water and the sky are one color, which is particularly pleasing to the eye.

Some people say that she is like a lover's tears, so blue that it makes people feel distressed. There is no need for too many words. Just one look at her will make you feel overflowing with happiness. It is a kind of beauty that moves the soul. It is praised as "the place where immortals live and the source of Shangri-La."

This is Lugu Lake, a mysterious and romantic place.

They have lived by the Lugu Lake for generations, and women are still the main members of the social family.

The Mosuo people living on the shores of Lugu Lake had unique characteristics in the early ancient times. Men and women were called "Azhu" and "Axia" respectively.

In ancient times, the marriage form was that the man would visit the woman's home, stay overnight, and return to his own home the next morning.

At the same time, generally a man or woman only has one.

Here, everything is so magical, so simple, and full of mystery and romance. Whether it is the coming-of-age ceremony, Axia wedding, or funeral, they are all unique.

Here, every ritual and every custom is a beautiful and moving story, a melodious pastoral song, full of poetry and painting, giving people reverie and memories.

This is Lugu Lake. Its unique topography and landforms have created beautiful natural scenery. Every scene of Lugu Lake is intoxicating, and every culture of Lugu Lake is worth savoring. It is indeed "wherever you look, you see a picture, and wherever you step, you find a fairyland."

This is Lugu Lake, a piece of blue sky, a pool of turquoise water, a bridge carrying legends, and a group of simple and kind-hearted people. The ethereal legends bring untouchable mysteries, attracting travelers and explorers from all over the world to find out what's going on, and I am one of them.

So, I packed my bag, packed my good mood, took happiness, traveled more than a thousand kilometers, and came to Lugu Lake, a mysterious and beautiful place, to explore the mysterious and magical Lugu Lake deep in my soul.

Now, I will write this article based on some of the knowledge and beautiful scenery I learned and photographed during this short trip to Lugu Lake, and share it with everyone.

Lugu Lake is located at the junction of Yanyuan County, Sichuan Province and Ninglang County, Yunnan Province. It is jointly governed by Sichuan and Yunnan. To the east of the lake is Lugu Lake Town, Yanyuan County, and to the west of the lake is Yongning Township, Ninglang County. Sichuan accounts for about 2/3 of the total area, and Yunnan accounts for 1/3 of the total area. The lakeshore on the Yunnan side is much longer than that on the Sichuan side.

The lake is commonly known as Zuosuohai, and its ancient names are Ledehai and Luku Lake. It covers an area of more than 50 square kilometers, with an altitude of 2,690 meters. The average water depth is 45 meters, the deepest point is 93 meters, the transparency is as high as 11 meters, and the maximum visibility is 12 meters. The lake water is clear and blue. It is the highest lake in Yunnan and one of the deepest freshwater lakes in China.

Lugu Lake is surrounded by green mountains, with winding lakeshores and many Lugu Bays, a total of 17 beaches and 14 bays; five full islands, three peninsulas and one seawall island are scattered in the lake, generally rising 15 to 30 meters above the water surface. From a distance, they look like green boats floating on the lake. Among them, Heiwawu Island, Liwubi Island and Lige Island on the Ninglang side have become the three most scenic and tourist attractions in the lake and are known as the "Penglai Three Islands".

Lugu Lake Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, a national water conservancy scenic area, and a national scenic spot. It is a scenic area that combines cultural landscape and natural landscape with the ecological environment of plateau lake landscape as the main body.

The scenic area is rich in natural and cultural landscape resources. There are 7 types of landscape resources, 16 sub-types of landscape resources, and 65 scenic spots in the scenic area, including astronomical phenomena, landforms, water areas, creatures, scenery, and architecture. The main attractions are: Lover's Beach, Caohai, Walking Marriage Bridge, Rige Peninsula, Princess Island, Lugu Lake Observation Deck, etc.

If you are coming from Yunnan and have time, you can charter a car or share a car for a tour around the lake, which means Lugu Lake Viewing Platform → Daluoshui Village → Lover's Beach → Lige Peninsula → Xiaoluoshui Village → Gemu Goddess Mountain → Luyayuan → Goddess Bay Pier → Princess Island → Caohai → Walking Marriage Bridge; if you are coming from Sichuan, you can travel in the opposite direction.

At the same time, you can also take a ride on the local unique pig trough boat, shuttle across the lake, and feel the coolness and tranquility of the lake water up close; you can also walk on the Walking Marriage Bridge in Caohai to feel and touch the characteristics of the Mosuo people.

When night falls, you can also join the Mosuo people's bonfire party, sing and dance with them, and feel their enthusiasm and joy; if you like, you can also visit their houses and listen to the stories of the grandmother's house.

The Mosuo people's houses are generally quadrangles, made entirely of round logs. The Mosuo people call it "Si Lu Yu Kua", which means wooden house, also called mu Leng house. The middle of the main room of the house is the room for the elderly, that is, the "grandmother's room". The grandmother is the highest generation in the Mosuo family.

The grandmother's room combines the bedroom, living room and kitchen into one. There are two important pillars in the room, the left pillar represents men and the right pillar represents women. On the right side of the male pillar is a Buddha altar, which the Mosuo family calls "Si Tu", which means "the Buddha in the heart of the room". A fire god plaque is hung on the wall in the middle of the room, which is the mascot of the family.

After visiting and appreciating these, let me introduce to you some of the most distinctive attractions in Lugu Lake.

Walking Marriage Bridge

The Walking Marriage Bridge is located on the east side of Lugu Lake and was built in the Tusi era. The bridge is more than 300 meters long, spanning both sides of Caohai. It is made of wood and is a well-known landscape around Lugu Lake. The Walking Marriage Bridge not only facilitates the passage of the people on both sides of the river, but also played an important role in concentrating the military forces of the Tusi on both sides of the river in the past wars. It is the main route for Axia walking marriage and is known as the "Magpie Bridge of Love in the World".

Lover's Beach

Lover's Beach is located in Lugu Lake Scenic Area. It is a shining pearl on the shore of Lugu Lake. The lake water here is crystal clear, the sandy bank stretches for more than ten miles, and the scenery of each season has its own charm. Lover's Beach is famous for the love legend between the goddess Gem and the god of Houlong Mountain, and has become a favorite check-in spot for couples.

Legend has it that the gods cast a spell and transformed the goddess Gemu and Houlong into two mountains. Since then, they can only see each other across the sea. The gods only allow them to meet on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month. On this day, the goddess Gemu and Houlong snuggle up to each other at Lover's Beach and express their true feelings. It is said that on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, if you listen carefully when you pass by Lover's Beach, you will hear the goddess Gemu and Houlong whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Caohai

Caohai is located on the east side of Lugu Lake. As the water here is relatively shallow, it is covered with many reeds, making the entire lake surface lush and green. The environment is fresh and beautiful. Caohai is a plateau ecological wetland under national key protection, and enjoys the reputation of "Plateau Aquatic Plant Exhibition Hall", "Biological Grand View Garden" and "Kidney of the Earth".

Lige Island

Lige Island is located in the northwest of Lugu Lake. It is a beautiful peninsula on the lakeside, surrounded by water on three sides, green mountains on the left and right, and backed by the Goddess Gemu Mountain. It is a picturesque place with simple Mosuo people and pristine natural scenery. What's more, the transportation to Xiaoluoshui Village, Caohai and Yongning Hot Spring is very convenient.

Mosuo Home

Mosuo Home Across a lush hill from the Naxi village, there is a "muleng house" inhabited by the Mosuo people, close to the "Lugu Lake". This simple and rustic quadrangle building made entirely of round logs is named "Mosuo Home".

Niaojue Bay

One of the most beautiful bays of Lugu Lake, a bay of azure lake, a bay of quiet jungle, and a bay of rugged rocks constitute the unique characteristics of Niaojue Bay. A stone beach in the bay is paved with countless exquisite stone pieces with golden color and picturesque texture, which can be compared with the "Yuhua Stone" in Nanjing and is a unique feature of Lugu Lake.

In short, Lugu Lake is a place so beautiful that it cannot be described in words. Countless people have found their spiritual home here. Well, then come to Lugu Lake, take a trip to Lugu Lake, while it has not become too secular and too commercialized, while it is still in its most beautiful years...