Top Ten Tourist Attractions In Dali, Cangshan Mountain

1. Things To Know Before You Go

Dali is blessed with the natural beauty described as "Cangshan Mountain, without ink, form a timeless painting; Erhai Lake, without strings, plays an eternal melody". Naturally, Cangshan Mountain has become a must-visit destination for those traveling to Dali. The Cangshan Mountain is not just a single peak, it consists of nineteen peaks, eighteen streams, numerous natural scenic spots, temples and so on. Also, there are various ways for tourists to explore this mountain, some choose to hike to the summit, some take the cable car for sightseeing, and others combine hiking with taking the cable car together, whichever way they choose, tourists can experience the mysterious beauty of this Mountain.

2. Why Is Cangshan Mountain So Special?

2.1 The Tangible Benefits Bring To Tourists

Due to the beautiful scenery of Cangshan Mountain, when tourists are immersed in it, they will forget many of the troubles in life and feel the cleansing and purification that nature brings to their souls, thus loving their own lives even more. The snow-capped scenery on the main peak of Cangshan Mountains is majestic and spectacular, being one of the famous four Scenes, which is termed as wind, flowers, snow and moon in Dali. There is a hiking trail about 18 kilometers long on the mountainside, called the Jade-Cloud Road, tourists can overlook the scenery of Dali Basin and Erhai Lake from here. 

2.2 Attractions Overview

2.2.1 Geographical Features

Cangshan Mountain is located in the central part of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, adjacent to the west of Erhai Lake. They are part of Hengduan Mountains, the ridges of the Cangshan Mountains are arranged in a row from north to south, consisting of 19 peaks. The highest peak, Malong Peak, has an altitude of 4122 meters. Cangshan Mountains are about 48 kilometers long from north to south and about 18 kilometers wide from east to west, the mountain range runs in a northwest-southeast direction, starting from the Guanglanba Pass west of the Huadianba in the north and ending at the Xi'er River in the south.

2.2.2 Tourism Resources

Cangshan Mountain is abundant in resources of historical interests and scenic beauty, thus possessing a profound historical and cultural heritage. There are not only ancient temples such as Gantong Temple and Jizhao Nunnery, but also cultural relics and historic sites such as Linggu Temple complex. The main tourist attractions in the Cangshan Mountains include: 10 temples and 20 natural scenic spots. Among these tourist destinations, the most classic ones are famous Jizhao Nunnery, Zhangjia Garden, Jade-Cloud Road, Gantong Cable way, Ximatan Cable way, Ximatan Scenic Area, Zhonghe Cable way and so on.

3. How To Get To Cangshan Mountain 

Taxi: There are many taxis available in the Dali Ancient City that can take visitors to the foot of Cangshan Mountains, tourists can take the cable car up the mountain from the foothill.
Self-driving tour: After leaving the Dali Ancient City, visitors walk along National Highway 214 to Yixian Road, turn west, and continue for about 1 kilometre to reach the large cable way of Cangshan Mountain.
Bus: Take Bus No. 4 from the Dali Ancient City and get off at Gantong Temple Station, then visitors can walk about 2 kilometers southwest to reach the Gantong Cable Station of Cangshan Mountains.
Walking: Come out from the south gate of Dali Ancient City and walk west along Yita Road. After walking about 1.9 kilometers, tourists can reach the hiking trail in the Cangshan Mountain Scenic Area.
Horse rental: If tourists don't want to take the cable car up the mountain, they can directly rent a horse in the Dali Ancient City to go up the mountain, it costs about 100 yuan.

Admission fee: 35 yuan

‌Gantong cableway ticket: Round trip RMB 110 / person, one-way RMB 50 / person (excluding ticket)

Zhonghe cableway ticket: Round trip RMB 100 / person, one-way RMB 45 / person (excluding ticket)

‌Cangshan ropeway ticket: Peak season round trip 300 yuan/person, off-season round trip 240 yuan/person, one-way 182 yuan/person (including Cangshan tickets) ‌

4. Highlights Of Cangshan Mountain

Currently, there are four cableways in Cangshan Mountain, namely Gantong Cableway (Middle Cableway), Xima Pool Cableway (Large Cableway), Zhonghe Cableway (Cangshan Cableway), and Tianlongdong Cableway. The starting and ending points of these four cableways are all different, but they are all connected to the Jade-Cloud Road. Among them, only Xima pool Cableway can get close to the Ximat Pool, the "Lake on the Mountain Peak" at an altitude of 3920 meters.

4.1 Xima Pool Cableway 洗马潭索道

Cableway Introduction: Xima Pool Cableway, also known as the Cangshan mountain Cableway, is divided into three stations: upper, middle, and lower. The height difference of the cableway reaches 1.6 kilometers, and its length is about 5.5 kilometers. It is the only cableway among the three that can directly reach the top of the Cangshan Mountain. There are three stations along the cableway, the upper station is located in the Xima Pool Scenic Area at an altitude of 3900 meters, the middle station is on the upper side of the Qilongnv Pool Scenic Area at an altitude of 2814 meters, and the lower station is on the west side of the Dali Tianlong eight film city at an altitude of 2242 meters, truly achieving "one cableway passing through three scenic spots". Tourists can take this cableway to fully enjoy the scenery of Cangshan Mountain and Dali Ancient City, and it takes about 40 minutes to reach the top of Cangshan Mountain. Tourists taking Xima Pool Cableway will have a transfer station on the way and finally reach a height of about 3900 meters.
Cableway Scenery: It connects Tianlong eight film city, Qilongnv Pool, and the Xima Pool into one part, tourists taking the cableway can fully appreciate the azalea forest, the fir forest, the extremely attractive scenery on the top of Cangshan Mountain, and overlook the magnificent Erhai Lake and so on.

Cableway Transportation: The lower station of Cangshan Cableway is about 4 kilometers away from the south gate of Dali Ancient City, tourists can choose to take taxi, direct bus in the scenic area to get there. To reach the middle station, tourists can go uphill (1.5 kilometers with a height difference of about 300 meters) from the Jade-Cloud Road to the middle station (Qilongnv Pool Station) to take the Cangshan Cableway.

4.1.1 Xima Pool 洗马潭

Scenic Area Introduction: Xima Pool is located at the junction of Yuju Peak and Longquan Peak of Cangshan Mountain with an altitude of 3,920 meters, and is known as the "Lake on the Mountain Peak". In fact, Xima Pool is still more than 20 meters away from the peak. Among the famous pools on the Cangshan Mountains, it has its own characteristics with its high altitude and clear water quality, being an alpine lake with excellent scenery on the top of Cangshan Mountain. According to legend, when Kublai Khan, the Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty, conquered Dali, he led his troops to cross the Cangshan Mountain and once stationed here to wash horses, and thus Ximatan got its name.
Scenic Area Scenery: Xima Pool is surrounded by alpine rhododendron shrub forests and alpine fir forests. At the turn of spring and summer, rhododendrons are in full bloom, and the lakeside is colorful and extremely beautiful, the lake water is crystal-clear with sparkling waves, reflecting the surrounding green mountains, as if a brilliant sapphire were inlaid on the top of Cangshan Mountain.

4.1.2 Qilongnv Pool 七龙女池

Scenic Area Introduction: The beauty of Qilongnv Pool is characterized by its secluded location, standing out uniquely among the streams of the Cangshan Mountain. The distinctive features of Qilongnv Pool compared to other springs and streams of Cangshan Mountain can be summarized as being strange, elegant, clear, and secluded.
Scenic Area Scenery: Along the Dragon Stream, there are seven Dragon Pools in sequence (note that the First Dragon Pool is at the arched bridge), the whole tour is about a distance of 1,000 meters.

Scenic Area Transportation: There are three ways to reach Qilongnv Pool. The first way for tourists is to walk 4.5 kilometers northward from the Cangshan Grand Canyon along Jade-Cloud Road to the Qilongnv Pool. The second way is to walk about 4.5 kilometers southward along the Jade-Cloud Road from the Fengyan cave to reach Qilongnv Pool Scenic Area. The third way is to take the Cangshan Cableway to the Qilongnv Pool Station (the middle station). After getting off the cableway, walk 1.5 kilometers, descending from an altitude of 2,900 meters to Qilongnv Pool at an altitude of 2,600 meters (since it is a steep downhill from the middle station to the Qilongnv Pool, tourists need to pay attention to safety).         

4.1.3 Dali Tianlong Eight Film City 天龙八部影视城

The Film City Introduction: It is backed by the beautiful Cangshan Mountain and faces the vast and blue Erhai Lake to the east. Under the backdrop of Cangshan Mountain, the surrounding environment appears to be both retro and artistic.
The Film City Scenery: The overall architecture includes city walls, city gates, imperial palaces, princely mansions, Dali Streets, etc. Tourists who are interested in ancient Chinese architecture and history can experience ancient Chinese civilization through this tourist area. 

The Film City Transportation: It is about 4.3 kilometers from the south gate of Dali Ancient City to the film City, tourists can take a taxi or a direct bus to get there.
The Film City Composition: The first part is the Dali Kingdom, including Dali Street, Western Xia Imperial Palace, and Zhennan Princely Mansion; the second part is Liao Kingdom, including the Liao City Gate and the Large and Small Liao Streets; the third part is Western Xia Imperial Palace and Jurchen Tribe.

4.2 Gantong Cableway 感通索道

Cableway Introduction: It is located at the foot of Shengying Peak of Cangshan Mountain. The Gantong Cableway is also known as the Middle Cableway, its starting point is at Gantong Temple, and it ends at the Qingbi Stream. Its total length is about 2.6 kilometers and the altitude ranges from 2,260 to 2,550 meters. Meanwhile, it is also the southern starting point of Jade-Cloud Road.
Cableway Scenery: The Gantong Cableway has two stations, an upper one and a lower one, the lower station is on the north side of the main entrance of Gantong Temple, and the upper station is on the upper left side of Zhenlong Chessboard. Tourists taking the Gantong Cableway can look up at the snow-capped peaks of Cangshan Mountain and overlook the Erhai Lake stretching for hundreds of miles. Most importantly, tourists can have a bird's-eye view of the full scenes such as Zhenlong Chessboard, the three pools of the Qingbi Stream, and Cangshan Grand Canyon.

Cableway Transportation: The lower station of the Gantong Cableway is about 7 kilometers away from the south gate of Dali Ancient City, tourists can choose to take taxis, direct buses in the scenic area to get there.
Cableway Catering: There is a tea art pavilion with ethnic characteristics of "returning to simplicity" at the cableway station, tourists can taste the "Three Courses of Tea" of the Bai ethnic group and famous Pu'er tea, also watch ethnic dances. In addition, they can also fully enjoy the mysterious and extremely beautiful scenery along the way, such as Qingbi Stream, the mysterious Cangshan Grand Canyon, and the Jade-Cloud Road.

4.2.1 Gantong Temple 感通寺

Gantong Temple Introduction: As an important Buddhist building in Dali, Gantong Temple is backed by Cangshan Mountain with snow that never melts throughout the year and faces the vast and misty Erhai Lake. The quiet environment inside the temple, its long history, and the vegetarian meals that one can never get tired of make tourists reluctant to leave.
Gantong Temple Scenery: Gantong Temple not only has beautiful natural scenery but also has a series of relics related to famous people, events, and flowers, as well as many touching stories and legends worthy of tourists' appreciation.

Vegetarian Food in Gantong Temple: The vegetarian food here tastes really good, it is sold from around 11:30 to about 15:00, and it only costs 20 yuan per person. In addition, tourists can also taste the Gantong tea here, which has a very unique flavor.
Gantong Temple Transportation: The lower station of Gantong Cableway is about 7 kilometers away from the south gate of Dali Ancient City. Tourists can choose taxis, direct buses in the scenic area, etc. It takes only about 10 minutes to walk about 200 meters uphill from the lower station of Gantong Cableway.
Precautions: Tourists don't have to take Gantong Cableway to go to Gantong Temple. They can take Bus No. 4 in Dali Ancient City and get off at the intersection of Gantong Temple.

4.2.2 Qingbi Stream 清碧溪

It is located between Shengying Peak and Malong Peak of Cangshan Mountain, on the southern section of Jade-Cloud Road. It is a unique and beautiful secluded valley scenery between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, and is widely recognized as the most beautiful stream among the eighteen streams of Cangshan Mountain, it is also known as "Qinglong Pool". The stream water converges into upper, middle, and lower three pools on the mountainside and the water color of each pool presents different shades such as dark cyan, crow-green, and parrot-green due to the differences in depth and surrounding vegetation, thus the scenery is extremely beautiful and is well worth a visit by tourists.

4.2.3 Cangshan Grand Canyon 苍山大峡谷

It is located within Dali Cangshan National Forest Park. As the southern end of the middle branch in Hengduan Mountain, the northwest of Cangshan Mountain is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with an altitude of over 4,000 meters, and to the southeast is Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau with an average altitude of 2,000 meters. Cangshan Grand Canyon is renowned for its grotesque rocks, towering cliffs, tangled vines, and dense ancient trees. When tourists go there, they will feel that everywhere is full of primitive wild charm.

4.2.4 Jizhao Nunnery 寂照庵

Jizhao Nunnery Introduction: As a well-known temple, it is located at the foot of Shengying Peak among the nineteen peaks of Cangshan Mountain. Although it is small, it has quite a few good reputations, such as the Most Beautiful Nunnery in China and the Most Artistic Temple in China, the temple was first built in the early Ming Dynasty and was later rebuilt under the supervision of Tang Jiyao during the Republic of China. The words "Jizhao Nunnery" on the nunnery gate were inscribed by him.

Jizhao Nunnery Scenery: The whole nunnery is surrounded by succulent plants and many flowers, its vegetarian meals are very famous, many tourists usually arrive early just to quietly enjoy the flowers and plants before having a meal.

Vegetarian Food in Jizhao Nunnery: It costs 20 yuan per person, the meals are available from 11:40 until they are sold out.
Jizhao Nunnery Transportation: Walk about 600 meters uphill from the lower station of the Gantong Cableway, passing by the Gantong Temple, and it takes about 20 minutes to reach Jizhao Nunnery.

4.3 Zhonghe Cableway  中和索道

Cableway Introduction : It is an open-air gondola cableway, about 1.6 kilometers long. Tourists can experience the beautiful scenery of Cangshan Mountain regardless of the good or bad weather, the lower station of the cableway is located to the west of the horse racing ground on the Third Month Street of Dali Ancient City, and the upper station leads to Zhonghe Temple.
Cableway Scenery: Zhonghe Cableway is the earliest cableway of Cangshan Mountain, it is a good choice for overlooking the scenery of Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake. Starting from Zhonghe Temple and hiking 2.0 kilometers northward along Jade-Cloud Road, tourists can reach Taoxi Scenic Area.

Cableway Transportation: It is about 3 kilometers from the south gate of Dali Ancient City to the ticket office of Zhonghe Cableway, tourists can take a taxi or a direct bus to get there.

4.3.1 Zhonghe Temple 中和寺

Zhonghe Cableway can directly reach Zhonghe Temple on the mountain, it got its name because it is built on the mountainside of Zhonghe Peak. It is not only one of the famous Taoist temples in Dali but also one of the most renowned scenic spots of Zhonghe Cableway. The Zhonghe Temple is located on the central peak among the nineteen peaks of Cangshan Mountain. Right in front of its eastern part are the Ancient City of Dali and Erhai Lake. Therefore, its special geographical location forms the best angle for overlooking the scenery of Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake. When tourists ascend to Zhonghe Temple, they can have a panoramic view of the exquisitely beautiful Erhai Lake, the scattered residential villages, together with the ancient city of Dali.

4.4 Tianlong Cave Cableway 天龙洞索道

Cableway Introduction: It is located on the Tianlong Peak of Cangshan Mountain, and the end point of the cableway is the Tianlong Cave. The main feature of this cableway is that the gondola is a square single-row seat that can accommodate two people. There are enclosures on all sides and a design on the top to block the sun and rain, providing a very wide field of vision.
Cableway Scenery: Tianlong Cave Cableway is located in Shangguan Hua Scenic Area of Dali, tourists can ascend the Yunlong Peak, the first peak of Cangshan Mountain, explore the ancient Tianlong Cave that has a history of ten thousand years, and overlook Erhai Lake from a distance. The Tianlong Cave Cableway is highly suitable for tourists who like adventures and natural landscapes.

Cableway Transportation: Tourists can take No.C10 bus from the east and west gate of Dali Ancient City to reach the lower station of Xima Pool Cableway, and then walk to Tianlong Cave Cableway, it is very convenient.

4.4.1 Tianlong Cave 天龙洞

Tianlong Cave is a natural ancient karst cave, with landscapes such as halls, stalactites, and stalagmites inside, whose shapes are vividly lifelike. There are scenic spots like "Stone Sea", "Xiake Hydrangea", "Rhinoceros Looking at the Moon", and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils Palace" in the cave. The tour path is tortuous, and the scenery changes with every step, making it very suitable for tourists who like adventures. Since there are some ups and downs in some parts of the cave, visitors need to pay attention to safety and avoid venturing into dangerous areas. There are automatic induction explanation devices installed in the cave to facilitate tourists to fully understand the historical and cultural background of the cave.

4.5 Jade-Cloud Road 玉带云游路

Scenic Area Introduction: The Jade-Cloud Road is a pedestrian sightseeing trail built on the mountainside of Cangshan Mountain, it is 2 meters wide, about 18 kilometers long, and at an altitude of around 2,600 meters. It starts from Malong Peak of Cangshan Mountain in the south, passes through Longxi, Lüyu River, Zhongxi, Taoxi, and Meixi, and ends at Yingyue Peak. The southernmost part is reached by going up from the Gantong Cableway to the Cangshan Grand Canyon, which is the southern end of the Jade-Cloud Road, it finally extends northward to Taoxi.
Scenic Spots along the Route: The Jade-Cloud Road passes through the following places: Cangshan Grand Canyon (there is an intersection to go downhill to the parking lot of Gantong Temple) → Longxi → Qilongnv Pool, rest pavilion → Crane Spreading Its Wings → Erhai Rock Island → Guardian God of Cangshan Mountain, → Long and Fengyan Cave (there is an intersection here to go downhill to Dali Tianlong Eight Film City), Zhongxi → Peace Gate → Zhonghe Temple (there is an intersection here to go downhill to Yinxian Road) → Taoxi, etc.
Scenic Area Transportation : There are three cable ways in the scenic area, namely Gantong Cableway, Cangshan Cableway, and Zhonghe Cableway, all of which can lead to Jade-Cloud Road.

5. Suggested Tour Routes And Attractions

First of all, it is recommended that tourists should get up early to visit Jizhao Nunnery and Gantong Temple at the Gantong Cableway, then they can take the cableway up the mountain to visit Qingbi Stream, Cangshan Grand Canyon, and the Big Chessboard.

After that, they can hike along the Jade Belt Road towards Yunyoufang (the Jade Belt Road is 18 kilometers long in total), and visitors can overlook the full view of Erhai Lake along the way.

Finally, when tourists reach the middle station of Xima Pool, visit Qilongnv Pool, they can choose to take Ximat Pool Cableway to reach the top of the mountain, or continue to move forward along the Jade Belt Road and take Zhonghe Cableway to go down the mountain. In this way, they can take all three cableways in one time and visit most of classic scenic spots.

6. Best Time To Go

The most suitable seasons to visit Cangshan Mountain are spring (March-May) and autumn (September-November).

In spring, the vegetation on Cangshan Mountain starts to revive, and flowers are in full bloom. Tourists can admire rhododendrons, cherry blossoms and other flowers all over the mountains, thus experiencing the uncanny workmanship of nature. Moreover, the climate in spring is relatively moderate, neither as hot as in summer nor as cold as in winter, so it is very suitable for outdoor activities.

In autumn, the climate on Cangshan Mountain is relatively cool. When the golden leaves contrast beautifully with the green mountains and forests, the surrounding scenery is extremely beautiful. Besides, the view in autumn is very unique and the air quality is pretty good. Therefore, tourists can fully enjoy the magnificent scenery in this season.

7. What To Eat?

The delicacies of Cangshan Mountain mainly include the following ones:
Honey Stewed Pheasant: This is a classic dish of Cangshan Mountain, it is made by stewing pheasant with fresh Cangshan honey, it has a faint sweetness and the tender and fresh taste of chicken, being rich in nutrition and good for nourishing and beautifying. 
Cangshan Lotus Root Shreds: Using lotus root as the main ingredient, it is made by shredding, blanching to remove the fishy smell and then stir-frying. The taste is crispy and refreshing, and it tastes really delicious.
Cangshan Yellow Croaker: With the yellow croaker from the Cangshan area as the main ingredient, it is pickled with red lees. The fish meat is tender and full of flavor, showing the unique flavor of the Cangshan area.
Stir-fried Cangshan Three Treasures: Using amaranth, leek and tofu as the main ingredients and stir-frying with seasonings, it has excellent color, aroma and taste, as well as a rich taste.
Cangshan Smoked Meat: It is smoked with local specialties such as pork, mint and wormwood, having a unique aroma and taste, and the meat is crispy and juicy.
Cangshan Sausage: Using pork and other raw materials, it is pickled and smoked with secret spices. It also has a bright red color, a strong aroma and a rich taste.
These delicacies demonstrate the unique flavor of the Cangshan area, also reflect the rich natural resources and cultural atmosphere of the local area.

8. Nearby Attractions

8.1 The Three Pagodas Of Chongsheng Temple 崇圣寺三塔

The scenic area is located 1.5 kilometers northwest of Dali Ancient City, it faces Yingyue Peak of Cangshan Mountain to the west and Erhai Lake to the east, and is about 1,500 meters from the foot of Cangshan Mountain. The Three Pagodas consist of one large pagoda and two small pagodas, the large pagoda is named Qianxun Pagoda, which was first built between 823 and 859 AD and is of a typical Tang Dynasty architectural style, with a height of 69.13 meters. The outline of the two small pagodas in the north and south is conical, which is a typical Song Dynasty architectural style, they were built between 1108 and 1172 AD. The Three Pagodas possess extremely high historical, cultural and architectural values, so it is worth visiting for the visitors.

8.2 Erhai Lake 洱海‌

It is located at the foot of Cangshan Mountain and is the second largest freshwater lake in Yunnan Province. The lake surface is like a new moon, and the lake water is crystal clear and stunning. Tourists can take a boat in the Erhai Lake and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains as well as the charming scenes of the Bai ethnic group's fishing villages.

8.3 Butterfly Spring Park 蝴蝶泉公园‌

It is located under Yunlong Peak of Cangshan Mountain and is famous for the "Butterfly Spring". During the annual Butterfly Festival, thousands of butterflies flutter around the spring, therefore forming a beautiful scenic line.

8.4 The Ancient City Of Dali 大理古城‌

It faces Erhai Lake on the east and leans on Cangshan Mountain on the west. A large number of historical buildings and cultural relics, such as Wuhua Tower, Wucheng Hall, and Wenxian Tower, have been preserved in the ancient city. Tourists can experience the historical charm of the ancient city, taste authentic Bai ethnic group's delicacies, and purchase characteristic handicrafts.

9. Useful Travel Tips