Dali

Introduction

Dali Gate II

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Sitting under the towering peak of Cang Shan Mountain in Yunnan, China, next to serene Er Hai lake, Dali (大理) couldn't have a more dramatic setting. Well established on tourist itineraries for both Western and Chinese travellers, Dali is blessed with a interesting restored old town, refreshing climate and great countryside. Dali is home to the Bai people, and examples of Bai architecture and tradition still survive around the town.

Note that the Dali referred to by travellers and guidebooks is the old town of Dali. Boarding a bus for 'Dali' may land you at Xiaguan, a rather less interesting modern conurbation 15 kilometres up the road.

Sights and Activities

er hai

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• The walled Old Town, including the lovingly restored stone town gates at the East, West, North and South of the town.
• Er Hai is a wonderful lake to look out for locals fishing with trained cormorants.
• Cang Shan is a nice mountain that can be enjoyed either via a hiking trail, or using the cable car.
• Kung Fu is taught at a few independent schools that are run here.
• Rock Climbing either on your own or through Climb Dali, which also runs a free bouldering bar in town.

Events and Festivals

• The Bai March Fair.
• The Torch Festival, a harvest festival held on 25th June.

Getting There

By Plane

China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Lucky Air fly from Kunming to Dali Airport (DLU).

By Train

It is possible to reach Kunming by train from Xiaguan. This is as far as it is currently possible to travel by train in Northern Yunnan.

By Car

Dali is well connected to the rest of Yunnan by well-maintained roads.

By Bus

There are extremely frequent bus connections, at a range of levels of comfort and corresponding prices, both to Kunming and on into Northern Yunnan to destinations including Lijiang and Shangri-La.

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

Local buses run to villages around town. It's also possible to catch a ferry or charter a boat across Er Hai lake. Taxis are easy to find and moderately priced. A cable car runs halfway up Cang Shan Mountain.

By Foot

The old town, from the foot of the mountain to the shore of the lake, is easily explored on foot.

By Bike

Dali is bicycle friendly, and bikes are available to hire from hostels and cycle shops.

Eat and Drink

The speciality of the area is fish from Er Hai lake. Every day the fisherman bring their catch back, alive, to the town's cafes. The fish are held in tanks outside, and passers by can choose exactly what they're going to eat before sitting down to dinner. The fish can be cooked in any one of a variety of ways, but a particular favourite is a fish hotpot - your chosen fish is cooked in front of you, to your liking, in a hot and sour broth.

Being well established on the traveller's trail, Dali has more than its fair share of traveller-oriented bars selling banana pancakes and Heineken by the glass. You'll get a cheaper beer, and a better idea of real Dali, if you take a seat upstairs in a cheap noodle-and-dumplings place, order a bowl of fried dumplings and a chilled Tsingtao, and watch the world go by.

Sleep

Budget

There are plenty of extremely cheap hostel options in Dali:

• Three Pagodas is the official IYHF option and is well-established.
• Tibetan Lodge is another well-established guesthouse.

Mid-Range

Upscale

Keep Connected

Internet

Many cafes and restaurants, and most hostels, have free Wifi.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Post

China Post (中国邮政) is the official postal service of the People's Republic of China, operated by the State Postal Bureau of the People's Republic of China (website in Chinese only), and has more details about price to send letters, postcards and parcels, both domestically as well as internationally. The Chinese postal service is very good. Remember that in more remote places usually only one post office in a city can handle sending international boxes or letters. Also many times it might be worth having the name of the country you are trying to send to in Chinese characters. Post offices have a striking green logo and can easily be found everywhere in the cities. They are mostly open every day (including weekends!) from 8:00am to 6:00pm, though small offices might have shorter opening times, while the bigger ones in central and touristic areas are sometimes open during evenings as well.