Discover Dali
Erhai Lake and the Ecological Corridor
洱海与洱海生态廊道
A 250 km2 alpine lake with the Cangshan range rising straight out of its western shore. The 129 km ecological corridor built around it is now a continuous car-free cycling and walking path, and riding a stretch of it is the best half-day in Dali.
The story
What makes this place special
Erhai is a shallow highland lake of roughly 250 square kilometres, about 42.6km long and up to around 21m deep, with Cangshan rising directly on its western shore. It was clean until the early 1980s, then eutrophied through the 1990s with major algal blooms in 1996 and 1998, and was classed as eutrophic by 2008. In March 2017 Dali's government ordered around 1,900 lakeside restaurants and guesthouses in the core protection zone to suspend business; by August 2017 only 111 had been cleared to reopen. A 2018 plan required demolition of tourism buildings within 15m of the lake, affecting an estimated 1,500 guesthouses. The main works of a 129km lakeside ecological corridor, begun in 2018, were completed by March 2021, alongside wetland restoration and the relocation of 1,806 households.
What you’ll discover
A continuous landscaped path, part boardwalk and part paved lane, running between the water and the old lakeside road for most of the way round the lake, with reed beds, replanted wetland, benches and bicycle rental points. On the western shore it passes through and behind the villages of Caicun, Longkan and Xizhou, with Cangshan's nineteen peaks behind you and the lake open to the east. The corridor is where the demolished guesthouse row used to be, so you are often walking on reclaimed ground between the water and the buildings that survived the cut-off line.
A little local insight
Good to know before you go
- Hire an electric bike or a bicycle rather than driving. The corridor is closed to cars, which is exactly why it is pleasant, and the drive on the old ring road sees none of it.
- Do not try to ride the whole 129km. The best stretch for a half day is the western shore from Caicun north through Longkan to Xizhou, which is flat, scenic and has food at both ends; returning by bus or taxi with the bike is normal.
- Understand why the lakeside looks oddly new. The 2017-2021 clearance removed most of the waterfront guesthouses, so the romantic photographs of a room on the water date from before that. Lake-view rooms now sit a street back.
- Swimming and boating from the shore are restricted under the protection rules, and enforcement is real. Do not plan to get into the water.
- Wind picks up on the lake most afternoons and there is almost no shade on the corridor. Ride in the morning, carry water, and take sun protection seriously at 1,970m.
- The lake is the sightseeing. Erhai's attraction islands and resorts are an afterthought; the corridor and the villages on it are what makes a Dali trip.
When to come
Morning, for still water, clear reflections of Cangshan and light wind. March to May and October to November for dry weather; winter is cold and clear, summer brings afternoon storms.
Getting around
Unusually good. Large parts of the corridor are purpose-built level boardwalk and smooth paving with no steps, built for bikes and walkers, and a wheelchair can use long sections directly from several road access points. Benches are frequent. Some village links and older lane sections are cobbled and uneven.
Worth knowing before you go
Private cars are banned from the corridor and only the scenic area's own shared bikes are allowed on it, so do not plan to rent a scooter from a guesthouse and ride the path. Pick up the official bikes at a corridor entrance instead.
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