I. Route Overview
• Full distance: about 130 kilometers.
•Suggested duration: 1-2 days, you can choose the east and west line or complete it in two days according to your own strength and time.
• Cycling difficulty: the gentle ramp is the main one, the difficulty is low, and the novices are friendly.
II. Recommended cycling routes
•East Line (Dali Ancient City → Double Corridor): It is about 60 kilometers away. Through the Long Niche Pier, which is an excellent place to watch the sunrise; Xizhou Ancient Town, you can enjoy the ancient Bai architecture and rice fields, and taste Xizhou Broken Cake; Haiyu Park, the original ecological wetland, has beautiful scenery.
•West Line (Double Corridor → Dali Ancient City): It is about 70 kilometers away. After passing through the digging town along the way, you can feel the customs of the fishing village; Little Putuo, with red-billed gulls in winter, is a good place to take photos; Ideal Bang, a complex with a Santorini style, is very suitable for punching in.
Clockwise route
Day 1: Dali Ancient City → Caicun Pier → Xizhou Ancient Town → Hailing Park → Shuanglang Ancient Town
• Dali Ancient City - Caicun Pier: From Dali Ancient City, ride about 6 kilometers east to reach Caicun Pier. This road is flat and open, and along the way, the gray tiles and white walls of white houses can be seen as interesting as rice fields. Cai Village is the starting point on the west coast of the Erhai Sea. Painted fishing boats are moored on the dock. You can ride along the ecological corridor and enjoy the scenery of wetlands.
• Caicun Pier - Xizhou Ancient Town: Continue to ride north about 15 kilometers to Xizhou Ancient Town. This section is considered to be "the most beautiful greenway in Erhai". The shoreline of the lake is long, and you can see a picture of the integration of large wheat fields and ancient villagers with the lake water.
• Xizhou Ancient Town - Hailing Park: Extend 3 kilometers east from Xizhou to Hailing Park, which is a peninsula that extends into the Erhai Sea, named after its shape like a tongue. The trees in the park are intertwined. Standing at the end of the peninsula, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the blue of the Erhai Sea and the snow top of Cangshan Mountain.
• Hailing Park - Shuanglang Ancient Town: Starting from Hailing Park, cross the northern section of Erhai to Shuanglang in the east, about 30 kilometers. This road needs to bypass the Dahlia Line, but the scenery along the way is worth it. The twin corridors used to be ***, but now there are many artist studios and boutique homestays. Yang Liping's sun palace is embedded on the lake like a reef.
Day 2: Shuanglang Ancient Town → Excavator Town → Xiaoputuo → Wenbi Village → Xiaguan → Dali Ancient City
• Shuanglang Ancient Town - Excavator Town: From Shuanglang to Excavator Town, Huanhai East Road is close to the waterfront, which can be called the most beautiful section of the whole journey. On the left is the sparkling lake, and the cliff on the right is full of cactus, as if it were in the Mediterranean Sea.
• Digging Town - Little Putuo: Digging Little Putuo is a pocket island in the lake. Seagulls gather in winter and can land the island by boat for 10 yuan. Stay here in the evening and see the beautiful scenery of the sunset plating the island into gold.
•Xiaoputuo-Wenbi Village: Cycling southward from color digging to Wenbi Village, the road around the sea in Wenbi Village fluctuates like a ribbon. There is a "Rainbow Highway" here. The road is painted with red, yellow and blue tricolor markings. The background is the blue lake water, which is an Internet celebrity punching point.
• Wenbi Village - Xiaguan: Keep moving forward. Tuanshan, where Erhai Park is located, is the best place to overlook Xiaguancheng District. Looking up from afar, you can see the Erhai Sea shaped like an ear, and the city lights are intertwined with the light of the lake. If you want to experience local life, you can go to the ruins of "Longwei Pass" in the city.
• Xiaguan - Dali Ancient City: Start from Xiaguan, pass the Xingsheng Bridge, follow Binhai Avenue, Airport Road and other sections, and finally return to the ancient city of Dali and end the ride.
Counterclockwise route
Day 1: Dali Ancient City → Long Niche Pier → Xizhou Ancient Town → Hai Tongue Park → Shuanglang Ancient Town
• Dali Ancient City - Long Niche Pier: From Dali Ancient City, ride to Long Niche Pier, which is an excellent place to watch the sunrise. You can get up early to enjoy the beautiful sunrise scenery.
•Long Niche Pier - Xizhou Ancient Town: Then set out from Long Niche Pier and ride north to Xizhou Ancient Town to enjoy the pastoral scenery and Bai ancient buildings along the way.
• Xizhou Ancient Town - Hailing Park - Shuanglang Ancient Town: The subsequent route is the same as the clockwise route, from Xizhou to Hailing Park, and then to Shuanglang Ancient Town to experience different scenery and cultural atmospheres.
Day 2: Shuanglang Ancient Town → Xiaoputuo → Digging Town → Wenbi Village → Xiaguan → Caicun Pier → Dali Ancient City
•Shuanglang Ancient Town - Xiaoputuo - Excavator Town: Starting from Shuanglang, pass through Xiaoputuo and Zheze Town in turn, and enjoy the lake, mountains and fishing village customs on the east bank of Erhai.
• Excavator Town - Wenbi Village - Xiaguan: Continue south along Huanhai East Road, pass through Wenbi Village and Xiaguan, and enjoy different scenery and urban scenery.
• Xiaguan - Caicun Pier - Dali Ancient City: From Xiaguan, ride to Caicun Pier, and then return to Dali Ancient City to complete the whole round-sea cycling journey.
III. Equipment and Car Rental
• Vehicle selection: electric vehicle endurance 80-100 kilometers, rent 50-80 yuan/day, suitable for long-distance cycling on the Eastern Line; the rent of bicycles (mill bikes or road vehicles) is 30-50 yuan/day, suitable for riding on the ecological corridor of the Western Front.
• Car rental points: There are many car rental shops on Bo'ai Road, the ancient city of Dali, such as the Cycling Dali Cycling Club; there are also rental points in Caicun and Shuanglang. It is recommended to choose merchants that can return cars in different places.
• Necessary items: sunscreen, hats, sunglasses and other sunscreen products; light raincoats (recommended from June to September during the rainy season); mobile phone holders, power bank.
IV. Time and weather
• Best seasons: a sea of flowers in spring from March to a cool atmosphere in autumn from October to December. These two periods have a suitable climate and beautiful scenery.
• Cycling time: 7:00-9:00 a.m. to avoid the scorching sun and enjoy the sunrise; 17:00-19:00 p.m. to enjoy the sunset.
V. Must-see attractions along the way
• Qixi Village S Bend: The cycling corridor on the western line, reflecting Cangshan on the lake, charming scenery and free of charge.
•Three pagodas of Chongsheng Temple: Dali landmark building, free view from afar, 75 yuan for near view.
• Zhoucheng tie dyeing workshop: located near Xizhou, you can experience the Bai nationality tie dyeing process.
VI. Food recommendation
• Xizhou: Xizhou crispy cake has two flavors: sweet and salty, as well as milk fan popsicle.
•Double corridors: White hot and sour fish, cold bark tree flowers and other specialties should not be missed.
• Dali Ancient City: You can taste bait blocks, casserole rice noodles and other snacks.
VII. Points to note
(I) Safety First: Road Conditions and Cycling Standards
Pay attention to the differences in road conditions
•East Line (Xiaoguan → Color Excavation → Double Corridor): Most of them are provincial highways (S221), and some sections of the road are mixed with motor vehicles (especially trucks and tourist buses). Be sure to ride on the right side of the road to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle; slow down and observe when crossing corners to avoid occupying the road.
•West Line (Double Corridor → Xizhou → Dali Ancient City): The core is the "Erhai Ecological Corridor", which is forbidden for electric vehicles and motor vehicles to enter (only bicycles and walking). The riding environment is safe, but attention should be paid to pedestrians (especially photographic tourists) to avoid sudden change of lanes or acceleration.
• Some sections of the road (such as near Wenbi Village, Haixiwanqiao Town, Haidong) may be temporarily closed due to maintenance. Before departure, road conditions can be confirmed through the "Dali Cultural Tourism" official account or the local car rental store.
Vehicle inspection and rental specifications
• When renting a car, choose a well-known store to confirm whether the brakes, tires and electricity (electric vehicles) are normal; if you rent an electric vehicle, ask the endurance mileage (it is recommended to choose a model of more than 80 kilometers to avoid running out of power halfway) and keep it in the store **** (convenient for emergencies).
• Wear helmets (some car rental stores are free of charge, please be sure to request it), turn on the lights when riding at night (there are street lights on the corridor of the Western Line, but there are no lighting in some sections of the East Line), and wear bright clothes to improve recognition.
(II) Climate adaptation: sun protection, rain protection and temperature difference
Strong ultraviolet protection
• Dali is about 2,000 meters above sea level, and the ultraviolet rays are extremely strong. Even on cloudy days, you need to do a good job in sun protection: apply high-multiplier sunscreen (SPF50+, PA+++), wear wide-brimmed hats/sunglasses, wear long-sleeved breathable clothes (to avoid arm sunburn), and apply sunscreen every 2-3 hours.
Responding to changeable weather
• The rainy season (June-September) is a short shower, and you need to bring a light raincoat with you (don't use an umbrella, it is easy to be unbalanced when riding), the road surface may be wet and slippery after the rain, slow down and ride;
• In winter (December- February), there is a large temperature difference between morning and evening (the lowest temperature may be less than 5°C). It is recommended to fold clothes (such as bottoming + thin coat, which can be removed at noon) to avoid catching a cold;
• Avoid windy periods (Dali often blows "low off the wind" in the spring afternoon, and when the wind is strong, it is easy to affect the riding balance. It is recommended to leave early and end early).
(3) Ecological protection: strictly abide by the environmental protection rules of the Erhai Sea
Prohibition of violations
• It is strictly forbidden to throw garbage and spit anywhere in the ecological corridor of Erhai. There are sorted garbage cans along the way, which need to be consciously placed. It is forbidden to wash cars, soak feet or discard sundries by the lake (violators may be fined).
• Do not enter unopened wetlands and beaches (such as Haidong Wetlands and parts of Haitong Ecological Zone) to avoid damaging vegetation and bird habitats.
Comply with regional regulations
• It is forbidden to ride too fast in the Western Line Ecological Corridor (limited speed signs in some sections), and it is forbidden to use external audio (avoid noise interference);
• Some villages (such as Xizhou Zhoucheng and Shuanglang Yuji Island) are forbidden to stop and stay by the lakeside for a long time, which requires **guided by local management.
(4) Practical details: Avoid "stepping on pits" and emergency preparedness
Routes and navigation
• Download the "Gaode/Baidu Map Offline Package" in advance (the signal of some sections of the Huanhai is weak, especially in the Haidong mountainous area), mark key nodes (such as car rental shops, supply points, bathrooms); it is recommended to navigate along the "Erhai Ring Road" and do not deviate from the main road at will (some forks may lead to farmland or private areas).
•If you ride in two days, it is recommended to ride the east line (Xiaoguan → double corridors, about 60 kilometers) on the first day, and ride the west line (double corridors → Dali ancient city, about 70 kilometers) on the first day to avoid fatigue caused by excessive riding in a single day.
Supply and physical management
•Resuppleration points along the way:There are supermarkets and restaurants on the east line (digging town,shuanglang ancient town) and west line (Xizhou ancient town, Yuxi village), which can replenish water and snacks at any time (it is recommended to bring 1-2 bottles of sports drinks to avoid dehydration);
• Avoid riding on an empty stomach or overeating. If you feel dizzy or weak, rest in a cool place in time; bring a small amount of cash (some remote stores may not be able to scan the code to pay).
Other considerations
• Respect local culture: When passing through Bai villages, do not photograph residential houses, the elderly and children at will, and enter temples (such as near the three pagodas of Chongsheng Temple) must abide by etiquette;
• Take good care of personal belongings: When riding, it is recommended to put mobile phones, wallets, etc. in a close backpack or basket (locked) to avoid falling;
•If the vehicle fails during the ride (such as a flat tire and no power), please contact the car rental shop for help, and do not repair it by the roadside without authorization (especially next to the East Line motorway, unsafe).
In a word, the core of Dali's cycling around the lake is "slow-paced and more observation". Prepare in advance, so that you can not only enjoy the scenery of Erhai Lake, but also avoid unnecessary trouble.