Lashihai Sanctuary: A Healing Lake in Lijiang's Backyard

📍Address: Lashihai Wetland Park is located in Yulong Naxi Autonomous County, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, about 10 km from Lijiang Old Town. It is the first nature reserve in Yunnan Province named after "wetland." Its core landscapes include the Lashihai plateau lake, wetland meadows, and surrounding Naxi villages, and it is known as the "Backyard of Lijiang." 🚗Transportation: 1. Self-driving/chartered car: About 30 mins drive from Lijiang Old Town. The chartered car costs about CNY 50–70. 2. Bus: Take the passenger-and-freight bus marked "Hainan" or "Haibei" at Zhongyi Market. The fare is about CNY 4. 3. Cycling: This route is suitable for in-depth tours. Cycle 15 km along Changshui Road, enjoying the rural scenery along the way. 4. Group tour: Including horse riding, boating, and other experiences. 👍️Must-see attractions: 1. Birdwatching Corridor: Running through the core area of the wetland, with swaying reeds in autumn, you can observe rare birds such as black-necked cranes and scaly-sided mergansers. The best time is from December to February of the following year, when birds are most active in the early morning and evening. 2. Dongba Culture Experience: The Dongba Memorial Hall displays Naxi pictographs and sculptures of guardian gods. The beast statue at the entrance has strong ethnic characteristics. Stone-carved pictographs record ancient life scenes and are scattered in the pavilions beside the walkways. 3. Natural scenery: The spring water of Meiquan Sister Lakes originates from Wohu Mountain and Beidou Mountain. The lake water is crystal clear and emerald green. There are photo spots on the glass walkway and the lakeshore, which are popular online check-in spots, where you can enjoy a distant view of Yulong Snow Mountain. 4. Tea Horse Road riding: Overlook the panoramic view of Lashihai from the mid-level viewing platform, pass through Naxi villages along the way, and experience the Ma Bang culture. 5. Ecological boat trip: Take a boat deep into the wetland and observe aquatic plants such as Ottelia acuminata up close. 🎟️Tickets: General admission is CNY 30, boat experience is CNY 60/person, and horse riding is about CNY 80–150. Opening hours: 08:00–17:00. 💗Other tips: Tens of thousands of migratory birds overwinter here every year, including national first-class protected animals such as black-necked cranes and black storks, making it of extremely high ecological value. Naxi pictographs, Dongba religious relics, and wetland ecology intertwine to form a unique cultural landscape. In spring, the lake is surrounded by rapeseed flower fields; in autumn, the ripe peppers are colorful; and in winter, the lake is shrouded in mist, like a fairyland. Compared to other popular attractions in Lijiang, Lashihai has fewer tourists and is suitable for relaxation and photography. With "nature as the canvas and culture as the brushstroke," the park presents a beautiful picture of the integration of ecology and humanities. Whether you are a birdwatcher, a cultural explorer, or simply a nature traveler, this place can satisfy your imagination of poetry and distant lands.