What to see?
Despite being called Lashihai (Hai means sea), it is actually a lake cut off by Lashi Dam. Lashi is a word in ancient Naxi language, meaning a “new desolate dam”. The lake was formed in the Pliocene epoch and is around 5,330 hectares .It is on an altitude of about 2,437 meters.Because of the lake, the wetland nature reserve was established in 1998.
Birding by Boat
Annually, 30 thousand of about 57 species of birds come here during winter. Among them, nine species are endangered, such as the bar-headed goose, black-headed crane and Chinese Merganser. The best time for bird viewing is in December. Even when there are no birds, boating is still worth trying due to the beautiful scenery around the lake.
Ancient Tea-horse Road
Riding to experience the Ancient Tea and Horse Road is the other must-try activity to get close to the local special culture. The ancient Tea and Horse Road, similar to the Silk Road, was an important trading route in the southwestern part of China and the horse was a significant form of transport on this route. Different from the tall and big horses on the grassland, the horses in Yunnan are small, but good at long-distance transporting. Consequently, it may feel different during the ride.
Presently, only a small section of this old road is available for traveling. Visitors will pass some Naxi villages, virgin forest, the Beauty Spring (Mei Quan), the Holy Well Source, the Cliff Dying for Love and the Seven Fairies Lake.
Beauty Spring
The water in Beauty Spring, the Holy Well Source and the Seven Fairies Lake is the melted snow from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The local Naxi people’s daily life is based on the Beauty Spring. The Holy Well Source is a holy place for Naxi people’s sacrifice. The Seven Fairies Lake is the end of the current tea-horse road. This lake is the source of Beauty Spring and Holy Well Source, as well as the water source of Lijiang Ancient Town. The water flows to this lake and then separates into different branches to Lashi Lake and Lijiang.
The Cliff of Dying for Love
Facing the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the cliff is named so, because many corpses of those dying for love can found at the cliff’s bottom. There is a beautiful story concerning this cliff. It is said that a long time ago, one loving couple could not get married because of the families’ opposition. As a result, they decided to jump off the Spruce Plateau. They felt tired on the way to the plateau, so they just jumped off the cliff here, hand in hand. To commemorate them, the cliff was named as Cliff of Dying for Love.
Zhiyun Temple
In addition to these popular activities, the local Zhiyun Temple, a quiet place without crowds, is a great option for travelers. The temple is located to the north of the Lashi Lake. Built in 1727, it was the residence of two Living Buddhas and has five yards now. Except for some Buddha statues, visitors can find many daily use items of the Living Buddha, such as clothes, bronze seals, ivory chopsticks and clothes for religious rites. A gingko, an old pine tree and an oriental cherry in the yard all witness the development of this temple. The temple now has free entry.

Travel Tips
Add: Lashi Town,Yulong County, Lijiang City,Yunnan Province
Tel:13988899160,0888-5440199
Entrance Fee: CNY 160
Opening Hours: 08:00-18:00

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