Boats
Between the lakes.
SuSanA Secretariat — CC BY 2.0 · Anders Johnson — CC BY 3.0 · Anders Johnson — CC BY 3.0 · Nyx Ning — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Anders Johnson — CC BY 3.0 · Anders Johnson — CC BY 3.0 · Nyx Ning — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nyx Ning — CC BY-SA 3.0
A chain of winding lakes and channels between green, cone-shaped limestone hills on the plateau of south-eastern Yunnan; its name means «a place with many fish and shrimp» in the Yi language, and it is a 5A scenic area and a national wetland park. The main lake's channel runs about 21 kilometres between the hills, and in summer lotus fields cover wide stretches of water with pink flowers among the peaks; visitors glide between the lakes in small boats, climb the nearby hills to take in the whole scene, and visit Yi villages on the shores and a few caves. Sunrise and sunset over the water are among the finest sights here. There is no entrance fee, and each activity is paid for separately: boats CNY 98 to 260, Swan Lake 85, caves 15 to 30; the fast train from Kunming reaches Puzhehei station in about an hour and a half, per visitor guides.
Between the lakes.
Over the water.
In summer.
Qiubei County, Wenshan, about 1.5 hours by fast train from Kunming, Yunnan
June to August for the lotus flowers, spring to autumn for the green hills; summer is the peak season, so it gets busy.
Choices are few in the villages, so bring food or ask about ingredients; Kunming has many restaurants run by Hui Muslims under the halal sign.