Puzhehei—Dali—Stone Forest—Fuxian Lake—Kunming 10-Day Family Trip
Foreword: This Yunnan trip was originally planned for the 2020 Spring Festival. At that time, all train tickets and hotels were booked to see the red-billed gulls, but a sudden epidemic disrupted all travel plans. Half a year later we restarted the Yunnan trip. Although there were no red-billed gulls, the 20,000 mu of lotus flowers in Puzhehei were in full bloom, presenting another enchanting scene. Considering that we had elderly and a child, the itinerary couldn't be too rushed, so the whole schedule was quite relaxed. Many times after trips I thought about writing a guide to record everything, but was delayed by various things. This is my first time writing a guide, hoping it can help with your travels.
This trip was with my husband, parents, and child—four adults and one child. Total cost: 22,000 RMB (including high-speed train, accommodation, main meals, car rental, entrance tickets, and scenic area transport; excluding snacks and shopping). Since both parents are over 70 and I am a medical worker, three adults got free admission. Yunnan also has a half-price ticket policy now, so only my husband and child needed half-price tickets, saving quite a bit on entrance fees.
Overall itinerary and accommodation:
Day 1: Shenzhen—Kunming South—Puzhehei (high-speed train). Accommodation: Puzhehei Lanyunju.
Day 2: Qinglong Mountain—Torch Cave—Painted Boat Cruise—Wetland Park—Sunset viewing. Accommodation: Puzhehei Lanyunju.
Day 3: Swan Lake—Eternal Love filming location. Accommodation: Puzhehei Lanyunju.
For the above three days, breakfast was included at the inn, and dinners were at "Red Clay Small Stove," good taste. Lunch was solved in the scenic area depending on progress.
Day 4: Puzhehei—Dali, visit Dali Ancient Town. Accommodation: Dali Huashen Yinshe.
Day 5: Chartered car tour around Erhai Lake. Accommodation: Dali Huashen Yinshe.
Day 6: Morning at Dali Three Pagodas, afternoon Dali—Kunming South, pick up rental car. Accommodation: Wuyuan Garden Villa.
Day 7: Stone Forest day trip. Accommodation: Fuxian Lake Junlin Holiday Hotel.
Day 8: Fuxian Lake day trip. Accommodation: Wuyuan Garden Villa.
Day 9: Dianchi Lake Cableway—Western Hills Scenic Area—Golden Temple. Accommodation: Kunming Junle Hotel.
Day 10: Morning at Military Academy, afternoon return car at Kunming South Station, take high-speed train back to Shenzhen.
Since we were traveling with elderly and a child, the overall itinerary was quite relaxed; young people could save two days.
The first stop of this trip was Puzhehei, located in Qiubei County, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. In the Yi language, Puzhehei means "a lake full of fish and shrimps."
We took the G2926 high-speed train from Shenzhen to Kunming South at 8 a.m., arriving after 7 hours. Without leaving the station, we used the convenient transfer to go directly to the waiting hall and took the D9854 bullet train to Puzhehei. The bullet train from Kunming South to Puzhehei takes only 1 hour and 12 minutes.
We arrived at Puzhehei at 5:08 p.m. The inn arranged a vehicle to pick us up (for a fee). The drive from the train station to Puzhehei Village takes about 40 minutes.
Accommodation: Puzhehei Lanyunju Inn. The inn is located in Puzhehei Village, less than a 5-minute walk from the main street, convenient for shopping and very quiet at night. At 4 a.m., we could hear roosters crowing in the distance, hahaha, so interesting—the last time I heard a rooster crow was over 30 years ago.
The next day, after breakfast at the inn, we officially started our Puzhehei trip. Puzhehei Village is not large, and the main means of transport between scenic spots are horse-drawn carriages and sightseeing electric carts. If you can ride a motorbike, renting a small motorbike is even more convenient, with rent around 10 RMB per hour (pandemic price; not sure if it's usually more expensive). Since we had elderly and a child, we mostly used horse carriages. Every morning, carriages wait at the inn entrances for passengers. The price is 10 RMB per person regardless of distance, children free. Actually, the distance is short and you can bargain to about 5 RMB per person.
Today's main itinerary: Qinglong Mountain—Torch Cave—Painted Boat Cruise on Puzhehei Lake.
Qinglong Mountain is probably the highest point in Puzhehei. From the top, you can see the whole Puzhehei Village. The mountain itself is not high but very steep and not easy to climb; elderly and weak people are advised not to go up. After descending Qinglong Mountain, there was an hour before the painted boat cruise. Perhaps due to the pandemic, there weren't many people, and boats ran every hour. We took this gap to visit the Torch Cave at the foot of Qinglong Mountain, a natural cave of considerable size.
After coming out of the cave, it was almost time to board. We took the boat from Qinglong Mountain Pier to Shuangjiashan Pier, passing through the Swan Lake scenic area with vast lotus ponds. There are two types of boats in Puzhehei: one is the painted boat we took, suitable for elderly and children; the other is a small wooden boat used specifically for water fights—people on different boats splashing water at each other is quite fun.
At Shuangjiashan Pier, there is a ticket booth for the electric sightseeing car. You can buy a day pass for 30 RMB per person, unlimited rides that day. We took the sightseeing car to explore the Wetland Park and then returned to the inn. At 6:30 p.m., we chartered a car from the inn (7-seater, 100 RMB) to go to Leshuidong Village to watch the sunset.
We woke up naturally, had breakfast, and took our beloved horse carriage to Swan Lake Scenic Area. Since it was summer, there were no swans; it was basically just viewing lotus flowers. We took the scenic area's sightseeing car (15 RMB per person) from the entrance to the central area, then walked back.
After leaving the scenic area, we had lunch by the roadside and continued by carriage to the outdoor filming location of "Eternal Love".
At 3 p.m. we returned to the inn and strolled to the nearby Lovers' Bridge to enjoy the pastoral scenery. Not much more guide needed, just pictures.
Puzhehei summary: If you have good stamina, two days are enough for sightseeing. Our dinners were at a restaurant called "Red Clay Small Stove" on the main street of Puzhehei Village, recommended by the inn owner. The first night we tried it and the taste was good, so we ate there all three nights, ordering different dishes each time. At peak hours, there might be a wait. You must try the specialty dish, fried lotus flowers—light, sweet, and delicious.
We woke up naturally, had breakfast, chartered a car to the station, and took the D8707 bullet train (10:53–14:46) to Dali.
We arrived at the Dali inn close to 4 p.m. After checking in and resting a bit, we headed to Dali Ancient Town.
Dali accommodation: Dali Huashen Yinshe. The inn is located on Sanyue Street, less than a 10-minute walk to the West Gate of the ancient town. During the stay, the inn provides free shuttle service to and from the ancient town.
Today we chartered the inn's car for a full-day tour around Erhai Lake, visiting Wase Ancient Town, Shuanglang Ancient Town, and Xizhou Ancient Town, and saw tie-dye flower art. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great—mostly cloudy with occasional sun, so Erhai Lake didn't look as blue. Back at the inn, the elderly and child were too tired to move, so my husband and I went out to a bar in Dali Ancient Town for a fun evening.
Since our bullet train was around 1 p.m., we visited the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple in the morning, the only 5A scenic spot in Dali. The area has sightseeing cars; if you have limited energy, take the car round-trip, or ride up and walk down. If you're fit, you can walk both ways—the air is fresh and you might encounter squirrels. Actually, the best place to see the reflection of the three pagodas is not inside the Three Pagodas area but at the nearby Three Pagodas Reflection Park, about a ten-minute walk away. A ticket to Chongsheng Temple Three Pagodas allows entry to the Reflection Park, but tickets are not sold separately for it.
After 1 p.m., we took the bullet train to Kunming South Station, where we picked up our rental car. The next few days we toured around Kunming by car.
Accommodation that day: Kunming Wuyuan Garden Villa. The inn is in a villa complex, many of which have been converted into inns. It's not far from Dianchi Lake—about a 10-minute walk to the lakeshore.
After breakfast, we drove to the famous Stone Forest. Due to the pandemic, all attractions in Yunnan Province offered half-price tickets until December 31, 2020—saving some money, haha~~
The Stone Forest scenic area is very large. First, arrive at the parking lot, then take the free sightseeing car from the parking lot to the ticket booth. After buying tickets, you need another sightseeing car to reach the entrance—this one charges. It's recommended to take the car, as the distance is quite far, to save energy for exploring inside. Hiking experts might consider walking :)
After entering, to the right is the Large Stone Forest, and to the left is the Small Stone Forest (we only realized after exiting Small Stone Forest that it circled back). Usually, you visit the Large Stone Forest first, then take a sightseeing car to the Small Stone Forest. In fact, many of the stone cluster formations along the way are even more spectacular. Between the Large and Small Stone Forests, there are multiple stops where you can get off to explore.
After visiting the Stone Forest, we headed to the next stop: Fuxian Lake in Yuxi.
Accommodation: Fuxian Lake Junlin Holiday Hotel.
Fuxian Lake has an elevation of 1,721 meters, a maximum depth of 157 meters, and an average depth of 87 meters. By depth, it is the deepest lake in Yunnan Province and the second deepest freshwater lake in China after Heaven Lake on Changbai Mountain. The water quality is excellent: Dianchi Lake is green, while Fuxian Lake is a deep, clear blue. It's perfect for children—the only spot where our child wouldn't leave :)
Our hotel, Junlin Holiday Hotel, was just across the road from Moon Bay Wetland Park. After breakfast, we crossed the street and arrived. You can cycle, boat, and kids especially enjoy playing in the sand.
After visiting Luchong Scenic Area, we drove back to Kunming.
Accommodation: Kunming Wuyuan Garden Villa.
In the morning, we drove to Haigeng Park and bought tickets for the Dianchi Lake cableway to cross the lake. Since we needed to come back for the car, we bought round-trip tickets at 70 RMB per person, which was good value. The cable car took us directly to the entrance of Western Hills Park (half-price ticket 15 RMB per person). Inside, we transferred to the park's small cable car (25 RMB per person, children half price) to go up. After sightseeing, we took a sightseeing car (10 RMB per person) down—the most energy-saving way.
Accommodation: Kunming Junle Hotel.
Coming down from Western Hills, we took the return cable car back to Haigeng Park and drove about 40 minutes to the Golden Temple, the former private garden of Wu Sangui. A tip for self-driving visitors: we didn't know you could drive directly up the mountain, so we navigated to the West Gate, which required climbing 200 steps and then walking a distance to reach the main area. If driving, navigate directly to the North Gate, where you can park right at the main entrance, saving a lot of energy.
Travelogue Directory
1. Day 1: Arrive in Puzhehei
2. Day 2: Puzhehei Qinglong Mountain—Painted Boat Cruise
3. Day 3: Swan Lake—Eternal Love Filming Location
4. Day 4: Puzhehei—Dali—Ancient Town
5. Day 5: Full-Day Erhai Lake Tour
6. Day 6: Dali Three Pagodas, Dali—Kunming
7. Day 7: Stone Forest—Fuxian Lake
8. Day 8: Visit Fuxian Lake Moon Bay Wetland Park, Luchong Scenic Area, return to Kunming
9. Day 9: Dianchi Lake—Western Hills Scenic Area—Golden Temple
10. Day 10: Military Academy, Kunming—Shenzhen
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