On your arrival in Lijiang today, your private guide and driver will meet you at the airport or the train station, and then accompany you to the hotel we carefully selected to check in.

After a short break, your 4 days private tour of Lijiang and Lugu Lake will start with the Lijiang Old Town, weathered by around eight centuries of time. At the very center of the town sits the Square Street, well-known for its ground paved with colored stones. Four main streets radiate outwards from it, forming a network accessible to all narrow lanes. Idling through a bustling lane at will, you’ll be embraced by ethnic clothing boutiques, silverware stores, and cafes with strong coffee aromas.

Your guide will accompany you to visit the Mu’s Residence in the old town, hailed as “the Forbidden City in the South”. Its Audience Hall, as the former seat of government for the Mu clan - the feudal lord of local Naxi people, features an architectural style of authority and dignity. As its name implies, the Ten‑thousand-book Tower houses a vast collection of Dongba scriptures and masterworks of painters and calligraphers, assembling the essence of two-millennia cultural legacy. From the Three Purity Hall, the highest point of the Mu’s Residence, you can not only overlook the entire Lijiang Old Town, but also admire the snowcapped Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the distance.

If time permits, visit the iconic Large Waterwheels near the North Gate. With scattered flower pots and a white-walled, grey-tiled archway in the background, it creates a superb spot for shooting. Finally, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel. 

Accommodation: Duofu Resort, Lijiang

This morning, your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel lobby, and then accompany you on a comfortable 4.5-hour drive to arrive at the Lugu Lake, well-known as “A Pearl of the Plateau” thanks to its enchanting lake scenery. Also, it has been regarded as “the Eastern Kingdom of Women”, for the local Mosuo people still follow some customs of the matrilineal society. En route, besides these interesting vignettes shared by your guide, you’ll see picturesque forests, terraces, meadows, and folk dwellings. 

★ Experience the Unique Pig-trough Boat Cruise

To let you enjoy a close-up view of the Lugu Lake, we’ll specially arrange a wooden boat shaped like a pig trough, which serves as the primary vehicle of the Mosuo people for fishing and visiting friends. As the boat slowly moves toward the heart of the lake, the azure waters appear a deeper hue, like a huge sapphire embedded in the surrounding green mountains. From May to October, the scattered white flowers on the lake drift with gleaming ripples; in winter from November to the next March, you can even feed sea gulls from Siberia. During the 20-minute boat ride, your guide will lead you to enjoy an onshore hike onto the Liwubi Island. Walking along the path adorned with lush plants and beautiful blossoms, you’ll see three stupas and the Liwubi Temple shrouded in the faint puffs of incense.

The boat will finally escort you to the Daluoshui Village to check into the hotel. As evening falls, a lively bonfire party awaits you! Rich in ethnic flair, the venue is decorated with colorful prayer flags, while a blazing bonfire is glowing at the center. Facing this bonfire, Mosuo people dressed in intricately-embroidered attire hold hands tightly, dancing gracefully to the indigenous music. The climax comes when you’re invited to participate, experiencing the unique charm of Mosuo folk dance. As the party ends, your guide will escort you to your hotel to have a good rest.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Shilili Fanmiyue Xiaozhumosuo Hotel, Lugu Lake

After breakfast, your guide will escort you to first visit the Mosuo Folk Museum, an optimal window to get the whole picture of the Mosuo people. Let’s head straight to the Grandmother House, the most sacred space in the museum. This traditional wooden structure serves as the spiritual center for Mosuo life events, including funerals, adulthood ceremonies, and religious activities. Note the central fireplace with an eternal flame, which symbolizes the unbreakable family cohesion. Through the exhibits and your guide’s storytelling, you can delve into the astonishing “walking marriage” tradition of the Mosuo people. Women dominate the family, and probably have one of the world’s most open relationships: they are free to date any man they select, and raise children within the security of their maternal family, while the male partners usually bear no responsibility for the kids. Offsprings conventionally follow their mothers’ surname.

Subsequently, lace up your hiking shoes and follow your guide to embark on a scenic, moderate hike along the shores of the Lugu Lake. This 14-kilometer (9-mile) route takes about 5 hours, offering an immersive look into the traditional villages and local customs. Let’s set off from Daluoshui Village. Though the village is highly commercialized, its lakeside boardwalk affords sweeping views of the lake and a direct vista of the Gemu Goddess Mountain. Especially from every September, galsang flowers burst into bloom along the route. To the northwest lies the Lover’s Beach, located between the foot of the Gemu Goddess Mountain and the Houlong Mountain. According to legend, Goddess Gemu and Houlong were lovers. Punished by the gods for violating divine laws, they were changed into two mountains. Since then, this couple only meet once a year at the Lover’s Beach on the July 15 of the lunar month. The beachside trees always grow in pairs like snuggling lovers, echoing this love story perfectly. Follow your guide to the Lige Village, renowned for its hillside Lige Observation Deck. It boasts a superb location to capture Lugu Lake’s iconic landscape: the crescent Lige Island three-sided by the emerald waters, faces the Gemu Goddess Mountain from afar. Also, we’ll pass by the Xiaoluoshui Village - the last Mosuo settlement of China’s matriarchal society, and then arrive at our final destination the Big Mouth Village, where the driver will be ready to convoy you back to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Shilili Fanmiyue Xiaozhumosuo Hotel, Lugu Lake

On the final day of your Lijiang to Lugu Lake trip, your guide and driver will escort you to Lijiang Airport or the train station according to your schedule. If you would like to explore more wonders in nearby cities such as Dali, Kunming, and Shangri-La, we would be very willing to customize the itinerary for you.

Meals: Breakfast