Lúgū Hú Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Lìjiāng’s long-distance bus station has one direct bus a day to the lake (Y63, seven to eight hours, 9.30am) but buy your ticket at least one day in advance as it’s often fully booked. Alternately, you can go to Nínglàng () from Lìjiāng’s north bus station (Y23, three to four hours, six buses daily from 8am to 2pm). From Nínglàng, there’s a daily bus to the lake (Y20, three to four hours, 12.30pm).

For Lǐgé you will have to change for a minibus in Luòshuǐ (Y8 per person; if there are a lot of you they’ll try to charge Y10 for the 20-25–minute ride).

Leaving Luòshuǐ, the direct bus to Lìjiāng leaves daily at 10am. Again, tickets should be bought at least a day in advance. There’s also a daily bus to Nínglàng (Y20, check time when you arrive). From Nínglàng, there are 13 buses daily to Lìjiāng (Y25, 7.30am to 4pm) and once a day, Xiàguān (Y48, 7.50am).

The daily bus to Xīchàng (Síchūan) leaves at 8am (Y60, seven hours). There are also dozens of minibuses that prowl the villages around the lake on both the Síchūan and Yúnnán sides if you want to do some exploring.