Planning a Trip

Getting There

Dali's transportation hub is Xiaguan, 15km (9 miles) to the south. From the Dali Airport another 15km (9 miles) northeast of Xiaguan, there are daily flights to Kunming (40 min.) and Xishuangbanna (50 min.). From the airport to Dali is about a 1-hour taxi ride, which will cost up to ¥100 ($13/£6.50). If you need to purchase additional plane tickets, take a taxi into Xiaguan for about ¥40 to ¥50 ($5.20-$6.50/£2.60-£3.25) (or see the buses below) and go to the Yunnan Airlines ticket office (tel. 0872/231-5339), located next to the railway station across from the China Telecom building. There is another outlet in the Cang Shan Fandian at Cang Shan Lu 118. Travel agencies or your hotel concierge in Dali may be able to help you purchase airline tickets, but give them as much advance notice as possible and expect to pay a fee for the service.

A popular train route is the overnight sleeper from Kunming (8 hr.; ¥161/$20/£10 soft sleeper), which leaves Kunming at 10:34pm and arrives in Xiaguan at 6:22am. A later train departs at 11:16pm and arrives at 7:30am. From the railway station, bus no. 8 (45 min.; ¥3/40¢/20p) runs to the West Gate of the old city in Dali, while bus no. 10 runs into Xiaguan. Returning to Kunming, trains depart Xiaguan at 9pm and 10:02pm.

The expressway between Kunming and Xiaguan has brought the 9-hour journey down to just 4 hours. Back in the 1980s, this route took a good 2 days, although for Marco Polo it was nearly 2 weeks. Most Dali-bound buses actually stop in Xiaguan, which has several bus stations, but the main one that travelers will likely use the most is the confusingly named Dali Qiche Keyun Zhan (tel. 0872/218-9330) opposite Minsheng Plaza, on Jianshe Lu east of Renmin Lu. From here, luxury air-conditioned buses depart for Kunming (5 hr.; ¥104/$14/£6.75) every half-hour from 7:30am to 8:30pm; for Li Jiang (3 hr.; ¥55/$7.15/£3.60) at 8:30am, 2pm, 7pm, and 7:30pm; and for Xianggelila/Zhongdian (6 hr.; ¥88/$11/£5.70) at 9am and 3pm. There are also regular buses to Li Jiang (3 hr.; ¥55/$7.15/£3.60) every half-hour from 7:20am to 7:30pm; and to Jinghong (9 hr.; ¥168/$22/£11) at 7:30pm. A private bus company, YNTAC (tel. 0872/212-5221), operates luxury, air-conditioned, nonsmoking buses from Xiaguan's Cang Shan Fandian (Cang Shan Lu 118). The buses go to Kunming (4 hr.; ¥119/$16/£7.75) at 8:30am, 10:30am, 12:30pm, 1pm, 2:30pm, and 7:30pm; and to Li Jiang (3 hr.; ¥55/$7.15/£3.60) at 8:20am, 1:40pm, 2:40pm, and 7pm. From the center of Xiaguan to Dali, take bus no. 4 for ¥2 (25¢/15p) from the corner of Jianshe Lu and Renmin Lu.

In Dali, it's best to have a tourist cafe arrange your Dali-Kunming bus for ¥120 ($16/£7.80), as they will take care of sending you to Xiaguan for the transfer. There is usually a ¥5 (65¢/35p) fee for this service. Buses to Li Jiang also mostly originate out of Xiaguan. Again, the most hassle-free option is to have a travel agency or cafe book your ticket.

Note: If you get stuck in Xiaguan en route to Dali, the modern four-star Manwan Dajiudian at Canglang Lu (tel. 0872/218-8188; fax 0872/218-1742) is the nicest place to stay in town, with large comfortable rooms and bright, clean bathrooms. Standard rooms cost ¥500 ($65/£33); suites are ¥780 ($89/£44).

Getting Around

The beauty of Dali is that the old town is so small that it's possible to walk from the North Gate (Bei Men) to the South Gate (Nan Men) in half an hour. To explore farther afield, bikes are the best way to get around and can be rented all along Bo'ai Lu for around ¥10 ($1.30/65p) a day. A taxi to nearby sights such as the Three Pagoda Park or the Cang Shan chairlift will run between ¥5 (65¢/35p) and ¥10 ($1.30/65p). Bus no. 2 runs from the Yaxing (Asia Star) Hotel to the dock at CaI Cun.

Tours and Guides

Many of the Dali cafes provide a variety of tours, including a boat trip on Er Hai Lake which costs ¥20 ($2.60/£1.30) to ¥40 ($5.20/£2.60) per person, depending on group size; or horseback riding to a mountain monastery or local Bai village for about ¥40 ($5.20/£2.60) to ¥60 ($9.10/£4.55) per person. Local English-speaking guides can be hired through cafes for about ¥30 ($3.90/£1.95) to ¥50 ($6.50/£3.25) per hour, or around ¥200 ($26/£13) per day. The Dali Travel Center, next to the Golden Flower Hotel (Huguo Lu 76; tel. 0872/267-1282), offers the above services and also sells bus tickets to local destinations.

Horse Trekking Takes Its Toll -- The horse trek up the mountain to Zhonghe Temple has gone downhill. It is easy to feel sorry for these worn-out horses, but perhaps worse is the damage that is being done to the paths by constant erosion. Look closely as you pass overhead on the chairlift; notice how the paths have been worn more than 1m (3 ft.) deep in many places.

Fast Facts

Banks, Foreign Exchange and ATMs -- The Bank of China (open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm) is at Fuxing Lu 333. It has an outside ATM.

Internet Access -- Many cafes offer Internet access, mostly with free DSL, including the Tibetan Cafe at Renmin Lu 58. Dial-up is tel. 163.

Post Office -- The post office (open 8am-6pm) is at the corner of Fuxing Lu and Huguo Lu.

Visa Extension -- These are available in Xiaguan at the Gonganju (PSB), located at Tianbao Jie 21 (tel. 0872/216-6090; open Mon-Fri 8:30-11am and 2:30-5pm).

Free Maps -- An American company produces excellent free maps for Dali, Yangshuo, and Guilin. Check out their website at www.trax2.com for details.