Lugu Lake in Yunnan Province

Location: Lugu Lake is situated in the center of Ningliang Yi Autonomous County, in northwest Yunnan.

Why visit?

Marvelous scenery with unique the matriarchal Mosuo Culture.

How to get there?

Ninglang, is an essential stop en route to Lugu Lake and all transport is via here. The county town is 72km from the lake and Luoshui village where most of the activities, guesthouses and sights are.

From Sichuan Province: Take train No117 (From Beijing), train No.165 (From Xi'an), No551 (From Chengdu) to Panzhihua city in Sichuan. In Panzhihua, a daily bus leaves for Ninglang at 8AM; the trip takes 8 Hours and costs RMB45.5

From Kunming: Kunming western station has a sleeper bus to Ninglang that leaves at 16:00 and gets to Ninglang about 10:00 in the morning. The trip is 620km and the fare is around RMB130.

From Lijiang: The old road from Lijiang to Ninglang used to go via Yongsheng, this route is not that comfortable and takes about 7 hours.

From Ninglang county town to Lugu Hu Lake: There are now transfer buses to and from Lugu Lake. Local public buses to Yongning Town also stop at Luoshui. The fare is RMB10 and the trip takes between 3 and 5 hours depending on the road conditions. A tourist bus sets out for the lake at 9:00 every day. The fare is RMB54.

Changbaishan Mountain

Location: Jinlin Province

Why visit?

Changbaishan Mountain is said to be the most beautiful mountain in northeast China. Meaning "ever white” in Chinese, Changbaishan Mountain’s whiteness is due to the pumice stones it is formed from.

How to get there?

You can get to Changbaishan Mountain either by train or by bus. For more details, see Changbaishan Travel Service.

Tips: 1. From November to April heavy snows blanket the area. August is the best time to visit.

2. Be sure to set out from your hotel early in the morning, so that you have time to see everything and return. There is no accommodation on the mountain.

3. Bring food and water with you. Exploring the mountain can be exhausting, and there are few food stands in the area.

Kanasi Lake

Location: Near Urumuqi.

Why visit?

A gorgeous lake 1,374 meters high above sea level, one of Urumuqi’s main attractions.

How to get there?

You can rent a minibus in Urumuqi to get there; the fare is RMB 600 for one day, with a RMB 20 insurance addon.

Admission Fee: RMB100.

Detian Waterfall in Guangxi

Location: In the border city of Daxin county. About 200 kilometers southwest of Nanning.

Why visit?

It is the second largest trans-national waterfall in the world, second only to the Niagara Falls on the US-Canadian border.

How to get there: There is a daily bus from Daxin or take a bus to Xilong.

Cost: RMB30.

Mount Everest

Location: Tibet

Why visit?

It's the top of the world!

How to get there?

If you are an ordinary traveler, it's probably better to use your imagination and enjoy it through pictures rather than actually going there.

(CRIENGLISH.com December 22, 2004)