Best Photo Spots at Lugu Lake: Sunrise, Sunset, Morning Mist and Starry Sky

Photo spots at Lugu Lake can be organised along a day's timeline: morning mist and sunrise in the early morning, lake bays and flower seas by day, sunset at dusk, the starry sky at night. The key spots are Lige viewpoint (sunrise panorama), Rizun Temple (high-point sunrise), Nüwa Bay and Lüjiawan (sunset), the Caohai–bright-water junction (morning mist), and the Jishentai and Langfang area (stars). The loop is about 70 km; going clockwise gives better light on the correct side. (Information verified: October 2026.)

Sunrise and morning mist

Sunrise and morning mist at Lugu Lake are watched together. From October to February the mist appears most often; between 6 and 8 a.m. a thin layer spreads over the lake and is gilded as the sun rises. CCTV has featured the Lugu Lake morning mist for years running, and many people come in winter specifically for it.

The best spot for the morning mist is the junction of Caohai and the bright water, where the mist spreads over the water. To see it you take a boat out onto the lake; visitors staying around Langfang and Lüjiawan depart from Puluo Pier, rowing into the junction of Caohai and the open water, where mist drifts over from the wetland – the best layering. Luowa Pier is closer to the mist zone, but few tourists stay there, so visitors at Langfang or Lüjiawan need not travel the long way to Luowa Pier – depart from nearby Puluo Pier instead. The drone view is the most spectacular.

The first choice for the sunrise panorama is Lige viewpoint. Standing high, you overlook the whole Lige Peninsula: the heart-shaped bay and Goddess Gemu Mountain in the distance – the most iconic photo of Lugu Lake. In summer and autumn arrive around 6:00–6:40 a.m.; in winter and spring extend toward 7 a.m. Light is not backlit before 10 a.m., so 9–10 a.m. also suits photography. The viewpoint is windy – bring a jacket in the early morning.

Rizun Temple on the hillside above Daluoshui village is another fine sunrise spot. The temple sits halfway up the mountain, high above the village, looking across the lake – much better than the Daluoshui Pier view, and you can see the whole village and lake. Reach it on foot or by car from the village; after sunrise you can tour the temple, whose Tibetan-style hall and murals are worth seeing.

Daluoshui Pier also works for sunrise. If you stay at Daluoshui, convenience is the point – watch from the pier or your guesthouse balcony without a special climb.

The Lover's Trees at Nisai village are also a sunrise subject: two old trees lean out over the lake; around 6:30 a.m. with morning mist is the most photogenic.

Sunset

Nüwa Bay (also called Zhaojiabay) is recognised as the best sunset spot at Lugu Lake. It faces Goddess Gemu Mountain directly; at sunset the water turns gold, and pig-trough boats rest in the bay – use them as foreground. Summer sunset is around 7 p.m., winter 5:30–6:30 p.m.; arrive half an hour to an hour early for a good spot.

But Nüwa Bay has a practical problem: it is far. You detour past Luguhu Town and down a side road several kilometres; after the sun sets it is dark, there is no hotel there, and you must drive a long way back to your lodging, feeling your way on mountain roads at night – not pleasant. So Nüwa Bay is the "best" spot, but for people staying at Daluoshui or Lüjiawan, the return trip is a real cost. If you want to save the trouble without missing the sunset, choose Lüjiawan.

Lüjiawan Sunset Beach is also very good for sunset. Lüjiawan faces open water directly toward Goddess Gemu Mountain, showing evening glow, mountain shadows and water-colour shifts. There is a beach by the pier where you can sit at sunset; the area itself sits high, and many hotel yards have sunset views – Starry Resort (on the hillside in the Lüjiawan area) is one: its west-facing yard shows the whole process of the glow spreading and the lake changing colour, and many guests simply watch the sunset at the hotel.

Daytime

Daytime is for lake bays, flower seas and people.

The viewpoint after the Yunnan entrance ticket gate: the first viewpoint after entering the lake, standing high and directly facing Goddess Gemu Mountain – recognised across the lake as the "true front view" of the goddess: mountain, water and peninsula all in one frame. Hotels in the Lüjiawan area (Starry Resort sits just below this viewpoint) see the lake in the same orientation, slightly lower – so the goddess-facing view from these hotels is also considered the most frontal angle.

Water flowers (Haicaihua): from June to October white flowers open across the lake; they are best in the morning and close in the afternoon. Huahai Pier, Aiqing Pier and Guandi Huahai Pier are the spots – the main way to enjoy them is a pig-trough boat through the flower sea. For large swathes of flowers, go in the morning when the lake is calm and visibility high.

Caohai and the Walking Marriage Bridge: on the Sichuan side, large wetland reed beds. Green in summer, golden from October; the soft light of morning and evening is best. The bridge crosses the wetland – the best angle for the Caohai panorama is from the bridge, and a viewpoint on the far bank sits higher. In winter the wetland has morning mist and migratory birds.

Goddess Gemu Mountain cable car: ride to the mountainside for a full view of the whole lake – the only spot with a 360-degree panorama. The cable car costs about ¥110 round trip; it is worth it only in good weather – on cloudy, misty days visibility is poor, so do not waste the money. Mornings have shorter queues.

Lige Peninsula itself: at its best at dawn and dusk – cooking smoke, pig-trough boats and the lake, good for people and culture shots.

The starry sky

On clear nights you can see the Milky Way with the naked eye at Lugu Lake. But be honest: since the year before last, streetlights have been installed all around the lake, and stargazing is not what it used to be. In the past the night was pitch-black; now streetlights and lodging lights add glare, so there is no saying light pollution is absent. For star photos, find a spot along the loop away from streetlights and lights; the best results come after midnight – on clear nights in the small hours, the Milky Way is most visible.

Recommended stargazing spots: Jishentai and Nüwa Bay – uninhabited areas, plus Langfang village and Lige, relatively quiet zones. Note: for stargazing stay away from lights, do not turn on torches or car lights, and let your eyes adapt to the dark; highland nights are cold – bring extra clothes.

One more professional point: Lugu Lake is a large body of water, and evaporation from the surface is obvious – astronomers call this insufficient "seeing". For time-lapse, star trails and the Milky Way, it hardly matters; but for serious astronomical observation and imaging (deep sky, planets), the humidity of the lake district has an effect – the world's top observatories sit in extremely dry, low-rainfall regions for exactly this reason. So Lugu Lake's sky is good for photography, not for serious observation.

Practical photography tips

Clothing: choose plain colours at the lakeside – white and light blue echo the water; at Caohai wear bright colours – yellow and red photograph better.
Highland UV is intense – sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat are essential.
Morning mist and sunrise both mean getting up early – sleep well the night before.
A tripod is essential for stars and time-lapse.
Go clockwise around the lake – the light is better and photos come out nicer.