How to Get to Lugu Lake: Complete Transport Guide from Lijiang

Lugu Lake has no railway. The great majority of visitors enter from Lijiang in Yunnan; those coming from the Sichuan side go via Xichang. From Lijiang it's about 240 km, a 3.5-5 hour drive (around 3.5 h on the expressway, 4.5-5 h on the old road); from Xichang it's about 250 km and around 6 hours, with no expressway the whole way. Decide how you're getting there before you set off.

From Lijiang: how to choose among the four options

Public coach (best value). Lijiang Coach Station (25 Kangzhong Lu, Old Town) runs several direct buses a day to the Daluoshui Village terminal at Lugu Lake, with departures spread from morning to afternoon. The fare is about ¥70-100 per person, and the ride takes 4.5-5 hours. Book through the "丽江交运" WeChat official account or the "丽交出行生活" mini-program, and board by scanning your ID card. Return departures are concentrated in the morning, so if you plan a same-day round trip, book your return ticket in advance.

Direct shuttle from Old Town (choose this if you don't want transfers). There are pick-up points at the south and north gates of Lijiang Old Town, about 7 departures a day. The fare is about ¥71-98 per person depending on the vehicle, going straight to Daluoshui Village or Sanjia Village. Exact pick-up and drop-off points vary by departure, so check carefully when you book.

Carpool / business van (flexible, good for a group). From Lijiang Old Town or Shuhe they can pick you up at the door. One way is about ¥80-150 per person, the ride around 3.5-4 hours, with a stop for photos at the Lijiang-Ninglang 18 Bends viewpoint. If you're 2-4 people travelling together, with elderly or children and no wish to change vehicles, this is the least hassle.

Self-drive. You can now take the expressway: from Lijiang, join the Ninglang-Yongsheng expressway (fully opened in March 2023) via Yongsheng, exit at Ninglang County, then drive a few dozen kilometres of mountain road to Lugu Lake. The whole trip is about 3.5 hours, with tolls around ¥130; the road is good but there are many tunnels. Note that the full expressway from Lijiang Old Town to Ninglang (the Gugu-Ninglang expressway) is still under construction and not yet open, so don't let navigation plan a "highway-priority" route over unopened sections. If you'd rather avoid the expressway, take the old road (the Lijiang-Ninglang Highway): about 190-200 km and 4.5-5 hours, passing the Lijiang-Ninglang 18 Bends and the Jinsha River viewpoint - the scenery is lovely but there are many bends. A special warning: in the rainy season (July-September) the old road carries a risk of falling rocks and landslides, so check live road conditions before you decide; if you're an inexperienced or new driver, take the expressway in the rainy season and don't use the old road.

From Xichang (Sichuan side)

Xichang Tourist Coach Centre runs 2-3 direct buses a day to Lugu Lake Town (Zuosuo, the Sichuan-side entrance). The fare is about ¥90-120 per person and the ride takes around 6 hours. There's no expressway from Xichang to Lugu Lake; you take a mountain provincial road with many bends and steep slopes, so take motion-sickness medicine in advance if you need it. Departures are few, so book well ahead. Driving yourself is similar: about 5.5-7 hours the whole way, and we only recommend this route for experienced drivers used to mountain roads.

Flying: fly into Lijiang first

Ninglang Lugu Lake Airport is currently suspended (it has been in the CAAC Southwest Regional Administration's suspension list since July 2025 and was still suspended as of September 2026), and there's no official word on when flights will resume, so don't book tickets "to Lugu Lake". If you want to fly, fly first into Lijiang Sanyi Airport, then transfer to a coach or carpool for Lugu Lake. Sanyi Airport is about 30 km from Lijiang Old Town; the airport bus is ¥20 per person.

Tickets and concessions

You buy the entry ticket at the gate. The Yunnan and Sichuan entrances now share one price: ¥70 for an adult. Half price (¥35): full-time students, minors aged 6-18, and seniors aged 60-69. Free: seniors over 70, children under 1.2 m, active service military, fire-rescue personnel, and people with disabilities. Visitors with a Zhejiang household registration enter free of charge at the Sichuan entrance on showing their ID (a pairing-aid policy, valid until 1 November 2026); this does not apply at the Yunnan entrance. Tickets are purchased on site at the scenic area entrance; in peak season such as summer and National Day, when crowds are heavy, you can book ahead online through the official "泸沽湖景区" WeChat account and other channels. The ticket is checked only once, at entry; once inside, there are no further checks on either the Sichuan or Yunnan side, and it stays valid as long as you don't leave.

About altitude sickness

Lugu Lake sits at about 2,690 m. Apart from sensitive people, most visitors feel no obvious altitude reaction. There's a common situation: the day before you've been at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain above Lijiang (the cableway goes up fast and high, and you've already felt some effect without resting well), then the next day you sit for hours on a mountain road - carsick and exhausted - and on arriving at Lugu Lake you feel unwell and mistake it for altitude sickness. It's worth noting that fatigue, carsickness and altitude sickness can produce similar symptoms, and you can't reliably tell them apart from your itinerary alone; if the discomfort persists or gets worse, seek medical help promptly. On your first day at Lugu Lake, avoid strenuous exercise, and on your first night take a shorter shower and drink less alcohol.

Pitfalls to avoid

At the gate of Lijiang Old Town, the "unlicensed cabs" touting for business quote from ¥130 one way, and once you're on board they often take you to overpriced boat trips or "home visit" shopping stops. Only take buses from the coach station or official platforms. The mountain road has many bends, so pack motion-sickness medicine ahead if you need it.

*Information verified: October 2026 (ticket and altitude wording revised 11 October 2026). Departures, fares and ticket policies change; before you set off, follow official channels and the day's posted notices.*