Lige Travel Guide

Lige is a remote village in northwest Yunnan Province on the banks of Lugu Lake. It lies on the north side of the lake on the border with Sichuan and is popular with backpackers and hikers.

Worth It?: Yes, as it's a nice, remote village with fascinating scenery.
What to Do: boat tours on Lake Lugu, hike.
Best Time to Go: April through September.
How Long?: Up to two days in Lige.
Trivia: Lige is home to the Mosuo people, who follow a matriarchal (female head) system.

Lugu Lake (Lugu Hu) is a beautiful mountain lake and Lige lies right on the water. It is worth coming here even if you're not into hiking as you can relax in the village and go boating on the water. Nearby Luoshui, 10kms away, is a lot more commercialized than Lige.

There is some good hiking in the area and a cable car runs up a nearby mountain where there is a cave and troops of monkeys. The road around the Yunnan side of the lake is unsealed and is not that great for cyclists. In the village are many arts and crafts stalls and a combination of Chinese, Tibetan, and Western foodstuffs.

Travel to Lige - Getting There

Lijiang is the best access town for visits to Lige. It is about 230kms southwest by winding road (S991 and S307 highways) from Lige or about 4 or 5 hours by minivan. Buses serve Lijiang in around 5 hours from Kunming where the main airport is. Lijiang Airport is a 45-minute flight from Kunming.

Lige Things to Do

Lige Attractions

Lugu Lake

Lige is almost an island on the north shore of this beautiful lake, which provides excellent boating options.

Side trips from Lige

Lige hiking: there is much scope for hiking from Lige, where you can either circumnavigate the lake through mountains or head into Sichuan.

Events

Zhuanshan Festival: known as the Walk around Mountain Festival, it is an important festival for the Mosuo people and features lots of festivities and activities in late July.