Today, led by Wan Wan, we learned about various vegetation on Cangshan Mountain and discovered many beautiful fungi. Wan Wan explained along the way, introducing us to many plants we had never seen before. It was very interesting. In the second half, we suddenly encountered heavy rain, and Wan Wan took us to Jizhao Nunnery, where we had a picnic while listening to the rain and ate vegetarian food. Wan Wan thoughtfully prepared hot tea, fruit, and snacks, and even brought a mushroom picture book for the kids. Very considerate and thorough. The child said: 'Dali is so fun!'
A very happy day, healed by nature. Along the way, I saw various plants, learned about them, respected them, and was rewarded by their presence...
Even though it was a rainy day, the guide explained the plants along the way very thoroughly.
We took a small path to see lots of tiny mushrooms.
But because of the rain, we didn't see any squirrels.
Overall, it was fantastic, and the guide sister was super attentive and enthusiastic.
A special hiking trip. The guide carefully introduced every type of fern and lichen. While learning about different plants, I couldn't help but marvel at the incredible ecology of Cangshan. Walking and stopping, I felt the energy brought by the mountains and forests.
When we got tired, we spread out a picnic mat and sat on the ground. The guide also prepared fruit and hot tea for everyone. A wonderful experience.
Such a blissful experience!
Overall, I didn't feel tired at all. The guide kept introducing various plants along the way, so I learned a lot. Carrying a little basket, I picked up the beauty of spring all the way! We could even sit on the ground halfway up the mountain, and the tea and fruit prepared were delicious.
The luckiest part was finding a porcupine quill on the way back!!! That was the ultimate highlight!
I want to book the mushroom-picking trip for the mushroom season in advance!!!
This is my third time in Dali. I love hiking and Cangshan Mountain, especially the very comfortable vibe at Wuwei Temple.
I stumbled upon 'Cangshan Hiking Home' on Dianping's must-try list. It felt like meeting a long-admired lover. Opening the mini-program and seeing activities like mountain forest hiking, Erhai cycling, and visiting local homes made me yearn for them.
Considering my companion isn't a hardcore enthusiast, I chose an entry-level route: 'Wuwei Temple Vegetarian Meal and Cangshan Pinecone Picking.'
Even though my expectations were high, the experience exceeded them.
The guide was a local girl named Wanwan. She recognized most of the plants in the mountains, wove bracelets from plant roots, picked leaves of 'fragrant white pearl' with a floral scent, and took white pine resin flowing from tree bark for us. Along the way, there were lovely moss and lichens, and a prehistoric fern called 'Chinese white' with a pair of 'goat horns'—I learned their names for the first time. In the afternoon, we spread out a picnic mat and sat on the ground, tasting local small cherries and strawberries, listening to the rustling pines in the forest, and collecting pine needles to weave small brooms.
Everything was so immersive that I forgot about time, only feeling the joy of strolling in the forest.
If you, like me, love hiking and the smell of the forest, come here. Choosing a good guide will make your day precious and fun.
I will come again next time. Yunnan is truly my happy place, no exaggeration.
Loved it! A relaxed and enjoyable hike! Yanzi was great, thumbs up!
#ForestHikingPineconeCollecting
Outstanding nature experience to reset from touristy Dali
By far my favourite activity around Dali. My guide You took me on an amazing tour through the forest. She has loads of knowledge on local plants, trees and the history of the temple. I got to learn a lot of things and could ask her anything, but could also spend some time in silence exploring the forest. The forest is so valuable and I feel honoured to experience with such an outstanding experience
If you're visiting Dali with kids, you must arrange a Cangshan hike—it's so much fun! The entire route is on wild trails, and we saw two self-made shelters. We collected a lot of pine needles and found some wood to continue improving the shelters. Along the way, we saw many plants we'd never seen before. I learned about the plant "Ligularia" for the first time. We also made handmade ornaments from fresh pine needles, getting close to nature and breathing freely.
Guide Yanzi was excellent—patient and answering all the kids' questions. She also brought delicious snacks and fruit, which was great! She even taught us how to make pine needle ornaments.
Entering the fern forest in the rain. We ventured deep into Cangshan on a rainy day, with wildly growing Diplopterygium glaucum ferns, beautiful boletes sprouting after the rain, and we learned about various forest berries, herbs, and rhododendrons. Our guide Yanzi even brought a watermelon as a thank-you gift. Cangshan Hiking Home's activities are truly amazing! The 7-kilometer mid-distance hike wasn't too tiring, with an elevation gain of about 400 meters (from 2000m to 2400m). Cangshan is a treasure!
Cangshan in the rain is a misty forest. I never expected the most interesting activity in Dali to be going up Cangshan to pick pinecones and headwater mushrooms. The whole hike took about four hours, and it was raining the whole time. Even someone as fragile as me could make it from start to finish, all thanks to the most reliable guide Nichole and the best little dog, Fried Hair (and my cute and independent good dog friend). I have to say, the guide sister's hand is the most dependable hand in my heart. Because I wore the wrong shoes—too slippery in the rain—I fell hard on my butt right at the start of the descent. If the guide sister hadn't held my hand the whole way, I would have tumbled all the way down the mountain. (Note for hiking beginners: really don't wear sneakers up the mountain.) And the cutest little dog, Fried Hair! He is the most gentlemanly dog I've ever seen. He led the way the whole time, and when I fed him, he was super gentle, afraid to touch my hand. When we stopped for a picnic midway in the mountains, Fried Hair was super alert, watching the surroundings. How can there be such a good dog? I want to award Fried Hair the 2025 Touching China Best Dog Award! Cangshan after the rain was like a misty filter, a bit like a twilight forest. For me, it was a new experience. Next time, I must come again when it's sunny and during mushroom season! Highly recommended, highly recommended!!!
Went up the mountain with guide Yanzi. In three hours, we reached an altitude of nearly 2200 meters and entered a real forest. Cangshan has rich vegetation—we saw various ferns, pinecones, flowers, newly sprouted porcini mushrooms and ** mushrooms, and baby birds waiting to be fed in a tree hollow. The mountain wilderness is healing; children can truly feel the world in nature. On the way down, the three-year-old Miss Bear was too tired, so guide Yanzi carried her for a long time. Today's experience was 100 points, and Yanzi was super nice—learned a lot along the way.
Pine cones nibbled by squirrels, flowers that can be used to make tea or dye rice, shelters built from pine cones, and forest tea snacks... There are so many treasures in the forest. Zhenhao knew them all like the back of their hand and took me on a magical and joyful journey. Thank you, guide Zhenhao, for letting me experience the precious life wealth of Cangshan. Everyone, don't miss this trip—it's full of energy, beauty, and wonder~
On the second day in Dali, I followed Yang Mi, a plant enthusiast from Cangshan Hiking Home, into the forests of Cangshan to forage.
Joining us was Yang Mi’s dog, Xiaoxi, a little female dog she picked up by the stream. Xiaoxi is just over a year old and is very familiar with the hiking route, walking it almost every day. The entire exploration journey was over three kilometers. Xiaoxi darted back and forth around us, probably covering two or three times our distance. Especially when going downhill, her advantage as a “four-wheel drive” was obvious—she charged down steadily, then ran back to make sure we were keeping up.
Halfway through, Teacher Yang Mi pulled out a picnic mat and a bunch of lunch boxes from her backpack, and even hot black tea. With a light drizzle, we refueled and enjoyed the moment.
During the forest hike, the teacher introduced us to various plants, many of which were edible. We also picked up a lot of pine nuts, eating them as we explored the forest.
Foraging in Cangshan—a super fun Dali travel experience.
I signed up for the Cangshan Pinecone Picking activity. As soon as we entered the mountain, the guide started explaining the plants in great detail. The guide Wanwan had a great pace, and even the kids could keep up. During the break, they prepared tea and fruit. We picked a lot of pine nuts and pinecones. After coming down the mountain, my child said they really enjoyed it.
