Lake Lashi: Paradise plateau

Lake Lashi is situated on the southern slopes of Yulong Snow Mountain and eight kilometers west of Lijiang.

With an altitude of 2,437 meters above the sea level, Lake Lashi is the largest plateau lake in the Lijiang area, covering an area of 10 square meters.

Birds rest on the waters of Lake Lashi, a paradise for tens of thousands of migratory birds in winter. [Photo by He Huijun/Yunnan.cn]

Part of the Lijiang Lake Lashi Plateau Wetland Nature Reserve, the lake is home to 235 species of wild birds.

It is the top destination in terms of water-bird species diversity in northwest Yunnan pronvice. In winter, the lake becomes a paradise for tens of thousands of migratory birds including black-necked cranes, whooper swans and black storks.

A local leads horses for a walk along Lake Lashi, an origin point of the Ancient Tea Horse Road. [Photo by He Huijun/Yunnan.cn]

An origin point of the Ancient Tea Horse Road, Lashi means “New Basin” in the Naxi language.

A boat floats on the banks of Lake Lashi. [Photo by He Huijun/Yunnan.cn]

Edited by Zachary Dye