It only takes half a day to set off from Chengdu and Chongqing, watching the sunset on the mountains and the cranes flying together——Zhaotong, the forgotten wonderland of Yunnan

Evan has a hobby. He likes to go to great lengths to explore unpopular beauties that are rarely heard of. However, these places are not far away or remote and backward. They are not familiar to the public just because they lack publicity and are not very famous. These beauties may be by your side, in an unknown small town or village. And what I want to share with you today is such a place.

Speaking of Yunnan, you may think of Lijiang, which is full of romantic and leisurely tourists, Dali, surrounded by Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, and Xishuangbanna, full of tropical style, but if you mention Zhaotong, you may not have heard of it at all. It is the wintering habitat of black-necked cranes, a super-protected animal, and you can also see the beautiful alpine sea of clouds, sunrise and sunset. Follow Evan to explore this mysterious place today.

The old rule is to put two pictures first, so that everyone can understand the approximate location relationship of the city and the distribution of scenic spots.

Zhaotong is actually not far away. It is located in the north of Yunnan, very close to Sichuan and Chongqing. If you drive from Chengdu, Chongqing, the whole journey will be at high speed, and it will take about 6 hours to arrive. Since we only set off near noon at that time, we stopped at Dousha Pass and arrived soon. It was approaching evening in Zhaotong, and I didn’t expect to come across an extremely beautiful lake on the side of the expressway. I parked my car in the emergency lane decisively (be sure to pay attention to safety), got off the car and kept taking pictures.

Next, I will introduce the scenic spots one by one according to the degree of recommendation, and then attach itinerary suggestions, time arrangements and some precautions, so that you can visit them conveniently.

Must-visit attractions - Dashanbao, sea of clouds, sunset and cranes flying together

Dashanbao, just listening to the name, feels like an unpopular and inaccessible place. When traveling to Zhaotong, 90% of people come for it. At that time, because the road was being built, the traffic to the scenic spot was not very good. It took us more than two hours to arrive by self-driving, all the way up the mountain. However, I heard that the newly built first-class highway has been completed and opened to traffic, and the journey time has been shortened by half. Now it should be enough to drive for one hour. When you finally reach your destination, it's all worth the trek!

The Dashanbao Scenic Area is divided into two parts, one is the Black-necked Crane Nature Reserve, and the other is the Jigongshan Grand Canyon. The black-necked crane protection area charges tens of yuan for tickets, including a huge alpine sea, which is the habitat of the black-necked crane, and a well-built viewing channel. People can only observe the black-necked crane in the channel or from a distance . In fact, the viewing channel is still a relatively long distance from the lakeside where the black-necked cranes live, but in order to protect this rare national first-class protected animal, it is very necessary for them to have a wintering habitat that is not disturbed by humans. measure. In the aisle, there are piles of photographers carrying long guns and cannons, clicking and clicking. If you are lucky, you can also witness the local staff enter the flock to feed the birds. The black-necked cranes are very timid and afraid of people. It is said that the feeding aunt has worked here for many years, so the cranes are not frightened when they see her.

On the way from the Black-necked Crane Nature Reserve to the Jigongshan Grand Canyon, there is a flat plain, as if a plain suddenly appeared on the top of the mountains, and I drove the car into the meadow decisively, and patted it wantonly.

The second part of Dashanbao Scenic Area - Jigongshan Grand Canyon, where you can see the majestic sea of clouds and sunrise and sunset. This scenic spot is free and is close to a small village. If you park, you have to pay the local villagers a few yuan for parking. Due to the higher altitude, the walking distance is longer, and you will be a little out of breath if you walk faster. It is still very hard, but all the way along the canyon, the scenery is panoramic, and you will definitely feel that this trip is worthwhile! Of course, friends who are afraid of being tired can choose to spend some money to ride a horse, which will be relatively easier.

Regarding Dashanbao, there are a lot of matters and details that need attention, especially the current scenic spot is closed, and it is impossible to get in directly by car. I will explain how to continue to play in the TIPS at the end of the travel note. Friends who want to go to Dashanbao, let’s continue look down.

[Landscape uniqueness]★★★★★ This trip is worthwhile! Well worth the trip! Well worth the trip!

[Landscape Tiredness] ★★★★★ It is not tiring to watch the black-necked cranes, but it is tiring to walk the plank road in the Jigongshan Grand Canyon!

[Long time-consuming landscape] ★★★★★ Including round-trip time, it takes a whole day!

Recommended attractions—Islamic style garden, unexpected exotic scenery

This scenic spot surprised me very much. At that time, our original intention was to visit the Tuogu Mosque. We did not expect that the mosque was not worth seeing, but we were amazed by the Islamic style garden next to it!

The best viewing point of Fengqing Garden is a swamp outside the park, very close, because it is the only way to pass, so you will definitely not miss it. The blue sky, the Islamic buildings in the distance, and the layered swamps make you feel like you are in the Middle East!

The interior of Fengqing Garden is actually quite ordinary, but! yes! Walking inside, I found a super beautiful square pond. There are many people fishing, picnicking, and sunbathing nearby. When I was pleasantly surprised, I decisively took out my mobile phone camera to click~

[Landscape uniqueness] ★★★☆☆ The park is very beautiful and full of exotic customs

[Landscape Tiredness] ☆☆☆☆ The whole park is not big, and there are many rest places

[Long time-consuming landscape] ☆☆☆☆ 1-2 hours to visit and take pictures

Suggested attractions - Wanghai Park, a small ecological scene in the city center

Usually there is a park in the center of the city, and Zhaotong is no exception. Wanghai Park is not big, and you can easily walk around it. The reason why it is named Wanghai is because the park is built around a huge lake, and there is an artificial beach. Many local citizens play here with their children. . The whole park is still very beautiful, a bit like the reduced version of Xichang Qionghai that I have been to before, let’s see the picture and feel it.

[Landscape uniqueness] ★★★☆☆ The park is free, beautiful and sparkling

[Landscape Tiredness] ☆☆☆☆ The park is not big, and the tour is very easy

[Long time-consuming landscape] ★☆☆☆☆ 1-2 hours to take a photo in a circle

Summary reviews of other supplementary attractions

As Evan mentioned before, 90% of the people who travel to Zhaotong come for the mountains. Except for the recommended Islamic Garden and Wanghai Park, I think only the Huanglian River is worth visiting, so I will introduce it here These remaining scenic spots are unified and short comments, and friends can decide which additional scenic spots to visit according to their own choices.

Huanglian River Scenic Area

Huanglian River is located in Daguan County in the north of Zhaotong City, about an hour and a half by car, closer to the Sichuan-Chongqing area. The Huanglian River Scenic Area is mainly to watch the water and appreciate the stream. Since I have traveled to Chishui before, the scenery of the two is very similar and Chishui is better, so I gave up the Huanglian River. You can decide whether to go according to the actual situation.

Doushaguan Ancient Town/Wudaochi Scenic Area

Doushaguan Ancient Town is next to Wudaochi and can be visited together. To be honest, neither of these attractions is recommended unless you have plenty of time. There is nothing interesting about Doushaguan, it is just an ordinary original ecological small town, and there is nothing special about it, so I am not interested in taking a photo. We walked around Dousha Pass and arrived directly at the entrance of Wudaochi Scenic Area. It feels like it should be okay, but I didn't expect to be charged. Standing at the entrance of the scenic spot and looking inward, it is estimated that it is similar to Jianmen Pass, but it is far inferior to it. It is not worth paying to visit, so I gave up and left. You can watch it if it's free.

Togu Mosque

Tuogu Mosque is actually a scenic spot that we were looking forward to before we set off to Zhaotong, but when we really found Tuogu Village and found this mosque, we were disappointed. It was far less beautiful than the mosques we saw in Yinchuan and Lanzhou. However, the whole village is a Muslim village, very simple and original, and there is nothing special about it. The Tuogu Mosque is next to the Islamic Style Garden. It is recommended to go to the Style Garden. You can look at the photos in my travel guide, so you can also drop by the Tuogu Mosque.

Must-see points and itinerary suggestions for going to Dashanbao

1. Regarding accommodation. If you want to go to Dashanbao to see the sea of clouds and the sunrise in the mountains, it is recommended to settle down in Dashanbao Town one day in advance. However, Evan thinks it is completely unnecessary. The accommodation conditions in Zhaotong are better. You can set off in the morning, watch the sunset after playing the big mountain bag, and then return to Zhaotong. The sunrise and sunset are equally beautiful, just take one. In addition, since the big mountain bag takes a day, it is recommended to bring enough dry food before departure. Although there is food in the local area, it is always good to prepare more food.

2. About traffic. Before this year, it took more than two hours to drive one way from the urban area to Dashanbao. At present, the newly built first-class highway has been opened to traffic, and the journey has been shortened to one hour. There is no need to worry, the road condition is very good.

3. Regarding the closure of scenic spots. Since September 2017, in order to protect the habitat of black-necked cranes, Dashanbao has been closed to tourists, but this does not mean that it is impossible to play, because the scenic spot is only closed to foreign tourists, and it is unimpeded to locals! So now go to Dashanbao, you can drive the car to Dashanbao Town, and then find the locals to negotiate the price, usually around 100 yuan, and let the locals take you in and out of their van. If you want to be more secure, you can book Dashanbao accommodation in advance through major online travel platforms, consult the hotel owner, or go to Dashanbao Post Bar and Baidu search, and find locals to discuss the price before starting.

4. About watching black-necked cranes. Since Dashanbao is the wintering habitat of black-necked cranes, if you are here for black-necked cranes, it is best to come at the end of September to the end of January to have a chance to see it. Of course, Dashanbao is very beautiful all year round. It depends on whether the purpose of your trip is black-necked cranes, or you can go there at any time.

5. The Islamic Style Garden is very close to the Tuogu Mosque, so you can visit it together, saving time and worry.

6. Evan's suggested itinerary - three-day tour of the essence of Zhaotong:

DAY1, starting from Sichuan and Chongqing by car, passing through Daguan County, first visiting the Huanglian River Scenic Area, and staying in the urban area of Zhaotong at night.

DAY2, depart early in the morning to Dashanbao Town, and the locals will take them into the scenic spot. First, visit the Black-necked Crane Nature Reserve, and then go to the Jigongshan Grand Canyon. After watching the sunset in the sea of clouds, the locals will pick you up back to Dashanbao Town, and then drive back to Zhaotong.

On DAY3, visit Wanghai Park in the urban area, then drive to visit the Islamic Style Garden and Tuogu Mosque, and then return. As for Doushaguan Ancient Town and Wudaochi Scenic Area, Fengfeng can consider it according to the time.

However, Evan suggested that it is best to play in Zhaotong for four days, with plenty of time and careful evaluation.