Napahai Lake, also known as Yila Pairie, is located in the northwest of Shangri La County and is a seasonal lake on the plateau. Napahai has its own unique scenery throughout the four seasons. In late summer and early autumn, it is the rainy season with a large amount of water. Napahai is a large lake.
In summer, the water grass is abundant, and small flowers grow on the grassland. Sheep, cows, and horses graze in groups, merging with the grassland. The grassland in autumn is golden, and snow peaks are reflected in the lake. In the winter, spring, and dry seasons, the lake surface shrinks or even dries up, turning into large swamps. At the entrance of the scenic area, there is an eight petal lotus white pagoda, which is only two in the world, the other being in India.
Napahai is not far from Shangri La County. If you plan to charter a car for sightseeing, you can use it as one of the stops along with other attractions. In addition to chartering a car, another main way to explore Napahai is to ride a bicycle around the lake, covering a total distance of about 40 kilometers, which takes about three to four hours to complete. The grasslands, lakes, and snow capped mountains along the way are beautiful, and what's even more surprising is that the road leading into the county town offers a distant view of Songzanlin Temple.
The road around the lake is relatively flat, without sharp turns, and the road is also very wide. You can ride and play while taking photos. If you have good physical strength, it is recommended to ride a bicycle to go there. It should be noted that cycling along the lake must be done clockwise. This way, the landscape belt of the western lake ring road will be downhill, making it easy to explore. However, there will be some relatively long uphill sections on the 214 National Highway back to the city, but it will not affect the viewing mood.
Travel Tips
Address: Napahaila Grassland , Wuyi Highway, Shangri La City, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Telephone: 18687117977
Opening Hours: 8:00-18:00 throughout the year
Admission ticket : CNY 60