D1 – Niaodiao Mountain Tour
Seen Dali Old Town already? Head north to Eryuan and ride 15 km on an e-MTB through pine forest and wildflowers onto open grazing meadows at 3,000–3,300 m, with a stop at each of two quiet mountain lakes.
Full day tour | 15 km at 3,000–3,300 m | Tianjing Lake & Heart-Shaped Lake | Simple lunch included
Included: simple lunch
Bike
Electric mountain bike, sized to your height
Guide
Local ride guide for the whole day
Transfers
Shuttle and bike transport to and from the mountain
Lunch
Simple lunch on the mountain
ALTITUDE: This ride reaches 3,300 m, about 1,300 m above Erhai Lake. Spend a night or two in Dali first, drink plenty of water, skip alcohol the night before, and tell your guide at once if you get a headache or feel dizzy.
Included: simple lunch
Important Note – Early Departure: If a customer leaves the tour before the scheduled end, all shuttle service and bike transfer fees will be paid by the customer.
Niaodiao Mountain is the high ridge on the west side of the Fengyu valley in Eryuan County, north of Erhai Lake. The ride climbs out of pine forest, crosses shrubby slopes that flower yellow and purple in spring and summer, and comes out onto open grassland between 3,000 and 3,300 m, where cattle, sheep and horses graze and wind turbines turn on the far ridge. Two small mountain lakes break up the day, Tianjing Lake and the Heart-Shaped Lake, with about half an hour at each. Around 15 km and 200 m of climbing, with a simple lunch on the way.
Is this ride for me?
15 km9 mi
Total ride distance
200 m660 ft
Total elevation gain
2 / 5
Difficulty
鸟吊山
Niaodiao Mountain is the high ridge on the west side of the Fengyu valley in Eryuan County, north of Erhai Lake, part of the Luoping range. The name means "birds mourning". A Bai legend says a phoenix died here, and every autumn the birds of Yunnan fly back to grieve for it. The story grew out of something real: the ridge sits on a migration route, more than 130 bird species have been recorded, and big flocks pass through around the Mid-Autumn Festival in September.
The ride climbs through three bands of country. First comes pine forest with a soft carpet of needles, then shrubby slopes where yellow and purple wildflowers bloom in spring and summer, and finally open grassland at 3,000–3,300 m, where cattle and horses graze and wind turbines line the far ridge. The loop is about 15 km with roughly 200 m of climbing, mostly on dirt track and grass. The effort is modest; the altitude is what you'll notice. There is no shade once you leave the trees. After rain, cloud often fills the valleys below you.
天镜池
Tianjing Lake, the "Sky Mirror Pool", lies high on the Niaodiao ridge at over 3,000 m, where Fengyu and Liantie townships meet. It is counted among the traditional Eight Views of Fengyu, and the name says why: on a still day the water holds a clean copy of the sky and the grassy ridges around it. Hikers walk about two and a half hours from the pass to get here. On an e-MTB you arrive with plenty of energy left to enjoy it.
What you get is grass running down to the shoreline, sheep and cattle on the slopes, birdsong and the sound of small streams, and very few other people. You stop for about half an hour. It's a good moment to get off the bike, let your breathing settle at this height and take photos from the bank, or walk a little way up the slope for a wider frame. The grass is greenest in the summer rainy season, which is also when cloud is most likely to drift across the lake, so bring a warm layer as well as sunscreen.
心形湖
A small lake in the open meadows of Niaodiao Mountain whose outline really does look like a heart, though only from the slope above it. From the shore it is simply a quiet pond among the grass. On the classic hike across the mountain, from pine forest through scrub to high meadow, this lake is where most people turn around. North of it lie two more pools, known locally as the Crescent and the Gourd for their shapes.
Cattle and horses graze right down to the water, and white wind turbines turn slowly on the far ridge. You stop here for about half an hour. Ride or walk a short way up the grassy bank before you take your photo: that is the angle that shows the heart shape, with the herds in the foreground and the ridgeline behind. After rain, cloud often drifts across these meadows, so if the lake is hidden when you arrive, give it a little time. Keep a respectful distance from the animals: this is working pasture, not a park, and the calm is a large part of why it is worth the trip.
Gallery
Pro guides
Riders first. Guides second. Experience China's hidden routes like a local.
Rob is the founder of CycleQuest China, with 25+ years of cycling and tour experience and fluency in Mandarin, Guilin dialect, Cantonese, and English. Rob's lead sports are road cycling, mountain biking, downhill cycling, outdoor rock climbing, snowboarding, and golf.
Hou is a bike mechanic, cycling experience tour guide, and RtR Education Program instructor. Systematically trained in Chengdu, Hou specializes in high-end road bike assembly, internal cable routing, and fine-tuning Shimano Di2 drivetrains.
Snow is a cycling experience tour guide and event operations specialist. A former mechanical engineer, Snow has independently led 60+ cycling events for 1,000+ riders and logged over 80,000 km of road and gravel riding.
Testimonials
Real stories from riders and families who explored China with us.
We did a 34km loop along the river and had a wonderful time. The bikes were in great condition and the staff were very helpful. Pick up and drop off was organised for us, a seamless experience all in all. Definitely recommend.
Cami — HK
I had an amazing experience with Cyclequestchina. I rented an e-bike for the day, which came with a Dji 360 camera and bags. The overall quality was very good and I had no issues at all. The pickup at the store was smooth. Before handing over the bike, everything was well explained and I could even choose a route with maps that included popular scenic points accessible by following the GPS. I returned the bike to the store after completing a full round trip. The staff were amazing and I would recommend this experience if you want to see the major scenic points in Yangshuo by yourself.
Noor G — FR
How was your guide — pace, language, local knowledge? Our guide, Ivan, was the best! He took us on safe paths, looked out for us- and even stopped for us when we wanted to take a photo. In addition- we had our 4 year old daughter with us and he knew when we had to slow down, or be careful- he was extra cautious. My favorite part of the trip was when we stopped for a cold beverage- the view was beautiful, and the drinks were delicious. Ivan was very knowledgeable about the routes, and where to go- this tour was so so great. We did the E bike and that allowed us to enjoy the scenery and mountains, without getting too tired. We also got some amazing photos from Ivan at the end- great photos to help remember how beautiful and fun it was! We can't wait to do another tour with this company!!
Aly — US
T3 – Yulong River + Jinbao River
Excellent bikes, really rich selection of routes recommended and great advice from the bike hire staff. Route chosen absolutely brilliant and planning to go back soon to do a longer one. Absolutely fantastic, cannot recommend highly enough.
Amy - Brit living in China — GB
The experience of renting the bike tour with CycleQuest was incredible. Our guides, Ivan and Snow, were incredibly attentive, competent, and delightful. They took photos, organized the bikes, and handled everything to ensure our day was perfect and completely safe. We plan to return to China and will book Cyclequest’s services again. I will definitely recommend them to friends.
Nara Saad — BR
What a fantastic tour it was by far the best one we have done throughout our one year trip. From start to finish . We were picked up at our hotel in a luxury minibus for us and our 3 brilliant crew . Our driver our cycling guide and our organiser. The equipment was all brand new and immaculate. We stayed in 5 different hotels all excellent . The lads helped us choose food in the restaurants for lunch and dinner. We often stopped for local snacks in the mountains. The cycling routes were amazing the views and local culture were spot on. We did over 300km over 5 rides to altitudes of almost 5000km some days were a bit cloudy but it didn’t stop us we really got a true feel for scenic China . Their organisation and planning and communication was also excellent .We also felt we were on an action movie photo shoot with the number of photos that they took . The trip far exceeded our expectations!
Nicola and Paul — GB
7 day e-bike cycling tour through western sichuan mountains
The pickup and return were super smooth, the bike was in fantastic condition and ready to roll, and riding to Shaofeng Mountain and Jietan Temple was an absolute blast!
Ratno — ID
We had the most amazing 4 days I can remember 🧡 🚲— thanks so much!!
Jack
Whilst staying in Yangshuo the 3 of us booked the 66km e-cycle tour with Cycle Quest China through our hotel (you can of course book directly with them) taking in rice and lotus fields, incredible mountain views, experiencing the natural wonders of the Yangshuo area as well as a fantastic local lunch in a tiny village where the fish, chicken and vegetable’s were so delicious as a result of the local mineral water spring and local farming methods. We had the absolute best day with our expert guides. It was very well coordinated with regular rest and hydration breaks. We were very well taken care of and had the most amazing experience, we are already looking at booking again! Cannot rate this company highly enough! Excellent! 🌟 🚲
The Hanson family — New Zealand
66km e-cycle tour
The team were very helpful in making sure we got exactly what we needed
UK cyclist — GB
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