D2 – Zhemo Mountain Sunset Tour
Ride pine forest and wind-farm tracks on the ridge above Xiaguan at 2,800–3,000 m, then sit on the edge as the evening light falls across the city and Erhai Lake and the lights come on below.
Full day tour | 30 km at 2,800–3,000 m | Sunset over Xiaguan & Erhai 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
ALTITUDE AND COLD: This ride reaches about 3,000 m, some 1,000 m above Erhai Lake, and finishes after sunset. Spend a night or two in Dali first, bring a warm jacket, 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.
Zhemo Mountain is the long ridge between Xiaguan, Dali's modern city at the southern tip of Erhai Lake, and Weishan County to the south. Since the expressway tunnelled through it, the old road over the top has gone quiet, and the tracks built for the wind farm now lead up to open pasture where cattle and sheep graze under the turbines. The ride covers about 30 km at 2,800–3,000 m, through pine forest and across grassy slopes, stopping at viewpoints that look straight down on Xiaguan's towers with the whole of Erhai stretching north behind them. The day ends on the ridge for sunset, when the city and the lake turn gold, then blue, and the lights come on below. A simple lunch is included.
Is this ride for me?
30 km19 mi
Total ride distance
3 / 5
Difficulty
者摩山
Zhemo Mountain is the long ridge between Xiaguan, Dali's modern city at the southern tip of Erhai Lake, and Weishan County to the south. It has long been the natural border between the Bai people of the lake basin and the Yi villages of the Weishan hills. Before the expressway tunnel opened, everyone travelling between the two had to drive over it. Now the winding road across the top is quiet, and the tracks built for the wind farm lead up to the high pasture. Locals also call it Dafengba, "the big windy flat".
The ride covers about 30 km at 2,800–3,000 m. It starts in pine forest, then comes out onto grassy slopes lined with white turbines, where cattle and sheep graze between patches of trees. Several viewpoints look straight down on Xiaguan's towers, with the whole of Erhai stretching north behind them and the Cangshan range to your left. The surface is dirt road and grass with some loose, rocky sections. There are no shops along the ridge, phone signal is patchy, and it is windy and cool on top, so bring a warm layer.
云迹一号观景台
The best-known stop on Zhemo Mountain is a wooden deck on the edge of the ridge with a single bench facing out over the drop. From here you look almost straight down on Xiaguan, Dali's modern city of high-rise blocks, with the southern end of Erhai Lake beyond it and the hills of the east shore on the far side of the water. It is not the view of Dali Old Town you see on postcards. It is bigger than that: you can pick out bridges, the lakeside and the ridges beyond, spread out like a map.
This is where the ride waits for sunset. The sun goes down behind you over the mountains, so the light moves across the city and the lake in front of you, turning them gold, then soft blue. After that the lights of Xiaguan come on below. In summer that happens at around 7 to 8 pm. Take the bench shot early while the light is still up, then find a spot to sit and watch. It gets cold and windy the moment the sun is gone, so put your warm jacket on before you need it.
者摩山悬崖秋千
On the ridge there is a campsite with a swing set right on the edge of the slope. You swing out over the drop with Xiaguan and Erhai Lake spread out far below. It's the stop everyone films, and at sunset it makes the best silhouette of the day: a figure in mid-air against the evening sky, with the lake beyond.
The swing is run by the campsite, which charges its own small fee and is also the only place on the mountain selling a few snacks and drinks. Camp chairs are set out along the edge, and it's an easy place to sit while you wait for the light to change. Ask your guide how the swing is run on the day before you decide whether to have a go. If you'd rather keep your feet on the ground, the view from the chairs is almost as good, and someone has to take the photos for everyone else. Keep your jacket and gloves within reach. Once the sun drops, the wind up here gets cold fast, even in summer.
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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