Yunnan Self-Drive｜Dali's Lesser-Known Secret Village, Autumn Colors Are Stunning

✅ When mentioning Dali, people usually think of Cangshan Mountain, Erhai Lake, and Dali Ancient Town, but many don’t know about this secret village—Luoguqing. The autumn scenery here is romantic, with the ground covered in reddish-brown bald cypress leaves. ✅ I have been to Luoguqing twice already, and each time I am captivated by this idyllic village. It’s not only quiet with few people, but also completely uncommercialized, with no entrance fee 🎫. You can drive right into the village by car. ✅ Most visitors come to Luoguqing for hiking or crossing Dayangchang. It’s currently spring in Luoguqing; the flowers on the mountain are blooming, and the grass is gradually turning green. Every photo you take easily looks great. ✅ I stayed in Luoguqing for a few days, hiking during the day and strolling around the village in the evening 🌆. I found several excellent photo spots, and every shot looks beautiful. 【Photo Spots】 1⃣️ Back Mountain of the Village You can go up along the dirt road near the village elementary school. The road is layered; when you reach the highest layer, you can look down and see the entire village and the neatly arranged farmland. It’s best to shoot in the morning to capture the hardworking local villagers. 2⃣️ Huaxi Valley Everyone passes this spot, but the photo spot is not on the bridge, it’s under the bridge. You need to follow the stones by the creek down a bit. Be careful of moss on the stones as it’s slippery. Shooting from below looking up captures the flowing creek water. 3⃣️ Pine Forest Before entering the forest, on the wooden plank road, there is a large area of larch trees and a big grassland, where you can also see yaks 🦬. No matter the season, you can see pine needles covering the ground. The lighting here is best for photos in the evening. 4⃣️ Moss in Huaxi Valley This spot is right at the entrance to the forest, extending to the bridge in Huaxi Valley, where moss grows year-round. There are more than ten species of moss growing on withered trees and stones. Another place to shoot red stone moss is under the Lover’s Tree; after crossing the bridge, walk down along the creek. The stones here are all covered in red moss. 【About Accommodation】 There are not many accommodation options in Luoguqing since it’s not commercialized. On both my visits for shooting 🎬, I stayed at Shujia Wuxiang Hiking Homestay. Staying here includes a free 🆓 guide who leads you into the mountains for photography and hiking, so you don’t have to worry about getting lost. 【Others】 To get to Luoguqing, you need to drive or carpool; there is no direct bus 🚌. If you plan to hike or cross Luoguqing, you can check my previous notes and guides. ⚠️ More self-drive routes and travel guides will be shared later. Thanks for following! Dali Ancient Town Luoguqing