Other sights
Butterfly Spring
A shallow pool that periodically swarms with countless butterflies. Otherwise the site includes a fairly nice park, a small butterfly breeding centre and an uterly bizzare exhibition hall with various pictures made from hundreds of dead butterflies of different colours which were presumably raised and killed on-site. Local guide informed that butterfly no more because of pollution - September 2009
Erhai Lake Villages
. A total of 17 villages are spread along the Western shore of the Erhai Lake between Xiaguan and Xizhou. Take a tour by bike by riding East from Dali Old Town until you reach the lake in Caicun Village and then North beside the lake shore taking local paths and roads. A great opportunity to see village life at its best, meet locals, see the Banyan trees in each village square and admire local architecture. There are 3 Qing Dynasty bridges along the route.
Erhai Lake
Visit Guanyin Temple and several islands. Go with a group and enjoy a great day out. Boats can be easily arranged as the owners come into town to drum up business and you can see what you are getting from the photobooks they carry. Ferry rides at real stations cost around ¥30. There are signs indicating that fishing boats and paddle boats can't carry tourists, although it is unclear what the definition of tourist is.
Wase Market
Combine a trip to Erhai Lake with a visit to the Wase Market on the eastern shore of the lake. Wase is a traditional and conservative Bai town with a weekly market aimed at both townpeople and nearby farmers. The market offers an interesting look at life in a quiet country town.
cangshan mountains
If you visit Dali, plan to spend at least one day up in the mountains. You can also overnight at guesthouses behind Zhonghe Temple, enjoying the most blissful peace and quiet available in China. Well worth it!
The mountains are a national level Geopark and Nature Reserve and have much to offer plant, bird, flower and hiking enthusiasts.
Normally you'll take one of the chairlifts up the mountains and hike about 3-5 hours to the other chairlift to go down again as of Apr 2012, the Zhonghe chairlift is not operating. As of August 2012 there seems to be a new chairlift going up to around 4.000 meters. Get tickets early, because they seem to stop selling them around 12. Price is a lot more than in the past, around 230 Yuan.