Little Putuo Island (Xiaoputuo), Dali: Best Seen From the Shore
Little Putuo Island (Xiaoputuo, 小普陀) is the smallest island in Erhai Lake: a limestone rock off Haiyin Village on the east shore, topped by a Ming-era Guanyin pavilion. Seeing it from the shore is free, and landing costs ¥15. It’s worth a 30–60 minute stop on an east-shore drive, not a trip from Dali Old Town on its own.
Because the island is so small, when you arrive and where you stand matter more than whether you land. Below we cover the three shore viewpoints and whether the ¥15 boat is worth it. Then the timing: why the sun leaves the lake 35–40 minutes before your phone says it sets, and which month brings the gulls without the winter wind. Last come the gull-feed and restaurant charges that catch visitors out. Most of it comes from our own east-shore trips, and it’s all you need to plan the stop.
Where | Off Haiyin Village (海印村), Wase Town, east shore of Erhai Lake |
|---|---|
What’s there | A Guanyin pavilion on a 70 m² limestone rock, 4 m above the water |
Shore view | Free |
Boat | ¥15 return in a fishermen’s wooden boat |
Time needed | 30–60 minutes; under 5 minutes to walk round the island |
Best for | Black-headed gulls November–March, calm mornings, sunset |
Table of Contents
1. What Is Little Putuo Island?
Little Putuo Island is a single block of limestone off Haiyin Village, in Wase Town on the east shore of Erhai Lake in Dali, Yunnan. Our facts on the island in this section come from the stone plaque the Dali municipal government set up at the site on November 2020. The island covers 70 m² and rises 4 m above the water. The Dali Cangshan UNESCO Global Geopark lists it as Erhai’s smallest island.
The Guanyin Pavilion (观音阁) on top is a square timber building with double eaves. It was first built in the Chongzhen reign (1628–1644), at the end of the Ming dynasty, and has been repaired many times since. A Buddha sits on the ground floor and Guanyin, the Buddhist goddess of mercy, upstairs.
Local legend says Guanyin dropped her seal into the lake to hold down a storm-raising dragon, and the rock is that seal. The village facing it took the name Haiyin, “sea seal”. Dali City listed the whole island as a protected cultural relic in 1991. In 2016 it was raised to Dali Prefecture level.
Little Putuo on Erhai is NOT Mount Putuo in Zhejiang, and NOT the Xiaoputuo islet on Ningbo’s Dongqian Lake. Add “Erhai” or “Dali” to any map search.
Lake outline traced from a current map, north up. Town positions are approximate.
2. Is It Worth Visiting?
Little Putuo is worth a stop if you’re already on Erhai’s east shore, and not worth the drive on its own. What you come for is the view from the shore: one rock and pavilion alone in open water, with the whole Cangshan range behind them. That’s why our Jinsuo Island day finishes here, or in Wase, at sunset.
What our guests liked
“Little Putuo: highly recommended. The sun shines on the water and glitters with every ripple, flocks of gulls drift over the light, and in the distance there are sunbeams breaking through.” — Franz, guest from Germany
“Compared with the crowded photo spots, it’s quiet and comfortable here. Sitting in the wind, listening to the waves, watching the water sparkle and the gulls fly back and forth — that’s when it finally felt like a holiday.” — Luigi, guest from Italy
Ron, a guest from the US, put it in his “highly recommended” group after the full Erhai loop.
Where it disappoints
The size. Visitors expecting a scenic area that fills half a day are done in five minutes on the island. The road behind the shore is noisy. The public toilets are poor, and the restaurants beside the island overcharge (see section 6). Planned as a 30-minute roadside stop, it works.
Who it suits
It suits travellers sleeping in Shuanglang or Wase, photographers, and anyone in Dali for the winter gulls. Skip it if you have one day in Dali and you’re staying on the west shore. Our Erhai Lake guide explains why we’d rather you spend a short visit on one shore than rush both.
3. Shore or Boat?
Stay on the shore unless you want to see inside the pavilion. Every good photo of Little Putuo is taken from the shore, because once you’re on the island you can’t see it.
The three viewpoints
The Haiyin shore faces west, so every viewpoint puts the island in front of Cangshan.
Viewpoint | Best for |
|---|---|
Roadside viewpoint on the East Ring Road | The whole island with Cangshan behind it, and the mountain’s reflection on calm days |
Waterfront boardwalk | Backlit portraits, and gulls in the frame in winter |
Haiyin Village jetty side | A low angle for the island’s reflection |
Ignore anyone on the road selling a “secret viewpoint” for ¥10. The roadside viewpoint is free and it’s the best angle there is.
The boat
Fishermen’s wooden boats cross from the Haiyin side for ¥15 return, a few minutes each way. On the island you can climb to the pavilion’s upper floor and look back at the village. It’s worth ¥15 if you’ve never stood inside a small temple on the water. For photos it adds nothing.
4. Best Time to Go
Go in the last hour of sun, and between November and March if you want the gulls. Calm early mornings are the alternative if you’re sleeping on the east shore.
Sunset comes early here
By our calculation, the sun drops behind Cangshan 35–40 minutes before the official sunset on your phone. The ridge stands 1,800–2,100 m above the lake, 13–14 km to the west, so it cuts off the low sun early. That puts the last direct sun on the lake at 5:50 PM in November and December, and 7:35 PM in June and July. Be on the shore an hour before. In that last hour the pavilion turns into a dark outline against the sky. When there’s broken cloud over Cangshan, you often get sunbeams over the water.
Our calculation from the sun’s path at Haiyin Village and a Cangshan ridge 1,800–2,100 m above the lake, 13–14 km to the west. Plan to be on the shore an hour before the purple line.
Early morning
In winter the sun isn’t up until 7:55–8:05 AM. When it rises, it’s behind you, lighting the pavilion and Cangshan head-on. The lake is most often flat in the hour before sunrise, so that’s when the island’s reflection is sharpest. On misty mornings you get Lan’ai Putuo, “Putuo in the Mist”, one of the Eight Views of Erhai. If you can’t make the early start, 9:00–11:00 AM still gives soft light and few people.
Month by month
Black-headed gulls (红嘴鸥) winter on Erhai from November to March. Without them the stop is a lot less interesting. December to March are also the windiest months, when wind can stop the small boats. June to August bring afternoon thunderstorms. Spring and autumn give the clearest views of Cangshan. November is the only month that gets all three right: gulls, clear skies and no winter wind. March has the gulls and clear skies but is still windy. If the gulls don’t matter to you, April–May and September–October are clear and outside the windy season.
- ⭐ NovemberThe only month with all three: gulls back, Cangshan clear, no winter wind yet.
- MarchGulls and clear skies, but still windy enough to stop the boat some days.
- Apr–May · Sep–OctClear and outside the windy season, but the gulls are gone.
Black-headed gulls winter on Erhai from November to March. Without them the stop is a lot less interesting.
Spring and autumn give the clearest views of Cangshan, the backdrop that makes the classic shore photo.
December to March are Erhai’s windiest months. Wind can stop the small boats to the island, so plan to watch from the shore.
June to August bring afternoon thunderstorms over the lake. Come in the morning, or check the sky before a sunset stop.
Seasons from our own Erhai Lake and Jinsuo Island planning. Morning mist doesn’t follow a reliable season, so it isn’t shown.
5. Getting There
The Little Putuo jetty is 47.4 km from the South Gate of Dali Old Town. By our route that’s a 1 hour 26 minute drive. From Shuanglang it’s 15 minutes. Little Putuo is on the Erhai East Ring Road (环海东路), between Wase and Shuanglang. Give a driver “小普陀停车点”.
Car or bus
No city bus stops here. The Erhai sightseeing bus does, but a sunset stop leaves you getting back to Dali after dark. That’s why we plan it with a private car and driver. Roadside parking is ¥10 a time, even for five minutes. On public holidays cars are kept out of the core area, and you take a shuttle in.
Fitting it into an east-shore day
From Dali, we run the east shore south to north and end at Little Putuo:
Time | Stop |
|---|---|
10:30–11:00 AM | Lixiangbang, the white “Santorini” cliff village |
11:00 AM–3:30 PM | Ferry to Jinsuo Island, lunch in the fishing village |
3:30–5:00 PM | Drive north toward Wase |
5:00–6:30 PM | Little Putuo for sunset, then back to Dali |
If you’re staying in Shuanglang, run it the other way: Shuanglang, Little Putuo, then Wenbi Village. Luwo Mountain (鹿卧山, also called the Lu’e Mountain site) is on the way, between Shuanglang and Kanglang Village. Its cliff-side caves look out over the lake, and the site has seen very little development.
6. Traps to Avoid
The island costs ¥15 at most. What catches visitors out is the gull feed and the restaurants beside it.
Gull-feed sellers
In gull season, older women on the shore sell bags of dried fish and biscuits. Some keep following you after you say no. The same biscuits cost ¥4–5 in a Wase shop, half the shore price. Dali’s Erhai protection bureau asked visitors to stop feeding the gulls in 2017, citing lake pollution and disease risk. We’d just watch them.
Restaurants by the island
Menus often carry no prices, and barbecue runs double city rates. Rice (¥3 a person) and sealed tableware (¥2 a set) show up on the bill unannounced. Eat in Wase town instead, where Bai restaurants post their prices. Ask about tea and tableware charges before you order. Our usual order there is the sour-and-spicy fish and the mint pork ribs.
Before you go
- Use toilets in Wase cafés; the public ones by the island are poor.
- The rocks at the water’s edge are mossy. Shoot from the boardwalk.
- At 1,972 m you burn even on cloudy days, and the wind turns cold once the sun is behind Cangshan. Bring sunscreen and a jacket.
- Erhai is a protected drinking-water source. Wading in can draw a fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Erhai Lake cruises stop at Little Putuo Island?
No. The large Erhai cruise boats pass Little Putuo but no longer land passengers on it; their island stop is Nanzhao Customs Island. To land, take the fishermen’s boat from Haiyin Village. Long panoramic cruises and short eco-boat trips run different routes, so check the stops when you buy a ticket, or see our Erhai Lake cruise guide.
What are Little Putuo’s opening hours?
The shore is open at all hours. Boats to the island run in the daytime, with listed hours of 9:00 AM–6:00 PM. From November to January the sun is behind Cangshan by 6:10 PM, so land first and then wait on the shore for sunset.
Can you stay near Little Putuo?
Yes. Wase, a few minutes’ drive from the island, has lake-view guesthouses and restaurants. Confirm the room faces the lake, not the hill behind, and ask for one away from the road. Search “Wase” on Trip.com and look at guest photos from the last few months.
Should I choose Little Putuo or Jinsuo Island?
They do different jobs. Jinsuo Island is a working Bai fishing village that fills half a day. Little Putuo is a 30-minute stop to look and take photos. If you can land on only one Erhai island, land on Jinsuo, then see Little Putuo from the shore on the way back.
Want Little Putuo’s sunset built into an east-shore day, with a driver and no shopping stops? Tell us your dates.
