Lijiang: Lashi Lake Horse Riding & Tea Horse Road Trail Day Tour

30 minutes from Lijiang Old Town, Lashi Hai (Lashi Lake) was the first major caravan stop on the Ancient Tea Horse Road that once carried Yunnan's pu-erh tea to Tibet. Today its alpine wetlands and Naxi villages preserve that heritage. Morning: 90-minute guided horse-riding session along the original cobblestoned Tea Horse Trail (suitable for first-time riders, gentle Yunnan ponies). Lunch at a Naxi farmstay — clay-pot fish, wild-mushroom soup, fresh yak yogurt. Afternoon: cycle or boat across Lashi Lake to spot migrating egrets and black-necked cranes (winter). Return to Lijiang by 5pm.

Ride the original Tea Horse Road on a Yunnan pony at Lashi Lake, then boat across the wetlands and lunch at a Naxi farmstay.