I'm going to visit Lugu Lake in mid-August, asking for some sightseeing routes and accommodation.
1. Shangri-La
In August, the scenery of Shangri-La is becoming more and more pleasant under the embellishment of various flowers and plants, especially the scenic spots such as Pudacuo Forest Park and Balak Grand Canyon. Moreover, the road conditions to Shangri-La at this time are good, so you can rest assured to play.
When we go to Shangri-La this season, everyone basically goes to Pudacuo, which leads to serious queuing for sightseeing in Pudacuo, and the scenic area is crowded, so we should be prepared. If you want to leave a few people and enjoy the original Shangri-La scenery, you can choose Barak to live in the Grand Canyon, which is not famous, but it won't let you down! Barak lives in the Grand Canyon and stays directly in the hotel in the scenic spot. The room is limited, so the number of people received every day is limited, and there will be no people everywhere like Pudacuo!
2. Lugu Lake
In August, due to the rainy season, it often rains, and landslides often occur on the new road from Lijiang to Lugu Lake, which often makes the road impassable, so be prepared. The old road can be taken normally, but if you take the old road, you need to detour, and the driving time is usually six or seven hours. Moreover, the road conditions are very poor and the traffic jam is serious. Therefore, if you want to visit Lugu Lake now, you must have enough time to prepare and reserve enough round-trip time. You must not arrange the trip to return to Lijiang on the same day and leave Lijiang by plane or train on the same day, otherwise it will easily lead to the situation of missing the plane and train. Of course, the scenery of Lugu Lake is very beautiful and worth visiting, but you must leave enough time. Moreover, August is the peak season, and there are a lot of tourists visiting Lugu Lake. I suggest you make a reservation in advance, otherwise, it is easy to fail to visit on time!
When visiting these two places, please wear long clothes and trousers, because there are many flowers and plants and mosquitoes, and you need to bring a coat, which is not too thick, because the daily temperature difference between these two scenic spots is quite large!
If there are few people, you can choose to join a group tour. If there are many people, you can choose to charter a car. Of course, you can also choose to take a shuttle bus for a self-help tour. However, it is better to book accommodation in advance!
PS: In August, Lijiang is dominated by family trips, followed by student trips. It is still a hot season with beautiful scenery and crowded people. There will be relatively few people in the middle and late August, but it is still a peak season.
August is Lijiang, which means "there are four seasons in a day". It is rainy season, and it becomes more frequent. Look at the weather forecast, it rains almost every day in Lijiang, which is normal, because there will be showers and torrential rains for the next few minutes almost every day in Lijiang at this time, and occasionally there will be moldy rain for several days. Therefore, although it rains every day in Lijiang, it rarely affects it. I am depressed about the unknown factors that I can't change before I leave. It is better to travel with ease. Different weather has different ways to play, and the key is to play with mentality!
Accommodation
Accommodation prices will generally rise in August, and the price will change every few days. Accommodation is a little tight, but there will be no room to live in. However, it is better to make a reservation in advance!
The above information is my latest original answer as a native of Lijiang. I hope it will help your trip to Lijiang!