Napahai is a wide, shallow seasonal lake and surrounding wetland about ten kilometres west of Shangri-La. In autumn and winter it fills with snowmelt and migrating birds; in spring and summer it dries down to a vast grass-covered basin where yaks and Tibetan ponies graze. Either season has its appeal: the autumn cranes and the spring wildflowers are both worth the half-hour drive from town.
You can drive the loop road around the lake and stop at the viewpoints, or rent a horse from one of the Tibetan villages on the eastern shore. The entry ticket is modest. Black-necked cranes are typically present from November through March.