Tiger Leaping Gorge Travel Guide

Overview

At the junction  of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau stands one of Yunnan's more famous spots, Tiger Leaping Gorge. The gorge is tucked neatly between the Yulong Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain, which surround its two sides.

The 17km-long gorge is divided into three segments with an aggregate fall of 210 meters.  At the opening of the gorge, which is also the mouth of the Jinsha River, a Herculean pebble, about 30 meters wide, seems to be stranded amidst the billowing waves.

You can witness an incredibly loud, churning, foaming river relentlessly pounding giant boulders in its path.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is an unforgettable display of powerfully intense raw nature.

The Chinese name of Tiger Leaping Gorge is Hutiao Xia
Legend has it that in ancient times, a tiger frequently used this pebble as a stepping stone to leap across the gorge. Most visitors take in the most famous first segment of the gorge to observe the narrowest part of the river and see the Tiger Leaping Pebble.

This rocky gorge is flanked by mountains on both sides that sharply rise 3,000m above the river.

The canyon's narrowest point is just 30m wide. It has a riverside observation platforms for upclose viewing. There, the river water sounds like a roaring angry monster.

The water that flows through the Tiger Leaping Gorge is the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, near the beginning of its long journey to sea. (Note: The river is named Jinsha River in this part of China).
 

Things to see: 
Middle Tiger Leaping Stone: Worth a visit.
This sight is located more than 500 meters vertically down from Tina's Guesthouse. A round trip from Tina's Guesthouse takes 3 hours, not including the time you will spend at Sandy's House beside astonishing roaring rapids. There are two routes:

Route 1: a sheer footpath descending directly in the Middle Gorge near Tina's Guesthouse to the river bank. I happened to meet several aggressive young men who had just come back from this footpath and said it was extremely slippery and steep. So I took the second route.
 

Route 2: walk along the main road to Zhang's Guesthouse and take a narrow footpath descending to the gorge. Zhang recommends visitors to hire a guide for Y30.-. It is absolutely not necessary. Before reaching Sandy's house, you have to pass a wooden bridge over a roaring cascade, a breathtaking crossing.

Sandy's house sales drinks at reasonable prices. Don't miss their toilet where you enjoy an amazing view over the roaring rapids.
Upper Tiger Leaping Stone: It is not worth a visit If you have already seen the Middle Tiger Leaping Stone.
This sight can be reached from both sides of the river.

On the Low Road, the sight is located 9 km from Qiaotou. From Lijiang, there is a bus leaving Main bus station at 8:30 for Tiger leaping Stone, terminating in front of this site.

On the east bank, the road is frequented only by tour groups, but not accessible by any public bus.
Walnut Grove along the Low Road, once a peaceful village where hikers used to spend a night on the way to Daju or Haba. While terminating the High Trail at Tina's Guesthouse, hikers can find a bus or taxi easily to go to Baishuitai or the ferry for Daju. No more need to walk along the Low Road to Walnut Grove.
 

Getting there and away:
There are three ways to reach this beautiful gorge:
1. Qiaotou (recently changed its name to Hutiao Xia, which means Tiger Leaping Gorge).

From Lijiang 'Guluwan' north bus station, take a Zhongdian bus and get off at Qiaotou. Five daily buses: three times in the morning and twice in the early afternoon.

The trip usually takes 2 hours. However, my bus driver used almost 3 hours. He stopped once, and wanted to buy apples from local farmers, but didn't manage to obtain his price. He made his deal during the second time he stopped for apple-hunting. One hour later, he went home, leaving his bus and all passengers on the road for 25 minutes.

If you come from Zhongdian, take a Lijiang bus and get off at Qiaotou after usually a three-hour ride, more than five buses a day.

If you quit Qiaotou for Lijiang or Zhongdian, you can wait for a bus along the main road near the bridge. Between 9:30 to 15:00, there are numerous buses passing through Qiaotou for both directions.

News: From Lijiang Bus Station, there is a direct bus for Qiaotou leaving Lijiang at 8:30 everyday. (Y13.)

2. Daju. See Daju - Getting there and away.

3. Baishuitai. (Haba village)

One mini bus leaves from Zhongdian for Baishuitai at 7:30. You can stay at Haba village and take a bus next day from Baishuitai to Lijiang which passes through the Low Road of the Gorge. Tourists in Zhongdian would prefer to rent a car in order to visit Baishuitai during the day and enter into the gorge from north in the late afternoon. It costs around Y400. Along the Low Road, you can wait for the bus departing from Lijiang at 9:00 in the morning for Baishuitai, passing Tina's Guesthouse at noon. 

Tips & Reminders of Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking tour

There are 3 basic routes through the Tiger Leaping Gorge. One is the road that hugs the river. The second is by footpath which runs high above the river. The latter offers better adventure and vistas, but is recommended only to fit, experienced mountain trekkers as it is hazardously narrow and precipitous.

Wear light hiking boots with ankle support.
There is a risk of landslides in bad weather, though no one would like to step out of the door on a rainy day, just in case the weather changes when you are on route. After all, it's a 2-4 days trek.

As with any touristy area, there are endless efforts of varying legitimacy to help you part with your RMB along the route. At various intervals, old women, young girls and sundry others will demand small fees for using optional parts of the path. Some, such as the decent to the river below Tina's guest house, are particularly annoying, as you'll be asked for a few RMB more at what seems like every step of the way, with an elaborate story to explain the cost.

Also be aware that some guest houses may try to mislead you about your hiking options, for example Tina's guest house has been known to insist that while you may descend to the river below, you must hike back up, and may not continue along the river to Walnut Grove--one of the most spectacular sections of the trail. 

Beware of the touts hanging around various guesthouses on the low path (Walnut Grove included except at Sean's Guesthouse): Offending these people may incur a harsh beating plus a demand for hefty money. It's out of electricity sometimes in Walnut Grove, makes sure you have a flashlight.