Tiger Leaping Gorge - One of the Deepest Gorges in the World at Border of Lijiang and Shangri-La

Tiger Leaping Gorge is a Part of a UNESCO Site Called Three Parallel of Yunnan Protected Areas.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is a part of the Three Parallel of Yunnan Protected Areas UNESCO World Heritage Site which was inscribed in 2003. Being one of the deepest gorges in the world, Tiger Leaping Gorge is with a drop of 3,900m from the mountain peak to the river bed. A visit to Tiger Leaping Gorge, you can enjoy deep-incised river gorges, luxuriant forests, towering snow-clad mountains, glaciers of the UNESCO site.

Overlook Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is located between the 5596 meters Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yulong Snow Mountain) to the south and 5396 meters Haba Snow Mountain (Haba Xueshan) to the north. Legend says that in order to escape from a hunter, a tiger jumped across the river at the narrowest point, hence named Tiger Leaping Gorge and the stone called Tiger Leaping Rock. No matter you visit Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge or Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge, you can catch the best sight of the two snow mountains.

Enjoyable Hiking Experience at Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Around 17 kilometers in length, Tiger Leaping Gorge is divided into three parts: Upper Gorge, Middle Gorge and Lower Gorge. Travelers can hike from Upper Gorge to Lower Gorge, or from Lower Gorge to Upper Gorge. Even, many travelers choose one gorge to hike - Upper Gorge or Middle Gorge.

▶ 3 Days Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking Tour

▶ 4 Days Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking Tour with Lijiang Highlights

Upper Gorge is 9 kilometers from Hutiaoxia Town. The famous scenic areas of the Upper Gorge are the mouth of Tiger Leaping Gorge, making it the narrowest section. The hiking trail is plank road which is are suitable for hiking no matter you are elder or young people. It takes about two hours to hike Upper Gorge. Most travelers who have limited time will choose to visit Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge on the way between Lijiang and Shangri-La.

Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge

Middle Gorge is 33 kilometers from Hutiaoxia Town. Hike downhill from Zhang’s Guesthouse, then you need to hike about 1~2 hours to the bottom of the gorge - Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge. There are two famous high ladders connecting upper place to lower place because of no available road. Get down to the river side, you will see the Jinshan River shrinks in a narrow valley, and get blocked by several huge stones. Listen to the deafening voice of water flapping at the stones, and explore the nearby. From the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge, you have two choices: back to Tina’s House or Halfway Guesthouse, and transfer back, or keep hiking to next destination – Hetaoyuan. For those who are hike down from Zhang’s Guesthouse to the Middle Gorge and transfer back via high lappers, it takes about 3 hours all the way. For the road is steep and muddy, please consider your physical condition if you want to hike this path.

Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge

Lower Gorge is 5 km away from Daju. It is less crowded and traveled by less people. Travelers can hike from Daju to Lower Gorge or from Middle Gorge to Lower Gorge. If you come from Middle Gorge, it takes 3 hours from Yixiantian to Hetaoyuan. After get to new ferry dock, get a ferry across to Daju. A scenic and relaxing journey ends to the hike. Very few travelers choose to hike Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge.

In this morning, drive from Lijiang to Qiaotou. Departing from Qiaotou, buy the ticket, then walk a few minutes to the High Road which refers the hiking paths on the upper region of mountains. You will hike about 1.5 hours to Naxi Family Guest House. Keep hiking from Naxi Family Guest House, then you need to climb up some steep narrow paths, such as the challenging hiking section of Tiger Leaping Gorge - the 28 Bends. Keep hiking until you reach Tea & Horse Guest House. Hike another 2 hours to Halfway Guesthouse. Accommodate in Halfway Guesthouse.

Day 2: Hike from Halfway Guesthouse to Lower Gorge

On this day, you will descend for about 1.5~2 hours to Tina’s Youth Hostel first, and then takes about 1 hour or so to travel down to Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge. Tina’s Hostel is settled on the highway. The last part of trail, which will take you down below the highway to the raging river far below, is not officially built but built by the locals, so there may be a slight fee about CNY 10~15 per person charged on each route. There are 3 routes for you to choose, and normally hikers prefer the Teacher Zhang’s Path more, which is relatively safer. If you want more adventurous experience, you can also try the rickety straight up and down by the iron ladders.

After the sightseeing, you are required to hike up to the highway and catch a bus near Tina’s to get out the Tiger Leaping Gorge Scenic Area from Qiaotou.

At Lijiang Bus Station, travelers can take bus to Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge at 08:00 and 08:30. For travelers who want to get to Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge, you can first reach Hutiaoxia Town and then hire a car to the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge. Hutiaoxia Town is 9 km from Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge and 33 km from Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge. Also, buses are available at Lijiang Bus Station to Daju. It takes about 2 hours from Lijiang to Tiger Leaping Gorge. To leave Tiger Leaping Gorge, travelers can takes buses from Tina’s House, Hutiaoxia Town and Daju.

Shangri-La to Tiger Leaping Gorge: 

From Shangri-La to Tiger Leaping Gorge: At Shangri-La Long-distance Bus Station, travelers can take bus to Hutiaoxia Town first and the hire a car to Upper or Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge. It takes about 2 hours to Hutiaoxia Town. There is no direct bus to from Shangri-La to Daju.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is a mountain massif near Lijiang. It is the southernmost glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. There are 13 peaks all together and the group of mountains stretches about 35 kilometers from north to south. The highest peak is named Shanzidou at an altitude of 5,596m. On the eastern side of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, there is a deep valley where the Yangtze River runs. Tiger Leaping Gorge is in the northern part of the valley and Yuhu Village Is located in the south of the valley. Travelers can see Jade Dragon Snow Mountain over Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yuhu Village, Black Dragon Pool Park and other locations.

▶ Learn more about: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

▶ 3 Days Lijiang Cultural & Natural Tour with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Haba Snow Mountain

Haba Snow Mountain is a mountain in southeast of Shangri-La, rising above the northwest side of Tiger Leaping Gorge, opposite off Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, with the highest peak of 5,396 m. It boasts glaciers, lakes and waterfalls and contains one of the best preserved nature reserves. Each year from June to August, millions of azaleas are in blossom. To avoid the rainy season, the best time to travel Haba Snow Mountain is mid-March to June, mid-September to mid-December.

Normally, most part of travelers will choose Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking as a part of their Lijiang trip. They first enjoy about 2 days’ exploration in Lijiang to discover Lijiang Old Town (Mufu Palace), Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Shuhe Old Town, Dongba mural paintings, Black Dragon Pool, etc. for a classic savory of this romantic ancient city. Then, traveling out of Lijiang City, you’ll visit the First Bend of the Yangtze River and then make the visit to Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Hiking enthusiast? You are high suggested to add a 2-day in-depth hiking at Tiger Leaping Gorge into your trip. This hiking route is considered as one of the top 10 hikes in China!

▶ 3 Days Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking Tour

▶ 4 Days Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking Tour with Lijiang Highlights

Since Tiger Leaping Gorge connects Lijiang and Shangri-La together. If you have plans to visit the gorge, why not spending 2~3 days more to Shangri-La? Songzanlin Monastery and Pudacuo National Park also await your visit!

▶ 5 Days Lijiang & Shangri-La Highlights Tour (Lijiang / Shangri-La)

▶ 6 Days Best of Yunnan Tour (Lijiang / Shangri-La / Kunming)

▶ 8 Days Classic Yunnan Tour (Kunming / Dali / Lijiang / Shangri-La)