The Tiger Leaping Gorge

Chinese name: 虎跳峡 (Hu Tiao Xia)  
Location: Hutiaoxia town, Shangri-La, Diqing Tibetan Prefecture, Yunnan Province.
Ticket: Entrance ticket CNY65.00
Estimated tour time: 2-3 hours
Recommended time to visit: Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct
Nearby attractions: The first bend of Yangtze River, Napa Lake, Dukezong Ancient Town, Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, Pudacuo National Park, etc.

About 60km north of the famous city of Lijiang, lies the magnificent Tiger Leaping Gorge, It rests gracefully in between the glorious Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the Haba Snow Mountain.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is the longest, deepest, and narrowest gorge in the world. Around 18 km in length, flowing through Shigu Town (Chigu means Stone Drum in Chinese) which is known as the First Bend of the Yangtze River, the Golden Sand River turns around up north in the crack between Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain from which a gorge is formed. The narrowest part is where Tiger Leaping Gorge located. 

The whole scape is divided into three sections with curving road of 25 km; they are the Upper Section, the Middle section and the Lower section. With Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to its east and Haba Snow Mountain to the west, the gorge has a drop of 3790 meters ; which is higher than the famous Hells Canyon in USA. The narrowest part of the gorge is only 30 meters wide. 

There is a legend that a tiger once jumped across the gorge by clearing the rock from which the name Tiger Leaping Gorge comes. The gorge is dangerous with standing reefs, 21 dangerous shoals, 7 drop-ridge of 10 meters high and 10 waterfalls. The fall from the Upper Gorge to the Lower reaches 210 meters with an average of 14 meters per Kilometer. The river is in various states; sometimes it gallops with random stones and flying waves; sometimes it becomes misty with flying waterfalls; which forms a peculiar landscape.

●Tiger Leaping Gorge Trekking

Yunnan province, like much of China, is home to some of the world's most vast and beautiful mountains. The best part is that many of these mountains are great for hiking and The Tiger Leaping Gorge trek is no exception.

The Tiger Leaping Gorge trek is one of the finest treks through some of the most naturally beautiful and diverse landscapes China has to offer.

If you want to experience the stimulating gorge by yourself, hiking is absolutely the best way. You can walk on the path of Haba Snow Mountain or on gravel road. Generally, it takes about more than 2 days to hike along the gorge if you walk about 5 hours every day.

The upper route takes around 8-10hrs to hike in full, but most people split the hike up in two days staying at one of the many local guesthouses in between. The route is famous for its stunning cliff-face views, and is one of the best easily-accessible hikes in China.

Along the trek, you will encounter incredible views of the famous Yunnan mountains, waterfalls, indigenous cultures, and other adventurous travelers. The trail runs high on the northern side of the gorge passing through quiet villages, shady forest, blustery precipice and verdant terraced farmland. The snow covered peaks of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain shadow either side of the gorge.

● Best time to visit

With an average attitude of over 3300m, Tiger Leaping Gorge features constantly changing weather and temperature varies dramatically during day and night. You can experience four seasons within one day here. Coat, down clothes, gloves, anti-slippery boots, sunscreens, hats, sunglasses should be put on your list. June to September is the rainy season here. After October, it is get colder each day. You can time the visit during spring and summer. The weather is mild and the grasslands will be carpeted with colorful flowers. 

As for Tiger Leaping Gorge Trekking, it can be undertaken at any time around the year as it enjoys a mild climate even in winter (5-15 degrees Celsius), but the temperature difference of a day is great. Between April and June and the autumn time during September to October is the best time to travel. During these two periods it is suitable to go hiking on the Tiger Leaping Gorge, also can see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain scenery.