Tiger Leaping Gorge is a stunning river gorge located by the upper Yangtze River Gorge. It is one of the deepest river gorges in the world with stunning views. Jinsha River (name of Upper Yangtze River) runs down from the bigger mountains of Hengduan Range and goes between Yulong Mountain and Haba Mountain for total 17km’s gorge with the highest altitude difference of from start to end over 200 meters. The top of the mountains are at over 5000m. Mt. Haba is 5396m and Mt. Yulong (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain) is 5596m while the river is at below 2000m above sea level.

Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking

Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking is one of the most popular hiking places in China and has long been the top hiking destination list. Some have suggested it is a must-do hiking for active travelers to China. The usual hiking is via the high trail of Tiger Leaping Gorge to better appreciate the wonder of the gorge. The trail high up on the mountain side provides splendid views of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain as well as views of the gorge itself below.

Highlights of Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking

The Gorge

Tiger Leaping Gorge is called "Hutiaoxia", meaning tiger leaps across the Jinsha River at its narrowest spot in the gorge. It is only a story of how the name comes from but it indicates how narrow the gorge is. Jinshan River drops 200 meters from the start of the gorge to the end of the gorge in only 17km. It is a drastic drop for any big river. The mountains above are Yulong Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain that are over 5000 meters, making the altitude difference from river to top of the mountains around 3900 meters total, one of the biggest in China. Tiger Leaping Gorge is in the core area of Three Parallel Rivers Nature Reserve in Yunnan. The hiking trail is on the high trail of Tiger Leaping Gorge while by the bottom of the gorge you can see the ranging water in close range. The part at the bottom of the gorge is divided into upper gorge, middle gorge and lower gorge.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Mt. Yulong)

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is called Yulong Mountain. It is a massif located to the east of Tiger Leaping Gorge and north to the old town of Lijiang. The highest peak of Yulong Mountain is at 5596m and it is believed to be the southernmost 5000er in Asia and one of the few mountains that has glacier at such latitude. Jinsha River (upper Yangtze River) runs by its west and its east side is a popular tourist park. In Nakhi language it is called "Olu", meaning Mountain of Heaven, the protector of Nakhi People. There are total 13 peaks of Yulong Mountain with the highest called Shanzidou.

Mt. Yulong

Mt. Haba (Haba Snow Mountain)

Mt. Haba or Haba Snow Mountain is mountain located by the west of Tiger Leaping Gorge. Haba means ""Golden Flower". Mt. Haba is at 5396m above sea level, a total difference of over 3500m to the Jinsha River below. Mt. Haba is a popular mountain for amateur climbers. Mt. Haba is the southernmost part of the Shall Range in Hengduan Mountain Range on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Lower part of the trails in Haba overlap with the high trails of Tiger Leaping Gorge.

This part of Yunnan is home to the indegenous Nakhi or Nashi People. In Lijiang and around Lijiang including Tiger Leaping Gorge when you meet local people they are most likely Nakhi People. A lot of the hiking trails in Tiger Leaping Gorge are believed to be part of the Tea and Horse Caravan routes from ancient times.

Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking

How to Get to Tiger Leaping Gorge

Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking is relatively an easy hiking journey in China in terms of difficulty and access. Former travelers have left a large amount of information on Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking. It is relatively a well-developed hiking destination with many tourist facilities available and well-marked hiking route in China.

Lijiang is the nearest city to Tiger Leaping Gorge. Normally people who go to Tiger Leaping Gorge wills stop over by Lijiang. From Lijiang by driving it is 80km and takes around 1.5 hours to get to Tiger Leaping Gorge. There are flights to Lijiang everyday from major cities in China such as Shanghai, Beijing or Guangzhou. It is convenient to fly to Lijiang from basically all over China. There is also fast train available to Lijiang from Kunming or from Dali. Since 2020 the fast train railway of Lijiang has been connected to the national fast train railway system. Using fast train from Dali to Lijiang takes around 1.5 to 2 hours, from Kunming to Lijiang takes around 3-4 hours. From Lijiang there is daily bus to Tiger Leaping Gorge or you can hire a car to get there.

The other travelers’ city close to Tiger Leaping Gorge is Shangri-la City. From Shangri-la City to Tiger Leaping Gorge it takes around 2 hours by driving. There is also an airport in Shangri-la City that usually runs flights from Guangzhou, Kunming, Chengdu, etc. A lot of travelers will start from Lijiang and go to Tiger Leaping Gorge before continue to Shangri-la and more places in the north. From Shangri-la there is daily bus departs by 8:40am in the morning and goes to Tiger Leaping Gorge directly.

There has been some road constructions by the small town of Tiger Leaping Gorge where usually the hiking starts, making the walking by the beginning confusing or messy sometimes. But after 2022 it is better and the road can take you all the way to Nakhi GH and you can start the walking from there.

Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking Season

Lijiang and its surroundings has distinctive four seasons when moonsoon season is from June to September (mostly in July and August) under the warm current from south. It is considered having one of the best climate in China thought it rains sometimes in Summer. Prepare an rainproof when travelling in Summer time while Winter is also a good season for hiking. Sun proof is necessary. One can normally read weather forecast from Lijiang to tell the weather in Tiger Leaping Gorge since they are close to each other although in general Tiger Leaping Gorge is 3-5C warmer than that of Lijiang. And in summer time, the weather can be changing and weather forecast becomes less reliable. In Lijiang in summer the temperature is between 18 and 26C while in winter it is by average 4 to 12C. The dry season is from October to the next May.

Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking

Spring is from march to May when temperature is between 6 to 20C. It is usually sunny and warm. Summer is from June to August with average temperature between 15 and 26C. Usually you will have hot midday and possible changing weather of rain. Autumn is from September to November with average temperature between 10 and 22C in general. Winter is from December to the next February with temperature between 0 and 12C and usually dry and clear.

The best season to do hiking in Tiger Leaping Gorge is from October to the next May in general but the other seasons from June to September is also doable and the mountains are very green by this time of year. During day time the temperature is good and warm because of the sunlight. By night time and in the morning it can be chilling. When you walk by the higher part of the gorge it can be windy during cold seasons but when you walk by the bottom of valley it can be hot if you are traveling in summer time.

Planning Ideas

2-Day Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking from Lijiang is the classic hiking plan. It starts from Lijiang or the base of the gorge and walk up from Qiaotou to Nakhi GH where the trail begins. Walking up the 28 bends and over to Tea-Horse GH where people usually will stay for one night. The next day continue to Halfway GH and then down to Tina’s GH by the road. From Tina’s walking down the ladder down to the bottom of the gorge to see the raging river of Tiger Leaping Gorge.

The classic Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking takes only 2 or even 1.5 days total starting from Lijiang.

Normally people will also do visits to the nearby places of Interests including Lijiang Old City, Baishuitai Cascading ponds. The mountain above the high trail of Tiger Leaping Gorge is called Mt. Haba, a popular mountain to climb for beginners. There is also 2-day hiking from Haba village to Black Lake.

Another less-known hiking plan of Tiger Leaping Gorge is to combine Tiger Leaping Gorge to the Stone Village of Baoshan and then to Lugu Lake. This hiking takes around 6-7 days in total including the days in Tiger Leaping Gorge. It goes to the unique village that is built on a giant rock by the river side of Jinshan (Upper Yangtze) and the matriarchal Mosuo people by the beautiful Lugu Lake.

Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking Trails and Terrain

From Qiaotou to Sunrise GH (start of trail) it is 3km country road you can use a car to cover. From where you get off the car (around 2000m above sea level) it is around 3km to Nakhi GH. The trails are good trails but sometimes can be steep especially by the 28 bends. After Tea-Horse GH (Yacht Village) it becomes more gradual.

Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking

Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking

The total walking distance from start of trail by 3km above Qiaotou to Tina’s by the road it is total 20km. Plus the walking down to the bottom of the gorge after Tina’s via the ladders it is another 6-8km of walking along the Jinsha River by the gorge.

The entrance ticket costs 45 yuan per person. Keep your ticket in case of checking. After the ticket checkpoint there is still 2-3km on road that you can drive instead of walking especially when there is construction going on. By the beginning of the hiking there are sometimes local Nakhi people offering horse-riding services. You will start to see the peaks of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain 30 minutes after you walk on the horse trail.

The whole "high trail" of Tiger Leaping Gorge is well-marked in both Chinese and English, making itself one of the few hiking routes in China that has English signs for navigation.

From Tina’s (usual end of hiking) there are trails going down to the bottom of the gorge via the ladders. There are total three places where you can get down to the bottom of gorge. The "Sky Ladder", the "Thin Strip of Sky" and from "Mr. Zhang’s GH". Each places will charge for 15 yuan for using their ladders and trails down to the gorge. Sky Ladder is super steep that one has to use hands to hold on. A lot of people use one trail to go down and another to come up even if it means you need to pay twice. The trails by this part can be very steep and you always hear the thundering water below. This part of the hiking offers you chance to see the Tiger Leaping Gorge in a close range.

Highest elevation of Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking is at 2600m above the 28 bends. Lowest elevation of this hike is at around 2000m by start and end of hike. There is no risk of mountain sickness on a Tiger Leaping Gorge hike.

Food, Accommodations and Supplies

Guesthouses are available along the hiking trails of Tiger Leaping Gorge. All guesthouses also provide food. Food provided are usually local style but tasty. The usual guesthouses own by local Nakhi people include Nakhi Family GH, Tea-horse GH, Halfway GH, Tina’s GH, Mr. Zhang’s GH. In Yacha Village where the Tea-horse GH is located there are plenty of other guesthouses available too including Summit Inn, Yacht Mansion. In Bendiwan Village (5km after Yacha Village) there are some more guesthouses available including Halfway GH. Down by the road there are Tina’s GH and Zhang’s GH.

There are food stalls by the 28 bends. You are still recommended to bring enough food for lunches while hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge. This hiking is getting popular among domestic hikers in China and during hiking seasons some guesthouses maybe full so normally an early booking of guesthouse is recommended if you are traveling in busy season.

IAll guesthouses will have electricity, bathroom. Phone service is good for most part of the hiking although by some parts phone service may not be reliable.

Luggage, Porterage & Local Transfers

A lot of hikers will have one night stay up on the high trail of Tiger Leaping Gorge so normally some basic packing is necessary. If you are doing the 1 night 2 days hiking in Tiger Leaping Gorge you are recommended to do light packing for the hiking. If you are not able to do light packing for the hike then there are places where you can store your heavy and big luggage by Qiaotou, the small town by the beginning of hiking. Normally a lot of guesthouses have luggage store service that you store your luggage you won’t need during hiking and come back to collect after hiking.

This will also depend on your travel planning. For example if you are doing the Tiger Leaping Gorge + Baoshan Stone Village (+ Lugu Lake) hiking then you won’t come back to Qiaotou so you will need to find a way to get your overnight luggage to your overnight places. In an arranged tour by travel company this will usually be sorted with no problem and thanks to the roads that connect all the villages where the guesthouses are, it is rather easy to transfer your luggage to your guesthouse.

There are mules/horse offered by local Nakhi people usually by the beginning of hiking. You can also hire them to carry your pack if you don’t want to carry. Please note riding horse/mule can be tricky since the hiking trails can be steep sometimes.

Local transfer is usually involved for a classic Tiger Leaping Gorge. If you are using transfer from Lijiang then tell your driver to send you directly to the hiking trail starting point instead of the ticket office, from there it is still another 2km walking on road which is usually not very pleasant hiking. If you are staying by Qiaotou, the small town by the beginning of hiking, there are drivers you can find to send you to the hiking starting point. After the hiking by Tina’s GH or Zhang’s GH, you will also need to hire a local transfer either back to Qiaotou or back to Lijiang, or continue to the ferry to cross Jinsha River to Daju if you are doing a Tiger Leaping Gorge - Baoshan Stone Village - Lugu Lake hiking trip.

Local transfers are usually easy to find. Remember to settle the exact cost of money before using one. Local drivers have been helpful and friendly. A lot of guesthouses have information of local cars and drivers.

Basically there are 3 villages along the hiking trail of Tiger Leaping Gorge. The first one is Zhongnuoru by the beginning where Nakhi Family GH is located. The second village is Yacha where the Tea-horse GH is located. The third village is Bendiwan where the Halfway GH is located. All three villages actually have small roads connect to the bigger road by the bottom of the gorge so in case of any emergency one can be transferred down to road and back to Lijiang quickly.

Safety Issues

In general Tiger Leaping Gorge is a well-marked and frequently-walked hiking trail in Yunnan and even in China. After sufficient preparation the hiking is relatively easy and pleasant. However there are still things to take notes of while hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge. During summer time when or after rain, the trail can become slippery especially when some parts you will be walking on rocks. Normally you will see good views once in a while if not the whole time. Remember to stop while taking photos and never lose concentration while walking. Protect yourself against the sunlight when it is sunny especially when you are walking over the 28 bends. Try to make more stops if it is too hot and prepare sufficient drinking water and do not drink directly from the streams or waterfalls.

The scary part is when you go down the sky ladders to the bottom of the gorge when you can’t even hear each other talking due to the thundering water from Jinsha River. For this part we recommend you to stay focus while walking not only because of the steep trail but also the narrow parts.

Another safety issue is on the road while transferring to or from Tiger Leaping Gorge. Landslide is common here so you want to be careful when traveling in summer time.