Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the deepest and most spectacular river canyons in the world. It is located in Yunnan Province, China, specifically in the middle reaches of the Jinsha River. It is nestled between Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (5,596 m) and Haba Snow Mountain (5,396 m). The gorge gets its name from a legend that a tiger once leaped across its narrowest point to escape hunters.

Tiger Leaping Gorge High Route Hiking is known as one of the world's top ten classic hiking routes, attracting numerous hiking enthusiasts.

For many years, I have always longed for the opportunity to challenge it myself. Just in April that has just passed, the long-awaited Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking finally came true. The Tiger Leaping Gorge hike was full of hardships and challenges. There were moments when exhaustion pushed me to the brink of giving up—yet in the end, it rewarded me with breathtaking views of mountains and river, and a true awe of nature's majestic craftsmanship. 

Day 1 / 21 April  From Naxi Yage Guesthouse to Half-Way Guesthouse, approx. 14km, 7 hour

We (Dutch client Marjolein and I) reached Naxi Yage Guesthouse by car. Firstly we inspected the rooms of Naxi Yage. This guesthouse has been renovated and the rooms look quite okay. Some of the rooms face away from the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Through the window, you can see the snow capped mountain peaks. In fact, we've found it may be a good idea to stay the one night here before the hike so that you can start hiking in the early morning when it is not so hot. 

Mostly, hikers start their hiking from Naxi Yage guesthouse where the altitude reaches around 2200 meters, so did we. At 11:30 we started our hiking, and the weather had turned very hot and blazing by then. The trail in front of us was a gradually ascending rocky dirt path. Soon, we encountered a distinctly ascending uphill section, a narrow winding and rugged dirt path with uneven stones. It was so difficult to climb up when the altitude reaches over 2200 meters.

After 40 minutes of strenuous climbing, we reached a resting point where is regarded as the starting point of the well-known “28 turns”. I was already exhausted, to be honest. 

Here, we could overlook the gorge and the Jinsha River at the bottom. Also, the high-speed railway bridge between Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain, which connects Shangri-La and Lijiang, looked more clear and grand. 

After a good rest, we started to hike along the section of 28 turns -- the most steep and challenging part of the trek. As its name suggests, the 28-turn section is shaped like a zigzag, winding and continuously ascending. I almost stopped to rest for a few minutes after each turn. I was glad I bought a bamboo walking stick and it was very helpful. After about an hour, I reached the summit of the 28 turns with an altitude of 2650 meters, having ascended a cumulative height of 450 meters. My legs felt like they were about to collapse. 

In return, we enjoyed the magnificent views over the gorge, the Jinsha river and the snow mountains. 

Our destination this day was Half-Way Guesthouse. From the top of 28-turns, we trekked along the ancient Tea Horse Road which was generally descending although from time to time we had to go uphill. We passed through the woods at times and walked along the cliff path. Then we reached the Tea Horse Inn after another 1.5 hours. There are some other guesthouses around besides Tea Horse Inn. Some hikers choose to sleep overnight here. There is a nice courtyard in this Inn.

After a short rest, we continued our way. We passed “Wang Xia Ya” (Watching Gorge Cliff), which looked like a profile of a person. (望峡崖）. 

Another two hours later, we arrived at the Half-Way Guesthouse finally. There was a large viewing platform in this guesthouse from where you could enjoy both of the Jade Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain, and the courtyard here was even nicer. We had mountain view rooms, so we could enjoy the view by sitting on the room balcony. The setting sun shines on the snow-capped peaks, turning them golden. Both of us got extremely exhausted. We deserved a good dinner and good sleep.

Day 2 / 22 April  From Half-Way Guesthouse to Tina’s Guesthouse, approx. 6km, 3 hour

After breakfast, again full of energy, we started hiking. 

We passed Dragon Cave Waterfall,

met alpine rhododendrons and blue sheep, 

and from time to time, we were accompanied by the gorge and river. 

The trail was much easier then the previous day. Around 3 hours later, we arrived at Tina's Guesthouse, where we had lunch. 

Right by the road below this guesthouse was the luggage storage place. Your luggage will be transferred here by the driver on the first day. It seems that there is no dedicated person to watch over the luggage, and it only relies on people's self-consciousness. 

Yours Truly

Sunny Qiao - Charmission Travel