Tiger Leaping Gorge was one of my favorite places in Yunnan. The entrance is about two hours from Lijiang. The trail to hike in starts here, in Qiaotou. You can also take a bus directly to the Middle Gorge, but it’s a much better adventure to hike in!
I arranged a bus through my hostel which went directly from Lijiang to Qiaotou. I was able to leave my larger backpack on the bus to be sent to Tina’s in Middle Gorge so I only had to carry enough with me for one night. Many people also left their bags in Qiaotou as the bus back out from Tina’s will stop there to let people retrieve their stuff.
I found the first part of the hike to be the most difficult. After walking about 45 minutes up the road from Qiaotou, the Upper Trail begins, arching sharply up the mountain. It climbs for a solid hour or so before leveling out. I hadn’t expected to be so impacted by the altitude here, but I found it difficult to catch my breath up the slope and had to stop to rest several times. After the first hour, the trail levels out until you reach Naxi guesthouse, which is a great place to stop for lunch. Just after Naxi is the 28 bends, the steepest uphill climb on the trail, with 28 switchbacks to the top. I found this section to be a little easier than the first part of the trail, perhaps because the bends made natural resting points, or perhaps because I was starting to grow accustomed to the altitude.
There are several guesthouses to stop at along the trail. I stayed at Halfway Inn (which in truth is more than halfway through the trail). It was very nice, with a large deck overlooking the gorge, clean dorms, good food, and friendly people.
After sleeping nearly 12 hours (I understand why they call sunset hiker’s midnight – I was too tired to stay awake after evening hit), I got an early start down the final 2 hours of the trail to Tina’s guesthouse. From here, it is another 3 hour loop to hike down into the gorge itself, close to the river. It is a steep trip but definitely worth it to see the gorge up close after walking along the upper trail for a day and a half.
Tina’s offers a free shuttle that will take you to the end of the Middle Gorge trail, where you descend sharply for about 45 minutes. From there, the trail follows above the river. There are two ways to get back up – going back the way you descended, or taking the sky ladder. The sky ladder is maintained by the villagers, not the government, so you have to pay 15 yuan to use it, but it is a fun experience to climb up nearly vertically from the river.
I returned to Tina’s in plenty of time to catch the afternoon bus to Shangri-la, bringing my Tiger Leaping Gorge adventure to a close. It was definitely one of the most rewarding parts of my trip though, with beautiful scenery and plenty of fellow travelers to talk to along the way!
The trail for Tiger Leaping Gorge starts in Qiaotou, about two hours from Lijiang. Most of the hostels in Lijiang will offer a bus that will take you directly to Qiaotou. This tends to be an easy and fairly cheap option as the bus will pick up travelers from several hostels and hotels.
There is also one daily bus from Lijiang to Tiger Leaping Gorge leaving around 8:30 a.m from the Lijiang bus station.
The bus will stop at the entrance to the Tiger Leaping Gorge scenic area, where you will have to pay for a ticket (around ¥65).
The bus will take you to the bottom of the road that leads to the beginning of the hike. You’ll climb up the paved road for about 45 minutes before you reach the start of the trail. At this point, be sure to take the upper trail for the beautiful views and hiking experience – the dirt path starts climbing immediately uphill so you’ll know you’re on the right trail!
- Don’t take the altitude lightly! Even if you are an experienced hiker, you’re likely to feel out of breath on this hike. Take it slowly and allow yourself time to rest (there’s plenty of views to enjoy so drink it all in!)
- If you’re hiking in the off season, don’t count on being able to buy water on the trail (many of the vendors don’t bother to hike up there in the off season). Pack what you think you’ll need for the day (you’ll be able to replenish at your guesthouse).
- If you are staying in a dorm, I’d recommend skipping Tea-Horse and pushing on to Halfway. The dorms at Tea-Horse are grungy, with a door that has to be held shut with a slat of wood, no lockers, and only outdoor toilets. I’m usually not too picky, but after seeing them, I decided I had enough energy to walk another 1.5 hours to Halfway. The dorms there were great, with a beautiful view of the mountains and an ensuite bathroom.
- Be sure to do the hike down into the gorge once you arrive at Tina’s – it’s a beautiful contrast to be so close to the water after hiking high above it for two days, and the sky ladder is quite the experience!
