Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the most popular trekking destinations in Yunnan Province and throughout Southwest China. Any Yunnan guesthouse has a description of this trekking at its reception, the Internet is full of photographs and diagrams, guidebooks delight with verbose descriptions. It is even more surprising that the trekking is practically deserted. In the gorge itself, as a rule, there is not a soul, only the wind howls and swirls around the rocky ledges. The thing is that for some reason this attraction is not suitable for domestic Chinese tourism. Probably because here you have to walk for 2-3 days, gaining altitude on a fairly steep climb, and spend the night in some village guesthouses. The Chinese tourist is not ready for this. And only a European, an American or some random Japanese stomps along the path hanging over the giant abyss of the gorge. This seems surprising, but even I, who is not a fan of repeating myself in my travels, am walking here for the third time. More often I only visited Elbrus.
The gorge is formed by the Yangtze River (here it is called Jinsha) cutting its way between two mountain ranges. The massifs are crowned with majestic five-thousanders: Haba 5400 m (northwestern coast) and Yulong Xishan 5500 m (southeastern coast). The river itself flows at a level of approximately 1000 meters and, accordingly, it turns out to be a gorge 4 kilometers deep and about 20 kilometers long. According to legend, one day a tiger here managed to jump from one bank to another. Which was the reason for the name of the gorge. How did he manage to do this? The width of the river in the driest time of the year (January) here did not seem to decrease anywhere to less than fifty meters. Obviously, the tiger was helped by a giant stone stuck in the middle of the riverbed, surrounded by wildly churning foamy water. In this case, the tiger had only twenty meters to fly. However, it remains a mystery how he managed to cling his claws to the absolutely stone and vertical opposite bank. Well, let it be his little tiger secret. Such helper stones can be identified in two or three places in the gorge. It is to the first of them that buses filled with Chinese tourists arrive, who crowd into the observation deck, photograph the stone and leave for a further tour with full confidence that they have visited the Tiger Leaping Gorge. However, according to most guidebooks and local residents, the tiger was jumping in another place, much further downstream, already at the very end of the walking track. To get to this stone you need to go down for a long time, often simply along vertically hanging stairs. The traveler is surrounded by darkness and cold. Direct sunlight penetrates to the bottom of the gorge for just a few minutes a day. At first this path is constantly closed, you have to wait for sunrise, go down for an hour and go up for two. In general, it takes half a day to do this, which is why I never went down. There is a lot of beauty in Tiger Leaping Gorge even without this stone.
The first rays of the sun
The beginning of the way. We are just entering the Gorge from the upper side. Wires thrown across the gorge are visible.
 The Jinsha (Yangtze) is noisy below |  Waterfall falling on the path |
We started trekking so early that we honestly didn’t find the ticket office, the barrier, the ticket office, or anything like that. Perhaps the whole point is that the area is deeply rural and we simply passed through the wrong field, or that it’s not the season. The main season here is April-May, when the entire gorge is green and immersed in flowers. Our January gorge turned out to be more yellow than green, with a lot of dried grass and bushes. But the waters of Jinsha turned out to be a completely normal greenish-light green color. In contrast to the bright yellow-orange color in October 2006. Mornings arrive differently in different parts of the gorge. It all depends on the relief of the mountain range on the opposite bank. The sun appears from there, cutting through the gray, cold reality with its bright rays. As soon as this happens, every traveler caught at different points on the trail stops and begins to change clothes, it becomes so hot. It was while trekking along Jinshi (though not on this one, but on the next one) that the thermometer showed a record for the trip plus 30. After freezing on cold nights in neighboring Sichuan, this was a pleasant surprise for us.
There are many maps of this gorge. Absolutely all of them do not correspond to the area in scale and orientation. These are diagrams that belong to a specific guesthouse, where this guesthouse will be prominently highlighted, so that one gets the feeling that it is impossible to pass through the gorge without spending the night in it. However, schematically, all objects are usually located correctly and the distance between them is indicated, measured “in hours of walking.” There are three paths into the gorge. The lower one is for vehicles, the upper one is for pedestrians, and the top one. Finding the latter is not easy, and walking on it is absolutely not recommended for anyone. The path there is not clearly laid out, cattle do not walk along it, tourists periodically climb there (either by mistake or on purpose) and often die by falling into an abyss somewhere. The topmost path is not indicated on all diagrams.
Trekking can be done in two directions. Down the gorge and up. This is if you look at the flow of the river, and relative to the difference in altitude, then in both cases the traveler first faces a difficult climb up, then a long transition with minor fluctuations in height, and at the end - a descent down. On the way down the gorge (from Qiaotou to Dazu), we have a more convenient transfer to the beginning of the track, and a completely unpredictable exit from it. In the Dazu area, the crossing may or may not work, and one bus leaves from Dazu itself per day, and in general, finding someone to pay for transportation to civilization from here will be extremely problematic, but we managed (more on that later). But the undoubted advantage of leaving Dazu (and not entering it) is that you don’t have to buy some kind of obscure, but very expensive ticket (in 2006 it cost 250 yuan). This is not a ticket to the Tiger Gorge at all, but to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Reserve, which a traveler heading to the Tiger Gorge usually simply passes through. The road in this place consists of two one-way traffic lanes distant from each other, and there is a barrier with a ticket office only on the road where there is traffic from Lijiang to the north. If you don’t cross the Jinsha, then sacrificing a ride on a beautiful rusty barge with an ancient engine and the pastoral landscapes of Dazu, you can go further north to Shangri-La, past the travertine fields of Baoshatui and the natural park with the Pearl Pagoda Lake and others. The road there is not very popular, you need to look for transport much in advance (even in Lijiang). However, this is all a separate story. We decided to extend our trip by ferry through Jinsha and further to the northeast.
Flying from shadow to light...
One of the "beer" villages
Goat on the slope. It couldn't have happened otherwise without a panda...
When going up the gorge (from Dazu to Qiaotou), we have a confident and problem-free exit from Qiaotou in any direction (north towards Shangri-La or south towards Lijiang). I also liked the trekking in this direction more. Although, of course, there were such factors as: the first acquaintance with the Gorge and a more humid (green) period of the year. But for example, there is a waterfall that falls right onto the path. It is beautiful, like everything around, but if you also cross it in direct sunlight (not in the shadow of the surrounding slopes), then the waterfall immerses the traveler in an aura of rainbows, formed, as with all waterfalls, in fine water dust. The only problem is that direct sunlight falls on the waterfall here, it seems, no more than 4-5 hours a day, and you can only get under it by going out in the morning from Dazu (namely Tina Guesthouse). In general, it is very difficult to pass under it: you have to wait for a calm and then run quickly. If a powerful wind blows, then you instantly get wet on the approaches, because... You are covered with a plume of water. Also, going in this direction, we find that the powerful and labor-intensive climb of “24 turns” becomes a descent. A similar climb was made early in the morning, with legs full of strength after sleep and breakfast. Walking in the other direction, you do not approach the “24 turns” immediately, but are already slightly exhausted and scorched by the hot sun. However, we, who have already trampled the Emeishan monorail, the climbs in Huanglong and Hua Shan are not intimidated by some “24 turns”, we easily rise up.
Even lighter and faster, overtaking the travelers, some old woman, hung with baskets, rushes. The reason for such a rush becomes clear: once tourists are on the trail, it’s time to organize some kind of service. Having barely overtaken us by 500 meters, the grandmother tripled in size and laid out a bunch of souvenirs for sale, as well as cooling drinks. But all we bought from her after a long trade was a little ganja. However, the trip was so interesting and exciting that somehow I didn’t even manage to finish this purchase. A week later, before entering the Kunming airport, half an hour before departure, the biggest fans feverishly finished off the remaining weed into joints and smoked, but did not manage to smoke it all. It’s good that we caught the plane at the last moment.
At the very top of “24 turns” is a new headstock. This time she is selling “View of the Proval”, or more precisely, a view of the gorge. We refused to purchase, climbed onto a higher rock and took the “View of the Proval” completely free of charge. The views must be said to be absolutely impressive. We could sit and watch them forever, but it’s time for us to go. Around a new turn in the path there’s a new view, and we’re off again. A bamboo forest flashed by and a village appeared. I called it “The First Beer Village”. Firstly because it was the first of three villages on the way, and secondly because in such villages there will definitely be a guesthouse with a wooden table in the open air. There will be another beautiful view from the table, this time flavored with a cold Dali beer. After the first bottle there will be a second, and then perhaps a third. You definitely don’t want to go further, but you have to. Someone has already gone ahead, but I don’t want to remain forgotten and get lost in this infinitely diverse China. Go ahead. It should be noted that we scattered along the Tiger Leaping Gorge trail for a couple of hours (between the first and last), but it was not difficult to meet at the end. As you might guess, the First Beer Village was followed by the Second Beer Village and the Third Beer Village. The fourth was a settlement, where the path finally descended to the road, which in turn, bending repeatedly, rose upward. This settlement is home to the wonderful Tina Guesthouse. The end of the walking part of the path. The descent takes place in the already dark with the powerful accompaniment of the howling wind. The sun is leaving, the rocks are cooling, and so is the air. There is a redistribution of air flows in a narrow gorge. It’s dry and columns of dust are rising. You feel like you’re not quite old yet, but at the finish line sand just pours out of all parts of your body.
one of many gorge schemes
Tiger jumping place (fake, for bus tourists, closer to the upper entrance to the gorge)
This is how they store corn in villages
At a rest stop, a watering hole...
In principle, you can go further along the road to the crossing, and many do so. But there is already road asphalt (sometimes covered with rockfalls and landslides), and in principle there is nothing new. The entire trek is easily completed in 7-8 hours on foot (from Qiaotou to Ting), although some foreigners were surprised at such speed, they usually walk here for 2 days (staying at the Halfway Guesthouse in the Second Beer Village). In 2006, Troshchenko completed this entire trek in 4 hours, but then Troshchenko, he doesn’t drink beer...
There may be a traffic jam along the way. Namely, on a narrow shelf around the bend a herd of goats will come out to meet the traveler. They fill absolutely the entire space, it seems that there is nowhere to go. However, when they encounter an obstacle, they confidently go around it, climbing walls higher or lower. It’s scary to look at them, but goats know how to do this, they are no strangers to it. It’s a completely different matter - horses or cows, the herd is like a stream of water, smoothly bending around an obstacle, sometimes wiping its sides on the traveler. In 2006, a lathered donkey flew towards us from around the corner, fearfully rolling its bulging eyes. Luggage in the form of backpacks and baskets flew off the donkey in different directions. We barely had time to jump to the side, thank God the slope in this place allowed us to press ourselves against the wall... Five minutes later, a lathered donkey driver ran by, and an hour later we met relaxed walking Europeans - the owners of the backpacks.
Lower road
Rocky grandeur... Height difference 4.5 km
Opposite Tina Guesthouse, blocking all the sky above and all the abyss below, stands the rocky grandeur of the opposite shore of the Gorge. You can sit on the terrace endlessly and peer into these cliffs. The wall silently breathes in response and the observer realizes with horror all his smallness and insignificance in comparison with the wild geological and hydrological forces that created this world. Despite the fact that the tops of the mountains are at an altitude of 5500 meters, there is no snow and glaciers. It just doesn't stay on a vertical wall. On the opposite side, facing Lijiang, there is enough snow and glaciers...
Tina's hosts are very funny and pleasantly sociable, despite the fact that only one young girl speaks English. The Chinese here, young and old, constantly play mahjong or cards, and perhaps watch their television series. You get into their family, like some distant relative or acquaintance, they don’t surprise you and don’t turn their attention away. They are surprised to the point of uncontrollable laughter by something completely different: these laowai are sleeping together on the bed! Wow. And it’s also surprising that one of them is here for the third time. And perhaps not the last. Nice place, come back here and come back...
Photos used
In the southwestern part of China, in the Sino-Tibetan Mountains, the famous Yangtze River flows through the beautiful Hutiaoxia Gorge. But this place is better known as Tiger Leaping Gorge.
A 15-kilometer stretch of the river separates the Yulongxueshan mountain range (up to 5596 m high) and Habashueshan mountain range (up to 5396 m high).
Tiger Leaping Gorge on the map
- Geographic coordinates 27.216974, 100.134853
- The distance from the capital of China Beijing is about 2000 km
- The distance to the nearest airport in Lijiang County is approximately 60 km
The gorge is located in Yunnan province, 60 kilometers north of the city of Lijiang.
The name of the gorge comes from an old legend. Once upon a time, one very fast and dexterous tiger, fleeing from hunters, was able to jump over the river in a place where its width was as much as 30 meters, and in the middle there was a large stone. The tiger saved his life, and the gorge became known as Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Observation deck The Golden Sands River (as the Yangtze is called in this area) forms entire cascades of rapids here. They are quite dangerous to pass through, but this does not stop rafting enthusiasts.
The first attempt to overcome the gorge by athletes from China in 1980 ended in tragedy - the guys disappeared in the turbulent streams of water. They were never found. Another Chinese team conquered the river rapids in 1986. If you don’t need such extreme sports, then it’s better to pay attention to the Verdon Gorge in France.
Tourist access to Tiger Leaping Gorge was only allowed in 1993. There are two main routes: Upper and Lower. The lower one is a regular road. You can walk along this path. It is located close to the Yangtze River. Of course, it’s up to you to choose, but it’s still better to use the second option. The upper path runs along the left side of the gorge. A leisurely journey along it usually takes a couple of days. The views from this path are incredible, especially of the five-thousander mountains (well, it’s clear that this is their height, not their cost). You can spend more time hiking to truly enjoy the views. And for such sophisticated tourists, there are several guest houses along the way, similar to those on the way to the top of Fuji in Japan. These houses, guest houses (as they are called in English), are quite comfortable and inexpensive, although they look unsightly at first glance. And they were built in places where the view from the window never ceases to amaze the imagination. Rest and food here are organized quite well, literally and figuratively.
These guys will politely ask you to show your ticket. And they will also politely offer to buy it if you suddenly “forgot” to do so. There was a fee to enter the gorge. There are barriers, ticket offices and security on the road. And don’t try to enter the gorge without a ticket, it won’t work. Firstly, there are cameras installed at all entrances. Secondly, even if you slip unnoticed (as it seems to you) into the territory of the gorge, do not rejoice. The security doesn't eat its bread in vain. Most likely you will not be sent to prison, but they will politely ask you to purchase a ticket. So be wise and make sure you visit this beautiful place legally.
Walking along the paths of the gorge, you will probably notice interesting fields that are exactly like the rice terraces of the Huanglong Valley. True, here their area and size are much more modest.
The fields are very similar to the Huanglong Terraces Actually, what you think is actually the usual place of residence of the local population. Here, just like thousands of years ago, people live, grow grain, and now also work in the tourism industry. Indeed, since the official opening of the Gorge, there are more and more travelers wanting to wander through it every year.
You can only get lost if you try really hard. There are signs everywhere along the route. These are either red arrows on stones or ordinary signs indicating directions to guest houses and travel times. There is a place on the route called “28 turns”. It is considered the most difficult section on the route. But, overcoming it gradually, while admiring the surroundings, you are unlikely to feel overwhelmed. 
While walking and filling your camera with tons of pictures, don’t forget the basic rules of hiking. Experienced travelers advise taking plenty of water with you. Oddly enough, sunscreen will also be very useful, because these are mountains. And in the mountains, as you know, it’s very easy to get sunburned. And, of course, shoes should be comfortable and practical. The weather in Tiger Leaping Gorge is changeable - a jacket and a small set of warm clothes will not be out of place.
The best time for a hike is spring and early summer.
Tiger Leaping Gorge in the photo
But for local residents this is an ordinary landscape 
Tiger Leaping Gorge(Tiger Leaping Gorge) - how to get there, how much it costs, guesthouses, buses, etc.
I decided to write a post with technical information about the gorge, especially since when I was preparing, I didn’t immediately understand some points, especially how to leave there (the second day goes differently for everyone - some just leave Tina guesthouse, some go to a distant village, some easily find a bus, while others have problems).
I am writing what I know from our experience.
So - Tiger Leaping Gorge(Tiger Leaping Gorge)
Our route and travel time
We took our time, walked slowly, stopping to admire the views.
Judging by the photos, it turned out like this
1st day
7-30 We left Lijiang (or rather started to leave)
10-30 arrived at the trailhead in Qiaotou
12 reached 28 turns*
12-20 climbed (not sure, it seemed to me that the climb took longer)
16-30 checked into the Half Way guesthouse
2nd day
Left at 8am
10 reached Tina's guesthouse
10-40 We started going down to the river
11-30 We went down (it somehow took a long time, maybe because we were making a stop)
12-10 We started climbing to Walnut garden
13-40 we reached Walnut garden and went up to the road
14-20 Back to Tina
15-30 left by bus to Lijiang (the ride is at least 3 hours)
* 28 turns- quite a big climb. In front of it there is a mini-shop with a cafe. You can rest there and buy water. Expensive (it’s better to take water with you), but then there will be a large area without shops
Some prices
35 (210 rubles) bus ticket from Lijian to Qiaotou
65 yuan (390 rub.) - entrance to the gorge
55 yuan (430) ticket from the gorge (from Tina's GH) to Lijiang
10 yuan (60 rubles) platatza descent to the water itself
20 yuan (60 rubles) a pack of cookies before 28 turns
5 yuan (30 rubles) one (!) banana there
5 yuan 0.6 water in the same place
At the guesthouse half way
90 yuan (540 rub.) - room without shower-toilet (for two)
150 yuan (900 rubles) room with shower-toilet (for two)
13 yuan (78 rub.) chicken noodles
6 yuan (36 rubles) large bottle of water
10 yuan (60 rubles) Dali beer
15 yuan (90 rubles) pancake with banana
How to get to Tiger Leaping Gorge
We drove to the gorge from Lijian. From there, a bus goes to the gorge every morning, but I didn’t really understand where to catch it, so I asked about a transfer at the guest house (we stayed at Mama Naxi, I read that they also organize a bus to the gorge). Tickets cost 35 yuan (the standard price for this bus), and in the morning we and 2 other Europeans were escorted outside the old city to the place where a small bus stood. At about 7-30 we left, gathered more people along the way and went to Qiaotou - the village from which the trail begins.
There are several roads along the gorge
- Trekking trail (on the left bank) - we walked along it
- asphalted road on the left bank - we drove along it back to Lijiang
- an asphalt road below on the right bank (does not go along the entire gorge, but only at the beginning)
Trekking trail
Quite obvious, a lot of pointers and arrows. It goes approximately in the middle of the slope, above the road (until it descends to the Tina guesthouse). It seems that there is another path going higher, but we did not see it (it is not recommended to walk along it).
There are several guest houses on the trail, and apparently new ones are being built. Usually, if you leave in the morning, you spend the night in the Tea Horse or Half way guesthouses. It takes about an hour longer to get to the second one (this saves time on the second day) and I thought it was prettier.
Soon after Half way, a descent begins, which leads to a road on which the Tina guesthouse stands in this place (before the descent there was a fork - one path went to Tina, the other further down the slope. The fork is not very obvious, you can skip it. Where does it go? I don’t know the second path).
From Tina you can go back to Lijiang or Shangrila (the bus was at 15-30)
From the road near Tina you can go even lower to the river. I read (including on our map) that for the descent near Tina they charge 60 yuan (for organizing this trail), but we did not see where this descent was. We walked along the road a little further than Tina and reached the descent for 10 yuan near Sandy's GH (we also had a snack there with vegetable soup for 10 yuan).
paid descent
Map hanging near Sandy's GH (can be opened in a larger size)
Downstairs it's all business. There are several large stones in the river in this place - the one to the left with the bridge to the river is paid (I don’t know exactly how many), the one to the right of the river is free
And if you go even further to the right, they will first charge 5 yuan for a couple of flimsy bridges, and then after 10 meters they will ask for another 5 for a passage onto a stone or 10 for a passage further along the path. We spat and went back.
free stone
toll stone - 5 yuan to reach it + 5 yuan to go to it
You can go up either along the same path or go left (downstream) along another path. It's also paid. Information about payment was at the very beginning of the trail, but they didn’t take money there (either there was no collector, or they simply informed about the toll for the trail), we paid further on this trail. The trail is cool, at the beginning it is carved out of the rock, I didn’t mind paying. The path goes below the main road and rises to it already in Walnut garden. I liked it because of the lack of civilization in the form of pipes and wires.
The road is on the left side of the gorge.
The first day we walked above it, the second day below it. The road comes from Qiaotou, passes through Ting Guesthouse, which organizes buses back to Lijiang or Shangrila, and then goes to the Walnut garden village where several more guesthouses are located (Woody, Sean, Tibetian). Maybe you can leave there too, but I’m not sure. The road continues further, but we were no longer there. From Walnut garden we easily walked back to Tina (3 km). (Theoretically, along this road you can go from Tina to the beginning of the gorge to Qiaotou and look for a bus from there, it will take several hours)
How to leave the Gorge
We left from Tina guesthouse - 55 yuan, bus at 15-30, there was a stop near the beginning of the gorge at Jane's GH to pick up things, and then they took us to the old city
From Tina it’s also possible to go to Shangri La (also at 15-30, there was the same bus, I don’t know the price)
Is it possible to get free access to Tiger Leaping Gorge?
On bpclub.ru () I read stories about how people bypass the checkpoint so as not to pay for admission. It seems this topic was covered up - but they sold us tickets right on the bus.
Where to leave extra things?
When we arrived in the Gorge, we were dropped off at the beginning of the trail near Jane's guesthouse. We could leave extra things there (we simply left it in Lijiang and took only small backpacks). On the way back, buses coming from Tina guesthouse also make a stop here for people to take things.
Gorge map
All the maps that I have seen are diagrams like the one from Sande's - the main trails and points are indicated, some have the travel time between points)
I downloaded several from the Internet + they gave us a photocopy of a similar card at the Mama Naxi guesthouse (cards from the Internet were more convenient, but the photocopier was very fuzzy)
About Half way guesthouse in Tiger Leaping Gorge
Room without toilet 90 yuan. The toilet and shower are a bit far from the rooms, the passage is across the street, which is not very comfortable in the cold season. But the room has heated sheets - cool))
Double room with toilet-shower - 150 yuan
Chicken noodles - 13 yuan
Dali beer 10 yuan
The view of the mountains from the terrace is priceless))
Weather
We were there on May 6-7.
It was cool in the morning - we wore fleeces and jackets. Then it gets warmer, it’s even hot in the sun (especially during the climbs). It rained a little on the first day (if it had rained harder, there would have been terrible mud on the path - in some places on the path there was a layer of dry dust 3-4 centimeters high)
Eat and drink
Along the way there are guest houses where you can have a snack and small shops. The prices in the shops are not the cheapest, but we got water and cookies there. Before the "28 turns" in the canteen they told us that there would be nothing to buy further than 3 kilometers. It seems like they really weren’t lying, I don’t remember there being life there, so it’s better to stock up on water in advance, especially since the climb up there is not easy
Danger
We didn't see any really dangerous areas. But at the same time, sometimes people die there (they’ve been looking for some guy from Israel for 20 years now - there are fresh announcements that the family still hopes to find out what happened to him). Perhaps, during rain it can be slippery in places, especially on the descent, but the trail is quite decent, although it goes not far from the cliff.
Photos and story about our walk through Tiger Leaping Gorge
Light rain, damp clay underfoot, and we stubbornly climb the checkpoint mountains on the road to the gorge. Brothers, I can’t remain silent any longer. It seems like I’m climbing a mountain slope, admiring the beauty, but in reality I’m bypassing the ticket takers. It infuriates me that in China they want too much money for any attractions, natural parks, or any crap. I am ready to pay for the forbidden city, for the temple of heaven, for the terracotta army. But pay to walk through the mountains to strangers in a booth by the road? They have a friendly service there - if you ask, they give you a route map, which is printed free for tourists by the owner of the oldest guesthouse here, Sam. Sam actually made the trail popular among tourists about 20 years ago, and on the map, a mini-guidebook, he openly writes that these guys in the booth are just hangers-on who take money for nothing, without doing or doing anything, and without even bothering to translate nasty things written about them for yourself. Despite the fact that the ticket takers charge money at the entrance (50 yuan), there are plenty of other tricksters further along the trail.
On the morning of the second day, a local village woman overtook us - at an early hour she was in a hurry as if she were going to work. Indeed, it turned out that her workplace was very close. She wasn't collecting nuts or tending corn, she was sitting on one of the ledges of the trail and collecting money so that she could photograph the view from one of the protruding stones. The point of this simple, by the standards of Ostap Bender, income is that her family supposedly developed this place on the trail, but in fact it is the same trick with charging money for viewing the failure. We came upon a very funny moment - a village woman was almost throwing her fists at the tourists she came across who refused to pay for a photo from this stone.
And this is not an exception to the rule, on the contrary - there are enough such places in the gorge. Below, closer to the Yangtze, there are enough paths leading to the river, enticing with welcoming inscriptions, they say, welcome. In fact, a Chinese man is waiting below, who will demand money for the fact that you used his seemingly personal path.
Despite all these unpleasant things, the track is quite interesting. Of course, any hike in the mountains in Russia, whether in Altai, the Caucasus, Sayan Mountains or Ergaki, will be much more interesting and closer to wild nature. But there is some shade of ethnography here. Like, say, in the Ethiopian Simiens - there is little left of nature, but you can see how the peasants live. However, not all nature has been demolished yet, which means that you can take a couple of days off from Chinese cities.
The name itself, Tiger Leaping Gorge, as if taken from an average Chinese film, comes from a beautiful legend. The hunters pursued the tiger and drove it to Yandzy, but in the narrowest part of the gorge, where the width is 30 meters and a huge stone rises above the water in the middle, it escaped the chase by jumping over the river. If we assume that this is true, then it is not at all surprising that people have been retelling this story to each other for many centuries in a row. Because the river in this place is capable of grinding up not only a tiger, or a couple of hunters, but a whole herd of elephants in a few seconds.
However, now the place where the unfinished tiger jumped is not very interesting - Chinese tourists are brought there along an excellent asphalt road, which means we should stay away. The best thing is to walk along the upper path - from village to village, now going down, now up, there is a mountain road along which you can only walk. Waterfalls fall directly onto the trail, walnuts ripen on the trees, and on the slope there are thickets of bamboo, which make very comfortable trekking poles.
No tents or sleeping bags are needed. This is such a simple trekking for pensioners. Along the way you regularly come across guesthouses where you can have lunch and spend the night. Here, according to British scientists and the famous English traveler Michael Palin, there is a toilet from which the best view in the world opens. This alone is worth going to China.
You walk all the time along a path, in some places more well-trodden, in others less so. Sometimes it climbs upward in serpentines, gaining 500 meters at once, but for the most part it is quite flat.
The path following the mountains sometimes goes into the depths, sometimes on the contrary it comes out with ledges to the cliff, from where, as a rule, a beautiful view always opens.
It is in such places that the natives like to organize extortions, clear a path to a protruding toe, and take money for nothing.
From time to time the trail leads to villages. Peasants for the most part live a simple life, but there are also those who switch to serving tourists. They set up guesthouses, shops, and go out onto the trail with bottles of cold water and energy drinks for sale. What should supposedly make the route more pleasant and easier, in the end only harms. Because the more tourists, the more commerce, and the more commerce, the fewer tourists.
But for now, life is quite traditional - in the houses there are peppers and corn being dried, there are bags of walnuts, everything is homemade, the roofs are tiled
The famous "best in heaven and on earth" view from the toilet
It would probably be very romantic to sit there holding hands and watch the sunset
In some places the path goes through bamboo thickets
And even under a waterfall
About 100 kilometers northwest of the ancient city of Lijiang, between the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yulong Xueshan) and the Haba Snow Mountain (Haba Xueshan), lies Tiger Leaping Gorge. It is surrounded on all sides by snow-capped mountains. The gorge is so narrow that it seems that its walls rise vertically. It is the second deepest gorge in the world and consists of 3 sections - upper, middle and lower. The width of the gorge in the upper section is the narrowest - only 30m; here is the mouth of the Golden Sand River (Jingsha). In the middle of the river there is the “Leaping Tiger Rock”, 13 m long. Legend has it that one day a tiger, chasing its prey, jumped over this gorge using a rock lying in the river.
As the river flows into the middle section, its level gradually drops by 100 meters and its flow increases to enormous speed. Here the waters of the rapid current crash into large, sharp rocks and, falling down, form whirlpools. But the most breathtaking spectacle is the mountain whirlpools in the third, lowest section of the gorge.
The cliffs surrounding this section are even steeper and much more dangerous. Here the river's eddies and turns create high waves that crash against the mountain slopes with foam and splashes.
The gorge stretches approximately 15 kilometers in length, which provides an excellent opportunity to test yourself in rafting. Those who prefer a quiet holiday to extreme sports can peacefully “drift” on a raft in a section with a slow current.
In addition, this is one of the most famous trekking (mountain walking) routes in China. As you climb up the mountain along the hiking trail, you will see magnificent scenery - snowy peaks and bright blue skies above, forest on one side and waterfalls on the other. The trails are marked with signs that will help you figure out where to go and where you can rest or stay overnight (there are several guesthouses along the trail).
On the trail you will meet some representatives of the local Naxi or Yi people, who, for a fee, will offer you their help in accompanying and carrying your belongings.
The entire route - 22 kilometers - can be easily and pleasantly completed in three days with two overnight stays. Be sure to find a place to stay overnight before dark, as there is no lighting on the trail.
When going to Tiger Leaping Gorge, don’t forget your photo or video camera - the landscapes of the gorge are really worth capturing for a long time. Shoes should be comfortable, or even better, waterproof. If you plan to hike one of the mountain trails, purchase a Gorge map. They are sold in cafes and restaurants in Lingjiang. Do not go to the Gorge in bad weather, especially in the rain, because mudflows and landslides are possible in the mountains.
