All activities / Trekking / Hiking / Tiger Leaping Gorge
Trekking / Hiking in Tiger Leaping Gorge
One of the world's deepest river gorges, north of Lijiang in Yunnan, where a two-day cliff-edge High Trail runs above the roaring Jinsha River between two snow-capped ranges.
Why here
The High Trail through Tiger Leaping Gorge is China's most celebrated independent trek, and it earns the name. The path clings to the upper wall of a gorge cut by the Jinsha, an upper reach of the Yangtze, with the 5,596-meter Jade Dragon Snow Mountain on one side and Haba Snow Mountain on the other. Over two days you climb the famous 28 Bends, traverse Naxi farming hamlets, and sleep in family-run guesthouses hung above the drop, the river a constant roar far below. It has drawn walkers since the late 1980s and the trail is well marked and well fed, guesthouse to guesthouse, so a guide adds context and logistics rather than rescue. Late spring and autumn are clearest, with the summer rains left behind.
Best months
The trail is moderate but real: a long first-day ascent over the 28 Bends to around 2,600 meters, exposed cliff sections, and full days on foot. May, October and November are best; June to August brings rain that makes the upper path slippery and the side streams high. Nights are cool at altitude even in summer.
Getting there & around
Most trekkers start from Qiaotou, about two hours by road from Lijiang, and finish near Tina's Guesthouse in the middle gorge. Guesthouses along the High Trail handle meals and can move bags between stages. Guided departures from Lijiang or Shangri-La add transport and a local guide.
Skill levels: intermediate
Schools & guides (2)
Asia Odyssey Travel
OutfitterAsia Odyssey Travel is a large destination-management company with offices across Asia, offering private and small-group tours throughout China, including the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek and wider Yunnan. It arranges guides, permits, transport and accommodation on customisable itineraries, pairing the gorge with Lijiang, Shangri-La and other regional stops.
Yunnan Adventure Travel
OutfitterA Lijiang-based operator and one of Yunnan's leading local inbound agencies, Yunnan Adventure Travel has spent over a decade guiding the two-day Tiger Leaping Gorge high trail and wider trips across the province, from Meili Snow Mountain to the Honghe rice terraces. It builds private, customisable itineraries with local guides and handles gorge logistics and guesthouse stays.