One of the most beautiful views I have ever seen in my life is the Tiger Leaping Gorge located in the Yunnan province of China near Lijiang City. Going as tall as about 1800 meters high, this natural beauty sits at the bottom of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and is even considered to be in the top 10 of the world’s most famous hiking trails!

I am so excited to share my experiences of the Tiger Leaping Gorge with you, but note that especially with this place, it’s better to see the true beauty of the Tiger Leaping Gorge with your own eyes :)

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Three Parallel Rivers UNESCO Heritage Site

The Tiger Leaping Gorge was given the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003 with it being part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas. In addition the Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the deepest gorges in the entire world being around 3,790 meters deep if you’re counting from the peak of the mountain range.

Looming over the Gorge, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

tiger leaping gorge jade dragon snow mountain — *Can you see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain? It’s barely peaking through the clouds*

If you’re lucky and on the days you’re visiting the skies are clear, you’ll catch a glimpse of the 5,596 meter tall Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, part of the Yulong Mountain Range which is the highest point in Yunnan, China, also a popular tourist attraction that you must visit ;)

On the other side of the gorge, the 5,396 meter tall Haba Snow Mountain also overlooks the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Words and pictures can’t fully describe the breathtaking views and feelings that you’ll experience when your in the middle of the gorge. I’ll do my best to showcase that in this post but I implore you to go to the Tiger Leaping Gorge and experience this wonder of nature yourself!

The “Tiger” in Tiger Leaping Gorge

You might be wondering about the funny name, well the “Tiger Leaping” comes from the a legend or saying that in order to escape the local hunters in the area, Tigers would “leap” over the narrowest points of the river that runs at the base of the gorge, thus the name Tiger Leaping Gorge came to be.

As for actual Tigers? There’s none in the area. There is however a couple of statues of tigers dotted at various points of the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Exploring the Tiger Leaping Gorge

tiger leaping gorge ice cream — *Nothing like the most artificial strawberry ice cream at the world’s deepest gorge*

Alright enough with the boring information, let’s get to actually exploring the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

When you arrive at the gorge, you’ll be at the visitor center, where you can buy entrance tickets that goes for 65 RMB per person. Here is where you’ll also be able to buy some snacks like ice cream, drinks, and more.

This is Feastography so you know I got to get a cheeky little strawberry and vanilla ice cream here, although it tastes very artificial… If you’ve been to Japan, this ice cream tastes nothing like Japanese soft serve, though it looks the same…

Anyways, To be honest the view from the visitor center is already beautiful and if you’re just going to admire the scenic views from up here, it’ll be totally worth it. However the Tiger Leaping Gorge consists of 4 levels.

Don’t worry you won’t be walking down, instead you’ll be riding 4 sets of very loooong escalators down to the bottom, between each level there is a small platform for taking pictures as well.

At the base of the Tiger Leaping Gorge visitor center, is a platform where for taking pictures and admiring the gorge’s river up close.

Along the walking platform there are various signs that I found quite disturbing… These signs read “Everything is possible as long as you love life”… I guess in the past some dark incidents happened at the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Aside from that, you’ll notice at the longer stretches of the walkway along the railings are locks. With the end of the walkway having a tunnel of locks. These locks are from couples or lovers who write their name on these locks and attach them to the railings to signify their everlasting love.

The cliff faces of the Tiger Leaping Gorge is very impressive, sharp angles in the rocks and boulders make the scene feel very clean and pristine despite the raging river water flowing through them.

On the opposite side of the viewpoint you’ll notice the hiking trail for the lower levels of the Tiger Leaping Gorge as well as a statue of a tiger nestled into the cliff face.

Hiking the Tiger Leaping Gorge

Yes, you can hike the Tiger Leaping Gorge, although I didn’t go for a hike because I had no time.

The Tiger Leaping Gorge’s hiking trail is about 17 kilometers in length and is separated into 3 parts: the Upper Gorge, the Middle Gorge, and the Lower Gorge.

Although 17 kilometers sound like one hell of a hike, it isn’t. In fact it’s pretty chill, you don’t need any special gear or any camping equipment, all you need is some healthy legs and some determination. The total time it takes to hike the whole trail is about 7-9 hours so uhh… break a leg?

If you’re looking for more information about the Tiger Leaping Gorge’s hiking trail, I recommend you read this very informative source, they do a better job of explaining the hiking trail than I ever could.

Details About Tiger Leaping Gorge

The Tiger Leaping Gorge is a popular tourist attraction in Yunnan, China. It’s one of the deepest gorges in the world being at around 3,790 meters deep and is surrounded by the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to the south and the Haba Snow Mountain to the north. For the majority of tourists, the Tiger Leaping Gorge is a viewpoint, but for others it is also a 17km long hiking trail.

There is a large number of tourists here so be prepared for large crowds.

Location: Shangri-La City, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, China, 674402

Opening Hours: 9:00 AM - 6:00PM | Mon - Sun

Entrance Fee: 65 RMB

How to get to the Tiger Leaping Gorge from Lijiang City

If you’re coming from Lijiang City the Tiger Leaping Gorge is about 80km away, you can take a bus at Lijiang Bus Station to Hutiaoxia (also known as Qiaotou) County. The journey will take approximately 2 hours and the bus fare is 33 RMB.

The bus from Lijiang Bus Station only operates at 8:00 AM and 8:30 AM.

Looking for Things to Do in Yunnan, China?

6 Day Shangri-La in Dali, Lijiang, Yunnan Tour - Encountering Cangshan Erhai Lake & Climbing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain & Viewing Rizhao Jinshan Mountain
5 Day Once in a Lifetime Yunnan Tour - Yubeng Village, Ancient Temples, Rizhao Jinshan Mountain

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