Visiting Tiger Leaping Gorge in Qiatou and trek
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Translated into English.

Original post
MY
Hi everyone,

What do you think about visiting Tiger Leaping Gorge in Qiatou? Is it really worth doing? Is it overrated? And how difficult is the trek to get there? Thanks for your replies.
MO Monday Regular ·
Hi Myrlam,

We did this trek in 2013, and if things haven’t changed too much, I think it’s really worth the trip.

You can do this trek in 2 days if you complete the whole route. That means starting on foot from Qiatou and walking the first day to the guesthouse roughly halfway, where you can spend the night. The next day, continue on the dirt path and don’t take the winding road that starts a little past the guesthouse.

Alternatively, in 1 day, from the hostel "Jane’s Place" in Qiatou, you can take a minivan up the road to a pass where the cliffside trail begins—overlooking the roaring river below. On the other side, you’ll have a stunning view of at least five peaks over 5,000 m the whole way. It’s breathtaking... Once you reach the switchback road I mentioned earlier, you can descend that way (800 m of elevation drop, though) to meet the riverside road and see the "Tiger Leap Rock," which isn’t far. There are plenty of minivans on this road that pick up hitchhikers heading back to Qiatou.

Technically, it’s not too difficult for someone used to hiking. There are a few tricky spots, but nothing extreme. I think the highest point is around 2,700 m. It’s best not to go alone and to have everything in your pack in case of bad weather.

We were just the two of us and didn’t meet anyone along the way. It was a pretty impressive experience and so enjoyable because it’s rare in China to find real trails—still unpaved, without stairs or railings...

Happy hiking!
Aller jusqu'au bout de ses rêves est la plus belle des destinations
CR Croquignol Veteran ·
Hi there, The photos are gorgeous and the weather looks amazing. What season was this? Is it doable in winter too? Thanks
MO Monday Regular ·
We did this hike on November 13, 2013. At night it was cold and we asked for extra blankets. But during the day it was really nice out and the temperature was quite warm for that altitude.

I have no idea if it’s possible to do this trek in winter. It’d be best to check seasonal averages for this area on some websites.
Aller jusqu'au bout de ses rêves est la plus belle des destinations
MY Myrlam ·
Thanks so much for all these details—it’s exactly what I look for in a travel forum: real on-the-ground experiences and trustworthy firsthand accounts. Happy future travels!
CR Croquignol Veteran ·
We did this hike on November 13, 2013

In the meantime, apparently, the extension work on the train line to Shangri-La has really disfigured the entrance to the gorges: see this post 🏴‍☠️
PA Parigino Veteran ·
There are other posts that describe the hike starting from Lijiang pretty accurately. Happy researching to those interested! 🙂
DE Denisc Regular ·
Hi there, We were in the gorges on November 21st and 22nd. No regrets at all! More details on this blog: http://usautrans.com/ktoodenis/blog/
Les chiens aboient, la caravane passe .... http://usautrans.com/ktoodenis
BR Bruno31 Veteran ·
Hi there, I did this hike in 2016 over two days, and I have no regrets about it! Sure, there’s some elevation gain, but it’s totally worth it. On the first day, you see the site from above, and on the second day, you descend to the bottom of the gorge—it’s really impressive! You can find snacks along the way, and since there are other hikers, you don’t feel isolated even if you’re doing it solo like I was. For the second day, you don’t need to carry your backpack to the bottom of the gorge—you can leave it at Tina’s before descending. There’s definitely some elevation, and it climbs steeply at the start, but it’s nothing unmanageable. Still, be careful if you’re prone to vertigo (the ladder sections on the second day aren’t mandatory). Comfortable hostel halfway through (the Halfway, as the name suggests). Happy trails! !
Bruno
JI JianadaRen Globetrotter ·
We did this hike on November 13, 2013

Since then, apparently, the extension work on the train line to Shangri-La has really disfigured the entrance to the gorges: see this post 🏴‍☠️

I don’t think the account in that post is very reliable. I get the impression he didn’t do the trek but took the road instead.

Here’s a map that might be useful to someone: http://www.chinatouristmaps.com/travel/yunnan/lijiang-travel-maps/tiger-leaping-gorge-sketch-map.html
PA Parigino Veteran ·
The train’s arrival in Shangri-La obviously didn’t spoil the entrance to the gorges. On the other hand, it *did* spoil the arrival in Shangri-La 😕 (seen last summer)
CR Croquignol Veteran ·
Thanks for your blog—it’ll be super helpful for us since we’re following a pretty similar route, just a month later and with a few more degrees Celsius to chill 🙂

Quick question about the Yubeng trek and the Ninong–Yubeng section. We were planning to take that route up. Some sites mention a cliffside trail that could be sketchy—pretty narrow and dizzying. What did you think of it?
CR Croquignol Veteran ·
Glad to hear about the gorges. Too bad about Shangri-La though. I noticed the same thing in Sichuan: while the plateau and mountains are absolutely stunning, the main access valleys are completely spoiled by all kinds of infrastructure and construction with no restraint.
DE Denisc Regular ·
Late reply. Sorry about that! No problem with the ascent via Ninong. The cliffside trail is very wide. We’d read the same warnings. Sure, you wouldn’t want to jump off the edge in a few spots, but the trail is well-maintained and about 2 m wide. Denis
Les chiens aboient, la caravane passe .... http://usautrans.com/ktoodenis
CR Croquignol Veteran ·
Tashi Delek! No worries, it was the question that came late! We eventually took that route up, and same observation: the trail is wide enough with no feeling of vertigo. We loved this trek. However, we didn’t end up doing Tiger Leaping Gorge.

I’ll take the opportunity to add some info for those who’d like to go to Yubeng:

At the end of December, there weren’t many people, and the weather was gorgeous. It’s best to bring trekking poles, especially at that time of year. There’s quite a bit of snow, but the trails are well-marked and packed. Our hiking boots were enough, though for some of the steps from Yubeng, crampons are useful or even necessary. We liked the Time Restaurant in Upper Yubeng—it rents out brand-new, heated rooms (hot water, heated mattresses, and a small radiator in the room). The advantage of doing it this way—going from Ninong and returning via Xidang—is that you gain less altitude on the first day, and the scenery is more varied. Just know that you’ll add an extra +550m (3200 -> 3750) before descending back to Xidang. From Xidang to Deqin, the pre-booked taxi costs 200¥, but in less than 1.5 hours, you’re in Deqin, which allowed us to catch the afternoon bus (2:40 PM) to Shangri-La.
VI Vincentrr ·
Hi, In September 2019, Tiger Leaping Gorge was temporarily closed due to a landslide (it was hard to get info on the reopening, even on-site). September marks the end of the rainy season.
SA Sardb ·
Hey everyone, we’re heading to Yunnan this summer and want to visit Tiger Leaping Gorge for the trek. Lijiang seems horribly crowded, so we’re wondering about smaller, nicer towns to stay in and start the trek from (or just head straight to Qiaotou to sleep and set off from there). Any thoughts on this?

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