In the early winter of 2021, Yunnan traveled to the Six Tigers Leaping Gorge

Number of days: 15 days
Time: November
Average cost: 10,000 yuan
With whom: With friends
Updated: 2022.01.09

The Jinsha River originates from the main peak of Tanggula Mountain in Qinghai, and has been flowing south at first, and suddenly turned a 120-degree angle and turned northeast in Shigu Town, Yulong County, about 60 kilometers north of Lijiang. Arriving at Yibin City, Sichuan, the Min River was renamed the Yangtze River after it merged. After the Jinsha River turned this bend, it rushed out of a "way of life" in the middle of the gap between the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the east and the Haba Snow Mountain in the west.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is between two snow-capped mountains. The straight-line distance from the entrance to the exit of the canyon is less than 20 kilometers, and the altitude difference reaches more than 170 meters. The narrowest part of the river is less than 20 meters, and there are boulders blocking the river channel, and there are as many as 18 dangerous beaches. A few kilometers away, the Jinsha River is still open and the water flow is gentle. After the river was blocked here, as soon as it entered the mouth of the gorge, it roared and galloped like a wild horse that had escaped from the reins, and the waves shook the sky. The tiger in the mountains and forests travels between the two mountains, and it has to jump again with the help of the boulders in the middle of the river to jump to the other side, hence the name "Tiger Leaping Gorge". This section of the Jinsha River is the boundary river between Lijiang City and Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The Yulong Snow Mountain on the Lijiang side is steep, and there are no roads or places to stay. The Haba Snow Mountain on the side of Diqing Shangri-La is relatively slow, and a viewing platform has been built. So watching Tiger Leaping Gorge is usually on Shangri-La's side. You can see the Jinsha River Bridge on the newly opened Lixiang Expressway by the Tiger Leaping Gorge River, and the juxtaposition of the two bridges on the upper and lower lanes is quite spectacular. However, because the terrain in this area is too complex, the highway is connected by tunnels and viaducts on the mountainside, and it is impossible to leave an entrance to the Tiger Leaping Gorge, so whether it is from the south or the north, it is necessary to undergo the highway early. Before I came, I didn't understand, why didn't the highway leave an exit for such an important scenic spot? You will understand it after walking once.

Lixiang Expressway Jinsha River Bridge

Two roads and two bridges from south to north

The water flow is relatively gentle before the river enters the canyon, and this is the mouth of the Tiger Leaping Gorge

As soon as the river enters the gorge, it is like a wild horse running away

In the rainy season, the river water is entrained with sediment and turbid waves, and now it is blue.

On the other side of the Tiger Leaping Plank Road is Lijiang

The Tiger Leaping Gorge is known for its thrills, and it is divided into three sections: upper tiger jumping, middle tiger jumping and lower tiger jumping from the entrance to the exit. The snow peaks on both sides of the river are more than 5,000 meters above sea level, and the steep wall drop from the top of the mountain to the river is about 3,000 meters. Standing on the mountainside cannot fully appreciate the stormy waves, so watching the Tiger Leaping Gorge go down to the river. Shanghu Leap is a relatively well-developed viewing area in the country, with a visiting plank road and an observation deck. In recent years, escalators have also been installed, which is indeed convenient for the elderly like us. Otherwise, you will have to go up and down more than 2,000 steps. Generally, tour groups visit Tiger Leaping Gorge and stop at Tiger Leaping. When we arrived, it was winter, and the Jinsha River was in the dry season. This has shocked us.I heard from the staff that in the summer and autumn water seasons, the splashes of the river water hitting the boulders are like rain, and tourists have to wear raincoats and umbrellas when walking on the plank road, otherwise they will be soaked. Tickets for visiting Tiger Leaping Gorge are 90 yuan (half price for the elderly), and elevator round trip is 70 yuan.

Boulder lies in the middle of the river

Tiger Leaping Stone

Iconic sculpture in the Tiger Leaping Scenic Area

These boulders have stood tall in the heart of the river for thousands of years

A few years ago, someone drifted on the Yangtze River, and as a result, he broke his halberd and sank in the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

The tiger jump is marked by the inn of Mr. Zhang (he was a school teacher before opening the inn) and was developed by the villagers. This teacher Zhang built a path down the river on the hillside, called "Teacher Zhang's Trail", which took more than three hours to walk up and down. In order to provide convenience for travelers who want to take shortcuts, some people built a "ladder" with wooden sticks and angle iron rebars, more than 20 meters high, almost vertically up and down. The two trails each charge their own fees, and they are 20 yuan for a walk. Some people have built a suspension bridge on the rocks in the middle of the river, and those who are bold can go up to the boulders to take pictures. The tiger jump is completely undeveloped, and can only be seen on the hillside path. If you want to go down to the river, you need to do some outdoor rock climbing.

The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain opposite the tiger jump

The tiger jumps from the top of the mountain to look into the distance

The endless mountains of Tiger Leaping Gorge

The river flows

downward It is precisely because the eastern edge of Haba Snow Mountain is relatively not so steep, and there is a sheep intestine path on the hillside that the horses walked back then. This trail is very famous among hiking enthusiasts all over the world and has been selected as one of the top ten classic hiking routes in the world. It is also said to be included in French secondary school geography textbooks. It usually takes two days for hikers to walk from the mouth of the Tiger Leaping Gorge to the Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge. Early the next morning, we experienced two kilometers on this famous hiking trail, which was really difficult to walk, uneven, close to the mountain rocks on one side, and the rolling river below. From time to time, foreign road signs appeared on the rocks on the roadside, some in English, some in French, and some I don't know what kind of script they were.On the way, I also met three young men on foot, who came from different places, one in Jiangxi, one in Beijing, and one in Chengdu, and they met on foot and walked together. Looking at their backs as they set off again, I felt very emotional in my heart, youth is capital.

This is the Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking trail that hikers love

Hiking trails

Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking Route

Under the mountain is the surging river

Look up and you'll see a cliff

The road signs in foreign languages should be marked by the foreigners who have passed by

Foreign language road signs on the road

Meet a sheep herder on the road

The sheep are running much faster than us

Take a photo with three young men on foot

There are some scattered farmers and small mountain villages on the trail, and on the way there is an inn that is very famous among hikers, and the foreign name "Half Way " means halfway inn. It means that it is about half the way from the ditch to here. You will never think of a Chinese name, it is called the world's first toilet inn. The inn built a toilet on the cliff halfway up the mountain, half of which was a low wall, and you could squat there to enjoy the scenery outside. We drove around the back mountain thanks to the village connection project, and we stayed at this inn that night. It was late when we checked in, and as soon as we entered the door, the proprietress asked us whether we had Chinese or Western food for dinner. We were all shocked that such an inn in the mountains could actually provide coffee and Western food, which shows that there are really a lot of foreigners who come here. Standing on the roof platform of the world's first toilet inn, facing the main peak of Yulong Snow Mountain, 5,596 meters above sea level. On the other side of the mountain is Lijiang's Yulong Snow Mountain Scenic Area. We arrived here in mid-December, but there was very little snow on the top of the mountain, covering only one peak. According to the locals, snow could cover the mountainside halfway up the mountain in winter 20 years ago, and the entire top of the mountain ten years ago.I don't know if it's the greenhouse effect, or if the local climate has become drier and the snow is getting less and less. Walking on the path, I saw a public toilet with a slogan spraying "Shangri-La Toilet Revolution" on the door. It seems that in the past, every family here could enjoy the famous mountains and rivers while using the toilet. By the way, teach you two Yi characters, "male" and "female", don't go wrong.

Halfway Inn door

The door is clearly marked "The World's First Toilet"

This is the door to the first toilet

It must be convenient here

The inn's glass windows reflect the surrounding mountains

The inn courtyard is quite beautiful

The inn has about 40 rooms

There is also a rooftop on the top floor

inn surrounding villages

Public toilets on the hiking trail

Yi character "female"

Yi character "male"

When it comes to the ancient city of Lijiang, there is really nothing to write about, it is too commercial. The ancient city is like an outlet mall tiled there, either a street of bars, a street of restaurants, and then a street of tourist goods. The only place in Lijiang that left an impression on me was Heilongtan Park. Early morning sunrise near the Suocui Bridge in the park is the best place to take pictures of the reflection of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. In the foreground, there is a five-hole bridge in the lake and the Naxi-style Deyue Tower as a backdrop, coupled with the reflection of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which is quite beautiful. I also tell you a little secret, this park does not require tickets before 10 a.m., and I will not tell him if I am not a China-TravelNote customer.