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Tiger Leaping Gorge is a paradise of hiking, with gorgeous beauty in the steep cliffs, and rough paths and roaring water, and it has attracted plenty of tourists to come though it is not so easily accessible. Here we make this useful article in an aim at telling you all things you need to know about Tiger Leaping Gorge tour, and Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking.
Get to Tiger Leaping Gorge
Tiger Leaping Gorge Highlights
Tiger Leaping Gorge Tour Itinerary
Location: Tiger Leaping Gorge is located in Hutiaoxia town, Shangrila county. From Lijiang to Tiger Leaping Gorge, the distance is 78 km, and the driving is about 2 hours.
Option 1: by bus.
Tourist could take bus at Lijiang Bus Station to the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge, which takes about 2 hours, and also to the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Option 2: charter a car.
Chartering a car is much more convenient than taking bus, and the fare is much more expensive. For a single trip, the fare is at least 800 yuan. Tourists could ask staff at a hotel to arrange a car and driver, or charter a car from a travel agency, and you will be picked at your place.
Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the deepest gorges in China, and famous for dangerous and challenging characteristics, and it is one of the best places for hiking. Tiger Leaping Gorge has a total length of 17 meters, and is divided into 3 parts, the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge, the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge, and the Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Its east side is Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and the west side is Haba Snow Mountain, and the vertical height of Tiger Leaping Gorge is more than 3900 meters, which is one of the deepest gorges in the world. In the gorge, there are tremendous small and big rocks, 18 dangerous shoals, and 10 waterfalls. Jinsha River is roaring through Tiger Leaping Gorge, and the narrowest part of the river is only about 30 meters. It is said that the fierce tiger down from the mountain only raised its feet a bit above the rocks in the river, and it could fly over the gorge, so it is called Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Ticket: 65 yuan for the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Open time: 07:30-16:30(April to October); 08:00-16:00(November to March).
Best time to visit Tiger Leaping Gorge: April to June, September and November.
The Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge: it is the most popular section, with best facilities for sightseeing. The Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge, 9 kilometers away from Hutiao town, is the narrowest section of the gorge. In the center of the river lies a huge stone, which divides the torrent into two parts and makes the waves resound through the gorge. There is a large parking lot close to the Upper Leaping Gorge, and for tourists'convenience, winding plank roads are built along the cliff, and observation decks are available to tourists.
The Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge is not officially opened to the public, but run by local people, so entrance ticket is needed. The upper and the middle sections of Tiger Leaping Gorge are most popular to hikers. The Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge has a huge ravine with a depth of 1km. The place close to the exit of Tiger Leaping Gorge is the best place to enjoy the beauty of Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Sightseeing time: 3-5 hours in the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge.
For Tiger Leaping Gorge tour, tourists could have a 1 day tour, or have a 2-3 days classic hiking tour. 1 Day Tiger Leaping Gorge is the usually tour to the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge, while 2-3 days classic hiking tour covers the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge, the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge and the Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge.
► 1 day Tiger Leaping Gorge tour itinerary
Departure time: before 10:00 AM.
Sightseeing time: 3-5 hours.
Return time: before 16:30 PM.
Tourists could buy an entrance ticket at the ticket office, and take a tourist bus to the parking lot close to the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge. From the gate of Tiger Leaping Gorge Scenic Area to the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge, the distance is 10 km, and the driving time is about 20 min. After arriving at the parking lot, tourists could begin your tour by walking down through those winding plank roads which are not so wide so than you may need to hold handrails.
On the top, tourists could hear the roaring of unstoppable Jinsha River from far away and hitting of water on huge rocks and see its panoramic views of Jinshan River running through two big mountains. While you walk down through those steps, you hear the sounds much louder, and have a clearer view of the leaping tiger. When you reach the bottom, you could go to the observation decks, and go closer the running water, and experience its madness, and see the gorge bottom clearly. You may notice that on the other side, there is a bridge, and you could imagine how hard it is to make such a bridge on this place.
From the upper to the bottom of Tiger Leaping Gorge, tourists should make use of plank roads and stone roads with steps, which do not go directly to the bottom, but have a winding direction. And it is also the only for climbing up from the bottom. There is no cable car and other stuffs to help you. Considering there are so many steps, if you have pains in knees, we don't advise you to have such a tour.
The sightsee time is flexible, if you finish this tour and go back to Lijiang early like, at 17:00 PM, you could go to Lijiang Ancient Town and enjoy its beauty at night, taste local food and hang around the ancient town. Moreover, if you have a trip to Shangrila, you should finish your Tiger Leaping Gorge before 18:30 PM, and make sure you could catch up the last bus from Lijiang to Shangrila which will arrive at Tiger Leaping Gorge at about 19:00 PM, and arrive at Shangrila after 2 hours. Remember to go to the place where you get off at the morning and take bus for returning.
► 2-3 days Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking itinerary
Hiking Itinerary. The itinerary is very flexible, and you could have a discussion with your partners and tour guide. In this 2-3 days Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking, you will visit the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge, the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge, and the Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge. The latter two sections of Tiger Leaping Gorge do not officially open to the public, and there are not many comfortable facilities for tourists and hikers. Moreover, you could visit other places for sightseeing and hiking along the Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Where to eat: you could eat at small restaurants or prepares some food by yourselves.
Where to stay: inns at surrounding villages, or camping. But camping is not suggested, because you need to bring rents and other stuffs by yourselves.
Notes: please make sure you have a tour guide go with you, and the tour guide is pretty important in planning the hiking routes and helping you make decisions on where to eat and where to stay.
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