Tiger Leaping Gorge, with the roaring Jinsha River rushing in between the 5,396m high Haba Snow Mountain and 5,596m Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and is one the deepest and most spectacular gorge in the world.
Legend has it the name came about when a tiger leaped across the gorge to the other side to escape a hunter .
The gorge is divided into the Upper Gorge, Middle Gorge and Lower Gorge . The Upper Gorge is easily accessible by vehicles and there is a plank walk along the gorge.
Hiking is the best way to get to the Middle and Lower Gorges and is one of the most popular hikes in China. We did the two-day one night 25 km hike , up at an elevation of around 2,700m at its highest point to the Middle Gorge .
The spectacular vistas of mountains, raging river, valleys ,rock formation , waterfalls , plants, animals, and coffee took away all the aches and pains of this long hike.
The arrangement for this hike is unique and starts from the guesthouse we were staying in Lijiang, the nearest city , itself a major tourist attraction.
We booked through the guesthouse owner for a bus to take us to the starting point for the hike and our suitcase to be taken to Tina Guesthouse. Our main travel itinerary was three weeks but for this hike we only needed our backpacks with a change of clothes and water.
During the bus ride, I informed the bus driver of our next destination for tomorrow. I paid for the ride in advance, and he scribbled a note as a receipt.
Qiaotou, a tiny village, is the starting point and the bus left us there with other hikers . We placed our faith in the bus driver that our luggage will be at Tina and there would be a bus to our next destination.
The first few kilometers are a steep climb, some on concrete pavements through small villages and later dusty and rocky trails. Villagers offer mule rides at a price for those who find the going tough or trying out the novelty of the ride.
After about 3 hours of uphill gradients and winding trails , the hike starts to level up and the going is easier. The views all along are stunning. The mountains looming on both sides, and if you crane your neck below, you could see a brownish gash of the river far below.
Vegetation is sparse as the mountains are steep and rocky but in between are some bamboo groves. There are “kids” running around feeding on the grass or plants on the slopes or coming towards you for a feed. These baby goats with their flock wander freely grazing and a great distraction when tiredness gets to you.
Then came the unexpected surprise of our hike . In a small recess into the mountain, there was a hand brew dripped coffee stall. A few feet away were two camping chairs close to the precipice of a cliff looking down on the Upper Gorge visitor’s area.
We were so astounded at the sight and giddy with happiness at the coffee and ordered two Americanos. The lady owner hand grounded and dripped the coffee and although it cost 25 RMB each, it was worth much more what with the view and the location.
After 8 hours and 17 km later , we reached our pre-booked hostel for a hot shower , hot meal and a warm comfortable bed but not before soaking in the view of the mountains and surroundings from the hostel’s balcony.
Morning saw us hiking pass a waterfall on the way to Tina Guesthouse and there amongst many other luggage was ours. Tina Guesthouse is synonymous with Tiger Leaping Gorge and serves as a transit and luggage storage station for all hikers doing the hike.
They offered free bus rides to the descending point of the Middle Gorge where there is 15 RMB entrance fees. The Middle Gorge viewing platforms and facilities have been set up and run by the nearby villagers .
It is about an hour walk down to the bottom of the gorge. It is an amazing sight and feeling to see the might and roar of the waters and grandeur and beauty of the gorge up close.
One could spend hours here , soaking in the beauty and ruggedness and taking umpteen photos. We went back to Tina to catch our pre-arranged bus by climbing up metal ladders which the villagers had fixed.
Again, it cost 15 RMB but it meant cutting down much time and energy climbing steep slopes.
We were glad to hike this stunning gorge just as the tiger was glad to have leaped the gorge.
Koo Wee Hon (kooweehon@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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