Tiger Leaping Rock
Mid-river.
Jo Schmaltz — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Luca Casartelli — CC BY-SA 2.0 · 林高志 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · ogwen — CC BY-SA 3.0 · BrokenSphere — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pavel Špindler — CC BY 3.0 · fsyzh — CC BY 3.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0
One of the deepest river canyons in the world, a gorge on the Jinsha River, the upper Yangtze, about 60 km north of Lijiang, running about 15 km between Jade Dragon and Haba snow mountains and about 3,790 m deep from river to peaks. Legend says a tiger fleeing hunters leapt across the river at its narrowest point using a rock in the middle; the river there is still about 25 m wide, and the gorge is part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan World Heritage Site. Visitors descend long stairways to Tiger Leaping Rock, where the water thunders between the mountains, while hikers take the famous high trail along the mountainside over two days, past small Naxi hamlets and their guesthouses. Tickets are about CNY 65 from the Lijiang side, per visitor guides. The stairs back up from the river are tiring, the high trail needs good fitness and proper shoes, and it's best avoided in the rainy season because of rockfalls.
Mid-river.
Over two days.
The upper Yangtze.
Jinsha River, about 60 km north of Lijiang
The famous high trail takes two days with nights in Naxi hamlets, while going down to Tiger Leaping Rock takes a few hours; tickets are about CNY 65 from the Lijiang side, per visitor guides.