Tiger Leaping Gorge Hike | Low Difficulty, Stunning Scenery

This was my first time in Yunnan. Due to limited time, I wanted to visit some unique attractions, so I chose to hike the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Initially, I was a bit confused looking at the guide, but after sorting it out, I realized it wasn't that complicated. This route is: Tea Horse Guesthouse → Halfway → Dragon Cave Waterfall → Teacher Zhang's Guesthouse → Contemplation Stone → 168 Brave Men's Cloud Ladder ⛰️The starting point of the Tiger Leaping Gorge hike is a guesthouse called Naxi Yage. If you start from here, you have to climb the mountain, passing through the Twenty-Eight Bends of the Tea Horse Ancient Road to reach the Tea Horse Guesthouse. This section requires more physical strength due to the climb. If you're not confident in your physical fitness, you can skip this part and take a taxi directly to the Tea Horse Guesthouse. The second section is from the Tea Horse Guesthouse to Halfway. This section is very easy, estimated to take about two hours. It's basically walking on a flat mountain ridge. Just pay attention to safety on narrow sections. Personally, I think this section has the best scenery. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is right in front of you, and every shot is a masterpiece. The third section is from Halfway to Dragon Cave Waterfall. This section is also not difficult, estimated to take about an hour. Be aware that the road near the Dragon Cave Waterfall becomes very narrow, so be careful. The waterfall cascading down from Haba Snow Mountain is breathtaking. The fourth section is from Dragon Cave Waterfall down to Teacher Zhang's Guesthouse, estimated to take about an hour and a half. This section requires some skill as it's all dirt road and initially descends along the edge of a cliff. If you're scared, you can sit down and inch your way down. The rest of the section is not difficult. The fifth section is from Teacher Zhang's Guesthouse down to the Contemplation Stone by the Jinsha River. There's a 15 CNY passage fee here. Once you reach the Jinsha River, you'll see the popular Contemplation Stone. However, it's essentially monopolized, and taking photos there costs 98 CNY per person. Whether you take photos or not is up to you. From here, you can actually walk further to challenge the Sky Ladder and see the One-Line Sky. But due to limited time, we chose to return to Teacher Zhang's Guesthouse and take the more thrilling 168 Brave Men's Cloud Ladder. It's a vertical wooden ladder, very exciting, divided into three sections with resting spots in between. Overall, it's not difficult and worth the challenge. There's a 10 CNY fee per person at the top. After returning to Teacher Zhang's Guesthouse, you can wait for the bus back to Lijiang. 🚗Transportation: From Lijiang to Tiger Leaping Gorge, you can only take a taxi or a bus. The bus only goes to the entrance of the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge Scenic Area, which is still some distance from the hiking starting point. So, I recommend taking a taxi or carpooling. I carpooled from Lijiang to the Tea Horse Guesthouse for 100 CNY per person using a ride-hailing app. From Teacher Zhang's Guesthouse back to Lijiang, the bus costs 55 CNY per person and departs at 3 pm and 4 pm. For other times, you can ask the guesthouse to help arrange a carpool for 80 CNY per person. 🏠Accommodation: If you want to stay overnight at Tiger Leaping Gorge, I recommend staying in a guesthouse near Halfway. The guesthouses here are well-established with complete facilities and great views, such as the "Shuang Si Ni Balcony" and "World's Best Toilet" at Halfway. If you want to experience them, you can stay for a night and start your hike the next morning. 🍭Equipment: Hiking jacket, sun protection clothing, hiking boots, trekking poles. The weather in the mountains is unpredictable. The temperature was 4°C on the day of our hike, and it was very windy, so I brought a hiking jacket. I don't recommend bringing one if the weather is hot. Perhaps due to the high altitude, although it was 4°C, it felt hot later on, so I also brought a light sun protection jacket. Hiking boots can provide grip in some areas, and trekking poles are a must if you're hiking the 28 Bends. Trekking poles also make the return from Contemplation Stone to Teacher Zhang's Guesthouse much easier. There are many supply points along the Tiger Leaping Gorge hike, and the prices are reasonable, so you don't need to carry a lot of supplies. Those who exercise regularly can easily complete the challenge with light packs.