Tiger Leaping Gorge (Upper Tiger Leaping, Shangri-La section)
The narrowest point of the Jinsha River, where legend says a tiger leaped across via the Tiger Leaping Stone; the river drops more than 200 m, and the 'First Gorge of the Yangtze' crashes against its banks with thunderous rapids
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- 08:00-17:00
- Ticket
- CNY 65
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
The narrowest point of the Jinsha River, where legend says a tiger used the Tiger Leaping Stone to leap between the banks; the river drops more than 200 m, and the 'First Gorge of the Yangtze' roars with waves pounding the cliffs; about 1 h on the Upper Tiger Leaping boardwalk is enough to feel the thunder of the river, while the Middle Tiger Leaping High Trail — an internationally renowned two-day trek — requires professional gear and a guide.
Getting there: self-drive from Lijiang (approx. 1.5 h) / shuttle bus
Photos
More in Lijiang
- Old Town of Lijiang (Dayan)
A Naxi old town built from the late Song into the early Yuan, standing unwalled for 800-plus years (legend holds that the Mu chieftains' surname means "wood", and a wall around it would form the character "trapped"—so walls were taboo); inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1997
- Mu Mansion (Mufu)
Residence of the Naxi Mu chieftains, built in the Ming Wanli reign and said to comprise 162 rooms: "in the north the Forbidden City, in the south the Mu Mansion"
- Wangu Tower
The old town's highest point atop Lion Hill, a five-story wooden viewing tower 33 m tall; overlooking the unbroken grey-tiled roofs of Dayan Old Town, with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the old town in one frame—the most classic Lijiang photo
- Grand Waterwheel · Black Dragon Pool Park (Yuquan Park)
A clear spring lake at the foot of Elephant Hill at the source of the Yu River, Deyue Pavilion and Five Phoenix Pavilion reflected in the water, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain framed across the lake—hailed as "the foremost view of the snow mountain" and the birthplace of Lijiang's postcards
- Five Phoenix Pavilion (Fayun Pavilion)
Built in the Ming Wanli reign, its three tiers of flying eaves spread like five phoenixes in flight; originally the main building of Fuguo Temple, later relocated to the shore of Black Dragon Pool
- Naxi Dongba Culture Museum
A museum dedicated to Dongba culture, with systematic displays of Dongba scriptures, ritual implements and sacrificial ceremonies; the Dongba pictographic-script documents are inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register