Tiger Leaping Gorge is a canyon of the Jinsha river, the upper Yangtze, where it cuts between Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain in north-western Yunnan. Some 15 kilometres long and close to 4,000 metres deep from summit to river, it is one of the deepest gorges in the world and the setting of one of China's best-known trekking routes.
- National scenic area (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain area)
Key facts
- River
- Jinsha (upper Yangtze)[1]
- Length
- about 15 km
- Relief
- close to 4,000 m from Jade Dragon summit to river
- Narrowest point
- about 30 m
- Location
- Lijiang (south bank) and Diqing (north bank), Yunnan
Overview
Just after the First Bend at Shigu, where the Jinsha river turns sharply from south to north-east, the river forces its way through a narrow cleft between two massifs that rise above 5,000 metres: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain on the south bank and Haba Snow Mountain on the north. The water drops about 200 metres through a series of rapids in the gorge, and the river narrows at one point to about 30 metres, where legend says a hunted tiger escaped by leaping across on a rock in midstream.
The gorge is divided into Upper, Middle and Lower sections. A road follows the south side of the river, while a footpath high on the north bank — the High Trail — passes through Naxi villages, terraced fields and walnut groves with views across to the cliffs of Jade Dragon. The south bank belongs to Lijiang and the north bank to Diqing prefecture (Shangri-La).
How the landscape formed
The gorge is an antecedent canyon: the Jinsha kept its course while the land rose across its path, cutting down through the uplifting limestone and schist of the Jade Dragon–Haba block. The vertical difference between the summit of Jade Dragon (5,596 m) and the river is close to 4,000 metres. Rockfall, landslides and debris flows from the steep walls continually reshape the gorge, and boulders dropped from the cliffs create the rapids for which it is known.
Highlights
Tiger Leaping Stone
虎跳石
A large rock in the Upper Gorge where the river is narrowest, the origin of the name; viewing platforms on both banks lead down to it.
Middle Gorge
中虎跳
The wildest section, with the steepest drop and a rough path down to the rapids from the High Trail villages.
Haba Snow Mountain
哈巴雪山
The 5,396 m massif on the north bank, part of the Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage site.
The 28 Bends
二十八道拐
The steepest climb of the High Trail, a series of switchbacks above Nuoyu village.
Walnut Garden
核桃园
A village at the eastern end of the High Trail, above the Middle Gorge.
First Bend of the Yangtze
长江第一湾
The hairpin bend at Shigu, upstream of the gorge, where the river turns away from the south.
Plants and wildlife
The floor of the gorge is a dry, hot valley with cactus-like euphorbias and thorn scrub, while the slopes above pass through pine and oak to fir forest and alpine meadow on the two snow mountains. Haba Snow Mountain is a protected area within the Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage site.
Plants
Yunnan pine
云南松
The dominant tree on the drier slopes above the villages.
Walnut
核桃
Cultivated around the villages of the High Trail, which lends Walnut Garden its name.
Wildlife
Blue sheep
岩羊
A wild sheep of the cliffs and high pastures of both massifs.
Culture and legend
The villages on the north bank are mostly Naxi, with some Yi and Tibetan households higher up; farming, walnuts and small guesthouses for trekkers support them. The gorge lies on an old route between Lijiang and the Tibetan areas of Zhongdian, and in 1936 Red Army units on the Long March crossed the Jinsha upstream near Shigu.
Qiaotou
桥头
The small town at the western entrance of the gorge, starting point of the High Trail.
Shigu
石鼓
A town at the First Bend named after a drum-shaped stone tablet recording a Ming-period victory of the Mu chieftains of Lijiang.
History
1936
Long March crossing
Red Army units under He Long crossed the Jinsha near Shigu on their way north.
1980s
Rafting and first trekkers
The gorge became known abroad through rafting expeditions and the first independent trekkers.
2003
Three Parallel Rivers inscribed
Haba Snow Mountain on the north bank was included in the UNESCO World Heritage site.
Mid-2000s
Dam proposal
Plans for a large hydropower dam in the gorge met public opposition in China and were not taken forward.
Through the seasons
Spring
Dry and warm, with clear views of the peaks; the best time for the High Trail together with autumn.
Summer
Monsoon rain from June to September swells the river and brings landslides and rockfall on the road and trails.
Autumn
Clear skies and harvest-time villages from October to November; the classic trekking season.
Winter
Cold nights and occasional snow on the High Trail's upper section; the gorge floor stays mild.
Routes and ways in
High Trail
A footpath along the north bank from Qiaotou via Nuoyu, the 28 Bends and several villages to Walnut Garden; usually walked in two days with a night in a village guesthouse.
Upper Gorge viewpoint
Platforms and stairways on both banks lead down to the Tiger Leaping Stone.
Middle Gorge descent
Steep paths from the villages near Walnut Garden down to the rapids; some sections use ladders and are hazardous after rain.
Haba Snow Mountain
A trekking peak on the north side for experienced parties with local guides and official authorisation.
Practical notes
- The High Trail is narrow and exposed in places, with drop-offs above the gorge; sturdy footwear is essential and it is unsuitable in heavy rain.
- Rockfall and landslides are a real danger on the road and paths, especially in the monsoon; follow local warnings and closures.
- Village guesthouses along the High Trail provide food and beds, so heavy loads are unnecessary.
- Most visitors start from Lijiang or Shangri-La; Qiaotou lies on the road and rail corridor between the two.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Yunnan Provincial People's Government — Yunnan Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Tiger Leaping Gorge — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More mountains and nature in Yunnan
- Lake · 4,122 mErhai Lake and Cangshan洱海The highland lake and nineteen-peak range of the Bai homeland
- Mountain · 5,596 mJade Dragon Snow Mountain玉龙雪山The glaciated massif above Lijiang, sacred to the Naxi
- Sacred mountain · 6,740 mMeili Snow Mountains (Kawagebo)梅里雪山Kawagebo, Yunnan's highest and unclimbed sacred peak
- National parkPotatso (Pudacuo) National Park普达措国家公园Alpine lakes, meadows and fir forest east of Shangri-La
- Karst landscapeStone Forest (Shilin)石林Limestone pillars of the Yunnan plateau, home of the Sani Yi
- ForestXishuangbanna Tropical Rainforest西双版纳热带雨林China's largest tropical rainforest, home of wild Asian elephants
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