Tiger Leaping Gorge Essential Hiking Guide, Some Useful Tips

Difficulty: Four stars

Route (red dotted line in image 2): Halfway Guesthouse - Dragon Waterfall - Teacher Zhang's Guesthouse - Tingtao Coffee (Daydreaming Rock - Lifetime Photo Spot) - 168 Brave Ladder - Teacher Zhang's Guesthouse

Total distance: About 12km

Duration: 5-6 hours (fast hikers can complete in 4 hours, not including waiting time at the photo spot)

Cost: Hiking entrance fee 0 yuan

1️⃣ How to get there: Many day-trip vehicles run from Lijiang to Tiger Leaping Gorge, one-way price 79 yuan, departing Lijiang around 8am, arriving at the trailhead around 11am, return vehicles to Lijiang or Shangri-La depart between 5-6pm.

Suggestion: Buy a one-way ticket first. Don't worry if you don't finish in time - you'll want to stop for photos anyway. There are many shared rides available at Teacher Zhang's Guesthouse going to either Lijiang or Shangri-La.

We finished around 6pm and shared a car to Shangri-La at a reasonable price.

2️⃣ What to wear: Sun hat, sunglasses, thin long-sleeve athletic shirt, windproof jacket (suitable for September/October), athletic shoes with forefoot cushioning (the downhill sections are steep and numerous - hitting your toes will be extremely painful), trekking poles if possible, and knee braces if you have them.

3️⃣ What to bring: Many supply stations along the route with reasonable prices, so no need to carry much. Just bring one bottle of sports drink when starting out - travel light.

4️⃣ Where to store luggage: After dropping you at the trailhead, drivers will help store your luggage at Teacher Zhang's Guesthouse. You can retrieve it after finishing the hike, free of charge.

5️⃣ Navigation: The essential section is the dotted line in image 2, about 12km. Trail junctions are marked with ribbons and there are many signs. Just follow them - very easy to recognize without needing a guided tour.

6️⃣ Key photo spots: In order - Halfway Guesthouse "Amazing View Balcony" (good spot for drone flying) - World's #1 Toilet - Dragon Waterfall - Cliff Edge - Daydreaming Rock - 168 Brave Ladder.

7️⃣ Lifetime photo: The camera position is at Tingtao Coffee Shop across from Daydreaming Rock. There are photographers, but you need to buy coffee before queuing for photos. When we went, we queued directly but weren't allowed to take photos when our turn came, so we had to buy coffee and queue again 🤪.

Final note: The elevation here is around 2,500m, so physical exertion feels different than at lower elevations. The scenery along the way is beautiful with minimal danger, definitely worth the challenge.

If you have plenty of time, I recommend the Lijiang-Tiger Leaping Gorge-Shangri-La route to gradually acclimate to the high-altitude region.