Tiger Leaping Gorge

Tiger Leaping Gorge begins at Qiaotou village, Zhongdian County and ends at Daju village, Lijing. The gorge is 18 kilometers long at the upper reaches of the Jinsha River (the Golden Sand River). It is divided into three segments, the upper gorge, the middle gorge and the lower gorge. The most famous scenic areas of the upper gorge are the mouth of the gorge and Tiger Leaping Pebble. Mantianxing (the Sky Full of Stars) Reefs Area and Yixiantian (a huge rock crack) are the two most hazardous spots. They are in the middle gorge. In the lower gorge you can enjoy "Gaoxiao Pinghe" (the gorge and the lake) and the beautiful scenery of Daju. With a vertical height of 3,790 meters, the gorge is one of the deepest canyons in the world. The gorge's name is related to a legend in which a tiger once leaped across the narrowest point of the gorge where it is a 30 meters wide. Reefs of all shapes are abundant in the gorge. There are 21 rapids, 7 places where the water of the Golden Sand River (Jinsha River) drops 10 meters and 10 waterfalls. The grand Tiger Leaping Gorge is the result of geological changes of the Jinsha River and the Yulong Snow Mountain (the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain). Tiger Leaping Gorge is not only a scenic area but also a place with plentiful natural resources. According to experts' prospecting, it is feasible to build a hydroelectric dam at Tiger Leaping Gorge, the highest gorge in Asia. In addition, Tiger Leaping Gorge is the birthplace of the ancient Lijing culture, whose people lived in the many caves, big and small, in the Yulong Snow Mountain (the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain). These caves were naturally formed houses. In some caves, rock paintings about the life and products of primitive peoples were found. The rock paintings have now become another attraction of Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is an ideal place for hikers. At present there are two paths: the first path starts from Lijing Old Town. Go to Qiaotou (Hutiaoxia Town or Tiger Leaping Town), Zhongdian County via Lashihai. You can get into the upper gorge there. Walk down along the east foot of the Haba Snow Mountain. It takes two days to walk through the gorge. The second path starts from Ganhaizi (the Dry Sea) situated on the eastern slop of the Yulong Snow Mountain (the Jade Snow Mountain). Go into the lower Tiger Leaping Gorge at Daju County, Lijing and hike up along the Jinsha River. Finally, get out of Tiger Leaping Gorge at the upper gorge. The tourism department of Lijing city plans to build a plank rode on the slope of the Yulong Snow Mountain to connect the trails in Yulong Snow Mountain.

Tiger Leaping Gorge has attracted many brave explorers over the last decade. Early in the 1930's, Rock, an American scholar made three successful flights over the gorge by plane and took many pictures of the gorge. These pictures made the gorge world renowned and became a famous place for explorers from all over the world. The gorge is regarded as one of the top ten hiking trails in China. At the mouth of the upper gorge, squeezed by the two snow-capped mountains and further blocked by the huge Tiger Leaping Pebble, the Golden Sand River is only 30 meters in width. The water there makes violent whirlpools and hits the banks so powerfully that soaring breakers are created. This really makes boating treacherous. However the high waves, soaring water, and the mountains shrouded with clouds and mist constitute the most magnificent scenes of the gorge and attract numerous brave explorers. In September, 1986, the Chinese Yangtze River Drifting Team drifted down Tiger Leaping Gorge for the first time. However, the first rafting was completed with a heavy toll. Sun Zhiling, a member of the team, and a journalist from "Youth World" magazine lost their lives.

Tips: