Truemors
Legend says that in order to escape from a hunter, a tiger jumped across the river at it's narrowest point (25 metres), subsequenly providing the inspiration for the name.
Located 60 km north of Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge is a canyon on the Yangtze River in southwestern China. Around 15 km in length, the gorge passes between Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yùlóngxuĕ Shān) (5,596 m) and Haba Xueshan (Hābā Shān) (5,396 m) through a series of rapids surrounded by steep 2000 metre cliffs. The Gorge is a contender for the world's deepest river canyon - depending on the criteria applied.
The inhabitants of the gorge are primarily the indigenous Naxi people, who live in a handful of small hamlets. Their primary subsistence comes from grain production and foreign hikers. The gorge is not considered navigable.
Hiking the length of the gorge is possible. A challenge for most, but well worth it. While sometimes narrow, the hiking path - the high road - is well-maintained and marked. At approximately 22 kilometres (14 mi) in length, the trail is longer than the lower road, but is more varied, and offers fantastic scenery—mainly mountain views. It features a surprising variety of microecosystems, waterfalls and a fair number of guesthouses for trekkers.
The guesthouses are not well heated, which combined with the unpredictable nature of high mountain weather, make this trek unadvisable during the rainy season.
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