Tiger Leaping Gorge Guide

The Tiger Leaping Gorge is located in the Golden Sand River, the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, about 105 Kilometers south of Zhongdian County. The gorge is about 17 kilometers long with a drop of 213 meters. The gorge is one of the deepest gorges in the word, divided into 3 sections: Upper, Middle, Lower Gorges. The mouth of the gorge is about 1,800 meters above sea level; the narrowest part of the gorge is only 30 meters. The Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge is the narrowest section, with a huge rock called Tiger Leaping Rock in the center of the river. It is said that a tiger once leapt from the

east bank, clearing the rock, to land on the west bank, hence its name. The Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge is the most perilous section, which features a huge drop on the water level. A waterfall about 6 km away from the upper gorge makes the river crash down over 100 meters, hitting the rocks in the river bed and creating violent currents. In one 100-meter section of the Middle Gorge are numerous reefs, and the current is torrential. The gorge is rarely traversed by humans. The only contact with the outside is the small village Hetaoyuan which is situated on the slope between the Middle and Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge. The villagers there lead a simple and natural life, dwelling in stone-plate houses. The Feixing Rapids is the most imprtant sight in the Lower gorge, from which people can look down on the unconstrained Jinshajiang River. A Village Jiangbian is located about 32 km long from the Haba Mountain. Although a road has been built and open to traffic, most of visitors prefer to travel on foot, insteading of vehicle. They think trekking here is much more interesting. If you travel there, you can also stay at Haba Snow Mountain inn, in Snaba the Shanzhuangluguan, which is about 5 hours drive from Zhongdian.
Location: in the Golden Sand River, Shangri-la, Yunan Province.

• Mosuo People
• Lugu Lake
• Napa Lake
• Shudu Lake
• Songzang Lin Lama Temple
• Golden Sand River
• Tiger Leaping Gorge