After pondering for a couple of days in Lijiang, Yunnan, I finally decided to go trek the Tiger Leaping Gorge and I never regretted making that decision.
How to get there:
- Tina's Guest House in the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge, has a daily 7 am bus picking up people in Lijiang > Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge > Tina's Guest House.
- The journey will take about 3 hours to reach the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge trekking start point. Along the way, there is 1 stop where you can buy food (tea eggs, corn) and also visit the most primitive toilets for 1 yuan.
What to do with your additional luggage:
- As the trek from the Upper TLG to Middle TLG will end at Tina's Guest House, you can leave luggage you don't need in the bus as they will transport it to Tina's and deposit there until you arrive. (Recommended option as this is the most straightforward and already an established SOP today)
- Alternatively, some of the back packers I met deposited their backpacks at some of the hostels (Jane's) at the start point and collect it back when they make their way from Tina's to Shangrila or back to Lijiang (There is some risk in this option because you need to tell the Chinese drivers to stop at the correct place for you to pick up your bags or you can kiss them good bye)
- Of course, if you feel strong and fit, you are welcomed to carry EVERYTHING with you for the trek but I highly discourage you to do so :)
Finding the starting point of the trek
Some of you may have read about people who miss the start of the trail and I was also a bit worried about not being able to find the trail head. The illustration below will shed some light. Kudos to George, owner of Garden Inn! The bus will stop at Qiaotou (after buying your entrance tickets at the visitor center about 10-15 minutes before) and those who are trekking will alight here.
The trail head will be on the left side of the road and you should see the big blue sign board below - "Tiger leaping gorge hiking highway thus into"
Simple illustration of where the start point is |
Walk further to find the start of the TLG trail! |
The hike begins at 1890 metres and you will start walking on a sandy and dusty road, dotted with civilisation on your right and stunning valley views on your left. This is the EASIEST part of the trail haha
Takes about 20-25 minutes before you actually hit the real trail! Nice scenery to start off the day!
See the trail going up the mountain ahead, against the backdrop of the Jade Dragon Snow mountain |
Panoshot |
This is where the sweat and tears start to roll down non stop |
Totally stunning views as you go up higher. Remember to look back! |
Turns and bends of the mighty Jinsha River |
Tip: While it will be quite cold when you leave Lijiang for the TLG, you will realise the sun will be burning by this time and I will recommend to trek in shorts if you can!
First pits stop - It looks like a legit stall selling water/food but... |
Climbing higher for more views - Spot the landslide |
Me with the mountain peaks! |
Naxi Family Guesthouse on the left |
Naxi Family Guesthouse - where trekkers on a 2D1N trek will pass here for lunch and some on 3D2N will stay here for the night |
Corn seems to be the most popular vegetable in this region..This is where we also met a big group of Korean trekkers who will be walking with us till the evening.
In case you can't figure out which one is the Gents and Ladies |
Yes, the horses continue to follow us on the TLG - their shit is everywhere on the trail :D |