km 0 · 2,020 m
Qiaotou (Hutiaoxia town) 桥头 · 虎跳峡镇
Buses stop here. Last real shops before the climb.
The Jinsha River in Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan
Two days on a balcony path 1,000 m above the Jinsha, the upper Yangtze, in one of the world’s deepest gorges near Lijiang, southwest China. Snow peaks on both sides, and a guesthouse every two hours.
Starts at Qiaotou, 2 h by bus from Lijiang , ends at Tina’s, Middle GorgeHow to get there
Two days on a balcony path 1,000 m above the Jinsha, the upper Yangtze, in one of the world’s deepest gorges near Lijiang, southwest China. Snow peaks on both sides, and a guesthouse every two hours.
Starts at Qiaotou, 2 h by bus from Lijiang , ends at Tina’s, Middle GorgeHow to get there
The trail in ten numbers
- 2days1 if you're fast, 3 if you're notOn the trail
- 18.6kmQiaotou to Tina’s, one wayOne way
- +920m440 m of it in one go: the 28 BendsClimb in total
- 2,640mAltitude sickness unlikelyHighest point
- 6–8hDay 1: 5–6 h, day 2: 2 hWalking in total
- ¥330–1,200≈ €45–160Per person, 2 days by bus, all inPer person, all in
- ~45minBetween places to buy waterTo the next water
- 4GMost of the way. Gaps on the Bends and at the waterfallMost of the way
- Apr–MayOct–NovDry and clear. Jun–Sep brings rockfallBest months
- 0guides neededOne path, yellow arrows all the wayYellow arrows
Walk it before you go
Drag along the line, or tap a stop.
km 02,021 m
Buses stop here. Last real shops before the climb.
- 1 h3.3 km · +340 · −170
Lunch ¥60 · Dorm ¥57
Run by a Naxi family since 1990: the classic lunch stop. Horses for the 28 Bends wait here.
- 1¼ h2.4 km · +440
Cold drinks, fruit, a seat in the shade.
Viewpoint ¥10
Highest point, about 2,640 m. A local charges ¥10 for the best ledge; the view is free a few steps on.
- 1 h3.4 km · −320
Three open ledges facing Jade Dragon’s ice wall across the gorge.
Dorm ¥47 · Room ¥110
Shop, café and the yak hotpot people stop for. Cars reach it, so day-trippers often start here.
- 1½–2 h5.2 km · +90
Small and quiet, right on the cliff path.
Dorm ¥78 · Balcony room ¥380
Balcony rooms face Jade Dragon. The toilet with the famous view is real. Five more guesthouses within 500 m.
- 2 h4.3 km · −340
You cross the stream on wet rock. Fine when dry; slow down after rain.
Dorm ¥57 · Room ¥228
End of the trail. The bus point next door sells tickets to Lijiang and Shangri-La and keeps bags.
km 3.3 · 2,190 m
Naxi Family Guesthouse 纳西雅阁
Lunch ¥60 · Dorm ¥57
Run by a Naxi family since 1990: the classic lunch stop. Horses for the 28 Bends wait here.
km 4.8 · 2,390 m
Stall halfway up the Bends 二十八道拐加油站
Cold drinks, fruit, a seat in the shade.
km 5.7 · 2,630 m
Top of the 28 Bends 二十八道拐顶
Viewpoint ¥10
Highest point, about 2,640 m. A local charges ¥10 for the best ledge; the view is free a few steps on.
km 7.1 · 2,420 m
Jade Dragon lookouts
Three open ledges facing Jade Dragon’s ice wall across the gorge.
km 9.1 · 2,320 m
Tea Horse Guesthouse 茶马客栈
Dorm ¥47 · Room ¥110
Shop, café and the yak hotpot people stop for. Cars reach it, so day-trippers often start here.
km 10.2 · 2,320 m
Two Forgets Mountain Houses
Small and quiet, right on the cliff path.
km 14.3 · 2,380 m
Halfway Guesthouse (Bendiwan) 中途客栈 · 本地湾
Dorm ¥78 · Balcony room ¥380
Balcony rooms face Jade Dragon. The toilet with the famous view is real. Five more guesthouses within 500 m.
km 16 · 2,380 m · Position approximate
Guanyin waterfall crossing 观音瀑布
You cross the stream on wet rock. Fine when dry; slow down after rain.
km 18.6 · 2,080 m
Tina’s, Middle Gorge 中峡国际青旅（Tina’s）
Dorm ¥57 · Room ¥228
End of the trail. The bus point next door sells tickets to Lijiang and Shangri-La and keeps bags.
Map and heights: © OpenStreetMap contributors, median of 3 GPS traces.
Pick your pace
2 days
1 day
Getting there and away
Pick a way to see every step.
To the start
Coming from Beijing or Shanghai? Fly direct to Lijiang (about 4 h), or take the fast train from Kunming (about 3 h). Then pick your city:
Starting from
Bus from LijiangBusBest
2 h¥40
One bus from Lijiang’s main bus station. Your big bag rides on to the finish.
Go to Lijiang Bus Station: a 15-minute walk south of the Old Town’s south gate, or about ¥10 by taxi.
Show or play this
请送我去丽江客运站。
In English Please take me to Lijiang Bus Station.
Buses leave at 09:00 and 09:30, some days also at 08:30. Be there half an hour early to buy your ticket.
At the ticket counter, show your passport and this line. ¥40 to the Middle Gorge; your bag rides along at no extra cost.
Show or play this
我在虎跳峡登山口下车，行李送到中峡。
In English I’m getting off at the Tiger Leaping Gorge trailhead; please send my bag on to the Middle Gorge.
Your big bag goes in the hold: show the driver the same line. Keep your passport, water and waterproof with you.
Sit on the right for the river. The ride takes about 2 hours.
At the scenic-area gate, staff step on board: gorge ticket ¥45, passport needed.
Get off at the hiking trailhead, just after a tall blue bridge. The driver calls it out.
Show or play this
师傅，到登山口请叫我下车。
In English Driver, please tell me when we reach the trailhead.
Walk up the road for about an hour to Naxi Family Guesthouse, where the path begins, or take a waiting taxi: about ¥25, agreed before you get in (some ask ¥60).
Show or play this
请送我去纳西雅阁。
In English Please take me to Naxi Family Guesthouse.
Your bag waits in the luggage room (sign: 行李房) at the bus point beside Tina’s.
Show or play this
我来取寄存的行李。
In English I’m here to collect my stored bag.
Train to Hutiaoxia stationTrainFine
30 min + taxi≈¥30 + ¥30–50
Quick, but only a few trains stop and no bus meets them.
Book on Trip.com with your passport: Lijiang → Hutiaoxia. Only a few trains a day stop there; pick one arriving before 11:00.
Show or play this
虎跳峡站
In English Hutiaoxia station (Tiger Leaping Gorge)
Trains leave from Lijiang Railway Station, south of town: about ¥30 by taxi from the Old Town. Be there 40 minutes early for the passport check.
Show or play this
请送我去丽江火车站。
In English Please take me to Lijiang railway station.
Hutiaoxia station has no shuttle. Take a taxi from the station front to Naxi Family Guesthouse (¥30–50).
Show or play this
请送我去纳西雅阁。
In English Please take me to Naxi Family Guesthouse.
The taxi passes the scenic-area gate: gorge ticket ¥45, passport needed.
Big bag: Naxi Family sends it on to Tina’s for ¥20–30.
Shared van (拼车)VanCareful
2 h¥70 a seat
From your door to Naxi Family Guesthouse, skipping the hour’s walk up the road.
Unlicensed vans exist. In July 2026 a driver left two hikers on the roadside. Book only through your guesthouse.
The evening before, ask your Lijiang guesthouse to book you a seat. Show them this line.
Show or play this
请帮我订明早去虎跳峡徒步起点的拼车。
In English Please book me a seat in a shared van to the Tiger Leaping Gorge trailhead tomorrow morning.
Pick-up at your door around 08:00. Photograph the number plate and save the driver’s number.
Ask to be dropped at Naxi Family Guesthouse: it saves an hour’s walk up the road.
Show or play this
请在纳西雅阁放我下车。
In English Please drop me at Naxi Family Guesthouse.
Pay at the end: ¥70 in cash, WeChat Pay or Alipay. The gorge ticket (¥45) is extra.
Private car or DidiCarFine
2 h¥400–600 a car
Worth it for 3–4 people, or to start late.
DiDi app (in English), with a foreign card added. Destination: Naxi Family Guesthouse; paste the Chinese name.
Show or play this
纳西雅阁
In English Naxi Family Guesthouse: type or paste it as your destination
Or ask your guesthouse to book a car the day before: ¥400–600 for the whole car.
At the scenic-area gate, everyone pays the gorge ticket (¥45) with their passport.
Bus from Shangri-LaBusFine
2½ h≈¥55
If you come from the north. A shared van is ¥79 a seat; a car ¥400–1,000.
Shangri-La Bus Station. Buy a ticket for a morning bus to Lijiang with your passport.
Show or play this
请送我去香格里拉客运站。
In English Please take me to Shangri-La Bus Station.
Show the driver this line: you get off at the Tiger Leaping Gorge trailhead.
Show or play this
我在虎跳峡登山口下车。
In English I’m getting off at the Tiger Leaping Gorge trailhead.
From there it’s as from Lijiang: an hour up the road to Naxi Family, or a taxi for about ¥25.
Show or play this
请送我去纳西雅阁。
In English Please take me to Naxi Family Guesthouse.
From Tina’s
Going to
Bus to Shangri-LaBusBest
2 h 20¥55
Four buses a day from the bus point beside Tina’s.
The bus point is on the road next to Tina’s: the stone-faced building with the Moye Hotel, and a small bus office to its left.
Show or play this
客运票代售
In English “Bus tickets sold here”: the sign on the bus office
Buy your ticket at Tina’s front desk or the bus office as soon as you arrive. Passport needed.
Show or play this
我要一张去香格里拉的车票。
In English One ticket to Shangri-La, please.
Buses at about 12:00, 13:40, 15:30 and 16:30. Be there 15 minutes early.
First pick up your big bag from the luggage room in the same building.
Show or play this
我来取寄存的行李。
In English I’m here to collect my stored bag.
About 2 h 20 to Shangri-La Bus Station.
Bus to LijiangBusBest
2½ h≈¥50
Same bus point, early afternoon. It leaves when full.
Same bus point beside Tina’s.
Book your seat at Tina’s desk or the bus office as soon as you arrive. Came on the Lijiang bus? The driver may already have your name.
Show or play this
我要一张去丽江的车票。
In English One ticket to Lijiang, please.
Buses from about 13:00, the last around 17:00.
It ends at Lijiang Bus Station, a 15-minute walk from the Old Town.
Van to Yubeng (Feilaisi)VanFine
5–6 h≈¥170 a seat
On to Meili and Yubeng without going back to Lijiang.
Ask at Tina’s desk the evening before; they book the van to Feilaisi.
Show or play this
请帮我订明天去飞来寺的拼车。
In English Please book me a shared van to Feilaisi tomorrow.
They tell you the pick-up time. About 5–6 hours via Shangri-La.
Get off in Feilaisi, the village facing the Meili peaks.
Your big bag
- On the busFree
Leave it on the Lijiang bus; it waits at the Tina’s bus point.
- Guesthouse transfer¥20–30
Naxi Family or Jane’s (Qiaotou) send bags to Tina’s by car.
- Bus point at Tina’sFree
Bag room (行李房) in the new bus building. You can leave it there for several days.
Where to sleep
Yuan a night, for one bed or a whole room (a weekday in late October, 2 people), checked 1 Oct 2026.
Naxi Family Guesthouse 纳西雅阁
- Bed
- ¥57
- Room
- ¥168–182
- View room
- ¥253–267
- 236 reviews
Since 1990. Before the climb, so day 1 stays easy.
Tea Horse Guesthouse 茶马客栈
- Bed
- ¥47
- Room
- ¥110–145
- View room
- ¥206–260
- 1,017 reviews
Cheapest rooms share a bathroom. Lively at dinner.
Halfway Guesthouse 中途客栈
- Bed
- ¥78
- Room
- ¥208
- View room
- ¥380–480
- 9.0 · 257 reviews
The one in every photo. Book balcony rooms weeks ahead in spring and autumn.
Tina’s (Middle Gorge Youth Hostel) 中峡国际青旅
- Bed
- ¥57
- Room
- ¥228–242
- View room
- ¥239–330
- 283 reviews
Right at the bus point. Easy for an early start the next day.
- 3 km past the end
Sean’s Guesthouse 山泉客栈 · 核桃园
- Bed
- —
- Room
- ¥123–141
- View room
- ¥145–146
- 55 reviews
3 km past Tina’s in Walnut Garden. Open since 1983; Sean speaks fluent English and knows every path.
MoYe Snow Mountain Cliff Hotel 墨野·雪山悬崖酒店
- Bed
- —
- Room
- —
- View room
- ¥1,700–2,463
- 676 reviews
Stone hotel near Tina’s, opened 2024. Heated infinity pool over the gorge.
What it costs
€1 = ¥7.613 (ECB, 30 Sep 2026)
- Getting there
- Gorge ticket
- 1 night
- Food, water, snacks
- Getting away
Per person, 2 days
¥395–585
≈ €50–75
Good to know
- Alipay or WeChat Pay
Even the smallest stall takes them. Link your foreign card before you arrive.
- ¥300–500 in cash
For dead phones and dead signal. Get it in Lijiang: don’t count on an ATM in Qiaotou.
- 4G most of the way
Weak on the Bends and at the waterfall. Get an eSIM with data before you fly, and an offline map (Organic Maps): Google Maps is blocked here.
Don’t pay a local ¥100 to “guide” you down to the closed riverside rocks at Middle Gorge. It happens.
Don’t step past the edge for a photo. Railings cover only a few stretches.
When to go
Lijiang, 2,381 m, about the height of the trail (30-year averages, 1991–2020)
- Best
- Good
- Rain
- Holiday crowds
- SpringMar–MayBest
You’ll see
- Peach and pear blossom in the villages (March)
- Barley terraces, green in April, gold by mid-May
- Snow still on Jade Dragon and Haba, clear mornings
Watch for
- 1–5 May: Labour Day crowds
- SummerJun–SepRainy season
You’ll see
- Waterfalls at full roar, the river brown and wild
- Green slopes, clouds drifting through the gorge
Watch for
- Rockfall after rain: the scenic area closed for days after 31 Jul 2026
- Rain most afternoons, peaks often hidden
- AutumnOct–NovBest
You’ll see
- Clear, washed air after the rains: the sharpest views of the year
- First snow back on the peaks in November
- Corn drying on village roofs, walnuts and persimmons
Watch for
- 1–7 Oct: Golden Week, the busiest week of the year
- WinterDec–FebCold and clear
You’ll see
- Snow-capped Jade Dragon against blue sky, almost no rain
- A quiet trail, and beds without booking ahead
Watch for
- Nights near 0 °C; frost on the Bends in the morning
- Dark by 19:00: start the Bends by 13:00
Quick answers
Can I do it in one day?
Yes, if you’re fit: 6–8 hours. Start up the 28 Bends from Naxi Family by 09:00 and you’ll make the last bus: 16:30 to Shangri-La, about 17:00 to Lijiang.
How hard is it?
Moderate. One hard hour: the 28 Bends, about 440 m straight up from Naxi Family. The rest is a balcony path, narrow and wet in places past the waterfall. Anyone of reasonable fitness manages it in two days.
Where can I leave my big bag?
Send it ahead. Leave it on the Lijiang bus and it rides on to the bus point at Tina’s for free, or Naxi Family and Jane’s in Qiaotou send it by car for ¥20–30. The bag room at Tina’s keeps it for days.
Do I need a guide?
No. There is one path, marked with yellow arrows and painted signs. A guide adds what a map can’t: the stories, the buses, bags and rooms sorted, and the trail before six, while it’s still empty.
Is it OK for children?
Yes, for sure-footed children of 8 and over, holding an adult’s hand on the cliff stretches. A child died on a closed path nearby in 2026: stay on the main trail.
Can I go on to Shangri-La or Yubeng?
Yes. Buses leave the bus point beside Tina’s for Shangri-La at about 12:00, 13:40, 15:30 and 16:30 (2 h 20). For Yubeng, Tina’s desk books a shared van to Feilaisi: about ¥170 a seat, 5–6 hours via Shangri-La; our free Yubeng guide covers the rest. Our six-day guided trek walks both.
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More trails nearby
Yubeng and its trails
- 3 days
- Total distance31 km
- Total ascent+700 m
Where this comes from
Figures come from GPS traces, trip reports and booking sites, checked on the dates below.
- OpenStreetMap: 3 public GPS traces (2016, 2017, 2025) and route 18731549 · 30 Sep 2026
- 2bulu: 16 recorded walks, times and distances only · 1 Oct 2026
- Trip.com and Booking.com: room prices, late October 2026 · 1 Oct 2026
- Xiaohongshu (RedNote): trip notes from Jan, Apr, Jul and Sep 2026 · 1 Oct 2026
- Nick Kembel: Tiger Leaping Gorge Trek, 2026 guide · 25 Aug 2026
- China Meteorological Administration via Wikipedia: Lijiang climate · 1 Oct 2026
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