5-day Trekking to Tiger Leaping Gorge and Lijiang

Departure Date:  On your request

This is a very popular touring program featuring Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking !

Highlights:

* Hike Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the world*s deepest gorges and the #1 China hike according to Lonely Planet
* Explore Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the southernmost glacier in the northern hemisphere and China*s most popular ski resort
* Experience culture and liveliness at the Lijiang Old Town, Lijiang*s center for nightlife and fun

Tiger Leaping Gorge, tucked between the Yulong Snow Mountain and the Haba Mountains, offers one of the most attractive trekking in Southwest China. A thunderous roar of the gushing river welcomes you as you approach the 16-kilometer gorge, which runs along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Starting from Lijiang, a delightful Naxi town located near the Tibetan border, we will enter the spectacular gorge via roads set among terraced hills. From here you will walk along enchanting - and at times hair raising - paths overlooking a fall of 800 meters (689 ft) and a series of more than twenty rapids.

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1 Kunming-Lijiang

After you arrive at the Kunming (the capital of Yunnan Province) airport, you will then transfer to a flight to Lijiang, Yunnan province. Upon arrival in Lijiang your English-speaking guide will meet you in order to drive you to your 4 star hotel, named the Grand Hotel, located in the city.

The evening you can spend at your own leisure, but we recommend that you explore the Lijiang Old Town. The Lijiang Old Town is a well-preserved city of ethnic minorities that houses brilliant culture. There are many bars and cafes, along with traditional dancing and music shows. It is always lively, and is an excellent way to spend your night in Lijiang.

Day 2 Lijiang-Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (B+L)

After breakfast in the hotel, we will head out to one of the great scenic spots in China, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Ski Resort is the highest ski resort in China with an elevation of 4,500-4,700 meters above sea level. Jade Dragon Snow Ski Resort has long been famous for its pure, unspoiled, natural snow resulting from its high altitude. The Ski Resort is around 4500 meters to 4700 meters above sea level and is covered with snow all year around. The ski parks measure 1,000 meters in length and 600 meters in width.

The first place on the mountain we will go to is the Ganhaizi Meadow, a vast meadow at an altitude of 3,100 meters (10,171 feet). Just as its name implies, it had been a highland glacial lake before the 1940s and was formed after the water had dried up. Dry Sea is located at the east foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and is only 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) away from Lijiang Old Town. Then we will come across the Baishui River. The first impression that Baishui River leaves for you is the crystal clear water. The source of the river is the melting snow on the nearby mountain, and after undergoing a process of filtration on the nearby rocks, the water pours into the river a gorgeous clear color. In summer, you can stand in the water and feel the cold it brings to you, as the white stones in the water can be seemed clearly, making the river more crystal and transparent, so it has attained a reputation as " Baishui River"(White Water River).

Then we will take a chairlift to visit the Yak Meadow (at an altitude of 3700 meters). On the Yak Meadow you can enjoy the scenery of alp snowfields, the stream of Black Water River and the peace and serenity of the virgin forest.

In the afternoon we*ll stroll through Baisha Village. It is the earliest settlement of the Naxi people (the chief ethnic minority of Lijiang), and is the birthplace of "Tusi", chief of the Mu clan. In the town there are many ancient buildings built during the Ming Dynasty, including Dabaoji Palace, Liuli Temple, and Wenchang Palace. The well-known Baisha Frescoes are located in Dabaoji Palace. The architectural complex is made up of two parts, folk residence and cultural sites. The folk residence is called "pengshizhi" which in the local language means "Baisha Streets". The streets all go from south to north. In the center of the old town there is a square where three thoroughfares intersect. Houses and small stores stand on the both sides of these streets. A crystal clear stream winds around all the houses flowing through the small town from north to south.

The highlight of the Village is the Baisha Frescos. The 44 pieces of Baisha frescos were drawn in the early Ming Dynasty. Most of the paintings are about religious stories of Taoism, Buddhism, and Tibetan Buddhism. The murals embodies the artistic characteristics of the Naxi, Tibetan, Han and Bai ethnic groups. Among them the paintings about Kwan-yin and Sakyamuni are the most famous ones. Now Baisha Frescos, also known as Lijing Frescos have become precious data for the study of China's history of arts and religions.

Following our visit, we will return to the hotel, and you can spend the night at your discretion.

Day 3 Lijiang-Tiger Leaping Gorge (B+L+D, 6-7 hours of hiking)

After breakfast we will make the 2.5-hour drive to Tiger Leaping Gorge. Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the world*s deepest gorges, and is tucked in between Jade Dragon now Mountain and Haha Mountain. At a length of 17km, Tiger Leaping Gorge is the birthplace of the ancient Lijiang culture, whose people lived in the many caves, big and small, in the side of Yulong Xueshan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain). These caves were naturally formed houses. In some caves, rock paintings and artifacts shedding light on the life of these primitive peoples were found. The rock paintings have now become another attraction of Tiger Leaping Gorge. 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 Boulder, the Golden Sand River is only 25 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.

We will hike for two hours to Naxi*s Family Guesthouse, and have lunch. Then we will continue to hike another 2 hours further up the steep 28-bends and it will be worth it, because the views there are remarkable. The top here is 2670 meters above sea level. After another 2-3 hours on the way we will arrive at the Woody Guest House or another local inn. You can shower, have a replenishing dinner, and get a good night*s sleep.

Day 4 Tiger Leaping Gorge-Lijiang (B+L+D, 5-6 hours of hiking)

Today, we will get up early in the morning, hiking down to Tina's Guest house (about 2 Hours) passing through Guanyin waterfall and canyons on the way. After having lunch at Tina's, it is a 1-hour walk down the steep cliff to the bank of Jinsha River and middle Tiger Leaping Gorge. At the dangerous shoal of "Starriness" is the most-narrow part of the gorge, where a tiger can easily jump over the Jinsha River. We will walk 1 hour back to Tina's. Then we*ll go to Xincun village pier after a half hour's drive and go down to Xincun village pier, the lower section of the Gorge where you will take ferry across the River to Daju pier. It usually takes about 1.5-2 hours from Xincun pier to Daju pier. After that, it *s a 2 hours' drive to Lijiang.

You are free to spend the night further, if you'd like you can return to the Lijiang Old Town.

Day 5 Lijiang/Kunming (B)

Your guide will drive you to the airport, and from there you will catch your plane to Kunming. You will then transfer to a flight on to your next destination, ending your tour with us.

Remarks:

. Please booked the tour one week in advance so as to have the train tickets or good discount air tickets.
. We reserve the right to cancel the tour, if there are less than two persons signed up.
. For the hiking tour, the real day-by-day itinerary could be a little different from the original one according to the fitness of the guests, the weather and other unforeseen factors.
The price is quoted based on present entrance tickets and airfare, we reserve the right to rise the price in case of rising of cost without notice.
. The part of the area we will visit is remote mountainous part of China. While it is good to enjoy the well protected nature view and experience unique primitive fork customs, we should understand that the food and accommodation are really basic.