Lijiang 2 days Tour

Like the tiger and like another rather famous gorge or three in China, Yunnan's famed Tiger Leaping Gorge's days appear to be numbered—at least if you want to see it in something close to its natural state. Plans are afoot to dam the Jinsha River (as the Yangzi is known through this stretch), whose rushing waters have carved out this 17-kilometer long wonder over millenia. So, if you're set on seeing the world's deepest canyon before it's harmoniously developed into a tourist-friendly hydroelectric reservoir project, make like the legendary tiger and leap at the chance. (We should note that there is a lot of resistance to the dam project, for obvious reasons, and that its completion is not yet absolutely certain).

Located at the junction of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the gorge is tucked neatly between the Yulong Snow Mountains(Jade Dragon Snow Mountain) and Haba Snow Mountains. Divided into three segments with an aggregate fall of 210 meters and places where the canyon walls rise some 3,000 meters above the rapids, the gorge is so narrow at points that it's not hard to imagine the namesake tiger making its leap.

All of this extreme scenery makes for some splendid hiking. There are two trails, one high and one low; both take at least two days at a steady pace to complete. Many hikers linger in the gorge, taking advantage of the charming accommodations available in the village of Hutao Yuan (Walnut Garden) situated roughly halfway between Daju and Qiaotou, the two towns located on either end of the primary stretch of gorge. There are a handful of other small towns as well: Bendiwan, Nuoyu,Yacha, Dabai and Yongsheng all make for good resting points, with a number of small guesthouses scattered between them.

If you're lacking the time or energy for the hike (which can be quite strenuous, so be prepared if you do tackle the gorge by foot), roads have been forced into the rugged gorge in recent years, making it possible for buses to deliver gaggles of tourists to Hutao Yuan and major scenic overlooks. The high trail is the way to go if you'd prefer to avoid the masses; the low trail is suffering (or enjoying, depending on your outlook) the effects of tacky touristic development of the kind familiar to any who have visited  popular sites in China with a longer history of easy access.