Tiger Leaping Gorge


It is one of the most beautiful gorges in the world with its drop of 3,790 meters from the top of the mountain that overlooks it.

You can cross it with a wonderful trek that puts you in contact with families of native Naxi farmers of these small mountain villages. Their kindness and their genuine cuisine would be worth the trip there alone.

The view is breathtaking and walking on the west side of the gorge you can admire all the peaks of the snow-capped mountains of the Jade Dragon. A mountain that also hosts the southernmost glacier in the northern hemisphere.

Like most of the attractions in Yunnan, it is frequented by many Chinese tourists who love to take pictures in the most scenic places.

During the trek we also found a small village expanding to accommodate the growing number of tourists. One wonders in a few years what will be left of that uncontaminated nature.


Interior of a rustic wooden home of Naxi people with ornate carved decorations and a child sat at a table reading.
Person in traditional wooden doorway wearing denim jacket and looking upward thoughtfully against red painted wood.
A hiker wearing a black cap and jacket stands on a mountainside trail overlooking a distant bridge in a valley.
A suspension bridge spans across a deep mountain valley at sunset with dramatic clouds and rugged terrain below.
Dramatic mountain landscape with silhouetted tree against sunlit clouds and rugged peaks in the distance. Mountains of giade dragon.
Red Chinese flag waving against dramatic mountain landscape with snow-capped peaks and moody clouds in background.
Someone in an orange jacket takes a photo of a Chinese flag waving against dramatic snow-capped mountain peaks.
Dramatic aerial view of a deep mountain gorge with a winding turquoise river flowing through rugged terrain under cloudy skies.
Dramatic aerial view of Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan China showing deep canyon with winding river and snow-capped peaks.
View of traditional mountain village nestled among autumn trees in warm, moody lighting.
A small mountain village perches on a terraced hillside overlooking a dramatic valley in the Himalayas.
A construction worker wearing protective gloves and dark clothing gestures while standing near rubble at a building site.
A person works with traditional tools against a backdrop of dramatic mountain peaks in rural Asia.
Construction workers operate a large cement mixer at an unfinished building site.
Dimly lit classroom with sunlight streaming through a window illuminating students studying at desks in a brick room.
Individual sitting by fire pot keeping warm in makeshift shelter with debris and supplies scattered around.
People gather near a red utility truck against a backdrop of misty mountain peaks.
Rugged mountain peaks rise against a blue sky with white clouds in a panoramic landscape view of a mountainous terrain.
Dramatic mountain valley view with steep rocky cliffs and winding river under cloudy skies in Tiger Leaping Gorge, China.
Traditional Naxi woman attire with floral patterns and black cap shown in warm lighting while eating from a small bowl.
A person collects water from a container in a dark stone passage illuminated by dim lighting.
Staff in black uniforms and hairnets work in a busy commercial kitchen preparing food at various stations.
Family portrait of Naxi people in a courtyard of a rural home with dramatic mountain peaks rising in the background in China.
A raging river flows through a dramatic rocky gorge with steep cliff walls and bare winter trees.
Turquoise river water rushes through narrow rocky canyon walls with dramatic natural lighting and shadows.
Tourists stand on rocky overlook viewing point above turbulent white water rapids with a red flag.