Welcome to Lijiang, a very impressive ancient city! Upon arrival at the airport or railway station, your guide and driver will meet you at the arrival hall and transfer you to the hotel in ancient town area with a private car which is comfortable, air-conditioned and non-smoking. The rest of the day is free for you to explore the Lijiang Old Town.

Lijiang Old Town: Established in the Ming dynasty as a commercial center, Lijiang Old Town (or known as Dayan Ancient Town) is a well-preserved 800-year-old town for Naxi ethnic group, listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Stroll the so many old alleys, old bridges, featured shops and bar to feel its past prosperity and today’s lively atmosphere. Lijiang Old Town will certainly jolt your senses!

Arrival Ideas: There’re direct flights from Kunming, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lhasa, Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Guiyang, etc to Lijiang Sanyi Airport. Trains are available from Kunming (about 3-3.5 hours), Dali (about 2-3 hours) to Lijiang Railway Station.

This day, get ready to start your breathtaking in-depth Tiger Leaping Gorge trekking tour!

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. First, drive about 52 kilometers from Lijiang to view the First Bend of Yangtze River. The upper reach of the Yangtze River is Jinsha River coming down from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and when it arrives at Shigu Town, it is obstructed by Hailuo Mountain and forms a V-shape turn. Then it changes the direction and goes to the northeast. You’ll reach the observation deck to catch a panoramic view of the bend, an extraordinary turn nearly about 180 degrees with beautiful and marvelous views like a wonderful landscape painting unfolding before your eyes. You’ll have a look at local market and Red Army’s Long March Memorial Monument in Shigu Town.

Then drive further north for about 50km (1 hour) to Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the deepest and most spectacular river canyon in the world and a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site called Three Parallel of Yunnan Protected Areas. For the rest of the day, you will trek this great gorge along its Upper Trekking Route, one of the top 10 classic hiking trails in the world that famed among worldwide backpackers.

Your amazing trekking tour starts from paths near a local primary school of Qiaotou Town (Hutiaoxia Town). The following part of trails will lead you to several rural villages and farms of the Naxi minority people first. And then you will arrive at Naxi Family Guesthouse in the early afternoon. Treat yourself one cup of cold beer or coffee there if you like before continuing your tour for some trail miles in the warm afternoon sun. The walk will then wind through pine forests, past waterfalls and snaking along the cliff edge with spectacular views of the muddy churning Yangtze River below and the looming ridges above. Later you will pass by the famous 24 Bends, where trails ascend with 24 swirling twists await your challenge. With every step upwards, the rugged terrain will introduce you a new perspective of the depths that make up the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Once complete the 24 Bends, you will be rewarded with the broadest view of the gorge. Look up to see the awe-inspiring Haba Snow Mountain and Jade Snow Mountain, then down to see the lingering rays dancing on the rippling waters a thousand meters below, congratulations, you are embracing Tiger Leaping Gorge on the highest point of this route! Take plenty of breaks to enjoy the gorgeous views. And then continue on for an hour or so, you’ll descend a few hundred meters in altitude to Tea Horse Guesthouse for your night stay.

Today’s trekking ends. Before going to bed, you can share today’s memorable hiking trip with your partners while appreciating the beautiful sparkling starry sky.

After breakfast, you’ll set off for descend. For about 2 hours later, you will arrive at your first stop - Halfway Guesthouse, which marks the halfway point of the entire journey. Make a short stop at their top deck of “Star Lavatories”, where you will feast your eyes with an unbeatable view of surrounding towering snow-capped mountains. Next, wind the path hewed out of cliffs down while taking in the sensational vistas and hugging small waterfalls until you arrive at Tina’s Guesthouse on the main driving road. Then trek the main road for about 1.5km more to Teacher Zhang’s Guesthouse, the vital starting point of goat paths leading down to Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge at the bottom. As you approach the bottom, you will hear a loud sound of the Jinsha River relentlessly pounding giant boulders in its path. The churning river splits the mountain into two towering cliffs, forming a giant gate that seems to welcome you. And finally, you will stand just steps from the raging river with a huge rock in its center. According to legends, there was once a tiger leaping from one side of the gorge to the other side via this rock, thus the locals called it Tiger Leaping Rock and started to call the gorge Tiger Leaping Gorge.

After your Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge visit, trek back to Teacher Zhang’s Guesthouse, where you’ll met by your driver who will escort your to Lijiang to catch your flight or bullet train to next destination. Service ends!

Departure idea: Your trekking tour will be finished at about 15:00pm. However, considering the long drive from Tiger Leaping Gorge to the airport (at least 2 hours to Lijiang Sanyi International Airport), you are suggested to book a flight departing after 20:00pm.