Lijiang Tiger Leaping Gorge Trekking Guide 2026: Didi & Entry Tips

China Yunnan Travel: Trekking Begins with DiDi Taxi

From Lijiang to Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge

Text and Photos by TravelSun

Our 4-night, 6-day Trip to Lijiang, Yunnan, China

On the first day, we traveled from Incheon, transiting through Chengdu,

and by the time we reached Lijiang, the day was over in a blink.

During my previous Lijiang trip, I booked a Tiger Leaping Gorge tour,

but almost missed out on trekking the Tea Horse Road.

So this time, I made up my mind to go on a free-and-easy trip!

Looking at other blog reviews,

it seemed possible to take a bus from Lijiang Old Town to Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge.

I tried to book it several times, but

it seemed blocked or I couldn't make a reservation, so I just decided to take a DiDi.

Before getting into the DiDi, I bought some altitude sickness medicine at a pharmacy and took it.

(It tasted truly terrible... and I wasn't even sure if it worked, but I took it anyway!)

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Since there were four of us traveling, the price for the DiDi wasn't bad.

However, I entered the wrong destination for the DiDi,

and it dropped us off at the ticket booth.

So we had to book another car just to get to the entrance of Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge.

And this driver charged us 100 RMB for the toll fee,

but when I processed the additional payment, the toll fee was already included.

I ended up getting a refund, and I've detailed these slightly frustrating experiences

in the post linked below, so be sure to check it out.

It'll be really helpful for your Lijiang trip!

"Anyway, after all those little adventures, we finally arrived at Tiger Leaping Gorge!"

If you want to see Tiger Leaping Gorge up close from below,

you'll need to walk down many stairs.

But, like many Chinese tourist spots, if you'd rather not walk and prefer a comfortable way

to see the Gorge, there's also the option of taking an escalator!

The entrance fee for Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge is 45 RMB for adults.

The escalator costs 70 RMB for a round trip,

30 RMB for a one-way descent, and 50 RMB for a one-way ascent.

Hmm... even though my stamina isn't the best,

honestly, I think it's totally manageable to walk both ways.

Even folks in their 50s and 60s can easily do the round trip.

Even after stopping briefly at a cafe on the way up,

the total time spent at Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge was only about an hour.

With two hours, you could definitely enjoy it at a very relaxed pace!

As you descend the stairs,

the majestic scenery of Tiger Leaping Gorge gets closer and closer!

It was already stunning from above,

but once we got down, the sheer force of the water was incredible;

you could hear the difference!

The last time I visited in May, I think it rained a lot,

because the water was a murky brown.

When I visited in early March this time,

the waters of Tiger Leaping Gorge were an absolutely breathtaking jade color!

Seeing Tiger Leaping Gorge bathed in that jade glow felt like a completely new experience!

The very name 'Tiger Leaping Gorge' itself

is said to come from a legend where a tiger, leaping onto a rock in the middle of the river,

crossed the gorge!

And perhaps that's why there's also a tiger statue here!

It must be a prime photo op location because

there were so many people queuing up to take pictures,

making it tough to snap a single shot.

For a more relaxed view of the tiger statue from a higher vantage point,

pop into the cafe nearby

and take your photos there! It's less crowded,

making it perfect for leisurely enjoying both the tiger statue and Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Did the tiger really leap onto that giant rock

and cross the gorge?

Even as I was looking at it, I couldn't help but exclaim, "That's unbelievable!"

The current is incredibly strong too, so how on earth did it cross?

That's all I could think about.

I saw it on my last Lijiang trip,

and again this time, it's undeniably magnificent!

I can totally see why it's considered a must-visit

on any Lijiang itinerary.

When you ascend, you take a different set of stairs

than the ones you used to descend.

To be honest, it is quite a climb.

But if you look to your right as you're climbing up,

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain peeks out beautifully between the mountains.

It's a view you'd totally miss if you took the escalator,

but it's so stunning that I'd really recommend taking the stairs!

You might think of taking the escalator because there are 500 steps,

and that's understandable.

But if you take it slow, it's definitely manageable!

For the next part of our itinerary, we took a 'bbangcha' (local van/jeep)

and headed to Qiaotou (Chama) Inn for lunch,

then trekked to Halfway Guesthouse.

I'll be sure to write a review about that later!

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