The hook
One of the deepest river gorges on earth, where the young Yangtze roars through a two-kilometre-deep slot between snow peaks, and a two-day footpath traverses the cliffs high above it.
01Why it's worth it
In northern Yunnan the Yangtze (here the Jinsha) is squeezed between the 5,000-metre Haba and Jade Dragon snow mountains into a chasm so narrow that legend says a hunted tiger once leapt across it. The reason to come is the High Trail: a classic two-day trek along the gorge's upper flank, climbing the notorious "28 Bends," passing waterfalls and terraced hamlets, and sleeping at family-run guesthouses with the river far below and the peaks opposite. It is one of the best walks in China and one of the few big Chinese sights that is genuinely about effort and quiet rather than shuttle buses, the crowds cluster at the road-level viewing platforms, while the High Trail stays relatively empty. Yunnan more broadly is a favourite among travellers here, and the gorge is its outdoor headline.
02How to experience it
Do the High Trail, not the road: two days on foot from Qiaotou, overnighting at a trail guesthouse (Tea Horse or Halfway) for the views, then descending to the river's Tiger Leaping Stone before exiting. Come in spring or autumn for stable weather, carry layers and water, and string it together with Lijiang, Shangri-La, and the rest of northern Yunnan.
From the locals
Yunnan is the province regulars rave about, and the gorge is the walk they point you to: "the South of China is amazing," one wrote, "Yunnan is my favorite province so far," routing newcomers from Lijiang out to "Dali, Tiger Leaping Gorge" and the mountains beyond.