Tiger Leaping Gorge

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Terraces part way up the sides of the Tiger Leaping Gorge

View of the gorge from the high path, showing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain on the left, and Haba Snow Mountain on the right.

Tiger Leaping Gorge (Chinese: 虎跳峡; pinyin: Hǔtiào Xiá) is a canyon on the Yangtze River – locally called the Golden Sands River (金沙江; Jīnshā Jiāng) – located 60 km north of Lijiang City, Yunnan in southwestern China. 27°14′9.37″N, 100°7′56.93″E

Around 15 km in length, the gorge was formed where the river passed between 5,590 m Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龙山; Yùlóng Shān) and 5,396 m Haba Mountain (哈巴山; Hābā Shān) in a series of rapids under steep 2000 m cliffs. Legend says that in order to escape from a hunter, a tiger jumped across the river at the narrowest point (still 25 m wide), hence the name.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is a contender for the world's deepest river canyon, depending on the exact definition used. The inhabitants of the gorge are primarily the indigenous Nakhi people, who live in a handful of small hamlets. Their primary subsistence comes from grain production and foreign hikers. The gorge is not considered navigable. In the early 1980s, four rafters attempted to go down the gorge and were never seen again. In 1986, the first known successful attempt to sail through the gorge was made by the first expedition to float down the entire length of the Yangtze, starting at the river's high source at the Gelandandong glacier lake.

Hiking the length of the gorge is possible. The hiking path ("the high road") is well-maintained and is used by the Nakhi as part of everyday life. It features a surprising variety of microecosystems, waterfalls and a fair number of guesthouses for trekkers. These guesthouses are not well heated, which combined with the unpredictable nature of high mountain weather makes this trek unadvisable during the rainy season.

The lower road is a stretch of pavement frequently beset by rockslides. Some portions of the road have been known to disappear into the river below. Where the high road descends to meet the lower road, one can climb down to the river near to the Tiger Leaping Stone, the point at which the tiger is said to have leaped. Natural crystals are mined from areas in and surrounding the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Recently, the Chinese government announced plans to place a dam on the Jinsha river for hydroelectric power, displacing up to 100,000 people and possibly destroying the unique beauty of the Tiger Leaping Gorge.