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Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the most popular, well-known and truly noteworthy trekking routes in Yunnan. It passes, which is characteristic, along a narrow gorge directly above the noisy Yangtze below, halfway between Lijiang and Shangri-La.

Tiger Leaping Gorge (Hutiao Xia, 虎跳峡) is a world heritage UNESCO and is listed among the deepest canyons in the world (its depth is up to 3800 m). Here, the still small and vicious mountain Yangtze squeezes between two five-thousanders, which periodically throw huge stones into the river. According to legend, once a tiger pursued by a hunter jumped over the Yangtze over one of these stones (the width of the river in that place is still more than 20 meters, so the tiger was apparently flying), and the gorge was named after this jump.

The length of a standard trekking route along the Gorge is 22 km. It is usually passed at a leisurely pace in 2 days (in fact, in one and a half, and athletes can run without looking around, and in one). But the gorge does not end there, and if you have time, you can go further - to the villages of Walnut Grove, Baju or Baishutai. We did so and spent two full days and two nights in the Gorge.

“Trekking” in this case is probably too loud a word - the route is more of a walking route, with two more or less difficult sections: a sharp climb of 600 meters on the first day and an equally sharp descent to the Yangtze itself on the second. Most of the route passes at an altitude of about 2500 meters, so you don’t have to be afraid of the miners. However, even in the warm season, it is worth stocking up on warm clothes (we were wearing fleece jackets and windbreakers in mid-October) - it is cold in the gorge in the morning and evening. Any shoes will do except flip flops, on the ascents and descents there were not enough trekking poles in places, it was very good with them =))

In addition to natural beauties, Tiger Leaping Gorge is valuable because there are no Chinese in it at all. As a country that has not yet conquered office slavery, China does not accept any physical effort on vacation. The average Chinese works like hell all year for a week of vacation, but this week he will rest like a king and squander money right and left. To drag 20 km through the mountains with a backpack without food and water? No, please. Therefore, there are only farangs on the route (sorry, laowai).

How to get from Lijiang to the Gorge

Tickets for a bus or minibus in Qiaotou can be bought at any guesthouse in Lijiang (similarly, I think, in Shangri-La). You can also leave extra things there, or arrange for their delivery to the end of the route (usually to Tina's Guesthouse) if you are going to go further.

Important: By order of the party, just a few months ago, the city of Qiaotou was renamed Hutiao Xia ("Gorge of the Leaping Tiger"). On all maps it is now marked as Hutiaoxiazhen.

Like all other more or less worthy sights of China, Tiger Leaping Gorge is paid (entrance costs 65 yuan, $10). This fact causes a fierce butthurt among all backpackers who invented a new sport here long ago: “watch something for free, not a penny to the damned communists.” So, hundreds of works have been written on the topic of getting into the Gorge for free: experienced users advise climbing under a bridge over a mountain river, bypassing the checkpoint on top of the rocks and using an invisibility cap. We, unfortunately, were deprived of the chance to try all this on our own skin. We were picked up right on the bus. So, from the real chances of free entry behind the checkpoint, I see one: come to Qiaotou in the evening after 6 (when the checkpoint is already closed), go to the other side and spend the night in the nearest guesthouse - fortunately, there are a couple of them right at the very beginning of the trail.

How to leave the Gorge for Lijiang

The main transport generator from the Gorge is Tina's Guesthouse. There are very conflicting reports about the availability of buses from there after 16:00. This means that on the second day by this time you will have to go through the entire second half of the track, go down to the rapids (if you want to see them) and get back out, otherwise you will have to get to Qiaotou on a ride or an expensive taxi (well, or on foot for an hour). 3). It is not a problem to leave Qiaotou for Lijiang or Shangri-Lu in the evening.

So here's our track. For a better understanding of the scale of the disaster, I add timing.

8:00 - start from Lijiang

Sunrise from the balcony of our guesthouse.

The whole sky was covered with clouds and out of nowhere it began to rain. Well, we are used to it, we often leave in the rain - a good omen!

En route stop for breakfast. In the background are our perdobuses.

And here is the Yangtze, already making its way through the gorge.

10:30 - we leave on the warpath from Qiaotou

After the checkpoint, it is not difficult to find a trail, and in general there is nowhere to wander along the route - there is only one trail everywhere. The bus people gradually disperse on the trail, so no one has to breathe in the back of the head or step on the heels. Despite quite a large number of people in the gorge, almost all go in the same direction and there are no crowds on the route.

Peaks of the Jade Dragon Mountain, which will accompany us for two days.

We gradually climb up, leaving the Chinese pastoral below.

A huge minus of my vaunted mirrorless camera is the lack of a normal viewfinder. In bright light, the work of the polarizer is not visible on the screen at all, and half of the frames turn out to be overexposed =((

The gorge finally becomes like itself.

With the arrival of tourists in the Gorge locals began to invent ways of taking money from the population of varying degrees of honesty.

Here, for example, is a natural "failure repair" - dudes built some kind of "viewing platform" on the trail from shit and sticks, installed an information board and collect 3 yuan from everyone passing by.

The difference in perception is indicative: we, of course, carefully read everything, went around the platform and photographed the vaunted view (it is in the photo above, by the way) two steps after it absolutely free. Some northern European farangs following us climbed onto the platform, everyone diligently took pictures, got down and began to prove to the grandmother guarding the platform that all this was “illegal” and in general they had already paid 65 yuan for entering the gorge. The grandmother didn’t go into her pocket for a word, but immediately began throwing stones at the overseas devils. Intercultural communication failed.

In addition to the Laowai, there are locals on the trail who actually used it from time immemorial.

Why not Georgia? After all, the Caucasus is a small Himalayas.

They live here (as in the mountains of Georgia) as well as under King Peas. And even the houses of the local Naxi are somewhat similar to the Svan ones.

12:00 - lunch at Naxi Family Guesthouse

Even if you are not hungry yet, it makes sense to stop and have a cup of tea in Naxi (as one of the most popular options is Nazi Guesthouse), because the next civilization will not be until the evening, and there is a rather difficult climb ahead.

We dine with a view of clothes and corn.

And the ripening persimmon.

13:00 - we leave Naxi

Everyone is escorted by an evil alpha gander.

Right behind Naxi Family there is a steep climb known as "28 turns" with a climb of about 600 meters. The village quickly falls below.

But the real mountain beauties finally begin around.

And the path from the trampled "highway" turns into a rocky staircase.

Now it looks like a real canyon!

Down along the Yangtze is a newly built road with viewing platforms and other tourist attractions. This fact, of course, greatly spoils the overall impression of the "track through the wild gorge", but this is the whole of today's China. The consolation is the fact that all the Chinese are there, not here!

We still have better views.

Here is the village in which we will spend the night today.

16:30 - Tea Horse Trade Guesthouse

Overnight on the route is supposed to be in one of two guesthouses: Tea Horse or Half Way. The first is a little closer to Qiaotou, the second, respectively, is an hour's walk further. Half Way had bad reviews on Wikitravel and I chose Tea Horse even though we got there well before sunset. Now, from experience, I can say that if you are going to go down to the rapids of the Yangtze on the second day and catch the bus, you need to spend the night only at Half Way, otherwise there will not be enough time for everything. We went to Half Way the next day for breakfast and it seemed to us much nicer than our Tea Horse with horse prices and gloomy aunts.

A double with amenities here costs 150 yuan, without - 90. The amenities come with an excellent veranda with easy chairs and this view:

You can stick endlessly, but accompanied by local agricultural products, which are sold everywhere on the trail for 50 yuan for a giant package, and in general. We spent the rest of the evening in this pleasant activity.

Continuation:

Tiger Leaping Gorge is another Chinese attraction, widely promoted by Lonely Planet. I must say, it is promoted not in vain, the place is definitely worthy of a visit. Here you will be expected to climb mountain trails, spend the night in small guest houses, neatly lurking on the slopes of the hills and, of course, incomparable views of the Gorge itself.

The path is designed for two full days of trekking and do not be misled by the large number of tourists who visit this place every year. The route is not easy, especially if you decide to go through it with a backpack on your shoulders. After all, about 50 kilometers from edge to edge. But before starting the story, I would like to dwell on one curious moment - penetration into the territory of the Gorge for free

Tiger Leaping Gorge. Which way to choose - paid or free?

The ticket office workers who offer to exchange you 65 yuan for an entrance ticket can be easily compared with the legendary Ostap Bender, who charged a fee for entry to Proval. To walk along the narrow mountain paths, you need to buy a ticket. Perhaps someone will disagree with me and will be partly right, since it cannot be said that absolutely nothing is being done for the convenience of tourists (for example, along the route you can see signs indicating the way), but there is still a certain similarity.

One way or another, on the backpacker forum, options were repeatedly discussed on how to seep into Tiger Leaping Gorge for free, bypassing the guard post. In order not to reprint what has already been written, here is the link, who are interested, you can read. Of course, everything free is much more interesting and I could not miss the opportunity not to try it.

Bypassing the controllers on the left, climbing up the path, I managed to bypass the guard post and go to the main road. Everything seemed too simple to be true. Proudly walking along the highway, already at a decent distance from the cash register, mentally showing off to friends, I did not notice how a car with security overtook me. They didn't wave their hands or say they would give me four life sentences. No, they just asked to see the ticket and after making sure that it was not there, they offered to buy it from them. So the attempt to free pass was not successful, but it was still worth a try

Tiger Leaping Gorge route. The first day

Until that day, I had never gone to the mountains, even if not very high, and the lack of experience made the first day one of the most difficult of the whole trip. In general, not a difficult route, sometimes it completely knocked me out of my strength and it was not entirely clear how I was going to reach the end. Trying to go fast, all the while holding his breath, loaded with a backpack and a camera, sometimes he stopped so tired that only the realization that there was no turning back made him move on. But the place is beautiful, what can I say.

Weather. January frosts

Separately, I want to say about the weather. I did not quite understand what temperature to expect in Tiger Leaping Gorge in January, so I initially prepared myself for the cold, up to frost. In fact, it turned out that a T-shirt and a sweater are quite comfortable, and a jacket can come in handy only in the morning and after sunset.

Also, don't worry about overnight stays. Along the route, you can easily find guest houses where you can spend the night for a very reasonable fee. This is exactly what I did, stopping with two Americans in a popular Naxi Family G.H in order to start climbing in the morning to the most difficult section, called “28 turns”.

Second day. 28 turns

On the second day, we had to reach the section of 28 turns, overcome it and begin the descent. This section of the path begins almost immediately after Naxi Family G.H. and to tell you the truth, it didn't seem too complicated to me. Having drawn conclusions from yesterday, I did not rush anywhere and overcame the most difficult climbs slowly, making sure not to lose my breath. This tactic paid off and the conquest of a height of more than 2.5 kilometers was almost effortless. Moreover, there were quite a few stops, because it was simply impossible to miss such beauty and pass by without taking a picture. And it was no less interesting to admire the magnificent mountain beauties that nature endowed Yunnan Province with.

Another shot of "Tiger"

After the rise

After the ascent, a relatively simple route awaits you, when you can just walk down the hill, waiting for the next guest house, where you can eat, drink tea and rest. The most popular place at this stage of the journey is Tea Horse G.H. Here, for 12 yuan, you will be offered to taste rice with meat and enjoy the view from the terrace. By the way, I have repeatedly met opinions that it is here that the most beautiful view from a public toilet on planet Earth. Well, I don’t know, it’s like nothing special, we’ve seen better

"Roll of Honor" at Tea Horse G.H.

This was the end of my trekking, as I mistakenly turned right at one of the turns and started to descend towards the track. But as I have already noticed more than once, everything that is done is for the better. Having gone down to the track, about 20 kilometers of an unremarkable path awaited me, swallowing dust from passing cars. Decided I'd try hitchhiking. And the first pancake did not come out lumpy. Literally in 10 minutes I managed to stop a sports Lexus, which comfortably delivered me to Tina`s Guest House.

Tina`s Guesthouse. Great place to stay overnight

A few words about Tina`s G.H. This place is very popular among backpackers as it is mentioned in the LP so popular all over the world. Here you can stay in a dorm (a room for several people) for only 30 yuan, get excellent service with an English-speaking manager and head back to Lijiang or further north to Shangri-La.

Route summary and prices

Summing up the two-day trekking in Tiger Leaping Gorge, I want to say that it would be a real crime to miss this place, being in Yunnan province. To see the local beauty with your own eyes, the opportunity to test yourself and learn something new about our Planet, all this is possible here. Visit the Gorge, you won't regret it, it's worth it

As for the costs. Prices for year 2014, but China is not the place where prices jump every year, so you can safely focus on these indicators.

• train Kunming - Lijiang - 154 yuan
• bus Lijiang - Qiautou - 40 yuan
• hostel Naxi Family G.H. - 30 yuan
• hostel Tina's G.H. - 30 yuan
• All the best in Hong Kong -

Tiger Leaping Gorge(Tiger Leaping Gorge) - how to get there, how much it costs, guesthouses, buses, etc.

I decided to write a post with technical information about the gorge, especially since when I was preparing, I myself did not immediately understand some points, especially how to leave from there (the second day is different for everyone - someone just leaves Tina guestgouse, someone goes to a distant village, some easily find a bus, while others have problems).
I write what I know from our experience

So - Tiger Leaping Gorge(Tiger Leaping Gorge)

Our itinerary and travel time

We took our time, walked slowly, stopping to take in the views.
Judging by the photos, we got it like this

1st day
7-30 We left Lijiang (more precisely, we started to leave)
10-30 arrived at the beginning of the trail in Qiaotou
12 reached 28 turns*
12-20 went up (not sure, it seemed to me that it took longer to go up)
16-30 settled in the guesthouse Half Way

2nd day
8 am left
10 reached Tina's guesthouse
10-40 started to descend to the river
11-30 We went down (somehow it took a long time, maybe because we made a stop)
12-10 We started climbing to Walnut garden
13-40 we reached Walnut garden and went up to the road
14-20 Returned to Tina
15-30 left by bus to Lijiang (at least 3 hours drive)

* 28 turns- a fairly large climb. In front of it there is a mini-shop with a cafe. where you can rest and buy water. Expensive (it’s better to take water with you), but then a large area without shops will be

Some prices

35 (210 RUB) Lijiang bus ticket to Qiaotou
65 yuan (390 rubles) - entrance to the gorge
55 yuan (430) ticket from the gorge (from Tina's GH) to Lijiang
10 yuan (60 rubles) for the descent to the water itself

20 yuan (60 rubles) a pack of cookies before 28 turns
5 yuan (30 rubles) one (!) banana in the same place
5 yuan 0.6 water in the same place

In the guest house half way
90 yuan (540 rubles) - a room without a shower-toilet (for two)
150 yuan (900 rubles) a room with a shower-toilet (for two)
13 yuan (78 rubles) noodles with chicken
6 yuan (36 rubles) a large bottle of water
10 yuan (60 rubles) Dali beer
15 yuan (90 rubles) banana pancake

How to get to Tiger Leaping Gorge
We were driving into the gorge from Lijiang. From there, every morning there is a bus to the gorge, but I didn’t really understand where to catch it, so I asked about the transfer to the guesthouse (we stayed at Mama Naxi, I read that they also organize a bus to the gorge). Tickets cost 35 yuan each (the standard price for this bus), and in the morning we and 2 other Europeans were escorted outside the old city to the place where a small bus stood. At about 7-30 we left, gathered more people along the way and went to Qiaotou (Qiaotou) - the village from which the trail begins.

There are several roads along the gorge.
- Trekking trail (on the left bank) - we walked along it
- paved road on the left bank - on it went back to Lijiang
- paved road from below on the right bank (does not go along the entire gorge, but only at the beginning)

trekking trail
Pretty obvious, a lot of pointers and arrows. It goes approximately in the middle of the slope, above the motor road (until it goes down to the Tina guesthouse) It seems that there is another path going higher, but we did not see it (it is not recommended to walk along it).

There are several guesthouses on the trail, apparently new ones are being built. Usually, if they go out in the morning, they spend the night in Tea Horse or Half way guesthouses. It takes about an hour to go to the second one (this saves time on the second day) and it seemed prettier to me.

Shortly after Half way, the descent begins, which leads to the road on which Tina guesthouse stands at this place (there was a fork before the descent - one path went to Tina, the other further down the slope. The fork is not very obvious, you can skip it. I don't know the second path.
From Tina you can go back to Lijiang or Shangrila (the bus was at 15-30)

From the road near Tina, you can go down even lower to the river. I read (including on our map) that they charge 60 yuan for the descent near Tina (for the organization of this trail), but we did not see where this descent was. We walked along the road a little further than Tina and reached the descent for 10 yuan near Sandy's GH (there we had a bite of vegetable soup for 10 yuan).

paid descent

Map hanging near Sandy's GH (can be opened in a larger size)

Downstairs, all the commerce begins. There are several large stones in the river in this place - the leftmost one with a bridge to the rivers is paid (I don’t know exactly how much), to the right of the river it’s free

And if you go even more to the right, then at first they will take 5 yuan for a couple of flimsy bridges, and then after 10 meters they will ask for another 5 for going to a stone or 10 for going further along the path. We spat and went back.

free stone

paid stone - 5 yuan to walk to it + 5 yuan to go to it

You can climb either along the same path or go left (downstream) along a different path. She is also paid. Information about the payment was at the very beginning of the trail, but they didn’t take money there (either there was no collector, or they simply informed about the paid trail), we paid further on this trail. The trail is cool, at the beginning it was carved into the rock, it was not a pity to pay. The path goes below the main road, rises to it already in the Walnut garden. I liked it because of the lack of civilization in the form of pipes and wires.

Highway on the left side of the gorge.
The first day we walked above it, the second day below it. The road goes from Qiaotou, passes through Tina Guesthouse, which organizes buses back to Lijiang or Shangrilu, and then goes to the Walnut garden village where there are several more guesthouses (Woody, Sean, Tibetian). Maybe you can go there too, but I'm not sure. The road goes on and on, but we have not been there. From Walnut garden we easily walked back to Tina (3 km). (Theoretically, along this road it is possible to get from Tina to the beginning of the gorge to Qiaotou and look for a bus from there, it will take several hours)

How to leave the Gorge
We left from Tina guesthouse - 55 yuan, bus at 15-30, there was a stop near the beginning of the gorge at Jane's GH to pick up things, and then we were taken to the old city
From Tina it’s also mono to go to Shangri La (also at 15-30, there was the same bus, I don’t know the price)

Is it free to enter Tiger Leaping Gorge?
On bpclub.ru () I read stories about how people bypass the checkpoint so as not to pay for entry. It seems that this topic was covered up - but they sold us tickets right on the bus.

Where to leave extra things?
When we arrived at the Gorge, we were dropped off at the beginning of the trail near Jane's guesthouse. We could leave extra things there (we just left our things in Lijiang and took only small backpacks). On the way back, buses from Tina guesthouse also make a stop here for people to take things.

Gorge Map
All the maps that I saw are diagrams like the one that Sande's has - the main paths and points are indicated, some have travel times between points)
I downloaded a few from the internet + they gave us a photocopy of a similar map at the Mama Naxi guesthouse (maps from the internet were more convenient and the photocopy is very fuzzy)

About Half way guesthouse in Tiger Leaping Gorge
A room without a toilet is 90 yuan. The toilet and shower are far from the rooms, the passage through the street is not very comfortable in the cold season. But in the room there are heated sheets - cool))
Double room with toilet-shower - 150 yuan
Noodles with chicken - 13 yuan
Dali beer 10 yuan
The view from the terrace to the mountains is priceless))

Weather
We were May 6-7.
Cool in the morning - put on fleeces and jackets. Then it gets warmer, even hot in the sun (especially during climbs). It rained a little on the first day (if it had gone harder, there would have been terrible mud on the path - in some places there was a layer of dry dust 3-4 centimeters high on the path)

Eat and drink
Along the way, there are guesthouses where you can have a bite to eat and small shops. The prices in the shops are not the cheapest, but we took water and cookies there. Before "28 turns" in the canteen shop, we were told that there would be nothing to buy further than 3 kilometers. It seems that they really didn’t lie, I don’t remember that there was life there, so it’s better to stock up on water in advance, especially since the climb there is not easy

Danger
We did not see any real dangerous areas. But at the same time, people sometimes die there (they have been looking for some guy from Israel for 20 years already - there are fresh announcements that the family still hopes to find out what happened to him). Perhaps, during the rain, it can be slippery in places, especially on the descent, but it’s quite a decent path, although it goes not far from the cliff.

Photo and story about our walk through the Leaping Tiger Gorge

One of my main goals in Yunnan was a 2-day trek in Tiger Leaping Gorge ( Tiger Leaping Gorge) from Qiaotou village.

Leaping Tiger Gorge(Hutiao Xia, Hutiao Xia) is located in the north of Yunnan province - it is one of the deepest gorges in the world, with a depth of 3900 m and a length of 16 km, sandwiched between the snowy mountains of Haba Shan in the west and Yulong Xueshan in the east. The gorge is well trampled, and every 2 hours there are guesthouses on the way and you can stay in them if you wish.

It is probably possible to pass the route in 1 light day, but it is not easy.

The best time to visit is late May - early June when everything is in bloom.

How to get to Tiger Leaping Gorge

There are regular flights from Dali and Lijiang to Shangri-La (Jongdian) almost every hour during the day. There are also several flights from Kunming to Shangri-La. All buses in Shangri-La can go through Qiaotou and can stop here. After that, it remains to turn towards the gorge, and after 50-100 meters you will be intercepted by ticket sellers, persistently pointing to the tourist center of the gorge.

Cost of visiting Tiger Leaping Gorge

70 baht regular and 35 baht student. Most likely, begging for free will not work, and in response to the statement that there is no money, they can say that they will not be allowed into the gorge, because. Need money to stay overnight. A tent and a sleeping bag do not convince the cashiers of your trustworthiness and it is easier to buy a ticket than to argue with them.

2 hours in the gorge

It so happened that I came to the Tiger Gorge from Dali with an upset stomach, due to excessively spicy food. And before I had time to buy an entrance ticket, a guy approached me and offered to go with his company. The four of them arrived all the way from Xinjiang by car.

I agreed, but I wanted to drive only up to the beginning of the route, but while I was thinking, we slipped through the necessary turn, and after 5 minutes we were already far away.

So, I went to see the gorge on the way of organized tourists.

The main and in fact the only attraction in this case is the narrowest place of the river with a very strong and turbulent stream - it was here, according to legend, that the tiger jumped over.

The place, of course, is beautiful and grandiose in scale, but too touristy and, perhaps, a little bit boring.

There are 2 tigers here.

One is on the other side of the river and it is not clear how to get there. There must be a bridge somewhere.

Having visited this place, I probably saw only 1/5 of the local beauties. To really appreciate the beauty of the gorge, you need to go through it on foot. On the way back, when we were driving towards the entrance / exit, I decided to go with them to Lijiang. The gorge remained unclimbed, but there is something to return to these parts again.

Lijiang - an ancient city on the Tibetan tea route

Like Dali, Lijiang has ancient history an important point on the way of caravans of the famous Tea and Horse Road, when for hundreds of years the Chinese delivered tea from Yunnan to Tibet, and received horses as payment.

Now Lijiang is one of the most popular tourist cities in southern China, visited by more than 5 million people a year.

Get to Lijiang

By Air: From Kunming, Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Sishuangbanna. This is an incomplete list.

By bus from one of two bus stations: from Keyunzhan Main Bus Station in the south of the city to Kunming, Lugu Hu, Xiaguan (Dali), Ninglan, Qiaotou, Zhongdian (Shangri-La) and from Gao Kuai Express Bus Station to Gao Kuai Keyunzhan) in the north to Kunming, Xiaguan (Dali), Lugu Hu, Zhongdian (Shangri-La).

By train to Kunming and Dali, there are several trips a day, including several branded Lijiang double-deckers. They are painted in thematic Lijiang sketches, and the flight attendants wear funny branded aprons-skirts.

Around town

On buses, you can go around the Old City for 1 yuan.

From the center to direct bus or with a transfer, you can get to the railway station in 30-45 minutes, depending on traffic congestion. There are regular buses to the airport from the intercity bus station and from the CAAC office.

Old City of Lijiang

Officially, the entrance to the city costs 80 yuan. At some posts inside the city, they can check the ticket. With a paid ticket, you can visit some paid attractions in the Old City, including Black Dragon Pool Park. But after 7 pm at the secondary entrances, the inspectors disappear, and no one will stop you from entering the city for free.

Black Dragon Pool Park

Park at the Black Dragon Pond - Heilongtan Gonggyuan - a park with a gorgeous view of Mount Xueshan Elephant (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain), if you are lucky with the weather. I was not lucky, in Lijiang it rained all the time, and the sky was covered with a dense veil. The view was very modest.

Naxi people

For 1,400 years, Lijiang has been home to 286,000 inhabitants of the Naxi or Nakhi (Nakxi or Nahi) people. The Naxi are descended from the ethnic Tibetan Qiang tribe. Despite the fact that the rulers of the Naxi were men, everything else was ruled by women (a kind of hidden matriarchy).

Naxi matriarchy somehow miraculously coexisted with a loyal attitude towards male love affairs. The chazhu system (azhu, literally "based on friendship") meant that couples could enter into close relationships and even have children without marriage. The children belonged to the mother and the recognition of paternity was not fundamental. The man provided support to the family, but only during the relationship, and after they ended, any material assistance ended.

Religious building of the Naxi people

The strong position of the mother in the life of the Naxi was reflected in their language.

Nouns increase their meaning when a feminine word is added to them. For example, a stone, if “female” is added to it, becomes a boulder, and if “male” is added, then a “rolled stone” comes out. Here is such an insignificant masculine gender in the Naxi culture.

Traditional Naxi clothing is especially visible on women, with the characteristic blue berets and aprons they wear in everyday life.

Pavilion of the Look into the Past

Wangu Luo - the Pavilion of Looking into the Past - rises on a hill in the western part of the Old City. Judging by the description, the pavilion has a unique design with dozens of four-story columns made from hundred-year-old trees from northern Yunnan.

Requires a separate ticket of 35 yuan.

It is not necessary to visit the pavilion to enjoy the view of the city from this hill. Several cafes on the hill have a great view from where you can take photos without even having to buy anything.

Old market square(Sifang Jie, Sifang Jie). Once a favorite trading place for naxi, it is now a crowded place selling souvenirs, meat and yak milk yogurt.

If you're lucky, you can watch women dressed in modern Chinese dances.

Close to the square adjoins the main water artery of the city - the river Yu, with many graceful bridges. Perhaps the river embankment and a few other old narrow streets are the most pleasant part of Old Lijiang.

Where to Stay and Eat in Lijiang

Probably half of all the houses in the old city are guesthouses and hotels, most of which belong to the Naxi. There are also backpacker hostels with shared rooms and cheap hotels. The cheapest room (not in very good condition) will cost 50 yuan per night.

Food in Lijiang is represented by a large selection naxi restaurants and Chinese cuisine. But because of the very high prices, I have not tried anything and can not boast of a good knowledge of naxi dishes.

As described, very good. Woman(Baba) - local specialty nasi wheat cakes with or without filling. Nasi Omelet with Goat Cheese, Tomatoes and Eggs and Nasi Sandwich - the same ingredients between two wheat tortillas.

Selling a variety of puff pastry stuffed with flowers, including a rose, most often, in a package from 20 yuan (5 yuan) or 10 yuan apiece. 10 yuan is clearly overpriced for a small pie with a sweet filling. In many places, these pies are sliced ​​for tasting.

Nasi goat cheese- Cheese in the form of small balls or cubes with an unexpressed goat flavor in a package of 20 yuan. This cheese is also often sliced ​​for tasting - try before you buy. It seemed to me too dry and almost tasteless.

There is an opportunity to try goat cheese ice cream, but the weather was not hot, and I did not try it.

In the local forests, between Dali and Lijiang, many different mushrooms grow, and there must be many dishes made from them.

But I tried it - here it is quite thick and moderately sweet, and very tasty.

Although the price for it, as elsewhere in China, is high - 8 yuan for a small bottle. Perhaps, somewhere in the villages where it is produced for their own and neighboring needs, you can buy such yogurt without sugar at all and at a reasonable price.

About my difficult mission

In China, without knowing the language, finding such places (for example, villages and houses where non-standard drinks are produced according to family recipes) and other rare places, foods and drinks is not a trivial task, not everyone can do it. If you have money and / or friends, the task will be simplified.

Knowledge of the language, the availability of money and / or connections are the main postulates of success in China, in principle.

Today I’ll tell you about my short trip to, which is located in the Yunnan province in the Sino-Tibetan mountains, 60 km from the city of Lijiang. As always, helpful information attached, for those who are going to follow in my footsteps.

The gorge is located on the banks of the famous Yangtze River and is considered one of the highest in the world. The difference between the surrounding peaks of the Yulongxueshan (5596 m), Habasyueshan (5396 m) ridges and the river is more than 3900 m - such a depth!

Legend has it that the tiger ran away from the hunters and jumped over a turbulent river at its narrowest point with a large stone in the middle - this gave the name to the gorge - Tiger Leaping Gorge.

The track starts from small town Qiaotou (Qiao Tou), where the ticket office with a barrier is located, the entrance fee is 65 yuan, but apparently this is not for long - it may increase by your visit, because this place will soon receive the status of AAAAA (highest) attraction, along with this, the cost will increase. It is almost impossible to get into the Leaping Tiger Gorge for free: all the entrances that were written about on the forums are currently blocked, cameras have been stuck everywhere, and the entrance has been moved directly to the main road. However, no one forbids you to try to get there, maybe at night.

Trekking in Tiger Leaping Gorge

There are two paths: upper and lower. The lower one is just a road along which tourist buses and cars travel, it is not interesting to go there, although it is easier. The upper path is more difficult, but it is incredibly beautiful there - beautiful views of the entire gorge open up! You can run 16 km in one day if you leave early, but do you need to hurry with such beauty?

Literally 100 meters from the entrance is Jane’s Guesthouse, we arrived from Lijiang and spent the night there for 70 yuan (a simple double room). This cozy place in Tibetan style with a fireplace, cats, and the hostess can cook something inexpensive (there is a menu).

In the morning I went out after having a hearty breakfast. It is necessary to go in the opposite direction from Qiaotou past the school and further, when you see a turn to the left (there will be a sign to the gorge), the road will go up a little.

Slowly, the path turns into the gorge itself, and the road turns into a path, you will meet a small construction site, where the builders are digging a tunnel. Suddenly a great view opens up - you can see what you have to overcome today.

Yulong Xueshan (Jade Dragon) Ridge

On the other side, the Chinese are building something, and we arrived from the side where the river flows.

From here you can already see the Yangtze in all its glory, still flowing quite calmly below, and the right path, going far along the slope.

Tiger Leaping Gorge in all its glory

For orientation, red arrows and pointers to guesthouses located further along the gorge are used. After a sign indicating the distances (in hours, as is often the case in the mountains), the first ascents begin. Turning left, you will soon reach Naxi Family Guesthouse.

Arrows on the trail

Distance plate

After the village of Nuoyu, the trail begins to sharply climb up - this is the most difficult section of the gorge called "28 turns", when you have to climb for about 30-40 minutes. However, for those who have been hiking, this is not news :-) For the rest, it is possible to hire horses or mules for 100 yuan to climb up.

But after the rise, you can have a good rest and have a snack, admiring these landscapes:

Mountains in Yunnan

The path through the gorge

Unreal nature!

For some time the trail goes through an open area, allowing you to feel the full scale of the surrounding mountains and see what is happening below, on the lower road. And there are crowds of Chinese tourists who arrived by bus. In this section, the Yangtze is already showing its violent character - it is still the dry season, and there is little water in the river.

So, remembering the pleasant moments from past trips, I reached the Yacha village and the Tea Horse Trade guesthouse. As you can see, there are many places on the trail where you can spend the night, so the hike is suitable even for those who walk slowly.

By the way, people of the Naxi people live in these places, about whom I talked about in the last post about. They live mainly by growing cereals and tourism. Here is a panorama - locals see this every day!

The trail goes through the forest, then along the edge of the cliff - be careful, looking at the surrounding beauty, you may not notice, and fall more than one hundred meters.

The path through the gorge

I decided to spend the night at Half Way Guesthouse after reading the reviews of other travelers on the Internet in advance. It is not just called that, but really located in the middle - best place for rest you can't imagine. It looks unassuming from the outside, but inside there is a nice patio. All today's journey took 6 hours of unhurried progress.

And what do you think? People didn’t lie — the guesthouse is just great! These are the dormitory rooms, where instead of a wall there is a panoramic window overlooking Mount Yulong Xueshan (Jade Dragon Mountain). A bed in this one costs 40 yuan, the usual price for China.

And there is also free tea (good twisted green), boiling water and an inexpensive cafe - with all this wealth, you can sit at a table on a large observation deck. So I spent the evening, drinking tea and watching the silhouette of the ridge in front of me darken - the mountain really looks like a dragon with its pointed teeth. By the way, Wi-Fi works in such a "wilderness", so we even managed to call home - luxuriously!

Five-thousanders

In the morning it was drizzling, clouds were creeping along the gorge, and I hurried on to go further, because I planned to catch the bus back to Qiaotou to pick up Anya from there and go further to Shangri-Lu.

The trail began to wind through the crevices, which were formed due to small rivers. Bridges are laid across these narrow and high channels.

I met a grandmother-shepherd and a herd of goats, which did not allow itself to be bypassed - on the one hand, a cliff, on the other, a slope. Well, nothing, so far I talked with my granny with gestures, smiling like this :-) I was able to pass as soon as they all started to go down the slope together, and my grandmother jumps along with the goats, despite her advanced age - in the photo you can see how she follows the herd down the slope - here's your pension :-)

Coming down the slope

There are rivers and streams crossing the trail, and in this place it looks especially beautiful and large-scale. It’s probably much more difficult to get through here in the rainy season, and I didn’t even get my sneakers wet, stepping over the stones.

Gradually, the path begins to descend to the main road - just follow the red signs, otherwise there are many forks. At the point of descent to the road there is a large Tina's Guesthouse, from where you can take a bus back to Qiaotou for 20 yuan and half an hour on the way.

View back from where I came from

Another option is to extend the trip further north to the village of Ha Ba and the sandstone terraces of Bai Shui Tai (similar to Pamukkale in Turkey or jiuzhaigou nature reserve in Sichuan).

Well, my impressions of Tiger Leaping Gorge can be summed up in one word – delight! Highly recommend to anyone who is not indifferent to the mountains.

How to get to Tiger Leaping Gorge?

The easiest way to get to the gorge from Lijiang to Qiaotou is by passing bus to. The fare is 40 yuan (quite expensive for 60 km!), and the journey takes about 2 hours. Buses leave Lijiang every half an hour from 7 am to 5 pm, it is better to leave in the morning or afternoon, although the last bus goes through Qiaotou around 7 pm, but it is better not to count on it.

The road through the gorge

The buses are the most ordinary ones, with trash cans standing in the aisle, where the Chinese spit seed peels and other garbage.

You can get from Shangri-La to Qiaotou on the same bus, in theory for 30 yuan and three hours. We drove straight to Lijiang for 70 yuan for five hours.

Adviсe:

♦The best time to go hiking in the gorge is mid-April-May-beginning of June. I was in April, when everything was just beginning to bloom here, and the weather was comfortable.

♦Take more water with you, because on the trail, although it is found in streams, it is better not to drink it.

♦Sunscreen is also required - then my nose peeled off for two weeks :-) Still, here the highlands, and the sun is very active.

♦Although it sounds trite, but shoes should be comfortable and well-worn. I walked in normal running shoes, but maybe in the rainy season it's better to have trekking boots.

♦You shouldn't bring cereals, canned food with you, in the gorge you can eat in guesthouses, and the prices are the same as down in the city. But nuts, dried fruits and other snacks will not hurt. It is forbidden to build a fire, so have gas if you plan to eat as autonomously and cheaply as possible.

♦Remember that the weather in these places is unpredictable, and take warm clothes and a windbreaker, a cape from the rain.

♦On the Internet I came across a description of how local residents extort money for passing along the trail and crossing bridges, allegedly for the fact that they built and maintain them. I have not met a single such person, except for a crazy girl throwing stones ... However, she did not ask for money for this and did not try to persecute me.

Gorge Map

I found a map of the gorge on the Internet with all the marked guest houses and important points. What is important, it shows the time between points and the height above sea level. in good resolution.