4 days / 3 nights
Tiger Leaping Gorge High Trail
The High Trail above the Yangtze, the 28 Bends, and two nights in Naxi villages under Haba Snow Mountain.
From$760per person
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3 days / 2 nights · Lijiang → Lijiang · 2–6 hikers
The route
The shortest of our routes and the easiest to bolt onto a Lijiang stay. Two halves: Baisha, the old Naxi capital with its Ming-dynasty murals, and then the caravan road over the southern shoulder of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to Lake Wen — a high wetland that was a staging post on the way to Shangri-La.
Day 1
Meet in Lijiang Old Town, gear check, and a short briefing on Naxi civilisation, the Lijiang–Tibet branch of the Tea Horse Road and Naxi domestic architecture. Short drive to Baisha. Walk the old street and see the Baisha murals — Ming-dynasty work blending Buddhist, Daoist and Tibetan styles.
Day 2 · 12 km
Transfer to Yuhu (Snow Song village), a settlement of Naxi stone houses built from local rock, then up onto the old caravan road — the branch mule trains took from Baisha towards Shangri-La. Over the southern shoulder of Jade Dragon, with the glacier above and the Lijiang basin behind, and down to Lake Wen, a high plateau wetland and former caravan staging post. Lunch in a Wen Lake village home, afternoon walk around the lakeshore.
Day 3
Early start for mist on the lake and the full Jade Dragon panorama — the best light of the trip. Back down to Baisha for a short stop, then on to Lijiang. Trip ends around midday.
Three days, real altitude, no expedition. You sleep at 3,100 m and walk under a 5,000 m glacier without needing a single piece of technical kit.
Baisha before Lijiang. Baisha was the Naxi capital before Lijiang existed and is far quieter. The murals alone justify the detour.
Built to combine. Two nights, ends at midday on day 3 — pair it with the Shaxi route or with city time in Lijiang without losing a week.
Low enough to run October to April. October–November has the clearest views of the glacier; March–April has the spring flowers.
Legend: Best = stable trails and the clearest views · Good = runnable with caveats · Not advised = we don't run it, or only on request after checking conditions.
These are our proposed departure dates for this route. Availability changes daily — we confirm your place in writing before you pay anything. See our booking and refund terms.
Taking the whole trek as a family or a group of friends: from 2 people, on dates that suit you, with the itinerary adjusted to your pace. Same guide, same lodgings, no other hikers added. Prices vary with group size — tell us who's coming and when.
Ask about a private departureWe grade every route on a 1–3 scale for how hard the walking is. This trek is grade 1 — Easy.
EasyWalking days of up to about 12 km on good paths, with gentle or modest climbing. Suits anyone who walks regularly at home.
ModerateConsecutive days of 12–15 km with real climbing — around 500–700 m a day, 5–7 hours on foot. You should be comfortable on your feet most of the day.
ChallengingLong or steep days on mountain trails — up to about 15 km, or 800 m or more of climbing — often back to back. You need a regular exercise habit, not mountaineering experience.
Altitude is listed separately. A gentle day can still reach 4,000 m, so we show it on its own rather than folding it into the grade. On this trek: highest point on foot 3,100 m, highest night 3,100 m (Wen Lake). None of our routes involves technical climbing — on some you look up at snow peaks, you don't climb them.
Single-room supplement. Single-room supplement: US$70 per person for the 2 nights.
Joining others or adding people. Yes. Solo hikers and pairs can join a scheduled departure, up to 6 hikers in all, and private departures for your own group run from 2 people. Travelling solo and want a room to yourself? The single-room supplement above applies. It is also the route most often taken privately by couples and families.
On this trail
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The High Trail above the Yangtze, the 28 Bends, and two nights in Naxi villages under Haba Snow Mountain.
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