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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4 days / 3 nights · Lijiang → Lijiang · 2–6 hikers
The route
Baoshan Stone City sits on a single sandstone outcrop above the Yangtze, with houses built straight onto the rock and terraced fields watered by channels cut into the stone. Getting there the old way means the Prince's Pass tunnels — two hand-cut passages through the cliff, one 90 metres long — on a mule road that is still the shortest way in.
Day 1
Meet in Lijiang Old Town, gear check and briefing on the route, the tunnels and the Naxi history of Baoshan. Welcome dinner together, then the evening is yours.
Day 2 · 8 km
Drive out of the Lijiang basin and down towards the Yangtze, then walk in along the old approach. Terraced fields, dry valleys and the first views down to the river.
Day 3 · 15 km
The day the trip is built around. Up to Prince's Pass, then through two hand-cut tunnels in the cliff face — 90 m and 60 m long — where the rock still carries chisel marks. Out the far side, down past Yanshuangluo and into Baoshan Stone City itself. Afternoon free to walk the rock: houses on stone, irrigation channels cut into the outcrop, terraces below.
Day 4 · 9 km
Down the old Jinsha River caravan road to Yanke village and the Yanke jetty, then on to Ahai jetty — by boat or vehicle depending on water and road conditions — and back to Lijiang, where the trip ends.
The tunnels are real. The 90 m and 60 m passages were cut by hand through the cliff to shorten the mule road. They're still the way in, and walking them is the reason this route isn't forgettable.
A village built on rock, not near it. Stone City isn't a viewpoint of a rock formation — people live on it. Fields, channels and houses are cut into the same sandstone.
Barely visited by foreign hikers. This route sees a fraction of the traffic the gorge does, and there is no English signage anywhere on it — which is rather the point.
Dry season (October–April) is the window. Summer rain makes the cliff sections genuinely dangerous, and we do not run this route in July or August.
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 2 — Moderate.
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 2,300 m, highest night 2,400 m (Lijiang). 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$95 per person. Honest note: inside Stone City single rooms are limited and may mean a basic room rather than a better one.
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.
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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