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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6 days / 5 nights · Lijiang → Lijiang · 2–6 hikers
The route
This is the one people come back and talk about. You drop into the Ninong Gorge on foot, climb out of it into Yubeng — a handful of houses under a 6,000 m wall, supplied entirely by mule and by foot — and spend two days walking out from there to a sacred waterfall and a glacier lake. If the weather holds, you get sunrise gold on the Meili range first.
Day 1
Meet the group, gear check, and an honest briefing on what the next five days actually involve — including altitude. Good dinner, early night.
Day 2
A long, beautiful drive north and up: pastureland, the Baima Snow Mountain pass at about 4,300 m, and the first look at the Meili range from the Moon Bay bend of the Jinsha River. Overnight at Feilaisi, facing the peaks — this day is also your first altitude step, which is why it's here.
Day 3 · 14.5 km
The hard entry. Down into the Ninong Gorge on the old mule track, across the river, then a long climb up the far side to Yubeng. Steep, hot at the bottom, cold at the top. This is the day that earns the rest of the trip.
Day 4 · 14 km
Up through forest and alpine pasture to the waterfall that pilgrims walk beneath — three circuits, clockwise, for blessing. Circular route, back to the village for the night. We'll explain what you're walking into before you get there.
Day 5 · 13 km
The high day. Alpine pasture, the old expedition base camp, then the glacier lake directly under the north face at about 3,900 m. Weather decides how much you see — that's part of it, and we don't pretend otherwise.
Day 6 · 14.5 km
Back down and out the way you came, then the long drive south. Sore, and already planning the next one.
A village with no road. Yubeng is supplied by mule and by foot. That single fact shapes everything about the place — the pace, the food, who you meet.
A real pilgrimage landscape. The waterfall and the lake aren't attractions; people walk here to circumambulate. We ask you to treat them as such — and explain what that means before you arrive.
Three nights in the same place. Most operators rush it. We stay put, which means you get evenings in the village rather than a photo of one, and a weather buffer if a day goes wrong.
We run Yubeng in two windows: mid-April to June and September to late November. July–August is monsoon — wet, leechy and landslide-prone. December to March is winter: snow and ice can close the route above Yubeng, and the scenic area has closed for snow before. For winter dates we confirm access with the scenic-area office before confirming you.
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 3 — Challenging.
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 3,900 m, highest night 3,400 m (Feilaisi). 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$180 per person for 5 nights. In Yubeng single rooms are very limited — in peak weeks we may only be able to offer a single room on some nights, and will tell you which before you book.
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
Also worth a look
4 days / 3 nights
The High Trail above the Yangtze, the 28 Bends, and two nights in Naxi villages under Haba Snow Mountain.
4 days / 3 nights
A Naxi village built on a bare rock above the Yangtze, reached through hand-cut tunnels in the cliff.
6 days / 5 nights
A high section of the pilgrim circuit around the same sacred peak — ridgelines, pasture camps, prayer flags.