Tiger Leaping Gorge is a canyon on the Yangtze River – locally called the Golden Sands River– located 60 km north of Lijiang City, Yunnan in southwestern China. Around 15 km in length, the gorge was formed where the river passed between 5,590 m Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and 5,396 m Haba Mountain 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 rivers 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 not advisable 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 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 dam the Jinsha river for hydroelectric power, displacing up to 100,000 people and may destroying the unique beauty of the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

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