Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-La, Yunnan

Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge is the deepest and most dramatic section of Tiger Leaping Gorge, set between the villages of Hetaoyuan and Bendiwanyi on the Shangri-La side of the Jinsha River. Where the upper gorge is broader and the lower gorge flattens out toward Qiaotou, the middle section is where the canyon reaches its full depth, close to 3,800 meters from river to ridge, and where the landscape becomes most overpowering.

The famous Tiger Leaping Stone sits in the river here, half-submerged in the main current just below Hetaoyuan village. Local lore holds that a tiger once used this boulder as a stepping-stone to cross between Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain, and the rock is the namesake of the entire gorge. The river narrows around it to a tight chute, and the sound of the water carries up the cliff walls with surprising force.

For most trekkers on the high trail, the Middle Gorge is the high point of the route, both literally and in terms of the view. A side path descends from the ridge trail (and from guesthouses along the way) down to the river at the base of the cliffs, dropping almost a vertical kilometer in a few hours of careful walking. Ladders, carved steps, and small fees collected by local families mark the final descent to the water's edge.

Travelers should be prepared for exposure and rapidly shifting weather, and should not attempt the descent in heavy rain. With reasonable care, the Middle Gorge delivers the closest and most memorable encounter with the river itself, and is the section most often cited by returning hikers as the reason the gorge ranks among the world's classic treks.