Photo Dispatch: China’s Tiger Leaping Gorge

Tucked away in the Himalayan foothills of Yunnan Province (where an 18,000 peak qualifies as a foothill) on the way to the handful of cities that claim to be the inspiration for the fabled Shangri-La,Tiger Leaping Gorge lies just above the magnificent old city of Lijiang.

An early morning bus ride from Lijiang took us to the trailhead at the entrance of the gorge, not far from the headwaters of the Yangtze, which guided us on our way. From there, we began our two-day trek along the high-road through the gorge. The low road has recently been paved in China’s feverish march to industrialization, even in its most far-flung corners.

The journey was filled with marvelous views and idyllic little hillside villages of terraced crops. Read on for the photo slideshow.