Tiger Leaping Gorge in northwest Yunnan is renowned for its stunning scenery and rugged hiking paths. In my first article, I introduced the Bamboo Forest Path, a scenic route in Tiger Leaping Gorge that is now closed due to a washed-out bridge. This second installment explores the less-traveled Luke-Haba route. This challenging trail, suitable for experienced hikers, offers breathtaking views of the gorge and the adjoining snow mountains of Haba and Jade Dragon. Along the way, trekkers will navigate remote, steep paths and stay in rustic guesthouses, providing an adventurous alternative to the main tourist routes.
Extending the classic Gorge Trek
The classic trek through world-renowned Tiger Leaping Gorge (虎跳峡) takes two days for most folks. At the end of the trail, enthusiastic trekkers may wish to prolong the experience.
You can continue your adventure by following the Luke-Haba Route. It's the natural extension of the classic trek, adding another day or two to the journey.
Trek overview
Let's start with an overview of the complete trek.
You should begin at Qiaotou (桥头镇), the origin point of the classic trek. Spend the first night in the gorge at a guesthouse of your own choosing. On day two, continue hiking through the gorge to the terminus at Tina's Guest House, twenty-three km from the start. For details of the hike be sure to read Dan Siekman's excellent guide.
To continue with the extended trek you initially have two choices: (A) travel on to Walnut Garden Village (核桃园), or (B) travel to Luke's Hostel located above the village. Both options follow paved roads for a distance of two and five kilometers, respectively.
On day three, ascend to a ridge floating high above the gorge at 3,200 meters. The birds-eye view up and down the length of the gorge and across the Jinsha River (金沙江) makes the effort worthwhile. Then descend to Ennu Village (恩努村) north of the gorge. Some may wish to end the trek here. The distance for the day is 13 km. In my experience, the hike takes 6½ hours not including rest breaks.
On day four (for those who continue), a morning hike takes you to the agricultural community of Haba Village (哈巴村), famous as the gateway to the fabled Haba Snow Mountain (哈巴雪山). The distance traveled is 8 km in 2½ hours.
Trail difficulty
The classic trek from Qiaotou to Tina's presents a moderate walk for folks in reasonable condition. However, the stretch from Luke's Hostel and beyond is more challenging, both physically and navigation-wise. There is substantial elevation gain (1,000 and 430 meters over two days) and the trail is sometimes obscure. The rugged trail is not suitable for children. Hiring a guide is recommended (for tips on hiring a guide see the end of this article).
Experienced trekkers can complete the journey from Luke's to Haba Village in one day. But that makes for a very long day of 21 km and perhaps ten hours or more. Stopping at Ennu is more manageable for most folks.
Walnut Garden Lodging
Starting from Qiaotou, you will likely reach Walnut Garden Village on the afternoon of day two. The most convenient place to spend the night is Ancient Luke Hostel, located an hour's walk above the village. Alternatively, you could stay at a hostel in the village. Popular places include Sean's, Chateau de Woody, and Tibetan guest houses. One might even consider Tina's Guest House back down the road a bit.
Ancient Luke Hostel (古道栌克青年旅舍), situated at 2,360 meters, offers stunning views and a peaceful environment.
Sean's Spring Guest House (夏山泉客栈) is known for its long-standing presence in the gorge. The owner, Sean (夏山泉), is an activist for the preservation of the gorge and speaks English.
At the time of writing, Chateau de Woody is closed while a new hostel is under construction. For inquiries, contact 13988756901.
Tina's Guest House (中峡国际青年旅舍) is a popular spot among trekkers and the terminus of the classic trek. It is managed by Tina (田永棋) and her family, who speak English.
Getting to Luke's Hostel
Wherever you stay, you'll have to hoof it up to Luke's Hostel, the starting point of the Luke-Haba Route. A guest house can arrange a shuttle if you don't want to pound the pavement.
There are three ways to reach Luke's Hostel. The Bamboo Forest Path (竹林小路) is included for completeness but is currently closed due to a washed-out bridge.
1) Approach Road
From Tina's Guest House, cross the Shen Chuan Bridge (神川大桥) and follow the Tiger Leaping Gorge highway toward Walnut Garden Village. After 1½ km turn left onto a paved side road which ascends the mountain slope. From the signed intersection it is 3.2 km to Luke's Hostel. Higher up, a signed path provides a rough shortcut to the hostel. If walking, plan on 1½ hours with an elevation gain of 350 meters.
2) From Sean's Guest House
The village of Walnut Garden sits 2 km down the road from Tina's (away from Qiaotou). Here there are several guest houses, among which Sean's Guest House is one of the better known. Immediately on the left side of the building, a series of steps lead up to a rough path. The path may be poorly marked but you should end up on the approach road described above. The hike from Sean's to Luke's takes one hour with a gain of 370 meters.
3) Bamboo Forest Path (closed)
This rough and wild path (no roads!) provides the most scenic route by far, passing through an impressive canyon with waterfalls. Unfortunately, the route is no longer passable since the ravine bridge halfway up got washed out in 2021. Zhao Yin (赵银), owner of Luke's Hostel, plans to replace it when funds become available. For path details, see the previous article in this series.
Luke-Haba route trail description
Starting out from Luke's Hostel, head north on a path that ascends in half an hour to Thousand Year Walnut Forest (千年核桃林). A large boulder bears the name painted in Chinese and English. The walnut trees bloom in spring and the nuts ripen in autumn.
After a few more minutes, the trail forks where an arrow painted on a rock indicates you should bear right. The trail continues with little elevation gain, crosses dry drainage, and begins a steady ascent heading east.
Empty Glad Platform
The climb tops out at an open spot called Empty Glad Platform (空欢喜观景台), elevation of 2,680 meters. Time to this point is an hour and twenty minutes. A short spur leads to a wonderful viewpoint overlooking the gorge, one of the finest in all the realm. The view extends down the entire length of the gorge.
The peculiar name invites speculation. Perhaps it's about that feeling of space beneath your feet. Beyond this point, the path is rarely marked and sometimes hard to follow. You may encounter goats wandering about in search of grazing opportunities.
The trail turns north and ascends steadily across steep slopes through stunted forest, followed by a stretch without much elevation gain. Forty minutes above Empty Glad Platform, pass through a tiny notch and navigate a wall by a ledge of built-up stones.
Soon after that, the trail forks, and the Luke-Haba Route continues left. The right fork descends, leading to a massive slide that obliterates the trail, forcing its abandonment.
Shortly beyond the fork, the path reaches a gulley filled with rocks and loose sand, which makes for tough going. Ascend the gully for a hundred meters or so and exit the gully on the right.
High Point
The path continues ascending across sections of sand and rocks, then switchbacks more steeply up sandy ground, before finally traversing right to the highest point of the Luke-Haba Route. The time to the high point is three hours.
Here at an elevation of 3,200 meters, there are limited views up to the East Peak of Haba Snow Mountain. Looking down, the expansive view takes in the Jinsha River and plains around Daju Village (大具乡). Local residents rave about the sunrise from this spot with the gorge in deep shadow.
From the high point head northeast, descending very steeply over sandy ground through open forest without a well-defined path. You might encounter a ridge. Follow it for a short distance before turning left off the ridge and continuing the steep descent in a northeasterly direction. If you encounter a path coming in from the right, that was the old trail now abandoned due to the landslide mentioned earlier.
Watership Tank Meadow
Further down, the old trail turns into a well-beaten track with switchbacks, a welcome respite from the unremittingly steep slope above. The trail descends to a meadow with the odd name of Watership Tank (水览槽观景台), 45 minutes after leaving the high point. Yaks graze placidly among the stone walls here.
Tucked away at the upper edge of the meadow sits a yak herders hut. The roof leaks in various spots while inside chaos reigns, the bunks covered in rank rodent offerings. There is a convenient spot for a fire, however, complete with a pot holder.
The name Watership Tank derives from the water trough outside the hut. A pipe from a spring higher up brings down a trickle of water.
Descending to the bottom edge of the meadow, the Luke-Haba Route enters the forest. The trail soon forks, with the right branch leading to Benxi Village (本习村) in the lower section of Tiger Leaping Gorge. You should take the left fork, which descends to and crosses the bottom of a drainage, followed by a short ascent to a gate. Be sure to leave the gate open or closed as you find it.
Turning the corner
The path traverses gradually downhill along the north side of the drainage. You will spot a quarry across the valley with a road zig-zagging down to Benxi. The trail turns left at around 2,500 meters elevation, "turning the corner" and putting you in the valley proper of Ennu Village. A long traverse northwest follows, with little elevation gain or loss.
Eventually, the path turns northeast and crosses a meadow (27º19'27"N, 100º10'59"E) at an elevation of 2,500 meters. The path enters the forest and heads east for a few minutes, arriving at a hut falling into ruins.
Water Trough Junction
From the hut ruins, the trail turns north and makes a short descent to the bottom of the valley. This marks the low point of the Luke-Haba Route at 2,470 meters (27º19'37"N, 100º11'9"E). The time from Watership Tank Meadow is 1¾ hours. Ennu Village is still one hour away.
I call this place Water-Trough Junction (水槽路口). If you are an animal, you'll enjoy drinking out of the troughs. Humans are less so, once they glimpse the coating of green slime, although newly constructed troughs may remain clean for a time.
Two trekking routes intersect at this important junction: Luke-Haba and Haba-Benxi. The latter leads northwest to Haba Village and southeast to Benxi Village and is the subject of a future article in this series.
From Water-Trough Junction, the Luke-Haba Route heads north on a path ascending gradually through open forest.
Haba Muru River
The path arrives at the main river drainage in the Ennu Valley, notable for its stark grayish-white rocks and sand. During certain parts of the year, the drainage is dry.
I call it the Haba Muru River, a name of convenience for lack of a local name. Haba Muru (pronounced similar to hah-bah moo-roo) is the Naxi name for Haba Snow Mountain and translates as "Golden Flower Snow Mountain".
Just beyond the river, pass through a gate followed soon after by a second gate through a barb-wire fence. Please leave the gates as you found them. Follow the fence line northeast to cultivated fields and finally, Ennu Village, 6½ hours after starting out from Luke's Hostel.
Ennu Village
Some folks will end the trek at Ennu and forego the final walk to Haba Village. The village offers no public lodging, but Luke's Hostel might be able to arrange a homestay. You could also inquire about tent camping near Ennu.
Taxi service in Ennu is available through Yang Guomao (杨国茂) at phone number 13988784981. The drive from Ennu to Haba Village takes 25 minutes.
The Desert
For those continuing the trek, you should know that the auto road between Ennu and Haba is 12 kilometers long. The shortcut described next will shrink the road portion to 3 km and the entire walk to 8 km.
Head northwest out of Ennu on the paved road. After two km pass through a sterile sandy area which I call "The Desert" (沙漠), caused by seasonal flooding of a stream coming down off Haba Snow Mountain. During the summer rainy season, the stream deposits sand on the road, forcing drivers to endure a bumpy ride.
Pusa Mountain
Just beyond The Desert, the road turns right (north and east) and makes a lengthy switchback over Pusa Mountain (普萨山). To avoid the switchback, leave the road on the left two to three hundred meters past the beginning of the bend. Ascend northwest through open forest, generally without trail, to the 3,030-meter high southwest ridge of Pusa Mountain. A couple of transmission lines climb up to the ridge in the same general vicinity.
Haba Village
From the ridge, it is all downhill to Haba Village. Pass through meadows, then forest and make the final descent. Be sure to avoid the precipitous forested slopes to the right (east) of the meadows.
Hiking time from Ennu Village is typically 1¾ hours to Pusa Mt ridge, and 2½ hours to Haba, rest breaks not included.
Once in the village, several lodging options are available. One popular place is Haba Snow Mountain Inn (哈巴雪山客栈), established in 1990 as the first guest house in the village.
Another option is On the Clouds Inn of Haba (云上哈巴客栈), located in the Hui hamlet of Long Wang Bian (龙汪边).
Inquire at any guest house for transportation south to Tina's Guest House (one hour) or north to the white mineral terraces of Baishuitai (40 minutes). You can also book a passage to Lijiang (丽江) or Shangri-La (香格里拉). The rebuild of the road to Shangri-La was completed in 2023 and takes 2½ hours compared to 4 hours previously.
Guides
I recommend hiring a guide for the Luke-Haba Route, based on my own experience and that of others. I hiked the route twice with a guide before I felt confident I could follow it on my own. Others have gone without a guide with differing results. Some made it to Ennu Village using the very inadequate sketch map available at Luke's Hostel. Others tried, only to return to the hostel after finding the path too obscure to follow.
Some trekkers may decide to dispense with a guide. That is reasonable for experienced hikers, provided they possess good backcountry navigation skills combined with GPS and/or map and compass—and know how to use them.
Luke's Hostel maintains the initial portion of the Luke-Haba Route, so it's the natural go-to place for hiring a guide. If you enquire at Tina's, for example, they will refer you to Luke. Best to get in touch several days in advance.
If you prefer an English-speaking guide, contact Sean's Guest House, mentioned above under Walnut Garden Lodging. If you are in Lijiang, you can touch base with Xintuo Ecotourism Company.
Author Pieter Crow is a frequent contributor on GoKunming and is composing a series about hiking in the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Pieter is the author of TrekYunnan.com, a trekking guide to Yunnan Province. Portions of this article previously appeared on the website.
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