For all avid travelers, "Must-sees" in China sometimes disappoint with crowds of tourists and tacky new buildings. The "must-see" when visiting Lijiang (in northwestern Yunnan Province) is a hike through Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the world's deepest gorges, carved by the fury of the Upper Yangtze River. Tiger Leaping Gorge offers a pleasant walk through spectacular scenery, easily accessible from Lijiang.

A walk through Tiger Leaping Gorge starts with a drive from Lijiang to either Qiaotou or Daju (the trip takes approximately 2.5 hours- 3 hours by car). The scenery is dramatic. The swift current of the Yangtze has carved a path through the Snow Jade Dragon Mountains that reaches a depth of greater than 3,000 meters, and the surrounding mountains soar to heights surpassing 5,500 meters. These are mountains out of a child's drawings¡ªthe peaks jut sharply from the earth, and end in a perfect point, capped with snow. Cactus plants and pine trees dot the landscape, and if there weren't the occasional Naxi farmers ambling by with a donkey, one could mistake the topography with Sierra Nevada or Colorado.

Typically, travelers do the trip in two days. Each day is a walk of approximately 4-6 hours that is not particularly strenuous, but with plenty of dips and rises along the ridge to give a bit of a workout. Basic accommodations can be provided with clean beds and hot water shower.