How to go to Tiger Leaping Gorge with your dog
I have always wanted to go to Tiger Leaping Gorge and when I got Hugo I thought it would be fun to hike the gorge together. I had done some previous research and was pleasantly surprised when I was told by some guesthouses in the gorge that having Hugo wouldn’t be a problem, so this trip we decided to test out how dog friendly it really is with my friend’s dog, Nova.
If you are hiking the gorge you can bring your dog no problem, always best to arrange with the guesthouse along the way in advance to ensure they will allow you to stay with your dog. When I inquired Tina’s guesthouse told me my dog was okay as long as they didn’t disturb anyone, but for this trip we tested out the very touristy scenic area of the gorge.
When to go
I would like to point out we went very early (at opening) to beat the traffic as we had been told that the cue to even buy tickets was crazy. We we arrived just before 8 to buy our tickets and head to the scenic or tourist area. I would also like to point out that Nova is a small dog and we kept her leashed 95% of the time.
Tickets
We arrived at the gorge from the Lijiang side. You will be directed to a ticket booth. We showed our passports, bought our tickets and went on our way (we had our own car so getting here with Nova was easy).
Scenic Area
When you first arrive at the touristy section you are greeted with what looks like a viewing platform. There are some shops selling food and drinks. There is also an escalator. We went toward the escalator thinking that was the only way down and they only stopped us because we needed an extra ticket. They didn’t seem bothered by Nova at all. We ended up not taking the escalator, but it’s worth noting that they seemed more than okay with Nova.
We walked down the path to try and get the full experience of the gorge. As we went early in the morning there weren’t many people which made walking with Nova much easier. When we finally got to the bottom viewing platform we were met with some very helpful security guards who gave us directions. They didn’t even look twice at Nova.
The gorge is huge and the water is very powerful. This frightened Nova and she would not willingly get anywhere near the water. People actually stopped to try and pet Nova because she was scared of the water. Everyone from the workers to the other tourists were either very nice and wanted to pet her or they were not phased by Nova in the slightest.
Note: We did have Nova on leash the entire time at the bottom viewing platform.
While we were walking back up to the top we did let Nova off leash. There were not many people around, so we felt comfortable letting her off leash.
Will update about doing the hike with my pups on our next trip!
Recommendations
- Go early – it gets extremely busy around 10am.
- Self- driving is the best way to see the gorge. We were able to continue on and go to the middle gorge which was much less touristy and quiet.
- Leash your pups in all busy areas to avoid problems with other tourists and staff.
Book discounted tickets for the scenic spot here
