Jaunted

The second day’s hike is mostly downhill, though the trail passes some precariously narrow stretches with thousand-meter drops to one side and waterfalls rushing over portions of the path. Cocky goats bound past in herds, ascending 90-degree walls with annoying ease.

At the end of the trek, there’s an option to continue on to Bashuitai, a town with a famous series of limestone cliffs formed by a salinated stream, or climb straight down to the gorge itself, to the rock where a mythical tiger once famously leapt over the rapids. There’s a terrifying series of ladders that lead to the bottom portion of the gorge, or a steep zig-zag climb carved into the rocks, with locals hanging wire fences and charging 10 yuan (about $1.50) for the option to descend there.

Witnessing the force of the water that cut this massive valley is worth the effort, and the reward of a Dali Beer—brewed in the nearby town—at a teahouse at the top of the hill is well deserved.

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