Tiger Leaping Gorge Tea-Horse Guesthouse — Hotel in Hutiaoxia

This accommodation accepts foreigners.It is easy to find it. It is the only accommodation in that little village. The reception is in the coffee shop area on the balcony. In the middle of doing orders for the customers they will do your check in.The room is very basic, as expected. You could hear everything that was happening next door and there were even some holes on the wooden walls. You can look into your neighbours room too, if you like. The room wasn't exactly clean as you can see in photos, lots of dust/dirt on the floor.Although we knew we didn't have a bathroom in our room we weren't expecting to walk 100 meters for the public toilet (which is also shared with the shop and restaurant customers). This detail should be clear when booking a room here. Don't expect to have privacy in that public toilet. It is a Chinese style bathroom without doors. The female side has a common door because otherwise people at the restaurant could clearly see you whilst on the toilet. They have private cubicles with showers (which you can see in photos attached), but there was no hot water that day due to cloudy weather (they rely on solar panels). We can understand that but they didn't offer other alternatives, like a bucket with hot water, although we asked for one. We couldn't get clean after the hike. We found this appalling as even in the mountains in Nepal you could easily get a bucket of hot water. Not acceptable as the restaurant was filled with customers and they had plenty of hot water and communal stoves. Their attitude was also ridiculous, non apologetic and dismissive. They clearly couldn't be bothered as we had already paid for the room. They have a restaurant with food and you can find some dishes with reasonable prices.Overall expensive for what they offer, using location as an excuse not to offer basic services is not acceptable. Appalling service for the...

Teahorse Guesthouse is that magical spot halfway through Tiger Leaping Gorge where trekkers convince themselves they’re “just stopping for lunch” and end up negotiating with their knees about spending the night. Perched on the upper gorge, it offers sweeping views so spectacular you’ll almost forget you haven’t showered since Lijiang.

It’s family-run, charming, and expanding—which in gorge terms means more people crammed onto a wooden deck pretending altitude headaches are just “spiritual awakenings.” The coffee is strong enough to make you think you can finish the trek in record time. Spoiler: you can’t.

Surrounded by village life, you’ll see locals living the kind of rural simplicity city folk put on Instagram with hashtags like #authentic and #soulreset. The restaurant serves decent food, and it’s your only choice, so even if the noodles taste like existential despair, you’ll clap like it’s Michelin-starred.

The real highlight? The toilets. Squat-style, shared, and doorless. Nothing says “bonding experience” like locking eye contact with another hiker while both of you question your life choices. Call it rustic, call it cultural, but mostly call it unforgettable trauma.

Stay here if you want memories, views, and the kind of bathroom stories that’ll outlive your...

I booked a shared dorm but she upgraded me to my own room in building C. That bathroom was clean and new. The water was HOT! The heating bed pad wasn’t working so they let me move rooms to a twin room in building B. This room was lovely and cozy. Truly a great place to stay! The waterfall featured here is just before you reach the guesthouse. You can swim! The owner said there is a pool in the village but quite a walk down- for 55rmb. The views were phenomenal. The coffee was great. The scrambled eggs were too oily but the banana/ apple pancake was a good choice for bfast. The sweet and sour chicken was good. I had a guide for the walk and I must just tell other solo hikers- when in doubt keep left. Always stay on the high path towards the mountain as you make your way from Tea Horse to Tina’s. Sometimes there are no signs in English. So just always go left and stay close to the mountain. Other paths will take you down into the villages. This is a must do hike! Day 1 from the start at Naxi guesthouse to Tea Horse was 5km. The 28 bends was easy for anyone who is accustomed to hiking and fitness. Day 2 from Tea Horse to...