Tiger Leaping Gorge, China

Getting there
The lonely planet is pretty correct in terms of getting there. Go to the bus station in Lijiang and jump on any bus to Shangri-la and get off in Qiaotou (Y20 pp). We did not want to wait and took one of the minibuses that everyone in front of the bus station advertises. Pretty much is a private cab and costs Y150. In Qiaotou walk onto the "lower road" that is under heavy construction. Walk past Jane's until you see a wall of a school on the left hand side. After the wall the path starts uphill on the left. From there keep following the red arrows.

Length of the trek
From Qiaotou to Naxi guesthouse: 1.45 - 2h
Naxi guesthouse to Tea Horse Guesthouse 3h
Tea Horse - Half Way Guesthouse 1h
Half Way - Tina's 1.30h
So total length about 7 - 8 hours. You can decide not to descend to Tina's and take the long way to Sean's guesthouse via the high waterfall which adds 2 hours or walk on the low road from Tina's to Sean's in 20 mins.

Safety
The path is absolutely safe if it's not raining. It is well trodden and wide enough not to be scary. Yes, there are sections where the gorge drops deep down on your right, but the path is always at least a meter wide, so if you are not shaky on your legs, not an issue. There were several spots where waterfalls could form that would run over the path and we had to cross one waterfall at a very steep spot. When it's not raining it's fine, but if it is raining i can see these spots becoming very dangerous. In terms of the rain, don't let the rainy season deter you. Often the weather is fine in the gorge. We called Sean's guesthouse and Naxi guesthouse in advance and asked for the weather. They assured us it was dry and so we decided to go.

Regarding the toughness. Really not too tough. Of course there are uphill sections, but the exaggeration of some posts that it was insanely steep is just not true. If you have hiked in the US or in Europe in the mountains before, this is pretty much the same. And if it is too steep, you can always hire a horse :)

Best way to do it
First get one of the maps they hand out at Prague Cafe in Lijiang, they have the best ones around.
Then forget about the lonely planet's tip of staying in Jane's the night before. It is a shabby place, very dirty and really has no charm, no view, and poor service. We decided to walk to the Naxi guesthouse which is only 2 hours into the hike. It is uphill from Jane's but not too tough. Naxi guesthouse was a different world. It is a charming old Naxi house with a small courtyard and a stunning view. They have a new wing with really great rooms. We had a double with great bed, wifi, tv and spacious bathroom for only Y120. Food is good there too. So go there in the afternoon, relax, and then head out the next morning. From there you can make it to Tea Horse or Half way (both nice places as well BTW), for lunch and then finish in the afternoon. You can then decide to stay at Tina's, Sean's or head back.

Getting back
There are minivans that run the low road from Sean's or Tina's to Qiaotou (Y30 pp) from where you can hail any bus heading to Lijiang or Shangri-la. Alternatively there are tourbuses that make it here on 1-day tours from Lijiang, on which we got a seat (we paid the driver Y60pp all the way to Lijiang). BUT BEWARE: The low road is scary as hell though. there are constructing it and on many spots the road is loose gravel with no side railing and a straight 200m drop to the Yangtze. Our tourbus often got within 20cm of that drop and everybody on the bus, including all the Chinese tourists, were holding their breath. I would recommend a small minivan that makes the trip every day and is not as big!!!

Overall, it is a truly wonderful hike that is not too tough and the scenery is gorgeous! It is a great escape from the tourist madness that Lijiang has become. We would very much recommend doing it!