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2 Days Chongqing & Dazu Rock Carvings Tour

Chongqing / Dazu / Chongqing

HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS TOUR

  • Stroll at Baodingshan and Beishan areas to savor the best Dazu Rock Carvings grotto arts.
  • Soak in the brilliant culture and unique history of Chongqing at Three Gorges Museum.
  • Take popular Line 2 of Chongqing Light Rail and take iconic photos at Liziba Station.
  • Feel the unbelievable urban layout of this Mountain City with wonderful visit to Hongya Cave.

Sampling Itinerary Day by Day

Day 1 Chongqing (L)

Welcome to Chongqing - Magic 8D City! Your local guide and driver will meet you at your hotel at Chongqing downtown (or the arrival hall of the airport / railway station if you arrive in Chongqing in the early morning). Get ready to dive into this cyberpunk metropolis! Let's start with the Three Gorges Museum, showcasing more than 280,000 pieces of precious cultural relics to introduce the great Yangtze River, formation of the Three Gorges, and the thriving history of Chongqing from 3,000 years ago to its status as a municipality in China. Next, have an impressive look at the People’s Assembly Hall which is renowned for its elegant classical exterior and was listed into the History of Architecture compiled in London in 1987.

Then, take Line 2 of Chongqing Rail Transit from Huanghuayuan to Liziba Station for 15-minute with cityscapes. Get off and watch a train passing through a 19-storey apartment, unique to mountainous Chongqing! Continue to enjoy Chongqing panorama from "Eye in the Clouds" Observation Deck (Altitude: 520m) with a 360° open-air platform at the city center. Then, visit the must-see Hongya Cave to appreciate its layers of featured Ba and Shu regional wooden tilted houses rising up to 11 storeys against the hill. (Note: As night falls, Hongya Cave becomes even more enchanting with warm lights illuminating the structures. If you want to see such night view, please discuss with your guide or travel consultant to adjust the itinerary.)

After the visit, be transferred to your hotel in downtown Chongqing. Have a nice sleep!

Liziba Metro Station

Three Gorges Museum

People's Assembly Hall

Hongya Cave Night View

Hongya Cave Daytime

Day 2 Dazu - Chongqing Departure (B, L)

Good morning! Today, your local guide and driver will meet you at your hotel for a transfer to Dazu Rock Carvings, located 80 kilometers west from Chongqing downtown (1.5 hours' drive). Designated as a World Cultural Heritage site since 1999, Dazu Rock Carvings date back to the early Tang Dynasty (6th AD) and feature over 50,000 statues. Renowned for their authenticity, aesthetic beauty, and rich thematic content, they represent the pinnacle of grotto art from the 9th to 13th centuries and are referred as the last monument of world grotto art.

First, visit Baodingshan originated from 1179 AD, which is the most famous part of Dazu Rock Cravings and the embodiment of secularization and life of the late period grotto arts. Visiting along the Dafowan, Xiaofowan, etc., you’ll find those impressive sculptures unfolding like a captivating comic strip against the cliffs. These large-scale statues vividly illustrate Buddhist classics, daily life and theories of Taoism and Confucianism during the old centuries. Of course, you won’t miss the typical examples including Buddhist Wheel of Life, 31-meter-long Sleeping Buddha, over-800-year-old Thousand-Hand Guanyin, Three Saints, etc., the antique Shengshou Temple and interesting Dazu Rock Carvings Museum.

Then, explore Beishan (Optional) dating from 892 AD to 1162 AD, which boasts a grotto gallery stretching around 300 meters long with Buddhist and Taoist narratives across up to 51 themes. You'll be enchanted by its collection of elegant statues characterized by graceful postures, fancy ornaments, etc. Find the figures such as Oriental Venus, Oriental Handsome Man, Charming Guanyin, etc.

Notice: 1. The time spent at Baodingshan Scenic Area can range from 3 to 5 hours, depending on whether visitors choose to watch the digital films and how much time they spend in the museum. A visit to Beishan usually lasts between 1 and 1.5 hours. 2. The Beishan Rock Carvings are best suited for individuals who have a deep interest in and have conducted research on rock carving culture. The primary cluster of carvings at Beishan is situated atop a hill, necessitating a 15- to 20- minute climb for visitors. This may pose some difficulty for those with limited physical stamina.

In the late afternoon, be transferred to the airport, train station or cruise port for your departure from Chongqing! Tour ends!

Dazu Rock Carvings - Sleeping Buddha at Baodingshan

Dazu Rock Carvings - Baodingshan

Dazu Rock Carvings - Baodingshan (Buddhist Wheel of Life)

Dazu Rock Carvings - Baodingshan (Sakyamuni's Filial Piety)

Dazu Rock Carvings - Baodingshan (Avalokitesvara with Thousand Hands)

Dazu Rock Carvings - Beishan (Peacock King)

Dazu Rock Carvings - Beishan (Avalokitesvara with Rosary)

1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in a comfortable-class hotel and traveling with our private tour package in low seasons. The price will be much lower if your group has 4 or more members.

2. This price is subject to change according to your traveling season, month, and date. There may be huge price increasing during the public Chinese holidays, school summer holidays (usually 2 months, July ~ August), peak tourist seasons or some special dates. (Chinese Public Holidays 2026)

3. Other factors that may change the final tour price include your group size, hotel class, tour activities, real-time exchange rate, and so on.

4. This price is based on the exchange rate USD 1= RMB 7.00. The final price will be based on the exchange rate in effect at the time of agreement with our quotation.

5. This price is only valid from now to March 31, 2027.

6. This price is not the final price until the Confirmation Letter is sent.

7. The items included and excluded in this price are for reference only. The final services included, please refer to the Confirmation Letter sent to you by the travel consultant.

Price Includes:

  • English-speaking guide with the professional license as listed in the itinerary.
  • Entrance fees and other fees of the scenic spots as listed in the itinerary.
  • Accommodation (comfortable-class) based on two persons sharing one room with twin beds or a double bed.
  • Meals as specified with “B” (for breakfast), “L” (for lunch) or “D” (for dinner) in the itinerary.
  • Private Transfers between airports, hotels and scenic spots while sightseeing in each city or area by private air-conditioned vehicle with a licensed driver as listed in the itinerary.
  • Transportation: Domestic flights (economy class) or trains (second-class seat) as listed in the itinerary.
  • Airport / train station pick-up and drop-off service as listed in the itinerary.
  • Luggage Transfers between airports, train station and hotels.
  • Travel Service Charge of our travel consultant, including the planning, handling, operational and communication charges, etc.

Price Excludes:

  • China Visa (We do not offer any visa service or charge any visa-related fee.)
  • Scenic spots not listed in the itinerary.
  • Optional activities or other sightseeing.
  • Accommodation not as listed in the itinerary.
  • Meals not listed in the itinerary.
  • Flights or trains not as listed in the itinerary.
  • Excess Baggage Charges.
  • Personal expenses of a purely personal nature such as room service, laundry, drink, Internet charge, WI-FI, fax, telephone call, etc.
  • Gratuities or optional tips to guides, drivers, bellboys, etc.
  • Travel insurance. Please kindly note that the full coverage travel insurance from your country of origin should be purchased in advance on your own.

Read what other travelers think about this China trip / Yangtze cruise trip. We only accept reviews from actual, confirmed travelers who purchased the tour / activity from us, so you can be sure the reviews are unbiased and authentic.

Hi Elk,

"Yangtze River Cruises and more specifically Elk has been helping us organise a very good tour in China: we were aiming to visit Chongqing, and observing that this could be combined with a crude on the Yangtze River, we opted for this, and given that this cruise at this time of the year was only 4 days, I searched extension options on the company website, found 2 extensions of interest for me and my husband, namely in Chengdu (where the tour organiser is based) and in Zhangjiajie. 

1. Organisation

Booking the tour, I was a little uncertain: there are so many scams online, that I was afraid we pay for that tour and end up with nothing... but it was not the case :-)

A few days before the start of our tour in Chengdu, Elk sent me the mobile numbers of the 3 guides that would be taking us through each station of our tour, and to my great pleasure, each of them was waiting for us at the agreed meeting point. All these scheduling and organisation elements were super well defined.

Elk also asked me which category of housing I wanted and booked for us hotels and cruise bedroom in the relevant category. I was pleasantly surprised in each location.

2. Comfort

Another special comment: the hotels and cruise ship have aircond, which is as expected, and also heating systems (which in December and January was very helpful as we visited Zhanjiajie under the snow). I specify this because some people told me before the trip that in these regions, considered South China, there is usually no heating system. It's true that in some restaurants and coffee shops, there was no heating, but al our hotels had some.

3. Food

In each location we had usually at least a breakfast and lunch included, plus dinner during the cruise. All was very good and to our taste: the guides asked us ahead what kind of food we can / cannot eat and esp. for us, it was "not spicy please" and we got it alright all the time.

4. Sightseeing and Guides

In each location we had a guide speaking well to very well our language and a driver; full comfort! 

In Chengdu guide Ben took us to the panda reserve and visiting it has been great fun: they are so cute. Then we went for lunch in the old city in a delicious restaurant, and visited and old temple, the touristic area, and park... and he was also kind enough to propose to us to join the local theater show (not included in the tour), which was amazing... The following morning he took us to the train station from which we would join Chongqing. He insisted to take us up to the last passport check before the train platform... that's very useful for overseas tourists not familiar with Chinese trains. Many thanks to Ben!

Then in Chongqing, Jacques took us through the city museum and main places of interest before dropping us at the gate of the ship; here also, no chance to get lost :-)

During the cruise, the staff and guides speaking our language were taking care of us onboard and during the excursions. We also took the ship lift add-on at the 3 gorges dam, which I can also recommend, what an experience! 

Finally in YiChang, our guide for Zhangjiajie was waiting for us at the cruise terminal to take us to Zhangjiajie. There she took us to the 2 famous parks there, the one with Avatar peaks, great even with overcast and rain, and then to the park of the Tianmen mountain, with the glass bridges and and the 999 steps... We visited that one under the snow and walking on snow, and it was amazing, even if we could not take as many glass bridges as planned, for safety reasons. Each day, we finished with delicious lunches, too much food actually, thus we did dabao. 

Thus only one summary: fantastic tour, great organisation, we are looking forward to the next one! 

The only thing that was a little less good was our guide in Chongqing, Jacques: he was always speaking very loud, like if speaking to a group of 20 people while we were only two. Otherwise, nothing to improve really, it was excellent!

Best regards,

Valerie

The following photos were shared by our customer Valerie:

Yangtze China Tour Review

Chengdu City Tour | Late December 2025 | Curated by Elk

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Valerie - January 8, 2026‚ , 

Hi,

Thank you for your email. The trip to China was great. I will update you when I get back to Spain. All the best to you.

Regards,

David

David - December 25, 2025‚ , 

Hi Elk,

We had a wonderful experience booking our Yangtze River cruise through Yangtze River Cruise Company. Elk was especially helpful throughout the entire process - extremely communicative, responsive, and patient in answering all our questions, which made the booking smooth and stress-free for our family.

The cruise itself on Century Paragon was excellent. Everything was well organized, the facilities were comfortable,and we truly had a great time. Overall, it was a fantastic experience from booking to the actual cruise, and we would highly recommend both the company and Elk's services to others planning a Yangtze River cruise.

Chen

Chen - December 22, 2025‚ , 

Thank you Rita,

The Cruise has been wonderful, everyone involved has been very helpful. My wife and I are having a good time.

Thanks again for the arrangements.

Joseph

Joseph - December 22, 2025‚ , 

Here are recent candid photos of this China trip / Yangtze cruise trip. If you want to share your own tour photos, simply email your photos to info@yangtze-river-cruises.com with your Booking ID Number. Thanks in advance for sharing!

People's Assembly Hall
Hongya Cave Daytime
Three Gorges Museum
Hongya Cave Night View
Liziba Metro Station
Dazu Rock Carvings - Beishan (Avalokitesvara with Rosary)
Dazu Rock Carvings - Beishan (Peacock King)
Dazu Rock Carvings - Baodingshan (Avalokitesvara with Thousand Hands)
Dazu Rock Carvings - Baodingshan (Sakyamuni's Filial Piety)
Dazu Rock Carvings - Baodingshan
Dazu Rock Carvings - Baodingshan (Buddhist Wheel of Life)
Dazu Rock Carvings - Sleeping Buddha at Baodingshan

Recommended Add-on Options

+ 1~2 more days to UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site - Wulong Karst Landscape

Wulong Karst Geopark in Wulong County of Chongqing is not only the filming location of “Transformers IV”, but also a super famous natural spectacle to marvel at the unique Karst landscapes, including sinkholes, natural bridges and caves. Plan 1 to 2 days to explore the awesome Three Natural Bridges, Longshuixia Gap, Furong Cave based on your physical condition and interests.

Three Natural Bridges - Tianfu Official Post

+ 3~4 more days to visit the city with best scenery under heaven - Guilin

Surrounded by karst peaks, Yangshuo is situated on the bank of Li River in Guilin. Yangshuo has long been renowned as a popular place for foreign tourists. It is said “guilin landscape tops those elsewhere, and yangshuo landscape tops that of Guilin”. Outdoor options are plenty here and West Street is a good place to explore.

Elephant Trunk Hill

+ 2 more days Chengdu Leisure Life Experience & Giant Panda Visit

Immerse yourself in the Land of Abundance and Hometown of Giant Pandas!

You’ll totally enjoy the ancient culture and slow pace of living when having close contact with the cute pandas in Chengdu Panda Base, sipping tea in the hundred-year-old teahouse in Renmin Park, seeking for Three Kingdom culture in Jinli Old Street, exploring Ancient Shu Civilization in Jinsha Site Museum...

Chengdu Panda Base

+ 3~4 more days to step into the World Geological Park - Zhangjiajie

Reputed as “a miniature fairyland” and “a maze of nature”, Zhangjiajie is a surreal world with hundreds of grotesque peaks, beautiful waters, towering trees, deep valley, marvelous caves and exuberant forest. In Zhangjiajie, you’ll fully explore Zhangjiajie National Forest Park to catch the outstanding landscape and experience the world’s longest and highest glass bridge in Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon.

Tianzi Mountain

+ 2 more days to enjoy the fairyland on earth - Jiuzhaigou

Both Huanglong National Park and Jiuzhaigou National Park were listed as Natural World Heritage Sites for the superb landscape. Take two days that you can fully immerse yourself in the Fairyland on Earth to appreciate travertine lakes, green and purplish pools, waterfalls, forests and mountain scenery.

Jiuzhaigou Valley

+ 4~5 more days to cruise on the magnificent Yangtze River

Taking a relaxing cruise sailing on the Yangtze River is a popular way to get a short break during your China tour. You’ll not only enjoy many colorful cultural activities and entertainment programs onboard, but also enjoy three to four shore excursions to deeply know the authentic life along Three Gorges and witness the world-famous Three Gorges Dam.

You can take: 1) 4 Days & 3 Night Downstream Cruise from Chongqing to Yichang; 2) 5 Days & 4 Nights Upstream Cruise from Yichang to Chongqing.

Our Customer Visiting Magnificent Qutang Gorge

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