6 Days Chongqing Yangtze Cruise with Wulong Karst

Welcome to Chongqing - Magic 8D City! Clear the customs and retrieve your baggage by yourself upon arrival. Your local tour guide holding a sign with your name will meet you at the arrival hall of the airport / railway station, and then drive to Wulong Karst Geopark (about 2.5-3 hours), a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site since 2007. This vast geopark contains three main scenic areas: Three Natural Bridges, Longshuixia Gap, and Furong Cave.

Today, you will visit Furong Cave, “the underground artistic palace and a cavern scientific museum” and world’s only karst cave designated as a World Heritage site. Begin with a 10-minute cable car ride that offers stunning views of the emerald Wujiang River belting the mountains below. Next, walk along to explore the expansive limestone cave formed over 1.2 million years ago, stretching 2,700 meters long. You’ll marvel at nature’s creativity while seeing over 70 rare types of stalactites in amazing formations resembling waterfalls, pillars, arrows, palace, pagodas, etc., no matter with illumination or barely!

After the visit, be transferred to Xiannvshan Town (about 70 minutes) for accommodation!

Optional activity (extra payment): Watch "Impression Wulong" that is a large-scale landscape night performance in the valley and is directed by Zhang Yimou who is directed the opening & closing ceremonies of Beijing Olympic Games 2008.

Wulong Furong Cave Karst Wonders

Wulong Furong Cave Karst Wonders

Wulong Furong Cave Karst Wonders

Pleasant Sightseeing from Wulong Furong Cave Cable Car

After breakfast, be transferred to visit Three Natural Bridges, the most famous part of Wulong Karst and a filming location of “Transformers IV”. It is the world’s largest natural bridge group, and offers outstanding landscapes of grandeur, elegance, and tranquility. Take a sightseeing elevator and walk down to view the giant holes and the symbolic Tianfu Official Post courtyard. Stroll beneath Tianlong Bridge, Qinglong Bridge and Heilong Bridge to appreciate these soaring natural bridges over 200 meters high, amazing Tianlong and Eagle holes, and seek the traces of geological changes of various colors and shapes. You can catch unique photos of the bridge hole formations like jumping carp, broadsword and thumb-up from various viewpoints.

Next, take the tourist bus for a 1.5-hour hike at Longshuixia Gap karst fissure, known as “the world’s most beautiful scar”. Descend via elevator and start your unbelievable “journey into the earth’s corn” as the crack plunges 200 to 500 meters deep. Witness the geological wonders up close while enjoying cascading streams, waterfalls, one-string daylight, and lush original vegetation along the way.

After that, be escorted back to Chongqing downtown and 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. As night falls, Hongya Cave becomes more enchanting with warm lights illuminating the structures. After the sightseeing, be escorted to your hotel!

(Note: The Wulong Karst tour involves many steps and can be tailored based on your physical fitness, schedule, budget, etc. Please consult your travel expert to adjust the itinerary when booking, particularly for the elderly who prefer less walking.)

Three Natural Bridges - Tianfu Official Post

Wulong Three Natural Bridges - Filming Location of "Transformers IV"

Three Natural Bridges - Qinglong Bridge

Three Natural Bridges - Heilong Bridge

Three Natural Bridges - Geological Wonder

Hongya Cave Night View

Wulong Longshuixia Gap

Wulong Longshuixia Gap

After breakfast, your guide and driver will meet you at your hotel and then take you to enjoy a full day exploration of 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 Station to Liziba Station for 15-minute with cityscapes. Get off and watch a train passing through a 19-storey apartment, unique to mountainous Chongqing! After the tour, go to board your 4-day Yangtze River cruise at Chaotianmen Port (18:00~21:00), which will sail at 21:00!

Optional Activity (with extra payment): Enjoy Chongqing panorama from "Eye in the Clouds" Observation Deck (Altitude: 520m) with a 360° open-air platform at the city center.

Tips for Cruise Boarding:
1) There are 12 sub-piers at Chongqing Chaotianmen Port; please confirm the exact boarding pier with your travel consultant one day prior; 2) Tell your driver the exact pier to minimize walking; 3) Be aware of boarding time and pier changes based on the ship line or factors like water level, season, weather condition, etc. Please pay attention to the important info from your travel consultants.

Liziba Metro Station

Three Gorges Museum

People's Assembly Hall

Board Yangtze Cruise Ship at Chaotianmen Port

Good morning! Wake up leisurely and enjoy the gentle sunshine over the tranquil Yangtze. You can either follow the Taichi master to play Taichi or enjoy a cup of coffee to start a beautiful day!

Enjoy various entertainment onboard, like attending a Yangtze River History and Culture Lecture, enjoying seasonal themed activities, meeting new friends at the Captain's Welcome Party, having fun at the wonderful evening show, etc.

You will follow a local English-speaking tour guide to visit Fengdu Ghost City onshore, which is about 2,000 years old and called “the Homeland of Divine Comedy in China”. In this “City of Ghosts”, you will see a series of temples, shrines, palaces, pavilions, and more traditional styled architecture complex. The colorful statues and story scenes of afterlife in hell displayed show the underworld, cruel tortures, different kinds of devils, Chinese demons and the traditional Chinese belief: pure spirits would be rewarded, and sinful ones would be subject to severe punishments. (Please note: Fengdu Ghost City visit requires much walking and comfortable shoes are highly recommended!)

Optional Excursion to Feng Yan San Guo (Three Kingdoms Fire Show): A reputable and impressive real landscape show telling the brilliant history during the Three Kingdoms Period (over 1,800 years ago) and praising the loyalty spirit of General Guan Yu. (with an extra fee)

Beautiful & Tranquil Yangtze River

Play Taichi in the Morning

Fengdu Ghost City

Three Kingdoms Open Air Show

Today, you'll sail through the spectacular Three Gorges! Soak up the breathtaking gorge scenery as you drift through Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge respectively.

You'll switch to a smaller boat to take an enjoyable shore excursion to Shennv Stream (Goddess Stream), a tributary of the Yangtze River. Sail down this primitive stream to closely marvel at steep mountains and hanging coffins high on the cliffs, hear local history, and appreciate featured dance and music by Tujia ethnic people!

At evening, enjoy the well-prepared Captain’s Farewell Party with all your mates onboard and have a whale of time of the last night onboard!

Optional Excursion to White Emperor City: This cultural and historic site at the entrance of Qutang Gorge tells the touching stories of the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” and is the best spot to appreciate the magnificent “Kui Gate” on the 10 RMB note! (with an extra fee)

Our Customer Visiting Magnificent Qutang Gorge

Qutang Gorge

Breathtaking Wu Gorge Scenery

Enjoy Wu Gorge Scenery on Sundeck

White Emperor City

Shennv Stream with Primitive Gorge Scenery

After breakfast, go through a check-out procedure and disembark at Maoping Port and take the arranged tourist bus to visit the global famous Three Gorges Dam. It is the largest hydropower station in the world, with an annual energy output of 84.7 billion kilowatt-hours. The Dam is about 2,300 meters (7,546 ft) long and about 115 meters (377 ft) wide. With a water capacity of 39.3 billion cubic meters, it can hold a huge reservoir to efficiently prevent flooding in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze. Take your time to appreciate this great project from different angles and learn more at the project museum.

After that, take the tourist bus to Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal in Yichang downtown (arriving around 12:30-13:30). Your local guide and driver will pick you up there and transfer to Yichang Airport / train station for your flight or train to your home / the next destination. Trip Ends!

Optional Experience of Three Gorges Dam Ship Lift: Take a tourist boat to sail through this world’s largest ship lift with an elevation of about 113 meters (370 ft), which is totally fresh and exciting! (with an extra fee)

Departure Ideas: You can take flights from Yichang Sanxia Airport to Shanghai, Xian, Beijing, Guangzhou and Hangzhou, etc. Also, you can take high speed trains from Yichang East Railway Station to Wuhan (about 2hrs), Shanghai (about 8hrs), Beijing (about 7.5hrs), Hangzhou (about 7.5hrs), Chengdu (about 7hrs), Guangzhou (about 7hrs), etc.

Notes: 1) Only Dam visit: take the bus from Maoping Port to visit Three Gorges Dam and arrive at Yichang downtown at around 12:30. 2) Dam visit + Ship Lift: switch to a tourist boat to sail through the Ship Lift and visit Three Gorges Dam. Then, take the bus and arrive at Yichang downtown at around 13:30.

World-famous Three Gorges Dam

Three Gorges Dam - 185 Observation Deck

Three Gorges Dam in Summer

Three Gorges Dam Ship Lift, the Largest Ship Lift in the World

Three Gorges Dam Ship Lift