6 Days Yangtze River Cruise from Idyllic Guilin

Ni Hao! Welcome to Guilin, the city with the most beautiful landscape under the earth! You will be met by local tour guide at airport / train station, then be escorted to your hotels in Guilin downtown. 

Arrival Ideas: Guilin Liangjiang Airport has flights connecting Guilin with Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Chongqing, Chengdu, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Lijiang, Kunming and more cities. Also, Guilin Railway Station or Guilin North Railway Station has high speed trains well linking Guilin with Guangzhou (about 2.5~3hrs), Shenzhen (about 3hrs), Guiyang (about 2.5hrs), Changsha (about 3hrs and 20mins), Wuhan (about 5hrs), Kunming (about 7.5hrs), and Shanghai (about 9.5hrs), etc.

As the Chinese textbook says, "Guilin’s landscape is the best under heaven." Today, start your scenic cruise along the Li River from Mopanshan Pier to Yangshuo, spanning 84 kilometers. The breathtaking vistas resemble an endless Chinese scroll, featuring winding river, verdant limestone karst mountains, fascinating countryside views, the amazing A Painting of Nine Horses, and iconic scenery on the 20 RMB note. (Please note: Lunch onboard is served by the cruise with simple local cuisine. You can take some snacks before boarding.)

After 4 hours’ cruise, arrive in Yangshuo and check into your hotel. After a short break, immerse yourself in the charming sightseeing and ideal countryside ease of Yulong River. Let all the refreshing scenes delight your eyes and souls to the utmost, the Karst hills dotted around, chattering stream, rippling mountain reflections, swaying flora, patches of vivid crops, gentle breeze... Choose from biking, hiking, bamboo rafting, scooter or riding to explore the fun and beauty there. (Please tell your likes to your travel consultants before booking the tour, as final prices will vary by activity.)

Biking (some physically demanding & view by the river) - Ride to enjoy the river view and the real fields (route: Yangshuo - Jima - Shuiedi Dock - Gongnong Bridge - West Street; for 1.5-2 hours).

Bamboo Rafting (relaxing and interesting & view on the river) - Have fun with the classic bamboo rafting (Route A: Shuiedi Dock - Gongnong Bridge for 40-50 minutes; Route B: Jima Dock - Gongnong Bridge for 1.5 hours) to see the more serene view like pieces of traditional Chinese landscape ink paintings.

Driving (most leisurable and comfortable & view on the road) - Sit leisurely on the car and travel from Jima to Gongnong Bridge to appreciate the lovely countryside view (about 0.5 hour). You can get off and on anywhere on the middle way to explore more about your interested place.

Finally, have a leisure walk on West Street where the western and Chinese culture coexist harmoniously here. Whether you want to enjoy a drink in a bar, taste local food, or just soak in the relaxing atmosphere, you get it there.

Note: according to the regulations of Yulong River Tourism, children less than 1 meter high and elders over 70 years old are not allowed to take the bamboo rafting.

Optional Activity: Watch the splendid evening performance of Impression Liu Sanjie with the Li River as the stage, which was directed by famous director - Zhang Yimou (usually performs for an hour between around 19:45 and 22:20).

Beautiful Li River Landscape

Li River Cruise

Idyllic Countryside Scenery at Yangshuo Yulong River

Heaven-like Countryside Scenery in Yangshuo

Relaxing Cycling at Yangshuo Countryside

Yulong River Bamboo Rafting

Yangshuo West Street

This morning, return to Guilin downtown (about 1.5~2hrs' drive) to visit the symbol of Guilin - Elephant Trunk Hill. It is named after its shape like a giant elephant drinking from the Li River. Enjoy your time in this pleasant park with green mountains, clear water, fantastic caves and rocks.

Next, explore Reed Flute Cave, the Art Palace of Nature! Get into the majestic underground cave to marvel at a large number of stunning stalactites and stalagmites as well as the light and sound show.

After the tour, your guide and driver will escort you to the railway station for your bullet train to Chongqing (about 4.5-5hrs). Upon arrival, be transferred to board your 4-day Yangtze River cruise at Chaotianmen Dock (18:00~21:00), which will sail at 21:00!

Tips for Cruise Boarding: 1) Chaotianmen Dock consists of 12 sub-piers; please confirm the exact boarding pier with your travel consultant one day prior; 2) Tell your driver the exact pier to minimize walking; 3) 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 information from your travel consultants.

Elephant Trunk Hill

Reed Flute Cave, the Art Palace of Nature

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