Chongqing and Yangtze River Cruise

Your schedule today is carried out according to your arrival time. Your private guide and driver will pick you up outside the arrival hall at Chongqing airport. If time allows, you will visit three most popular attractions in Chongqing: the Ciqikou Ancient town, the Giant Panda House in Chongqing Zoo, and the Eling Park. 

The Eling Park: A local park with nice views over the river and Chongqing and the former Australian Embassy building. It is a popular place for local people’s playing mahjong, doing exercise, and relaxation.

The Ciqikou Ancient Town: This lively ancient town has been partly restored, and remains an authentic and busy community. 

The Giant Panda Room in Chongqing Zoo: A place you can see the giant pandas without visiting Chengdu, the hometown of giant pandas.

Lunch is at a Chinese restaurant. You can board the cruise ship from 5pm to 8pm and will depart Chongqing at 9pm.

Today you will cruise downstream of the Yangtze River at Chongqing.

You will enjoy a welcoming banquet and a dancing party on the cruise ship. Besides appreciating the Yangtze River scenery along the cruise, you will also stop off to visit Shibai Village, an isolated peak with an ancient temple built in the Qing Dynasty (1644—1911). The highlights there are the fantastic wooden buildings, the exquisite carved beams and painted rafters, and the interesting legends of the area.

There is an optional tour to Fengdu Ghost City, a place for learning about traditional Chinese culture of the nether world. There are many architectures featuring the netherworld.

You will cruise across the picturesque the Three Gorges section (the Qutang Gorge, the Wu Gorge, and the Xiling Gorge). The scenery is quite graceful. So don’t forget to get your camera prepared. You will learn to do tai chi on the deck and watch the crew’s performance this day.

Besides your cruise tour, you will take a shore excursion to Shennong Stream in the afternoon. Shennong Stream is a tributary of the Yangtze River with fast-flowing, crystal clear water running southwards through deep gorges. There you will learn about the unsolved mystery — the cliff coffin burial (get your long lens or telescope prepared for the hanging coffin on the cliff). 

The White Emperor City is an optional excursion for your discovery in Shennong Stream. There you will enjoy the scenery printed on the back of 10-yuan bank note — the Kui Gate. If you are interested in Chinese calligraphy, the carved characters on the cliffs is an interesting attraction.

Today you will continue your Yangtze River cruise to Yichang Pier — the terminal point. You will take a shore excursion to the Three Gorges Dam, the largest water conservancy project ever undertaken by man and it has been a dream for several generations of Chinese people. On this tour you can get access to the top of the dam and enjoy the vast scenery of the Yangtze River. 

Approximately at 1pm, you will arrive at Yichang Pier. Your private guide and driver will wait for you and pick you up at the pier. About two hours before your boarding time, they will transfer you to Yichang Airport and wave goodbye at the security gate.