Three Gorges Cruise from Guilin

Welcome to our Yangtze River Cruise Tour! Upon your arrival in Guilin, you will be welcomed by our tour guide at the airport of Guilin. Then, you will check in the hotel in the urban district of Guilin with the help of our tour guide. For the rest of the day, you can enjoy your free time activities.

After today’s breakfast, we will drive southeast from the urban district of Guilin to Mopanshan Pier for about 50 minutes (35KM). We will then go sightseeing by the Li River Cruise for about 4 hours. Besides, you can have a Chinese boxed lunch on the Li River Cruise.

Then, we will arrive at Yangshuo West Street, which is situated in the heart of Yangshuo County in the south of Guilin. With a history of more than 1,400 years, Yangshuo West Street is the most ancient and prosperous street in Yangshuo County. In the year 581, this street was just 200 meters long. But it presented a promising economic prospect with half villages for farming and half stores for commerce. At present, it has expanded into a commercial street with a length of nearly 800 meters. You can find many shops and restaurants are set at the entrance of Yangshuo West Street. Many buildings here are well arranged, with many local and foreign catering and clothing brands stationed as well. In addition, this street boasts an artistic atmosphere. You can find a painter here to draw a sketch of yourself, which is a good way to leave an unforgettable memory in Yangshuo West Street.

After that, we will drive north back to Guilin for about one and half an hour (70KM).

Yangshuo West Street

Li River Cruise

Let’s continue our China tours including the Yangtze River cruise after breakfast. You will first take the estimated train D1864 10:52/15:49 from Guilin to Chongqing. Before the high-speed train starts, you will get a lunch box that may include a bottle of milk, a sandwich, nuts, fruit, soft drinks, etc. for lunch. When you arrive in Chongqing, our tour guide will bring you to take the Yangtze River Cruise (our guide leaves after you board the cruise).

The Yangtze River Cruise is the best and the only way to fully appreciate the beauty of the Yangtze River in China. On this cruise, you can not only enjoy the Three Gorges with its steep peaks but also get an unexpected experience of a luxury cruise tour in China. Various facilities and services of the Yangtze River Cruise will be beyond your imagination. In addition, the Yangtze River Cruise will save you a lot of time because you don’t need to look for restaurants. Plus, you can spend a whole day on the Yangtze River Cruise. You will also find that this cruise is complete in all kinds of services and facilities, such as catering, crew performance, entertainment, hotel, and tour guiding. By the way, the Yangtze River Cruise stops boarding at 20:30 and leaves at 21:00.

Today’s morning, you can sleep to nature and then enjoy a breakfast buffet. Besides that, you may take part in the Tai Chi morning exercise. You can also read a book and drink a cup of coffee on the deck.

Then, you will take a shore excursion to Shibaozhai Pagoda, which is a must-see place of our Yangtze River Cruise Tour from Guilin. Shibaozhai Pagoda, located on the north bank of the Yangtze River, is a majestic and towering pagoda with 12 floors. It is also billed as the “Pearl on the Yangtze River”. The whole building of Shibaozhai Pagoda is built with a relatively solid column and tie structure, without using any nails. Looking from the outside, you will notice that the corners of this pagoda’s eaves curve upward, adorned with various lifelike animal sculptures such as dragons, cranes, and so on. What’s more, you can climb up to each floor of this pagoda by the wooden stairs. On the stone walls of each floor, for example, you can see that there are stone carvings of different ages or portraits and statues of local celebrities of previous dynasties. If you are interested in any of these carvings or statues here, you can ask your guide for more details.

After that, you can pay extra to visit the Fengdu “Ghost City”. This “Ghost City” is seated in Fengdu, a county in the lowers reaches of Chongqing. With a history of more than 2,000 years, it is well-known for its unique culture of Chinese ghosts and gods. At the same time, it just looks like a theme park full of the underworld features that are reflected in all the buildings, wall carvings, and statues here. For example, you may have a look at the Ghost Portal here. It is also called the gate of the underworld. According to the traditional Chinese culture, people after death become invisible ghosts who must go to the underworld and avoid the sunlight. To enter the underworld, ghosts have to undergo rigorous checks at a serial of passes of which the Ghost Portal is the second and the strictest one. At this portal, vicious ghosts and those who are not willing to change their bad deeds will be rejected until they amend their past wrongdoings and do good. This enlightens the living men and women to show mercy and kindness in life. Besides, you will find more details about this interesting portal in the Fengdu “Ghost City”. (Note: The optional tourist attraction differs as it is subject to the actual reservation of our tour plan.)

Around noon, you will have a lunch buffet on The Three Gorges Cruise.

In the evening, you will join the Captain’s Welcome Reception to have a top dining experience on The Three Gorges Cruise. At this welcome reception, all the guests on the cruise will be warmly greeted by the Captain, the crew and other staff. You may also take a delight in the delicious food served by the formally dressed waiters.

Shibaozhai Pagoda

Fengdu "Ghost City"

After today’s breakfast buffet, you can do some Tai Chi exercise on the Yangtze River Cruise.

Then the Yangtze River Cruise will sail through the Three Gorges, which is situated in the hinterland of China. Billed as a landscape gallery and a gift by nature, the Three Gorges is the most charming section of the Yangtze River. As its name suggests, it consists of the three most famous gorges of China: Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, and Xiling Gorge. Briefly, Qutang Gorge is famous for its cliffs, forming a huge portal over the Yangtze River. Wu Gorge, winding twenty-eight miles, is the seat of the well-known 12 peaks of the Wushan Mountains. And Xiling Gorge, the longest one of the Three Gorges, is renowned for its continuous shoals and rapids. Beyond that, the value of the Three Gorges lies in water conservancy and tourism. The Three Gorges is closely related to the safety of drinking water for hundreds of millions of people along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. You will admire the Three Gorges that is both attractive and beneficial to humankind.

Later, you will take an additional shore excursion to the White Emperor City. As the Yangtze River Cruise sails down, you may look at the mouth of Qutang gorge where there is a beautiful island. On this island, there are high mountains and many pavilions and towers, looming in the lush trees on the north bank of the Yangtze River. This is the famous White Emperor City of the Three Gorges. It is named after a real Chinese historical story whose main character is Gongsun Shu. In the year of 25 AD, China’s hinterland was in the midst of frequent wars and changes of dynasties. At that time, the prior dynasty was overthrown, and the new dynasty was not established. Gongsun Shu, an ambitious military general, had already seized a city by force of arms. One day, Gongsun saw a white mist like a white dragon rising from the well in his garden. He believed that it was a good omen for him to ascend the throne and become the emperor of the incoming new dynasty. So, he held a grand ceremony and named himself the White Emperor. Thus, the city he owned was known as the White Emperor City. Unfortunately, Gongsun’s regime only lasted for twelve years before the violent war spread to the White Emperor City. Today, historical records and cultural relics about this story are preserved in the White Emperor City. You may find them during this shore excursion to learn more about this place and the Chinese historical story mentioned above.

Next, after you have a lunch buffet, you will take a speedboat into the mouth of Wu Gorge at the pier of Wushan County (about 25 miles away from the White Emperor City). After sailing for more than 12.5 miles, you will arrive at the mouth of the Goddess Stream. Here, you will see high mountains, steep peaks, and a wide water surface, which is not much different from that of Wu Gorge. The more you go inside here, the narrower the water surface becomes. You may also see all kinds of nameless trees and fine bamboos whose leaves are very thin and green. The most distinctive feature of the Goddess Stream is that all kinds of leaves here are always bright green all year round. Furthermore, this stream is rich in wild animal resources. For example, you may see fish swimming in the crystal-clear stream on the speedboat.

Later, there will be a Captain Gala Dinner that you can enjoy the delicious food on the cruise. In addition to that, you can watch the crew performance and learn the local culture and art of the Yangtze River.

White Emperor City

Goddess Stream

After your breakfast, you will visit the Three Gorges Dam Site. The Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest dam and the biggest hydroelectric power plant. This dam, spanning about 19 miles and with a height of 180 meters, is built entirely of granite. Granite is recognized as the best material for dam construction by engineers and builders all over the world because it has qualities of earthquake resistance, fireproof, dampproof, and anticorrosive. At the same time, it generates electric power that has been transmitted to most of the cities in China. In addition, the highest point of the Three Gorge Dam Site is the Tanziling. Tanziling is famous for its top observation tower that looks like an inverted jar. With an altitude of 262.48 meters, it is a very good place to have a bird-eye view of the whole dam. You may take the elevator to its top observation tower to enjoy the beautiful waterfalls, winding streams, and greeneries nearby.

Later, you will be driven to the Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal where you will meet your tour guide. Then, you can take the return flight to your home country. Have a good time in this Yangtze River Cruise Tour and China!

Three Gorges Dam Site

Three Gorges Dam Site

Author: Weiran Yan