Shennongjia
Fengjie
Fuling & Zhongxian
Wushan
Shibao
Badong
Yichang
Chongqing to
Yichang
Yangzi Explorer Itineraries
Downstream Journey
Chongqing to Yichang
This expertly curated 4-day downstream cruise from Chongqing to Yichang delivers an exceptional blend of culture, nature, and engineering. The journey begins with unique historical sites: the monumental 816 Project or the fascinating White Crane Ridge Underwater Museum. The cultural immersion continues with the open-air spectacular Three Kingdoms Show at night.
Ports
Fuling
Zhongxian
Wushan
YichangYour Arrival and Pre-Boarding Experience
From the moment you land in Chongqing, you’re in our care. A Yangzi Explorer representative greets you at the airport or railway station. Your luggage travels separately — and arrives in your suite before you do.
Dinner
As dusk settles, dinner is served aboard. The lights along the river slip through the windows — an unspoken first course. The whistle sounds. The ship begins to move. Bridges, stilt houses, neon-lit boulevards, high-rises — layer upon layer of light along the converging rivers. Chongqing at her most theatrical.
Day 1
Chongqing | Embarkation
Captain’s Welcome Reception
The Captain’s Welcome Reception sets the tone for the voyage. Join the captain and fellow guests in a glass raised to the journey ahead — to the river, and to the days that will unfold upon it.
Welcome aboard the Yangzi Explorer!
Arriving early? Optional pre-cruise excursions are available (at additional cost)
- Option A: Chongqing City Walk — RMB 580/person （minimum 10 guests）
- Option B: Dazu Rock Carvings — RMB 880/person （minimum 5 guests）
- Option C: Anyue Grottoes — RMB 3,880/person (2-day tour, minimum 2 guests)
Morning finds us docked at Fuling, an ancient port city at the confluence of the Yangtze and Wu rivers. Known in antiquity as Fuzhou — a name that speaks of mountains and waters — it has been a vital waterway hub since ancient times and one of the cradles of Ba culture and the culture of southeastern Chongqing.
Two shore excursions are offered in Fuling. Each opens a different door into the city’s depths.
Day 2
Fuling & Zhongxian
Option A: Project 816 – The Underground Nuclear Complex
- 20th-Century Architectural Heritage of China
- China Industrial Heritage Protection List
Project 816 is a top-secret Cold War relic carved into the mountains of Fuling — the largest man-made military cave ever built, and the world’s only nuclear facility that was 85% complete before being abandoned. For 18 years, 60,000 engineers worked in secrecy. Declassified in 2002, its 18 caverns and 130 tunnels form a labyrinth of concrete and silence. A place where history stopped mid-sentence.
Option B: White Crane Ridge Underwater Museum & Fuling Local Market
- National Cultural Heritage Site
- World Cultural Heritage (Tentative List)
The White Crane Ridge Underwater Museum is the world’s first underwater museum accessible without diving. For over 1,200 years, the ridge recorded 72 historical water-level observations, alongside inscriptions by generations of scholars. UNESCO has recognised it as the “world’s only well-preserved ancient hydrological station.” A conversation across centuries, carved in stone.
A walk through the local market immerses you in the city’s everyday rhythm — the calls of vendors, the aroma of freshly cooked snacks, the produce still glistening with morning dew. This is the city in its most unguarded, authentic moment.
ZHONGXIAN
By evening, we arrive at Zhongxian, nestled in the heart of the Three Gorges reservoir area. Its name is steeped in legends of ancient loyalty and valour — a place of enduring beauty, celebrated in verse through the ages. When the dam raised the waters, much of the old town went under. But Zhongxian was one of the lucky ones: enough remained to preserve the spirit of Ba-Yu culture and the raw character of the old Three Gorges.
Two evening activities await your choice. Each presents a different way to spend your night.
Option A: The Beacon of Three Kingdoms – Grand Live Performance
This epic spectacle brings the legend of Guan Yu to life, weaving through iconic episodes from the Three Kingdoms saga. A 35,000-square-metre water stage, 3,200-square-metre water-screen projections, 3D holographic effects, 300-metre high-speed wire-flying, over 300 performers, and more than 50 live horses deliver a breathtaking fusion of water, land, and aerial action. The 180-degree rotating seating follows the narrative, drawing you deep into the story. You are not a spectator. You are part of the story.
Option B: Zhongzhou Museum & Zhongzhou Old Alley
A museum by day is one thing; by night, it is quite another. An exclusive after-hours visit to Zhongzhou Museum offers an immersive journey through time. Over 20,000 artefacts, six of them national first-class treasures, come to life in the stillness of the night.
The river rose. Most of old Zhongxian went with it. What remains is Zhongzhou Old Alley — the only half-submerged street in the reservoir, the last memory of the old city. Ming and Qing courtyards still stand here: grand mansions, carved ancestral halls, moss-covered gates. The river laps at their walls, then recedes, leaving wet steps and waterlines. Half the street is underwater. The other half still echoes with footsteps. The river and the city have learned to live together. The stories remain.
Morning Sailing through Qutang Gorge.
Morning light slips through the window as you wake to the gentle rhythm of the river. Drawing the curtains, you find the landscape has transformed — the rolling hills of yesterday now risen into sheer cliffs.
The ship glides into the misty precincts of White King Town, where history and legend converge. The river narrows. The mountains close in. This is Qutang Gorge — the first of the Three Gorges. At its entrance, two peaks stand like colossal gatekeepers, their thousand-metre cliffs cleaving the river’s course. This is the world-famed Kui Men, where the Yangtze gathers its might and surges eastward. A scene that has inspired poets and travellers for centuries. Now it unfolds before you.
Day 3
Wushan & Yichang
The morning brings us to Wushan, a thousand-year-old town cradled by the Yangtze and leaning against the Ba Mountains in the northeastern corner of Chongqing. Long known as the “Gateway to Eastern Chongqing”, it commands the strategic passage where the river cuts through the mountains. A place where history and landscape are inseparable.
You’ll have your pick of two excursions in Wushan. Each reveals a different face of this timeless landscape.
Option A: Goddess Sky Road
Step onto the Yangzi Explorer Trail — a cliffside path named after our ship, winding along the edge of thousand-metre precipices. Gaze into the distance, where a legendary peak keeps its eternal vigil, watching the river turn and flow eastward.
Deeper along the trail, a viewing platform offers an unobstructed panorama of the Twelve Peaks — their ethereal forms emerging through mist and cloud, facing the legendary peak across the river. It feels as if the goddess of legend herself stands waiting, veiled in dawn’s glow, inviting you to raise your glass to the river and lose yourself in the morning mist and evening light of Wushan.
For those with the energy and a sense of adventure, a guided hike takes you through ancient mountain villages and along little-used trails. You walk through rock folds formed millions of years ago —
a silent chronicle written in stone. Along the way, you pass terraced fields that change with the seasons, a tea plantation where leaves are still picked by hand. You might stop at a farmhouse, exchange a few words with the people who live there — not a planned visit, just something that happens. And that moment stays with you.
Option B: Lesser Three Gorges & Mini Three Gorges
The Lesser Three Gorges and Mini Three Gorges are hidden gems along the Daning River, a northern tributary of the Yangtze. Where the main gorges impress with grandeur, these waterways offer a more intimate beauty. Quieter. Gentler. No less unforgettable.
The Lesser Three Gorges string together three distinct valleys. Longmen Gorge presents a dramatic gateway where cliffs face each other like parted curtains; Bawu Gorge is shrouded in mist, its stalactites forming a gallery of fantastic shapes, with ancient hanging coffins suspended on the cliffs above; Dicui Gorge, the longest and most poetic, unfolds in layers of emerald green.
A small boat then carries you into the Mini Three Gorges — an even narrower five-kilometre waterway. Here, the cliffs press closer, the peaks grow more dramatic, and the silence is broken only by the gentle lap of water. A landscape that feels untouched, unhurried, and entirely its own.
Wu Gorge
Return to the ship for lunch as we sail into Wu Gorge, the second of the Three Gorges. All restaurants aboard Yangzi Explorer feature floor-to-ceiling windows, so the scenery comes to you as you dine. A meal accompanied by cliffs and clouds.
Wu Gorge is a realm of depth and endless turns — jagged peaks rise like swords and screens, range upon range veiled in drifting mist. The river coils and curves, revealing new vistas at every bend. The clouds here are not just scenery. They are part of the story, celebrated in verse for over a thousand years.
Sailing through, the green ramparts unfold like a landscape scroll. At times, a massive cliff seems to bar the way — then, with a turn, the view opens wide, sky and clouds mirrored in jade-green water. Such is the magic of this place: a shifting dreamscape where time itself seems suspended.
After dinner, we enter Xiling Gorge, the final and most celebrated chapter of the Three Gorges. Here, nature’s artistry reaches its zenith — every peak majestic, every shoal treacherous, every cavern mysterious, every valley serene.
Each season paints the gorge in different hues — spring blossoms, summer greens, autumn golds, winter silvers. Ancient plank-road traces are still visible on the cliff faces; the occasional bird’s flight or distant ape call adds a haunting resonance to the deep valley silence.
The Three Gorges Ship Lift
In the late evening, Yangzi Explorer transits the Three Gorges Dam Ship Lift (subject to operational schedules and maintenance periods).
Known as the world’s largest ship lift, it is an engineering marvel — capable of lifting 15,500 tonnes to a vertical height of 113 metres, the equivalent of hoisting a 40-storey building into the air. Its scale and complexity are without parallel.
Yangzi Explorer, engineered to the Ship Lift’s maximum specifications, is the world’s first and largest cruise ship capable of making this transit. Her hull aligns with the lift chamber with near-surgical precision, as if she were born for this legendary passage.
Unlike conventional tours — which require transferring to smaller sightseeing boats — aboard Yangzi Explorer, you simply step onto your private balcony or the open deck. From there, you witness the entire spectacle in unhurried comfort: the massive chamber rising, the cliffs descending beyond the ship’s rails, the river falling away beneath you — as though the world itself were being gently lifted.
During the suspension of the Ship Lift, the vessel may be unable to pass through the dam, or may be rerouted to traverse it via the Five-Stage Ship Lock, which is the largest ship lock system in the world.
Dawn breaks as the river mist lifts. The sun crests the peaks. One by one, the mountains awaken — a new day unfolding.
After breakfast, we prepare for disembarkation. Check your suite carefully for any belongings. Keep documents, valuables, and essentials with you. Place larger luggage outside your door or at the reception — our crew will transport it to your drop-off point in Yichang. Your final morning, unencumbered.
Beneath Huangniu Rock, Huangling Temple has stood on the riverbank for over a thousand years — one of the oldest and best-preserved ancient complexes in the Three Gorges region. Legend has it that the temple was built to honour the divine ox that helped Yu the Great tame the floods. Inside, the nanmu pillars of the Yuwang Hall still bear two distinct flood-level marks from the Qing Dynasty — data that later proved invaluable for the dam’s design. The ancient temple speaks in silence, its weathered pillars recording the river’s forgotten heights.
Two options await you in Yichang this morning.
Day 4
Yichang | Disembarkation
Option A: Three Gorges Dam – VIP Experience
The River Closure Park sits directly before the dam, where the colossal wall holds the river in check. The site preserves remnants from the construction era: coarse gravel walls, tetrahedral concrete blocks, and the 77-tonne trucks and flat-throwing vessels that once dominated the worksite. These iron titans rest in the river breeze, forming an open-air industrial epic.
The Three Gorges Project Museum — one of the world’s largest hydropower-themed museums — commands one of the finest panoramic views of the dam. Within its walls lie the complete chronicles of the project, from conception to completion. Rare artefacts, intricate models, historical footage, and immersive digital archives trace its planning, construction, and operation. Walking through its corridors, you grasp not only the engineering marvel but also the deeper narratives: the million relocated residents, the ancient heritage, and humanity’s dialogue with the river.
Option B: Eastern Xiling Gorge – Onboard
Departing from Huangling Temple Pier, you cruise into the eastern section of Xiling Gorge, which comprises three distinct segments.
Huangniu (Yellow Buffalo) Gorge is crowned by the cloud-piercing Huangniu Rock, said to be the divine ox turned to stone after helping Yu tame the floods. An ancient folk song speaks of its winding waters — now calm, yet the cliffs stand as eternal witnesses to time.
In Dengying (Shadow Play) Gorge, four curious rocks along the riverbank resemble human figures. When the setting sun casts their shadows upon the water, they look like shadow-puppet silhouettes. Local lore has it that these are the stone forms of the Tang Monk and his disciples on their westward journey.
The final stretch, Huangmao (Yellow Cat) Gorge, narrows dramatically as sheer cliffs close in on both sides. The emerald waters burst through — and suddenly the vista opens wide. This is Nanjin Pass, the eastern gateway of the Three Gorges. Here, the river that has carved its way through mountains for a thousand li finally breaks free, widening from some 300 metres to over 2,000 in an instant. The scenery shifts from sublime grandeur to gentle beauty — like a symphony finding its serene conclusion.
Lunch is at Juweng Taste, a Yichang institution. The centerpiece: Yangtze fat fish, one of the river’s four great delicacies — impossibly tender, rich with the river’s own character. A meal that lingers in memory.
After lunch, we escort you to Yichang Airport or railway station, with your luggage arriving alongside you. Or extend your stay in Yichang at your leisure.
Your journey with Yangzi Explorer draws to a close. We look forward to welcoming you aboard again. May the wind always be at your back.
As your journey with us draws to a close, we thank you for choosing to explore the stunning landscapes with Yangzi Explorer!
Frequently Asked Questions
What shore excursions are included in this Yangtze River cruise itinerary?
This Yangtze River cruise itinerary includes a curated selection of shore excursions and cultural experiences along the route. This downstream journey from Chongqing to Yichang follows the natural course of the Yangtze River through historic river towns and the dramatic landscapes of the Three Gorges. Highlights include stops at Fuling and Zhongxian, cruising through Qutang Gorge, a shore excursion in Wushan, scenic passage through Wu Gorge, and transit through the Three Gorges Dam Ship Lift before arriving in Yichang. The itinerary blends river town culture, iconic canyon scenery, and modern engineering landmarks into a single immersive journey.
