5 Days Yangtze River Cruise Tour from Shanghai

4 Nights / 5 Days upstream Yangtze River Cruise Tour from Shanghai. Take a high speed train from Shanghai, and board the cruise traveling up the Yangtze River from Yichang through the Three Gorges to Chongqing. The cruise takes in both the rich cultural heritage of the area, the natural beauty and, at the end, the modern marvel of the Three Gorges Dam. Admire the region’s natural beauty and hear informative commentary while staying in deluxe accommodation with all meals and shore excursions included.

Tour Highlights

Tour Itinerary

Day 1 Shanghai to Yichang (by bullet train) & Yangtze River Cruise Embarkation
In the morning, take the bullet train from Shanghai to Yichang.
Train No. D956 or similar departures, 09:30/16:16
Upon arrival, take the complimentary cruise shuttle from Yichang East Railway Station to Maoping Pier for embarkation. (Dinner is not included tonight.)

Day 2 Yangtze River Cruise: Three Gorges Dam / Xiling Gorge
Morning excursion to the Three Gorges Dam. This 60-story, mile wide structure is a stunning example of human achievement and a hallmark of an emerging China. Additional optional Tribe of the Three Gorges Shore Excursion (river conditions permitting), offering an interesting glimpse into life in the Xiling Gorge region.

The cruise ship departs upstream through the west section of Xiling Gorge in the late afternoon, the first of these dramatic slices through the surrounding mountains. The new reservoir has altered the landscape, and with more than a million people relocated, the picture is now of a wild countryside – the physical embodiment of thousands of beautiful Chinese landscape paintings. Watch the fog move in that turns the mountains into ghostly sculptures and enjoy our sumptuous Captain’s Dinner for your evening meal. (B, L, D)

Day 3 Yangtze River Cruise: “Small Gorges”/ Wu Gorge / Qutang Gorge
Here we will see where the mighty Yangtze flows faster and has carved narrower, even more dramatic, rising stone cliffs. We’ll spot the coffins of the Ba people hanging on suspended along an ancient plank road that hugs the cliff face.

A side excursion is offered into the Goddess Stream (or Lesser Three Gorges or Shennong stream) in our smaller boats. Tonight’s dinner features local cuisine and entertainment while you feast. (B, L, D)

Day 4 Yangtze River Cruise: Shibaozhai
Take a shore excursion to Shibaozhai, with its impressive wooden pagoda, appropriately named “The Pearl of the Yangtze”. Additional optional Shore Excursion to Fengdu Ghost City, known for its statues of ghosts and devils on Mingshan Hill. This ancient village of temples is full of shrines to the gods of the underworld. Visitors are said to be purified after they “survive” the scares. Surrounded by misty mountains, this area was revered as a crossing-over point, a mix of the material and spiritual worlds. The day finishes with a Farewell Banquet. (B, L, D)

Day 5 Arrive Chongqing & Chongqing to Shanghai
This morning after breakfast, we will check out the cruise in Chongqing. Your driver will pick you up at the cruise pier and transfer to Chongqing North or West Train Station for your train back to Shanghai. (B, -, -)

Package Prices

* Price not valid for departures between Sept. 30th and Oct. 7th, or during Chinese Spring Festival season.

Inclusions

4 nights accommodation: Standard Twin Balcony Cabin (double occupancy);
Meals as per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner);
Shore Excursions: Three Gorges Dam, Shennong Stream or Goddess Stream or Lesser Three Gorges, and Shibaozhai;
Professional bi-lingual guide onboard – Chinese and English;
Bullet / high speed train tickets (2nd Class): Shanghai to Yichang, Chongqing to Shanghai (deliver to your hotel in Shanghai);
Coach transfer from Yichang East Railway Station to Yichang cruise pier;
Private transfer from Chongqing pier to Chongqing Railway Station;
Fuel surcharge and port tax;
Local taxes;

Exclusions

Hotel pickup and drop-off;
Cruise Service Charge of RMB$150 (approx. US$25) per adult;
Optional excursion RMB$290 (approx. US$47) each per person: Three Gorges ship-lift, Three Gorges Tribe, White Emperor City, Fengdu Ghost City;
Personal purchases on board the ship;

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