Southwest & Western China · 5 days
The Three Gorges by River: 5 Days from Chongqing to Yichang
The Three Gorges is the one journey in China where the transport is the destination. Four days downstream from Chongqing, with the gorges in the mornings, small-group shore excursions, and a night in Chongqing at either end.
The route
What this trip actually feels like
- Chongqing’s Hongyadong at night, the city stacked eleven storeys deep
- Qutang Gorge at dawn from the sun deck — the shortest and the most dramatic
- Shennong Stream by small boat, where the cliffs close to a few metres
- The five-stage ship lock at the Three Gorges Dam, which takes four hours to transit
Best for
- Travellers who want scenery without hiking
- Multi-generation families — the ship solves the logistics
- Anyone connecting Chengdu or Xi’an to the east coast by a slower route
Along the way
The places this route passes through
Day by day
The plan, as it would actually run
Chongqing: the vertical city
Arrive and check in above the Jialing river. Afternoon at the Ciqikou old town and the test-tube escalators of the monorail; evening at Hongyadong, where eleven storeys of stilt houses light up over the water.
- Morning
- Arrive Chongqing
- Afternoon
- Ciqikou old town, monorail
- Evening
- Hongyadong at night, hotpot dinner
- Meals
- Dinner included
Night 1 Conrad Chongqing
Note. Chongqing hotpot is numbing rather than merely hot — ask for a split pot if you want to keep a milder side.
Board and sail
Morning free in the city, then boarding at Chaotianmen from 2pm. The ship slips away in the late afternoon; dinner is on board as the river turns from city to gorge country.
- Morning
- Free morning, market lanes
- Afternoon
- Board at Chaotianmen
- Evening
- Sail, welcome dinner on board
- Meals
- Breakfast included · Dinner included
Night 2 Century Glory
Note. Take the balcony cabin on the port side heading downstream — that is where the cliff faces run.
Shibaozhai and the first gorge
Morning shore excursion to Shibaozhai, the twelve-storey red pavilion built against a cliff in the seventeenth century. Afternoon sailing into the Qutang Gorge, the narrowest of the three, with the sun deck the place to be.
- Morning
- Shibaozhai shore excursion
- Afternoon
- Qutang Gorge from the sun deck
- Evening
- Lecture on the dam project
- Meals
- Breakfast included · Lunch included · Dinner included
Night 3 Century Glory
Note. Shore excursions run in groups of twenty rather than by coachload — confirm yours is the small-group option when booking.
Wu Gorge, Shennong Stream and the dam
The morning belongs to Wu Gorge and the Goddess Peak, then a small-boat run up the Shennong Stream between cliffs a few metres apart. Afternoon into the five-stage lock at the Three Gorges Dam; disembark at Yichang in the evening.
- Morning
- Wu Gorge and Shennong Stream
- Afternoon
- Three Gorges Dam and the ship lock
- Evening
- Disembark at Yichang
- Meals
- Breakfast included · Lunch included
Night 4 Crowne Plaza Yichang
Note. The lock transit takes about four hours and is genuinely interesting once; watch from the forward deck rather than the cabin television feed.
The dam from above, then out
Morning at the Tanziling overlook above the dam and the exhibition hall, then the HSR from Yichang East to Wuhan, Chongqing or onward.
- Morning
- Tanziling overlook and dam museum
- Afternoon
- HSR from Yichang East
- Evening
- Depart
- Meals
- Breakfast included
Note. If you are continuing to Shanghai, take the HSR from Yichang East rather than flying — the connection at Wuhan is same-station.
In pictures
Scenes from the Three Gorges Cruise route
Where you sleep
Handpicked stays on this route
Conrad · Luxury
Conrad Chongqing
On the Nanbin road with the best view of the two rivers joining — the classic Chongqing image, and the city’s most photographed hotel frontage.
- Stay 3, pay for 2
- Daily breakfast for two
- Room upgrade
- US$100 hotel credit
From US$500 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Century Cruises · Luxury
Century Glory
One of the newer generation of Three Gorges vessels: balcony cabins from 26 square metres, a proper spa, and shore excursions run in small groups rather than by the coachload. Sails Chongqing to Yichang downstream in four days.
- Cabin upgrade subject to availability
- All meals on board
- Shore excursions in small groups
- House wine with dinner
From US$590 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Crowne Plaza · Luxury
Crowne Plaza Yichang
Where you land after the cruise: central, quiet, and twenty minutes from the Yichang East rail station for the onward high-speed train to Wuhan or Chongqing.
- Room upgrade at check-in, subject to availability
- Daily breakfast for two
- Late check-out to 2pm
- Welcome amenity
From US$120 per night
Valid to 2027-03-31
Practicalities
The things to get right before departure
Visa and entry
A mainland China visa is required. Chongqing is a 240-hour visa-free transit port for many nationalities.
Getting between the cities
Fly or take the HSR into Chongqing, board at Chaotianmen dock, sail downstream for three nights, and disembark at Yichang. Yichang East has HSR to Wuhan in 2 hours and to Chongqing in 4. Book the downstream direction: it is a day shorter and the gorges arrive in the morning light.
Questions
Asked by travellers on this route
Which direction should we sail?
Downstream, Chongqing to Yichang. It is one night shorter, and the great gorges come up in the morning rather than in the dark. Upstream routes exist and are slightly cheaper.
What is actually included on the cruise?
On the newer vessels: all meals, the included shore excursions, and the lecture programme. Drinks outside meals, spa treatments and the tips are extra. Confirm the cabin category before paying — the cheapest cabins are window-only, without a balcony.
Is the river scenery spoiled by the dam?
The water is 100 metres higher than it was, so the cliffs are shorter than in the old photographs. Wu Gorge and the side streams are still dramatic; the flooded sections are wide and calm rather than lost.
Can children do this?
Easily. There is no packing and unpacking, the excursions are two to three hours, and the ship has a pool. It is one of the few Chinese itineraries that works with grandparents and small children at the same time.