Three Gorges – Picturesque Highlight of Yangtze River Cruise

From west to east, Qutang Gorge is the first gorge in the three gorges. Start from Baidi Mountain, Fengjie County in the west and end at Daxi Town, Wushan County in the east, Qutang Gorge is 8km long, which is the shortest gorge among the three, yet it's the most precipitous and magnificent one. The mountains in Qutang Gorge stand steep in the gorge, and some of them can reach up to 1,500m high. The river is not wide, and the widest part is about a hundred meters, while the narrowest part is only a few tens of meters, which makes the cliffs at the riverside looking more precipitous.

Qutang Gorge is an art gallery of natural scenery and culture, for there are many scenic spots and historic sites. Famous ones are like Fengjie Ancient City, White Emperor City, Kuimen, etc.

White Emperor City is the best place to observe the magnificence of Kuimen. Original called Ziyang City, which was built by Gongsun Shu in the late East Han Dynasty. Gongsun Shu named himself as White Emperor, thus the city was also called White Emperor City. Due to the precipitous topography, White Emperor City had always been a place of great military importance. Today's White Emperor City refers to White Emperor Temple, where now has several halls built in Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty. Besides that, the temple exhibits many poetry inscriptions and cultural relics from Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty.

For more information, please see White Emperor City>>

As the most beautiful gorge among the three, Wu Gorge starts from Daning River of Wushan Couty and ends at Badong County, with an overall length of 46km. Wu Gorge is also called as Daxia (large gorge), famous for its serene scenery. The whole section is full of strange peaks and grotesque rocks, just like a zigzag art gallery. The most famous scenery in Wu Gorge is the Twelve Peaks of Wushan, and among them, Shennv Peak is the most beautiful one, where tourists can appreciate gorgeous red leaves in autumn. Besides the main river, Wu Gorge has many small streams deserving your visit, like Shennv Stream, Shennong Stream, Lianzi Stream, Shamurang Stream, etc.

Shennong Stream

Shennong Stream is located in Badong County, Hubei Province. With an overall length of 60km, it originates from the south of Shengnongjia (a primitive forest in Hubei) and runs from north to south and finally to Yangtze River through Wu Gorge. The highlight of Shennong Steam is about its primitive and pure natural scenery, local trackers' culture and local ethnic culture.

For more information, please see Shennong Stream>>

Shennv Stream

Located in the south bank of Wu Gorge, 20km from Wushan County, Shennv Stream is also called as "Beauty Stream". The whole scenic area is covered with green trees, with crystal clear water and peculiar rocks at the river banks, primitive and ancient, just like a dreamy place. It's a newly opened tourist area, thus, Shennv Stream is quieter than other places in Yangtze River.

For more information, please see Shennv Stream>>

Xiling Gorge is the longest of the Three Gorges, with an overall length of 120km. From west to east, it starts from Badong County in Hubei Province and ends at Nanjingguan in Yichang City, Hubei Province. The whole area is composed of high mountains and dangerous rugged shoals, and there are many small gorges in Xiling Gorge, like Poshui Gorge, Bingshu Baojian Gorge, Dengying Gorge, etc. The largest hydraulic project in the world – Three Gorges Dam is also located at the eastern part of Xiling Gorge.

Three Gorges Dam

The Three Gorges Dam is now the largest hydropower project in the world, and it provides tremendous power generation to China and also serves as flood control project. The dam itself is 185m high and 2.3km long, forming a 600km long reservoir. The dam has five parts: Three Gorges Exhibition Hall, Tanziling Park, 185 Park, Jinba Park and Cut-off Memorial Park. . Among them, tourist can overlook the panoramic view of Yangtze River at Tanziling Park, while the viewing platform in 185 Park has the great view of the whole dam.

For information, please see Three Gorges Dam>>

In Three Gorges, tourists can experience the highest gorge bungee jumping in China – Three Gorges Bungee Jumping, which is 61m high, higher than 20 floors. The process of bungee jumping is a challenge to physical and psychological quality. Besides that, there is flying swing, which is 18m from the water and the largest swing can reach to 68m. All these facilities are located in the Happy Valley in Three Gorge Scenic Area in Yichang City.

Open Time for Happy Valley: 8:00 ~ 17:00

Ticket: ¥200/person

The best way to travel Three Gorges is taking a cruise ship, and in this way, you don't need to carry the heavy luggage around and keep transferring from one hotel to another. At present, the most popular two routes are: 4 days & 3 nights downstream cruise from Chongqing to Yichang and 5 days & 4 nights upstream cruise from Yichang to Chongqing. In these two routes, when passing through the Three Gorges, tourists can make shore excursions to Shibaozhai Pagoda, Fengdu Ghost City, White Emperor City, Shennv Stream and Three Gorges Dam. The cruise travel will give tourists a full experience of the beautiful scenery in the Three Gorges. There are many cruise ships in Yangtze River, and all of them are equipped with advanced facilities and personalized services.