Three Gorges Summit - Optimum for Panorama of Yangtze River

Three Gorges is in the upper and middle reaches of Yangtze River, one of the two China's mightiest rivers. It starts from White Emperor City in Fengjie County, Chongqing in the west to Nanjinguan (南津关) in Yichang County, Hubei, at a total length of 193 kilometers, flanked by high mountains and precipitous cliffs. Three Gorges Summit is located at the peak of Chijia Mountain near Kui Gate, the door to Three Gorges, overlooking Baiyan Mountain in the south and White Emperor City in the west for around 10 kilometers long. At an altitude of 1388 kilometers, it's without doubt the optimum place to view the panorama of Three Gorges.

Picturesque Natural Scenery

Just as shown in a poem “Mount Chijia and Mount Baiyan pierce high into the sky, rows of houses stretch from foot to the Summit” written by the Chinese Poetry Sage Du Fu, when you ascend to the glass viewing platform of the summit, you will feel that the whole world is dwarfed and a beautiful scroll painting of countless mountains, steep cliffs, dense plants, jade-like river unfolds itself in front of you. Especially in November, if overlooking from the Three Gorges Summit, visitors will see red leaves all over the mountains glowing in the sunlight and the whole world is like being covered with flame.

Ancient Cultural Appreciation

Three Gorges Summit is also a place to know history and culture. From ancient times, scholars and poets such as Du Fu, Li Bai, Su Shi, etc. got inspired and have left essays and poems praising the charming sights of beautiful mountains and rivers. It's said that it is one of the birthplaces of ancient Kui Muisic over 4,000 years ago, giving birth to the founder of ancient Chinese Ya Music, Kui. Even Confucius used to be obsessed with the song Shao composed by Kui. There are lots of music - themed scenic spots including Si Wang Music Business (四望乐坛), Altar of Kui Drum (夔鼓神坛), Music Ancestor Sculpture (音祖雕像), Zhu Lv Ya Lan (竹律雅澜), Zhu Yin Corridor (竹音廊), Ethereal Drum Show (空灵鼓表演), etc.

Three Gorges Summit is an important shore excursion site of Yangtze River Cruise, which is the most convenient and relaxing way to travel through Three Gorges, the golden attraction of the Yangtze River between Chongqing and Yichang, Hubei Province. Yangtze River Cruise would be your best choice to travel with Three Gorges Summit. A shore excursion to the Three Gorges Summit typically takes 3.5-5 hours, including shuttle bus transfer. During the whole trip you don't need to worry about local transportation, sightseeing routes, English-speaking guides, and photography. The cruise would take care of everything. You can just focus on enjoying the scenery and listening to intriguing local stories!

There are some cruise ships listed below for you to choose for Three Gorges Summit exploration, including Yangtze Explorer, which is the only super 5-star cruise with one-on-one service, and Yangtze 3, which is the best and it's 2022 newly built luxury all-inclusive vessel. Three Gorges Summit is also an optional excursion site of Victory Cruises, the largest and newly built eco-friendly luxury cruise ship.

Chongqing to Three Gorges Summit:

For travelers already in Chongqing, taking a high-speed train is the most convenient way to reach Three Gorges Summit. There are over 15 daily high-speed trains with an about 2-hour tour f from Chongqing West Station or Chongqing North Station to Fengjie. Then from there, an about 1.5 hours' shuttle bus ride can take you to Aokou (拗口), which is located nearly at the halfway up Three Gorges Summit.

Wushan Airport to Three Gorges Summit:

If you travel by plane to get there, Wushan Airport is the nearest one. Situated at the border of Fengjie County and Wushan County, Wushan Airport has launched flights between Wushan and other 5 cities involving Guiyang, Yantai, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Shenzhen. It should be noted that the flights between Wushan and Guiyang and Yantai depart on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The Wushan - Guangzhou flights depart on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday while the Chongqing - Wushan flights and Shenzhen - Wushan flights run every two days from Monday.

After getting out of the airport, it's recommended to take a private car/tour bus for 50 minutes to get to Three Gorges Village Tourist Center where you can choose to take cable cars up to the summit.

Three Gorges Summit Weather & Best Time

It must be mentioned that the weather in Three Gorges Summit is typical humid subtropical monsoon climate. The average temperature in the hottest month is from 26℃ ~ 39℃ while the average temperature in the coldest month is from 4℃ ~ 8℃. It can be extremely hot and damp with lots of rainfall in Summer. Consequently, you're recommended to wear sunscreen when you go there in Summer and bring an umbrella with you in case of frequent rainfall or as a shield against the sun. You'd better go there on sunny days to view a panorama of Three Gorges in case that on foggy or rainy days distant mountains and river downward will be invisible and it will be not safe to climb to the summit.

The scenery of Three Gorges varies from season to season. Each season has its own flavor. It's recommended to travel there in Spring, Summer, or Autumn.

In Spring, the river water flows past luxuriantly green trees and ancient buildings on either side. Be surrounded with lofty mountain ranges and clear green river water with birds tweeting and a few insects called. You can see the reflections of the beautiful landscape on the water clearly and you can embrace a gentle breeze and take a fresh breath. If stepping on the Three Gorges Summit, you'll see a marvelous scroll of landscape painting unfolds itself.

In Summer, torrents of Yangtze water surge forward, up and down against grotesque stones and rugged cliffs and wind along with the course. The way of ascending to Three Gorges Summit will be like walking into a wonderland which is lush with grass and trees. The sky at Summer's nights is peculiarly bright and you'll see stars sparkling as if in a fairy tale world.

Three Gorges are peculiarly loved by visitors and photographers in Autumn, especially in November when Three Gorges are like a paradise of colors. The dark brown mountains and cliffs on both sides are dotted with diversely splendid colors including yellow, golden, red, and dark green leaves against clear blue sky overhead with clouds drifting slowly. Especially at dusk, the water, the leaves — the whole world is ablaze with golden rays of the setting sun.

If you decide to travel to Three Gorges Summit Scenic Area, you should not miss the nearby White Emperor City-Qutang Gorge Scenic Area.

White Emperor City–Qutang Gorge Scenic Area

(admission time: 8:30 - 17:00; close time: 19:00: tour for 3 to 4 hours; 100 CNY)

White Emperor City–Qutang Gorge Scenic Area as the western starting point of Three Gorges of Yangtze River is in the ranks of China's National AAAAA Tourist Attraction. It's filled with plenty of heritage sites and relics, and it is a complex of nature, civilization, poetic quality, and war.

White Emperor City is situated at the gate of Qutang Gorge and is surrounded by the Yangtze River water. Historically, White Emperor City plays an important role in the Three kingdoms Period, the most attractive historical stage in Chinese people's heart when countless gallant heroes came forth and fought to control the Chinese land. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty about 2000 years ago, Gong Sunshu settled down at this place and claimed to be the king called White Emperor. Thus, the city he built as a capital was known as White Emperor City. You will see lots of preeminent calligraphy works and ancient architectures such as White Emperor Temple, Tuogu Hall (托孤堂), Mingliang Palace (明良殿), etc. Learn more about White Emperor City >>

Qutang Gorge, about 8 kilometers long, is the first of the three gorges in Three Gorges of Yangtze River in the west. As the narrowest and shortest gorge of the three, Qutang Gorge is towering and precipitous, magnificent and beautiful. At the west of Qutang Gorge, there is Kui Gate (夔门), the mouth of the Three Gorges of Yangtze, and its most attractive part. Kui Gate gains reputation as “Kui Gate is the mightiest under heaven”. Qutang scenery is even printed on the backside of the fifth set of 10-yuan notes.

On a steep cliff nearby, there is a 180-meter-long stone inscription of a total area of around 600 square meters covering 13 cave works created from the Southern Song Dynasty to 1950s and including different calligraphy styles from ancient times. There, you will be thrilled by the ingeniousness and power of human beings and have genuine love for nature. Learn more about the Three Gorges >>

In the early morning, you are recommended to travel first to nearby White Emperor City–Qutang Gorge Scenic Area to visit all scenic spots there and then take a ferry, which is included in the White Emperor City – Qutang Gorge Scenic Area ticket, to Three Gorges Summit Scenic Area. The ferry will go straight from Zhongyi crossing point (忠义渡口) to Jiangxia crossing point (江峡渡口) for every two minutes. It starts at 8:00 and remember not to miss the last ferry back at Jiangxia crossing point to White Emperor City at 17:30.

If you want to admire more on-ferry scenery, you are recommended to take a deep-tour ferry to admire the Qutang Gorge scenery. When sailing through Qutang Gorge, look down you will see clear water surrounding your little ship and look up you will see precipitous cliffs and mountains on both sides rising to the sky. You will feel a sense of tranquility in your heart. It should be noted that the ferry casts off only at 10:30, 12:30, and 14:30 for 50 CNY per head.

It will spend you about half day in Three Gorges Summit or one day if you want to hike the whole way up to the summit. As mentioned above White Emperor City - Qutang Gorge scenic area is a ggod choice. And there are other beautiful tourist attractions nearby that deserve your visit. If you have more free time, you can spare another 2 days travelling the surrounding area.

Lesser Three Gorges (小三峡) is a good place to visit in Wushan County, Chongqing just adjoined Fengjie County at a length of 60 kilometers. Formed by the Longmen Gorge, Bawu Gorge and Dicui Gorge with different features, it is a to recommended place to savor the outstanding sightseeing of beautiful water, emerald mountains and other interesting culture and local history. Learn more about Lesser Three Gorges >>

Shennv Scenic Area (神女景区) is another excellent place that you should not miss. Located in Wushan County, it consists of Shennv Peak (神女峰), Shennv Stream (神女溪) and Shennv Sky Road (神女天路), one of the two rising stars of viewing platforms to enjoy the panoramic view of the Three Gorges. As its name Shennv, which means goddess, shows, Shennv Scenic Area is similar to a wonderland full of extraordinary natural scenery. Learn more about Shennv Stream >>

Travel along Yangtze River

Taking Yangtze River Cruise is the best and most efficient way to visit Three Gorges Summit. In this way, you can travel to many other wonderful attractions along the river such as Fengdu Ghost City where you can get to know what the traditional Chinese ghosts look like, Three Gorges Summit, Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, Shennv Stream that has nearly 10 km untraversed primitive gorges, and Three Gorges Dam to witness spectacular and mighty flood discharging scene.

Downstream (from Fengjie to Yichang):

☛ 3N & 4D Chongqing - Yichang Cruise (Yangtze 3)

Upstream (from Yichang to Fengjie):

☛ 4N & 5D Yichang - Chongqing Cruise (Victory Cruises)

☛ 4N & 5D Yichang - Chongqing Karst Landscape Cruise (via Badong) (Yangtze Explorer)

☛ 4N & 5D Yichang - Chongqing UNESCO Heritage Site Discovery Cruise (via Shennongjia) (Yangtze Explorer)