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.

Kuimen Gate

Kuimen Gate refers to the west entrance part of Qutang Gorge, and it's the iconic landmark in Yangtze River. Chijia Mountain in the south and Baiyan Mountain in the north, the distance between the two precipitous mountains is rather close, and the narrowest part is less than 50 meters, while the cliffs at the river side reach 350m high. The image in the RMB 10 yuan banknote is the scenery of Kuimen Gate, magnificent and splendid.

White Emperor City

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>>

— Chongqing(重庆) is known as the most essential starting point for a classic Yangtze River cruise. The city has gained international recognition in recent years for its unique tridimensional cityscape, 8D transportation system, and cyberpunk-style buildings and architecture, which have attracted a growing number of tourists to the city. Usually, a leisure landscape tour in Chongqing city requires 2~3 days. It’s recommended that you extend your journey to the surrounding UNESCO heritage sites like Wulong - the famous Karst Landscape in blockbuster Transformers (1-2 days) and Dazu - the last monumental works in the history of world grottoes art (1 day).

☛ 4 Days Chongqing Essence Tour with Yangtze River Cruise

Useful Links: 1~3 Days Chongqing Tours 2025 | How to Plan a Chongqing Tour >>

— Chengdu(成都), a 1~1.5-hour high-speed train from Chongqing, is known as the hometown of the Giant Pandas and  UNESCO’s City of Gastronomy. Take 1~2 days to meet these cuties and keep yourself in the “laid-back” living pace like a local while wandering around parks, museums, ancient pedestrian streets, and temples in the downtown area, you will probably understand why people say Chengdu is a city you don't want to leave. Moreover, Chengdu is the gateway to so many UNESCO world heritage sites, including Jiuzhaigou (3 days), Mount Emei (2 days), Leshan Giant Buddha (1 day), Dujiangyan (0.5-1 day), etc., and astonishing hidden plateau - Western Sichuan (3~7 days).

☛ 8 Days Best of Sichuan with Yangtze Cruise Tour (with Chengdu/Emeishan/Leshan)
☛ 8 Days Beauty Tour to Jiuzhaigou & Yangtze River

Useful Links: 1~7 Days Chengdu Tours 2025 | Top Sichuan Tours 2025 | How to Plan a Chengdu Tour >>

— Zhangjiajie(张家界), a 4.5-hour two-train transfer from Yichang, offers the most distinct and iconic landscape of the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar. Let along adrenalin-pumping Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge and frightening skywalks and sharp zigzag driving roads at Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park, the uncanny natural wonders in Zhangjiajie (3~5 Days) attracting countless adventurers and travel addicts from all over the world!

☛ 7 Days Nature Tour to Yangtze River & Zhangjiajie

Useful Links: 3~5 Days Zhangjiajie Tours 2025 | How to Plan a Zhangjiajie Tour >>

— Guilin(桂林), located 4-5 hours away by high-speed train from Chongqing, is renowned for its breathtaking scenery, making it a must-visit destination in China. Generally, Li River, Yangshuo County, and Longji Rice Terraces are the three most popular and separate destinations.  For most travelers to Guilin, 3-5 days is enough to cover the highlights by using a private car. 

☛ 7 Days Idyllic Guilin & Yangtze River Cruise Tour

Useful Links: 3~5 Days Guilin Tours 2025 | How to Plan a Guilin Tour >>

Guests who are visiting China for the first time probably would choose Beijing (the capital of China, recommended travel days: 3~4 days), Shanghai (the largest and most developed and populated city of China, recommended travel days: 2~4 days), Guangzhou (the third biggest city in China, recommended travel days: 2~3 days) or Hong Kong (a convenient transit hub with mainland China, recommended travel days: 2~3 days) as their first stop, as all these four destinations process excellent infrastructure and multi-dimensional transportation networks connecting the whole of China. How to arrange your travel route? Our top-pick China Yangtze Tour itineraries may bring you some inspiration!

☛ (Beijing/Xian/Chongqing/Yangtze Cruise/Yichang/Shanghai) 11 Days China Golden Triangle Tour with Yangtze River Cruise

☛ (Beijing/Xian/Chengdu/Yangtze Cruise/Zhangjiajie/Shanghai) 15 Days China Best Treasure Tour with Yangtze Cruise & Zhangjiajie Landscape

☛ (Hong Kong/Guilin/Chengdu/Chongqing/Yangtze Cruise/Yichang/Shanghai) 12 Days China Splendid Tour from Hong Kong

☛ (Shanghai/Yichang/Yangtze Cruise/Chongqing/Chengdu/Lhasa/Xian/Beijing) 17 Days China Yangtze Tour with Tibet & Giant Panda Visit

☛ (Hong Kong/Guilin/Chengdu/Yangtze Cruise/Zhangjiajie/Shanghai/Xian/Beijing) 21 Days China Holiday with Yangtze River Cruise Tour

Useful Links: Yangtze River Cruise Tour from Beijing | Yangtze River Cruise Tour from Shanghai | Yangtze River Cruise Tour from Hong Kong >>

Check more details about 2025 Top China Yangtze Tours >>