Day 2: Wuhan-Yichang-Yangtze River Cruise
After breakfast, you are transferred to visit the Yangzte River Bridge and Yellow Crane Tower, one the top famous towers in south of Yangtze River in China. In the afternoon, you will move to Hankou Railway Station to tatke bullet train frm Wuhan to Wudansghan in Dangjiangkou City.
After the trip, your guide and driver will escort you to the train station for yourtrain to Wudangshan. The Wuhan Wudangshan train takes about 6 hours. Welcome to Wudang Mountain, and the local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Wudangshan
Day 3: Wudangshan Mountain
After breakfast, you will begin your whole day Wudang Mountain exploration. By entering Wudang Mountain, you will first take tourist bus to Prince Slope, the study place of Price. Along the way you will pass Huilongguan, Grind Needle Temple with a nice story about how the prince willing to study here when he wanted to give up, and Lao Tzu Temple.
Then head for Purple Clouds Palace, operated by Taoist Association, where you can learn Taoist Culture and know about their daily life. After that you will move on and stop at Nanyan Temple to explore this stunning building on the cliff and visit various Taoist Temples and stylish architectures.
Wudang Mountain: Located in the northwest of Hubei Province, it is a famous Taoist holy mountain. It was listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1994. In Wudang Mountain, visitors could enjoy Kung Fu - Taichi performance and practice martial arts and meditation with Taoist priests.
Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Wudangshan
Day 4: Wudangshan-Yichang by train
After breakfast, you will take cable car at Zhongguan site to the Golden Palace (Jingding) to view the whole picture of Wudang Mountain. After have a wonderful time on Jingding, you can visit the Taihe Temple nearby, Chaotian Temple and the three Heavenly Gates. Then take cable car down and watch the Wudang Martial Art show at Carefree Valley if time is right.
After the trip, head to the train station to catch your 5.5 hours’ train to Yichang. After arriving at Yichang East Railway Station, meet by the local guide and be escorted to jetty and check in Yangtze River Cruise Ship.
Upon arrival Yichang , you will be met and transferred to Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal (or Yichang East Railway Station) and take the tourist bus arranged by the cruise company to shuttle to Maoping Port for embarkation. Your once-in-lifetime Yangtze River cruise starts!
Tips for boarding: (1) All the cruise companies will arrange free transfer service at Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal or Yichang East Railway Station during 16:00~21:00. You could choose either one to take the tourist bus to Maoping Port. (2) Please call the ship one day ahead or at least in the morning on the boarding day to have clear idea about which pier you are going to use; (3) The boarding time and departure piers may change based on the ship line, water level, season, weather and other factors. Please pay attention to the important info your travel consultants sent to you before your boarding.
Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Yangtze River Cruise Ship
Onboard you will enjoy different kinds of cultural activities and entertainment, like attending a Yangtze River History and Culture Lecture to know deeply about the third longest river in the world, taking part in the Captain’s Welcome Party to make new friends, or having great fun at the wonderful evening shows with sing, dance and music.
Also, you will follow a local English-speaking tour guide and make a shore excursion to the world-famous project - Three Gorges Dam. The dam is the largest hydropower station in the world with an annual energy output of 84.7 billion kilowatt-hours. The Three Gorges Dam includes three areas: the dam itself, a hydroelectric, and a system of locks. The height of the Three Gorges Dam is 185 meters (607 ft) above the sea level. The dam is about 2,300 meters (7,546 ft) long and about 115 meters (377 ft) wide. With a water capacity of 39.3 billion cubic meters, the dam will hold a huge reservoir which will efficiently prevent flooding in the middle and lower portions of the Yangtze River. (Optional experience: you can choose to sail through the world’s largest ship lift - Three Gorges Dam Ship Lift to very closely marvel at the huge dam which is a totally fresh and exciting experience for travelers.)
Optional excursion: Enjoy a shore excursion to Tribe of Three Gorges today for an extra fee. Located on Xiling Gorge near Three Gorges Dam, the Tribe of Three Gorges is like a dreamland garden with breathtaking views - fishing boats along the river side, fishermen using bird to catch fishes, fishing nets hanging along the creek, young couple meeting on the bridge and lots more. You won’t miss the wedding ceremony of Tujia ethnic group.
Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner Accommodation: Yangtze River Cuise Ship
Day 6: Yangtze River Cruise
Today you will continue sailing through the spectacular Three Gorges! Follow the guide’s live interpretation and soak up the breathtaking gorge scenery passing by as you drift through Xiling Gorge , Wu Gorge and Qutang Gorge respectively.
On this day, take an enjoyable shore excursion to Shennv Stream (Goddess Stream), a tributary of the Yangtze River in Wushan County. You will be switched to a smaller boat to sail down this primitive stream running in a narrow side gorge where you will have close-up views of steep mountains and hanging coffins high on the cliffs as well as hear some of the local history. Besides, you will be entertained with local music and dance offered by the Tujia ethnic group. (Please note: some cruise ships will make an excursion to Shennong Stream which offers the similar experience at Shennv Stream.)
Optional excursion: Enjoy a shore excursion to White Emperor City today with an extra fee. Located at the entrance of Qutang Gorge, this excursions gives you the chance to know Romance of the Three Kingdoms and offers the best pot to appreciate the magnificent “Kui Gate”.
Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner Accommodation: Yangtze River Cuise Ship
Day 7: Yangtze River Cuise
In this morning, you will make a shore excursion to Shibaozhai Temple , a pearl of Yangtze River in Zhongxian County. Reputed as one of the eight extraordinary architectures in the world, this 12-story, 16thcentury red wooden pagoda leans against the side of the rocky and craggy hill about 200 meters tall. Climbing up to the top of Shibaozhai, you can not only visit the Buddhist temples and halls but also have panoramic view of Yangtze River. (Please note: Comfortable shoes are highly recommended since there will be many stairs to climb up the pagoda.)
Optional excursion: Have a shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost City today with an extra fee. Called “the Homeland of Divine Comedy in China”, it consists of buildings, structures, dioramas and statues related to the afterlife in hell. Entering this “City of Ghosts”, you will know many mysterious stories about underworld and cruel tortures and different kinds of devils and Chinese demons. (Please note: the visit to Fengdu Ghost City requires much walking and comfortable shoes highly recommended!)
In this evening, enjoy the well-prepared Captain’s Farewell Party with all your mates onboard and have a pleasant dinner together. After the banquet, take part in the cabaret show to enjoy your last night.
Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner Accommodation: Yangtze River Cuise Ship
Day 8: Yangtze River Cruise-Chongqing / Departure
In this morning, your ship will arrive at Chongqing Chaotianmen Port around 09:00 where you will go through a check-out procedure and disembark.Upon arrival, your guide and driver will pick you up at the port and escort you to the airport / train station to next destination.
Departure Ideas: Travelers can take a flight from Chongqing Jiangbei Airport to Xian, Guilin, Lhasa, Beijing, Guangzhou, Kunming, Shangri-La and Dali, etc. Or you can take a high speed train from Chongqing North Railway Station to Chengdu (about 1.5hrs) and more cities in China.
Meals: Breakfast