TheYangtze
China's spine, by river
Three gorges, four days, one river — the Yangtze cruise downstream from Chongqing to Yichang is the country's most considered passage. You wake to limestone walls, drift through tributary canyons, and watch a thousand kilometres of inland China go past at the speed of an unhurried meal.
Why we run The Yangtze
deeply.
Premium cabin only.
We book one cabin category — private veranda, river-facing. None of the inside-cabin discounts that ruin the entire point.
Off-peak boat, on-peak light.
We choose the cruise dates around shoulder-season air clarity, not the school holidays. Empty top decks, full gorges.
Our own team on the ground.
Our Chongqing and Yichang pickups work to the same standard as Xi'an. No handoff to a stranger at the gangway.
The river,
and the few
stops it earns.
Four days on the river — three gorges by daylight, two tributary excursions, one early-morning approach to the Three Gorges Dam. These are the moments that make the cruise.
Qutang, Wu, and Xiling Gorges
The three gorges that give the cruise its name — Qutang the shortest and most dramatic, Wu the middle stretch with its twelve peaks, Xiling the longest, broad and slow before the dam. The boat slows for each; you watch from the top deck with tea.
Private river-facing veranda, so you watch the gorges from your own balcony. We brief the captain to slow for the most photographed bends.
Read the dedicated The Yangtze Three Gorges page
Shennong Stream
A tributary excursion by smaller boat from the main cruise — narrow karst canyons with hanging coffins from a vanished Ba civilisation high on the walls. Half a day off the big boat, in water clear enough to see the gravel.
We book the first sampan of the morning, before the day's other cruise ships catch up. Coffee in a thermos, blanket on the bench.
Three Gorges Dam, approach
The world's largest hydroelectric project, transited by the boat through five lock chambers in the early morning. Engineering as theatre — the boat sinks twenty metres at a time inside the locks; you watch the gates close above you.
We arrange you on the top deck for the lock entry with our guide pointing out what's actually happening — most cruise commentary is in Mandarin only.
One day,
two gorges,
one tributary.
The middle day of the cruise is the one that proves the trip. Add the embarkation day in Chongqing and the disembarkation day at Yichang and you have the four-day shape.
- Day 02
Gorges and the tributary.
Wake to the boat already inside Qutang Gorge at first light. Breakfast on the top deck while the limestone walls roll past. Mid-morning excursion by sampan up the Shennong Stream tributary. Late afternoon, the boat enters the Wu Gorge for the long passage past the twelve peaks. Dinner on board.
- Sunrise on the top deck inside Qutang Gorge.
- First-of-the-morning sampan up Shennong Stream.
- Twelve peaks of Wu Gorge in late-afternoon light.
Best time
March to May · September to November
Days needed
4 days (full cruise) or 5 with Chongqing add
Where it sits
Mid-trip — between Xi'an or Chengdu and Shanghai or Beijing
From · per person
US$2,710
Stretch the trip. Stitch in another.
Chengdu
Chengdu by road to Chongqing for the boat. Tea houses, then river.
Read this destinationXi'an & Shaanxi
Xi'an by air to Chongqing or Chengdu, then downstream to Yichang. Two regions, one river.
Read this destinationShanghai
Yichang by air or fast train to Shanghai for the final modern hit.
Read this destination
Your Yangtze, sketched —
by reply tomorrow.
Tell us a month and a budget band. We'll come back with a first-draft river itinerary (boat category named, cabin reserved, the cities at each end picked) and an honest all-inclusive price. No deposit, no obligation.