l was always wondering how Yangtze River would look like in winter, so i went there during my 5 days’ winter break in November, boarding in Yichang and disembarking in Chongqing. The landscape along Yangtze River is still wonderful as it was in summer!
Victoria Katarina
Day 1 Embark at Yichang
I took a high speed train from Chengdu to Yichang in the morning and took around 6.5 hours to arrive at Yichang East train station. Then I got my shuttle bus ticket from the Yichang Tourist Information Center, which is on the right side of the exit of Yichang East train station. After about 1.5 hours driving, I arrived at Maoping Port and boarded my cruise Victoria Katarina;
Reception & Lobby
Day 2 Sunrise & Three Gorges Dam
I got up very early to enjoy the sunrise on Yangtze River and it was amazing.
Yangtze River Sunrise
Then I had my breakfast. (breakfast provided between 07:00-08:00). There is an optional excursion to the Tribe of the Three Gorges after breakfast. I enjoyed my time on the cruise. After lunch (provided between 12:30-14:00), we took a bus to visit Three Gorges Dam, which took us around two hours. You can’t miss the great project.
Sunny Cruise Day
Day 3 Shennong Stream & Hanging Coffins
After breakfast, we took a small cruise to visit Shennong Stream, which has amazing scenery. As I visited it in November, it was a little cold and it’s better to wear some warm clothes;
Landscapes Along Yangtze River
Early history of settlement in the Shennong Stream Gorge is evinced by the hanging coffins stowed in clefts on the high vertical limestone clefts; it is a puzzle to modern man as to how the heavy coffins were stowed on such steep, ostensibly inaccessible places. The coffins themselves were typically carved from a single layer section of a tree trunk, which was approximately 90 cm in diameter; although the lid section was split off to be separated. Some of these coffins can be seen presently from canoes traveling along the Shennong Stream.
Hanging Coffins
When finally got to our destination, we enjoyed a local performance which performed by local people.
Local Performing
Day 4 Sightseeing at Shibaozhai Pagoda
Today we visited Shibaozhai Pagoda, which took us around 15 minutes walking from the port. The whole tour lasted around 1.5 hours. The most interesting and hard part is to climb the top of this Pagoda as the stairs are very narrow and steep.
Shibaozhai Pagoda
I finally got on the top and from here, you can see very far. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Yangtze River even if it was in the morning.
Bird’s Eye View of Shibaozhai Pagoda
There are many interesting stories about this Pagoda and you can find them when you visit it.
It was sunny this afternoon and I enjoyed sunbathing on the sixth floor which is open to all persons on the cruise. When I was enjoying the sunbathing and the beautiful scenery of the two banks, I found the mother of the girl communicated with the foreign lady with just a translator. They spoke voice messages into the translator and the translator helped them understand each other. I thought it was a very good move for students who want to learn English this way. I got the chance to take the photo for them.
Meeting Other Visitors
- Day 4 Disembark in Chongqing
- After breakfast, I disembarked at Chongqing Chaotianmen Port and then I ordered a taxi to Chongqing West Train Station. It took me around 50RMB for about 50 minutes from the port.
Chongqing West Railway Station
- From this train station, I took a high speed train (around two hours) back to Chengdu. When you buy the train tickets to Chongqing, you could also choose Chongqing North Railway station which is closer to downtown or the port.
If you are interested in more tours about Yangtze River Cruise, you can head to our Yangtze River Tours with different experiences. Feel free to select yours to explore the beauty of Xian and Xining!
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Want to know more about the experienced travel expert Leo’s trip? You could just contact him directly or continue to read more about her travelogues.
