4-Day Wulong Karst & Yangtze Cruise: the Natural Bridges, then the Three Gorges

Morning - the road south-east
Wulong lies about 170 kilometres south-east of Chongqing, in the limestone country where the Wujiang river cuts through the edge of the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau. The drive takes roughly two and a half hours and is worth the early start: the last hour climbs into a landscape of cloud-wrapped ridges and small towns built on whatever flat ground could be found. Your guide uses the drive to explain how this karst formed, and why this particular stretch of it was inscribed by UNESCO as part of the South China Karst World Heritage Site.

Late morning - the Three Natural Bridges
The Three Natural Bridges are what remains of a chain of enormous cave chambers whose roofs collapsed, leaving three limestone arches spanning a gorge. They are named Tianlong, Qinglong and Heilong - the bridges of the sky dragon, the green dragon and the black dragon - and they stand in a row, each with a collapsed hollow between them, so that the local description is "three bridges flanking two pits". The scale is hard to absorb at first sight: the arches run to more than 150 metres high, over 200 metres wide and more than 300 metres across. They are the largest natural bridge group of their kind in the world.

You descend into the gorge on the scenic area's transfer bus and the Tianlong escalator, then walk the floor of the valley from bridge to bridge on suspended walkways. This is also film country: Zhang Yimou used the gorge as the only exterior location for Curse of the Golden Flower, and the same valley appears in Transformers: Age of Extinction. Your guide points out where the gravel road and the chrysanthemum courtyard of the film were built, and what happened to the set afterwards.

Lunch
A local restaurant near the scenic area, with Wulong mountain vegetables, smoked pork and a soup. Mild cooking is available on request and the guide orders ahead.

Afternoon - the Longshuixia Gap
Twenty minutes away, the same limestone has produced something quite different: a slot gorge - the Longshuixia Gap - where a stream has cut a channel so narrow that from the bottom you see a single ribbon of sky between the walls. The walk follows a plank path bolted to the rock, past the Milky Way waterfall and the section the Chinese call "a line of sky", and the temperature drops the moment you are inside. It is a gentle walk of about an hour in one direction, with the scenic area's transfer bus and lift handling the climbs at both ends.

Late afternoon - the return
You leave Wulong in the late afternoon and are back in Chongqing in the evening, with a stop en route if the group wants one. Dinner is not included so that you can eat where and when you like; the guide will suggest places near your hotel.

Meals
Lunch

Accommodation
Day tour - no hotel night included.

Late morning - a first taste of the city
We meet you at your hotel or at the airport and start with lunch, because a Chongqing table is the quickest way to understand the place you are about to leave. Your guide orders a short menu of the cooking this city actually eats - a cold dish, a wok dish, a soup and rice - and explains what is worth ordering later in the trip and what to ask for if the chilli is too much. A mild table is arranged from the outset, and vegetarian dishes are no problem.

Afternoon - Chaotianmen
After lunch you drive to Chaotianmen, the headland where the Jialing river runs into the Yangtze, and the oldest river port in Chongqing. Cruise ships for the Three Gorges leave from here, and the sight of the two rivers meeting in different colours - the Jialing greener, the Yangtze silty - is the reason the city grew where it did. You walk the waterfront and the dock quarter with your guide, who explains what the gorges ahead actually are, what the locks will do to the schedule, and how the river has been remade in the past thirty years by the dam and the reservoir behind it.

Boarding
Boarding begins in the late afternoon. You are met by the cruise line's shore staff, your luggage is taken by porters, cabin cards are issued, and you are seen to your cabin before the ship casts off in the evening. Your guide stays until you are safely on board and hands over the following days to the ship's own guides, who run the shore excursions.

Evening
Dinner is served on board as the ship slips downstream past the lit bridges of Chongqing - the first of the meals included in your cruise package. The shore programme for the following days is explained at the evening briefing, and optional excursions can be booked on board.

Meals
Lunch (dinner is served on board)

Accommodation
Cabin aboard the Yangtze cruise ship.

Morning — Fengdu Ghost City
Fengdu is an ancient riverside site built around Taoist and folk beliefs of the afterlife, often called the “City of the Dead.” Stone statues depict underworld judges, and the “Bridge of Helplessness” symbolizes the soul's passage. Climb the Ming-era temples for sweeping views of the Yangtze.

Afternoon — Shibaozhai Pagoda & Onboard
Shibaozhai is a 12-story wooden pagoda built against a riverside cliff in the 18th century, famed for its interlocking architecture without nails. Cross the swinging bridge to the hilltop temple while your guide explains its river-navigation history. Back onboard, join a Chinese calligraphy class or a lecture on the Three Gorges' geology.

Evening — Captain's Dinner
The day closes with a Captain's Dinner of local delicacies such as steamed river fish and stuffed lotus root. Optionally, step onto the deck to stargaze as the ship enters the narrow cliffs of Qutang Gorge, the first of the Three Gorges.

Morning — Wu Gorge and Shennong Stream
Cruise through Wu Gorge, one of the Three Gorges, known for its mist-shrouded peaks and dramatic vistas; watch for waterfalls and ancient plank roads carved into the cliffs along the way. Then transfer to a small wooden peapod boat for a tranquil ride along Shennong Stream, a tributary where local Tujia rowers sing folk songs as you pass hanging coffins, karst formations and emerald-green waters. The hanging coffins were placed high on the cliffs by the ancient Ba people as a mark of respect for their dead.

Afternoon — Onboard Relaxation and Cultural Talk
Back on board, unwind with a Tai Chi session or a dip in the ship's pool. Later, an onboard expert gives a cultural talk on the engineering achievements and social impact of the Three Gorges Dam, providing context for the landscapes you are sailing through.

Evening — Farewell Party
Enjoy a costume show featuring ethnic dances from Yangtze communities such as the Tujia and Miao, and sip a cocktail while the ship sails through Xiling Gorge, the longest of the Three Gorges.

Meals — Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
All three meals are included on this day.