8-day Chongqing Zhangjiajie Tour with Yangtze River Cruise
Overview
From its photogenic geography of mountains plus rivers to its famous spicy cuisine, Chongqing fascinates and captivates. The longest river in China, fearing a number of cultural heritages and natural wonders, and best explored by luxury cruise. Zhangjiajie, a paradise for nature contact and adventures, is a city where you can find the world’s most remarkable sandstone peak forests.
Enjoy this private Chongqing and Zhangjiajie tour package filled with urban beauty, real local life, lush forests, and luxury cruise voyage. Take in the views of three gorges of Yangtze River alongside expert guides, ascend Zhangjaijie Mountains with cable car/outdoor elevator, and enjoy unique glass skywalks. From hand-picked accommodations & restaurants to luxury Yangtze ships, every detail of the trip is curated by your Easy Tour China travel expert.
Best for: families, seniors, couples
Duration: 8 days & 7 nights
Destinations: Chongqing- Yangtze River - Yichang - Zhangjiajie
Travel Type: Private tour - Flexible & Free to customize
Highlights:
Customize Your Tour:
☑ Travel Dates ☑ Your Interests ☑ Your Travel Style
Itinerary Expand All
Ni Hao, welcome to Chongqing, a sprawling metropolis located at the confluence of the Yangtze River, and known as the Mountain City in China. Your Easy Tour China local guide will meet and greet you at Chonqqing’s airport or railway station. Transfer to your hotel and check in. It is suggested that you don’t go to bed too early, instead, explore this fascinating city, from its energetic city life to culinary delights and incredible night views, on your own.
Chongqing Nightlife | Best Places to Go at Night:
- Hongya Cave: A group of stilt houses suspended on the cliff, it is the Iconic landmark of Chongqing, the "8D Magical City". At night, Hongya Cave is brightly lit, just like the hot spring house in Hayao Miyazaki's animation "Spirited Away".
- Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street: Chongqing's busiest shopping district, ideal for shopping, experiencing the old Chongqing culture and eating Chongqing food (still packed at 10pm).
- Nanbin Road: a scenic boulevard along the Yangtze River with high-quality restaurants, cafes and bars to enjoy the night view of Chongqing.
Today's day trip in Chongqing takes you to visit the city's landmarks, experience the history and culture, and taste the authentic cuisine. After breakfast, your guide will pick you up at the hotel lobby and transfer you to Ciqikou Ancient Town. With a history of more than 1,000 years, it was once an important land and water wharf and commercial town during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Take a leisure walk on the green stone road, lined with ancient buildings, snack stores, handicraft stores. Then we'll head to E'ling Park, which was built in the late Qing Dynasty and is one of the highest points in the center of Chongqing, thus overlooking the city.
After a delicious local lunch, head to Liziba Station of Chongqing Light Rail. Watch the light rail pass through the buildings (often pictured on Instagram and Xiaohongshu), one of the most iconic sights of “Magic Chongqing”. Afterwards, visit the Three Gorges Museum, located next to the People's Assembly Hall, the most important historical and cultural museum in Chongqing. For those who are interested in the history of Chongqing, you can learn about the Three Gorges Migration, anti-Japan war culture, Bayu folklore and more.
Between 18:00 and 20:00 in the late afternoon, you will be led to Chaotianmen Dock in order to board the Yangtze cruise ship. Around 21:00, your amazing Yangtze River cruise from Chongqing will set sail!
Please note:
- The recommended five-star Three Gorges cruise companies include: Century Cruise, Victoria Cruise and Yangtze River Golden Cruise, etc.
- Your Easy Tour China travel consultant will confirm with you your embarkation terminal in advance.
Get up slowly in the morning and take in the soft sunlight streaming across the serene and stunning Yangtze River. You can engage in a variety of activities while on board, such as Tai Chi class on the sundeck, a leisurely morning coffee, a lecture on the history and culture of the Yangtze River, the Captain's Welcome Party, and fabulous evening performances.
Depending on the schedule of your cruise, you can enjoy a shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost City or Shibaozhai Pagoda today. Fengdu Ghost City is the place where you can learn about the Chinese folk beliefs of ghosts and gods and the traditional culture of the underworld. These Ming and Qing style buildings showcase to you the Naihe Bridge, the Ghost Gate, the Eighteen Layers of Hell, etc.
Shibaozhai Pagoda, built on natural boulders, is one of the most famous wooden ancient buildings along the Yangtze River. The pagoda is a 12-story red wooden tower, 56 meters high, without using a single nail or a rivet, thus known as “the pearl on the Yangtze River” and “a architecture miracle of ancient China”. On the top of the Shibaozhai, you can see the scenery of the Yangtze River from afar.
Please note: It is recommended that you wear comfortable walking shoes onshore.Continue your Yangtze cruise voyage today, reading the Three Gorges, the most beautiful part of the Yangtze river. Sailing through the Qutang Gorge and Wu Gorge in the morning, you will unwind on the sun deck and take in the magnificent gorge beauty as it passes by.
Most cruises in today's morning will arrange a shore excursion to White Emperor City, also known as “White Emperor Temple”, located on the north bank of the Yangtze River at the mouth of Qutang Gorge. It was built at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, and later became famous as a “cultural shrine on the Yangtze River” because of the poems written here by the literati and ink writers of all times. There are historical relics such as Baidi Temple, Stargazing Pavilion, Hall of Solitude, and Forest of Poems and Monuments, and a large number of inscriptions, couplets and statues from the Three Kingdoms period are collected here.
Your cruise voyage continues. Your boat will make a stop in Wu Gorge in the afternoon. Change to a smaller boat and travel down a lovely stream (the Lesser Three Gorges, Shennv Stream, or Shennong Stream) that runs through a narrow side gorge. From there, you will be able to see the high mountain peaks and the hanging coffins on the steep cliff faces up close.
When the night comes, You'll have a great time at the Captain's Farewell Party with all of your friends onboard. Enjoy the foods, drinks, music, and dances.
After breakfast onboard disembark at YIchang’s Maoping Port, where you join others on a tourist bus to visit the Three Gorges Dam. It is one of the key projects of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River and the largest water conservancy hub project in the world. The dam is 2,335 meters long and 185 meters high. The Three Gorges Dam can be used for power generation and flood control (by regulating the amount of water in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River).
After visiting the dam, your private Yichang tour guide and driver will pick you up at Three Gorges Dam Site. Get on your car, and drive for about 4 to 5 hours to Zhangjiajie. Meet your Zhangjajie local guide and driver, with transfer to your hotel.
As China's first National Forest Park, World Natural Heritage and World Geopark, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park features peculiar quartz sandstone peaks and forests landform. Today's private tour of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, we head to Huangshi Village (at 1080 meters), one of the best viewing spots in the park. Take the Huangshizhai cableway to get to the mountain top. Walk around to visit Star-picking Platform, the Five Fingers Peak, Six Wonderful Pavilions, Tianqiao Remaining Pier, which are especially beautiful when shrouded in the morning mist and clouds. Take the cable car down.
After lunch, travel to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon in Cili County by car for approximately an hour. The 400-meter-deep canyon, which was created 300 million years ago, is part of the typical karst Roach Valley scenery. The Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge is without a doubt the canyon's must-see.
We first arrived at the glass bridge after entering the Grand Canyon. It is the longest and tallest glass bridge in the world, measuring 536 meters in length and roughly 280 meters in height from the valley. The entire Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon is seen from the glass bridge. After that, we hiked through stunning lakes and waterfalls to reach the canyon's base. There are energy-saving options including zip lines, elevators, and slide ways.
Continue your Zhangjiajie adventure tour. Come to Yuanjiajie, another core scenic area in Wulingyuan National Park, which is a Devonian quartz sandstone that is 380 million years old and has a worldwide uncommon peak forest in the shape of a square mountain terrace. Get to the mountain top of Yuanjiajie by hopping on the Bailong Elevator, the world's quickest and tallest outdoor elevator. The Avatar's Hallelujah Mountain -- Qiankun Pillar will show itself. Later you will find the World’s No.1 Bridge, a natural stone bridge with a span of 50 m.
Hop on a free shuttle bus to Tianzi Mountains at 1,262.5 meters, and is home to a panoramic view of quartz sandstone peaks and forests. You will stand before Seven stone pillars, each over 200 meters high, form the iconic Royal Pen Peak. The Fairy Scattering Flowers, which is claimed to be the manifestation of a native Tujia A-mei, was created by weathering at the summit of the lone peak. And there are more than 3,000 stone peaks in the West Sea Peak Forest. You won’t also miss the Tianzi Pavilion, providing a peek into Xiangxi Tusi's history and culture. Ride the cable car down the mountain.
The last but not least on your Zhangjiajie trip, Tianmen Mountain is located 8 kilometers from downtown Zhangjiajie, 1518.6 meters above sea level. Take the world's longest cable car (7,455 meters) for about half an hour, overlooking the 99 curves of the Tongtian mountain road, reach the mountain summit. Walk along the western route to reach the Tianmen Mountain Glass-bottom Trail, 60 meters long and 1,430 meters above sea level.
Continue walking along the cliff-side Ghost Valley Trail, then take the forest cable car (optional) to reach Tianmen Temple. From the Yunmeng Peak Observation Deck, enjoy a full view of Overlook Tianmen Mountain. And then take crossing-mountain elevator down to Tianmen Cave (Heaven’s Gate), which is the world's highest natural cave through a mountain, and a heaven for extreme sports. Descend the steep 999-step stairway, followed a cable car ride down the mountain.
Escorted by your guide and driver, catch your departure flight/train in the afternoon. Wave goodbye. It is the end of your 8 days Chongqing Yangtze Cruise Zhangjaijie tour. Easy Tour China will be here at your service for your next China tour.
Please note: If you wish to extend your journey to Fenghuang Ancient Town or Furong Ancient Town, one more day is needed.
