China Travel Forum

[Brenda]

Can anyone recommend any decent companies that organise river trips through the three gorges? We are flying to Beijing at end of April and want to organise a trip, but the only ones we can find are for people who want to go on large cruise ships and we wanted to go on something a bit smaller. Any help would be really appreciated!

[Jim]

my wife and i went on the cruise in Apr last year and loved it. I suggest you type in "Yangze Cruise" in the help tip at top of page and you will find many articles written by happy and unhappy travellers. I have written many posts on this subject. you will find two of mine (perhaps more) under the Little Hopo post and the Kobe 123 post. Hopefully they are descriptive enough for you. Basically you are better just to arrive in Chonqging. Proceed to the Ferry Terminaol Street (high above the Yangze) and book a cabin (recommend 1st Class) on a Chinese ferry. They are large comfortable (in first class) and I am sure you will enjoy the trip. Ist class you get a single cabin with 2 clean beds an ensuite bathroom TV (chinese only) and a HUGE plate glass window where you can lay on your bed and watch the Yangze and its river traffic roll by. Ship usually depart pm most afternoons then you spend 3 nights on the ferry/ship arriving in Yichang around 3/4am on the 3rd night. You are allowed to remain onboard until 6.00am when you get a HUGE bang on your door and you must be off by 6.30 .Food obnboard is only so so but plenty of it and the ship stops every 4 hours or so where you can purchase cooked food very cheaply. The 3 lesser Gorges is well worth going on,Its a separate cruise within the main cruise (2nd day) costs 150Y and well worth the experience. Cost of 1st class cabin (2 berth) is 920Y each. 2nd class (4 berths) is 560Y ea dont recommend any lesser class. There is a small shop obnbard which sells biscuits tinned food, water and copikous amounts of cold beer. If you want to do the trip then Recommend you fly direct to Chongqing the day before you wish to go. Book the cruise and do it then fly out of either Yichang or Wuhan which is a 5 hour bus trip from Yichang.