China Travel Forum

[Roy]

I'm planing a trip to China in November and considering a cruise from
Chongqing to the Three Gorges/Yichang on the East King or East Queen.
With the dam reservoir now filling up, I'm wondering if the scenery is
still worthwhile and seeking opinions on the value of that cruise from
someone who has been there recently.
Also, looking for comments from anyone who has travelled with East

[Tony]

I was there in summer . I don't know when the Gorges are supposed to be filled but if you make it before they are, it'll be worth it. You don't need that many days, 4 or 5 are enough and keep in mind your trip might be upset depending on how much current there is near the dam.

[jabaroo]

Nothing much has changed in travel time and boats on the river. But the water level is much higher and in places like the Lessor Three Gorges it is most noticable.
Still worth the trip on a good quality ship from Chongqing to Yichang. You just need to check if you'd prefer to cruise up or downstream as they visit slightly different places depending of the direction.

or

You can take the fast boat or hydrofoil from Wanzhou (wanxian) to
Yichang. Takes about 5/6 hours downstream and stops at Fengjie, Wushan, Badong on route. You can choose to buy a ticket for any portion of the river and get off for a brief visit. You'll need to buy a separate ticket for each portion if you want to get off.

They run several times a day. Sorry I cannot give you more specific information about price and sailing times but it is all during daylight hours. I did Badong to Wanzhou this August and I thought it was just as good if not better than the "cruise" I took two years earlier. You still have to go outside to take photos and if you have a limited time it is a great way to see it.

Hydrofoil Yichang to Badong Y?? Badong to Fengjie Y52 and Fengjie to Wushan Y45 Wushan to Wanzhou approx Y100 (forgot to write this up) In total no more than Y250

Bus to and from Chongqing is 4 hours Y96 You can book bus from the boat and take it from the port if you arrive from downstream.

It's possible to travel from Chongqing to Yichang in a day cruising the Three Gorges.