This is the first day in Tibet. Your guide will greet you at Lhasa Gonggar Airport/Railway Station and transfer you to your hotel. Itusually takes around 1 hour to drive from Lhasa Airport to downtown Lhasa and takes about 20 minutes from Lhasa Railway Station. Tourists could have a look at the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the largest and longest river in Tibet on their way to the hotel. After check-in, you can have a good rest first. And if you feel like going out, you can wander around the city. But just remember that don't take too much stuff, try to go with a light pack. Meanwhile, drink some more water, and do not move strenuously. It’s really useful to get acclimatized to the high altitude.
In the morning your guide will meet you at the hotel and take you to visit the famous Potala Palace, the cardinal landmark of Tibet and the masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. It was first built by the 33rd King Songtsen Gangpo in the 7th century and rebuilt later by the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century. Now it is a museum and world heritage site. In the afternoon, we will go to visit Jokhang Temple in the center of the old Lhasa city. Jokhang Temple is the most sacred temple in Tibet and it is always bustling with earnest local pilgrims since the early days. After that, you will take a walk around the Barkhor Street which is one of the most devotional circuits as well as a crowded central market of Lhasa. Barkhor Street is a very ancient round street surrounding the Jokhang Temple and the locals are always proud of it. As a symbol of Lhasa, it is also a must-see place for visitors.
Today’s first attraction is Drepung Monastery. Drepung means "piles of rice" in Tibetan, which symbolizes prosperity. It's the world's largest monastery that housed more than 10,000 monks in the past. Also, It's the highest-ranking monastery in the Gelug Sect. After lunch, you will continue to visit the Sera Monastery, the most beautiful Tibetan monastery in Lhasa. The Buddhist scripture debating is the highlight of Sera Monastery.
First, visit Three Gorges Museum. The vast collection of over 280 thousand pieces of precious historical relics will let you have an amazing understanding of the great Yangtze River and formation of the magnificent Three Gorges. You'll also know the gradual thriving of Chongqing from 3,000 years ago, to its war defense in the 20th century, and developmental path to be one of the 4 prosperous municipalities in China. Step out of the museum for a nice look at the People’s Assembly Hall, popular with fancy classical exterior design and listed into the History of Architecture compiled in London in 1987.
Then, travel up to E'ling Park and embrace the impressive panorama of Chongqing City that has been highly praised as “Little Hong Kong” with its well-arranged row upon row of modern skyscrapers and two winding rivers flowing.
Go down to visit the must-see Hongya Cave to appreciate the layers of featured Ba and Shu regional wooden tilted houses overlapped leaning the mountain up to 11 storeys. The buildings look quite glittery with orange lights from nightfall. Continue to get up to the 11th level with vehicles and roads alongside and catch the sparkling nightscape.
In the late afternoon, be transferred to Chongqing Chaotianmen Port to board your ship during 18:00~21:00. Your 4-day relaxing Yangtze River cruise will sail at 21:00 and enjoy your first night onboard!
Good morning! Wake up leisurely and enjoy the gentle sunshine over the tranquil Yangtze. You can either follow the Taichi master to play Taichi or enjoy a cup of coffee to start a beautiful day!
Enjoy various entertainment onboard, like attending a Yangtze River History and Culture Lecture, enjoying seasonal themed activities, meeting new friends at the Captain’s Welcome Party, having fun at the wonderful evening show, etc.
You will follow a local English-speaking tour guide to visit Fengdu Ghost City onshore, which is about 2,000 years old and called “the Homeland of Divine Comedy in China”. In this “City of Ghosts”, you will see a series of temples, shrines, palaces, pavilions, and more traditional styled architecture complex. The colorful statues and story scenes of afterlife in hell displayed show the underworld, cruel tortures, different kinds of devils, Chinese demons and the traditional Chinese belief: pure spirits would be rewarded, and sinful ones would be subject to severe punishments. (Please note: Fengdu Ghost City visit requires much walking and comfortable shoes are highly recommended!)
Today, you'll sail through the spectacular Three Gorges! Soak up the breathtaking gorge scenery as you drift through Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge respectively.
You'll switch to a smaller boat to take an enjoyable shore excursion to Shennv Stream (Goddess Stream), a tributary of the Yangtze River. Sail down this primitive stream to closely marvel at steep mountains and hanging coffins high on the cliffs, hear local history, and appreciate featured dance and music by Tujia ethnic people!
At evening, enjoy the well-prepared Captain’s Farewell Party with all your mates onboard and have a whale of time of the last night onboard!
After breakfast, go through a check-out procedure and disembark at Maoping Port and take the arranged tourist bus to visit the global famous Three Gorges Dam. It is the largest hydropower station in the world, with an annual energy output of 84.7 billion kilowatt-hours. The Dam is about 2,300 meters (7,546 ft) long and about 115 meters (377 ft) wide. With a water capacity of 39.3 billion cubic meters, it can hold a huge reservoir to efficiently prevent flooding in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze. Take your time to appreciate this great project from different angles and learn more at the project museum.
After that, take the tourist bus to Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal in Yichang downtown (arriving around 12:30-13:30). Your local guide and driver will pick you up there and transfer to Yichang Airport / train station for your flight or train to your home. Trip Ends!
