About eating: Try not to eat in the scenic area, but overall, the consumption in the Yichang Three Gorges scenic area is not high. The dinner is generally 35-40 yuan/person. If it is in the urban area, it is almost the same price, but it has more choices for dishes than in the scenic area. Regarding the special foods in the scenic spot, it is recommended to taste a small amount, if you want to buy a large amount, you can go to a large supermarket in the city to buy it.

About accommodation: Try to book online first! During the peak season, the on-site reservation price is more expensive than usual, and there is not necessarily a room, especially on holidays. 80% of the on-site reservations are not available. When you arrive in an unfamiliar city, if you don’t know how to get to the hotel after getting off the plane or leaving the train station, the best way is to book a hotel package that can pick you up, which will be a lot more convenient.

About itinerary: Most of Yichang Three Gorges’ scenic spots are in the mountains, and the distribution of scenic spots is relatively scattered. Although there are some shuttle buses or buses arriving at the scenic spot, it is more troublesome to wait for the bus to transfer. Especially for the elderly and children, we recommend a suitable individual passenger group, as the price is favorable, it can pick up and drop off nearby, and there is a free guide service. Of course, if you want to be more comfortable, you can also choose a chartered car. The price will be slightly more expensive.

About tickets: Yichang Three Gorges scenic spots tickets can be purchased at the scenic spot, but queuing in the peak season will be painful. In addition, the price is much more expensive than online booking. Some scenic spots have a ticket limit policy during the peak season. It is not always possible to get a ticket at the ticket office in the scenic area. So, I suggest that all attraction tickets be booked online in advance, the price is cheaper than the on-site purchasing, and there is no need to queue.

About how to play: In the scenic area, try to experience yourself wherever you can. Of course, in scenic areas with many steps or tourists with limited physical strength, it is recommended to take the travel tool in the scenic area. Some scenic spots are relatively large. It is better to book a one-day tour or a multi-day tour as there will be a tour guide and it is more organized in a limited time and it is cost-effective.

If you don’t want to share the tour guide and car with strangers, please consider a small tour package. This method is very suitable for family, friends, and colleagues to travel together, which is both worry-free and private. Now let’s start a pleasant journey to the Three Gorges.

1.Cross the Three Gorges along the river

Take a luxury cruise ship, let go of busy work, depart from Chongqing Chaotianmen Wharf, go down the water, and live a few days on the boat, your mood will be as calm as the river.

2.Pillow your lover’s shoulder to appreciate the Goddess Peak

Wu Gorge has a unique climate, with clouds and mist all year round. The Goddess Peak often disappears after the clouds and mist. Whether you are on a cruise ship or in a village on the other side of the Goddess Peak, as long as you are together with your loved ones, the travel is happy.

3.Slowly visit the Dachang ancient town

Dachang is not a famous tourist spot, but it is one of the most representative ancient towns in the hinterland of the Three Gorges. In the evening, there are not many tourists. The town is full of locals. Chat with them, drink tea, or take a walk along the Daning River to tease the children who are playing on the riverside. You can feel the slow life of the Three Gorges people.

4.Hiking the Fengjie Xiaozhai Pit

Fengjie Xiaozhai Tiankeng features a height of 145 floors and the drop of more than 400 meters. It is the heaven of eyes here, but the hell of legs. When you go down to the bottom of the pit, admire the gurgling dark river and look up at the huge cliffs, you will feel the insignificance of humanity and the magic of nature.

5.Taste the hot pot, grilled fish, and various spicy temptations

If you don’t eat spicy food, there will be a lot less fun in life. In the Three Gorges, all kinds of Sichuan and Chongqing delicacies bring the temptation of the tip of the traveler’s tongue, every food will make you unforgettable. Come to the Three Gorges to do two things, one is to prepare the camera to shoot the beautiful scenery, and the other is to prepare a foodie’s stomach. Don’t forget to ask for a cold beer.

6.Feel the majesty of Kuimen

Kuimen is the west gate of Qutang Gorge. Kuimen is majestic, and the best angle to admire Kuimen is on the observation deck on the southeast side of Baidi City. If a small boat drives out of the Kuimen, the huge towering rock wall of Kuimen contrasts with the leaf-like boat on the river surface, which could highlight the majesty of Kuimen.

Here is a summary of the current popular way of sightseeing for you to appreciate the red leaves of Three Gorges: sightseeing by boat, experiencing by car, hiking. Under normal circumstances, the three ways of traveling by car, hiking and boating are combined with each other.

Experience the Three Gorges Autumn Leaves by Car

Goddess Creek Circle Line

Depart from Wushan County, through the Yangtze River Bridge to reach Liuping Tourist Reception Center in Jianping Township; transfer to a battery car to reach Huangyan Tourist Reception Center; then take Wushan County’s first sightseeing ropeway to reach the mountainside; walk down the mountain to the Jingtan upstream of Goddess Creek Peak Power Station; transfer to a cruise ship to Qingshi Village; finally, take a boat through the Yangtze River Wu Gorge and return to the county, forming a loop of water and land tourism. More than 10 kilometers of tourist routes have red leaves and beautiful scenery, which is the most attractive red leaf scenic spot.

Mountaineering and hiking experience

The Three Gorges used to be one of the top ten hiking routes in China. Nowadays, the more popular hiking routes are generally selected for the most elaborate road to appreciate the red leaves on both sides of Wushan. Departing from Yichang, you will arrive at Wushan County, start the hiking tour of the Three Gorges Red Leaf Essence, pilgrimage to the first goddess peak of the twelve peaks, and then return to Wushan County to complete the journey of the Three Gorges’ stunning red leaves. This route belongs to the most elite trekking journey of viewing the red leaves of the Three Gorges, and the difficulty is moderate. The public can withstand the physical strength. The whole journey takes about five days to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Three Gorges red leaves. It is also a hot hiking route.

Boat trip to visit the Three Gorges red leaves

There are two main ways to take a boat tour. One is the normal cruise ship as a way of ferrying. This kind of boat tour generally combines mountaineering and car tour.

The other is to take the Three Gorges luxury cruise ship alone. It is also suitable for traveling with the elderly and children, but it is best to book cruise ship tickets half a month in advance. The Three Gorges luxury cruise ship is mainly driven through the Chongqing-Yichang section of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, passing through Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, Xiling Gorge, and stopping at Fengdu Ghost Town, Shibaozhai, Baidi City, Small Three Gorges, Three Gorges Dam, Shennv Creek, Shennong Creek, etc. You will eat and live on the cruise all the way, which is very casual and comfortable.

When will the best time to appreciate the Three Gorges red leaves?

From the beginning of November every year to January of the following year, the Three Gorges seems to become a section of dazzling and magnificent red leaf gallery. It is colorful in mid-autumn, then become redder and redder in late autumn, and will be reddest in early winter.

The viewing period of the red leaves in the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River lasts for about 3 months, which lasts from the beginning of November to January the following year. Because the height of the mountain is different, the length of the red leaves blossom time is not the same, so the time lasts long. The viewing period of other red leaf scenic spots is only about one month.

The best place to view the red leaves of the Three Gorges

The red leaves of the Three Gorges are widely distributed, broadly speaking, it is covering the entire Three Gorges; the vast mountains and gorges, which is east to Yichang, Nanjinguan, Hubei, west to Chongqing Fengjie Qutang Gorge, south to Enshi, north to Daba Mountains, almost are all covered in pieces of red leaves for 70% of the mountain.

In a narrow sense, it is the territory of Wushan County. The most concentrated areas are Wushan County, with tens of thousands of acres of red leaves distributed on both sides of the Yangtze River from Qutangxia Gorge in the west and Wuxia Gorge in the east. The red leaves here gather the essence of the mountains and the essence of the red leaves, which makes it the best place to go.

Wushan’s red leaf has always been known for its largest area, most varieties, longest cycle, latest bloom, and the most beautiful scenery. Wushan County has red leaves all over the Wu Gorge Twelve Peaks, Little Three Gorges, Goddess Creek and other places, especially Goddess Creek and Cuiping Peak, Jixian Peak and other peaks and Bawuxia are the most concentrated, so these places will become crowded from mid-October.

How to appreciate the red leaves of the Three Gorges?

To appreciate the red leaves in Wushan, you can take the car up the mountain and hover along the highway to see the red leaves of the mountains at your sight; you can also take a boat to enjoy the red leaves of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River on both sides; you can also hike the mountain red leaf forest trails or mule horse trails to get intimate contact with red leaves, take photography in the red leaves, look for poetic inspiration in the red leaves, collect red leaves as specimens. In short, there is endless fun.

To take the Three Gorges cruise ship, the ideal one is to choose the schedule from Chongqing to Yichang. The transportation between Yichang and Chongqing is very convenient, as you can take airplanes, trains, cars etc. to arrive there.

The Yangtze River Three Gorges cruise ship generally is divided that of upstream and downstream. The route of downstream is Chongqing, Fengdu Ghost Town, Zhongxian Shibaozhai, Fengjie Baidi City, Wushan Small Three Gorges, Maoping Three Gorges Dam and Yichang. The order of sights for the upstream is just the reverse.

The boat trip time for upstream is five days and four nights, and there is enough time to watch the coastal scenery and take the group photo. If you want to know more about China’s culture, there will be professional lectures in the upstream tour. The time of the downstream cruise is 4 days and 3 nights, so the speed is fast and the time is short. The spots are arranged to be visited during the day. Resting on the boat is not affected by the itinerary. The disadvantage of the downstream tour is that the speed is too fast, and it is easy to happen that you have not enough time to take pictures.

If you are worried about missing some attractions in the evening, you can set your own alarm clock. When you get to the place, you will wake up yourself. This method is suitable for young people to use secretly. It is still necessary for the elderly and children to rest well at night on the boat.

Choose the cruise ship that suits you to have a travel to Yangtze River. It is recommended to choose the date that suits you. First, make sure which day you want to start your trip. Then according to your own time schedule, choose whether it is upstream tour or downstream tour. Generally speaking, the price of the Three Gorges luxury cruise ship is about the same for upstream and downstream. After determining the sailing period and the itinerary, look at the cruise ships on the day and then compare the cruise ships, the type, price and room type to choose the right Yangtze River Three Gorge cruise.

The easiest way to get to the wharf after arriving in Chongqing or Yichang are as follows:

Chongqing Jiangbei Airport – Chaotianmen Wharf

1. Taxi: About 60 yuan if you are charged by the meter, or it will cost about 100 yuan, and the estimated time is about 40 minutes;
2. light rail: take the light rail line 3 from Jiangbei Airport to the two-way station to get off, do not go out to the subway and take the line 1 to the Chaotianmen direction, and get off at the terminal station Xiaoshizi station, then take a taxi which costs 8 yuan and 5 Minutes to arrive there. Totally it takes 1 hour and 20 minutes, and the total fee is 15 yuan, including the light rail + subway transfer fee of 7 yuan + the taxi fee from Xiaoshizi station to Chaotianmen of 8 yuan.
3. Airport bus: Take the airport bus from Jiangbei Airport to Shangqing Temple which costs 15 yuan and then take a taxi to the Chaotianmen Wharf which costs about 15 yuan. The total cost is about 30 yuan, which takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Chongqing North Railway Station – Chaotianmen Wharf

1. Taxi: About 50 yuan if you are charged by the meter, or it will cost about 80 yuan, the estimated time is about 30 minutes;
2. light rail: take the light rail line 3 from Chongqing North Railway Station to the two-way station station, do not go out to the subway and and take the line 1 to the Chaotianmen direction, and get off at the terminal station Xiaoshizi station, then take a taxi which costs 8 yuan and 5 Minutes to arrive there. Totally it takes 1 hour and 20 minutes, and the total fee is 12 yuan, including the light rail + subway transfer fee of 4 yuan + the taxi fee from Xiaoshizi station to Chaotianmen of 8 yuan.

Yichang Sanxia Airport – New Century Terminal / Taohua Village Wharf

1. Taxi: About 80 yuan if you are charged by the meter, or it will cost about 100 yuan, and the estimated time is about 60 minutes;
2. Airport bus: Get off at the terminal station Qingjiang Building, take the taxi to the New Century/Peach Blossom Village Wharf for a total mileage of 52 kilometers. It takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes, and the airport bus costs 25 yuan/person + taxi 25 yuan. The total cost is about 50 yuan.

Yichang Railway Station – New Century Terminal / Taohua Village Wharf

1. Taxi: About 60 yuan if you are charged by the meter, or it will cost about 80 yuan, and the estimated time is about 40 minutes;
2. Take the No.9 bus from Yichang East Station to 330 Engineering Bureau, transfer to bus No.10, and get off at the terminal Sanyoudong Station. Walk about 300 meters to reach the New New century CITS wharf, walk about 1000 meters to the Taohua Village wharf, and the total mileage is about 21 kilometers, and it takes about 1 hour.