7 Days Huangshan and Yangtze Memorable Tour

Upon you arrival in Tunxi, downtown of Huangshan city, you will be met by our guide and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. Since you have to carry everything yourself up Huangshan unless you hire a porter, it is advisable that you leave your big luggage in the hotel in downtown and bring only a small handbag or backpack with you up mountain.

This morning we drive one and half hours to the World Heritage Site of Mount Huangshan, one of China most famously scenic mountain landscapes. With its imposing peaks, mysterious clouds, and ancient wind-sculpted pines, Huangshan has inspired painters and poets for centuries. The famed Chinese poet Li Po gave the range its name, Yellow Mountain, in 747 AD. The range has more than 70 peaks, most over 3,000 feet. We   take Yungu Cable-car up Huangshan from the eastern steps. Enjoy the spectacular views at the Beginning-to-believe Peak, Flower-scattering Valley, Lion Peak. In the afternoon, we head to explore some sections of the Grand Canyon, which has relatively fewer visitors than the main trails and offers breathtaking scenery. These are some of the most remarkable trails you ever see. Stay at Beihai Hotel.

Huangshan is famed for its sunrise. Weather permitting, we should gaze upon a breathtaking sight this morning as the golden light of the sun pierces the mists. The mountain peaks rise above the clouds, and the light of sunrise illuminates a frothy, ever-changing sea of white clouds below. We can watch this spectacle from a viewing terrace a short distance from our hotel. After sunrise, we bid farewell to Huangshan and descend the mountain by its Western Route (Xi Xian), a steeper and longer hike (9 miles) best done as a descent. This route offers some of the most spectacular vistas of the mountain. Starting from our hotel, we climb a trail for about an hour to Guangming Ding (Bright Summit Peak), the second highest peak in the range, then continue 2.5 hours to Huangshan  highest summit, Lianhua Feng (Lotus Flower Peak) at 6,115 feet. Another half hour of hiking brings us to Yingke Song (Welcoming Guests Pine), where a dramatically shaped pine - thought to be over 1,000 years old - extends a long branch as if greeting passers-by. We  take Jade Screen Cable Car near Jade Screen Peak to descend mountain from the western steps.

After lunch, we drive for about one hour to visit the UNESCO world heritage site - Hongcun, an old village with a history of over 800 years. We explore in depth the typical architectural style of the local residential houses with the beautiful wood carving, stone carving, brick carving and bamboo carving which are almost everywhere. What is more, we  visit as many local houses as possible, getting a feeling of their interior rooms as well as their daily life. We drive back to the downtown in the the late afternoon to visit the famed Tunxi Old Street, center of the old town section. Fly to Chongqing and be met and transferred to the hotel.

We drive in the morning for about 160 kilometers (2 hours) to Dazu County to see the famous Dazu Grottoes, one of the four most famous grottoes in China, which spread across more than 75 sites in the county, and contain over 50,000 stone sculptures carved from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). What is amazing is that, different from other grottoes, Dazu grottoes adopt real-life images based on the traditional folklore stories to illustrate Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism in a more secular way. Afterwards, we  visit Ciqikou Old Town. This lively old area has been partly restored, and remains an authentic and busy community. We get back to the Pier in the afternoon to board the cruiser for the evening cruise down the Yangtze.

Sailing down on the fabled Yangtze River for an unforgettable cruise. Enjoy the river scenery and an array of shipboard activities. Shore excursion to Fengdu or Wanxian,  the folkloric "Ghost City", with its eerie temples and ghostly depictions. Folklore states that this city is home to devils but some people do not put much credence in this tale. However, along with the dark side, Fengdu is one of the most beautiful areas in China, one that has a rich culture and boasts a variety of historic relics.

Continue through ever-changing rural panoramas into the first of the famous Three Gorges, Qutang Gorge, the shortest, but by far the most dramatic with its gentle bluff banks lined with ancient plank pathways. Board small vessels for a breathtaking voyage on the Daning River to its Three Small Gorges, each covered with greenery and alive with the calls of birds and monkeys; or sail through the beautiful Shennong Stream known for lush pine gorges and translucent water. In the late afternoon sail to Wu Gorge, second of the three main gorges and noted for its stunning  Twelve Peaks

A thrilling final day of sailing through Xiling Gorge, the longest of the Three Gorges, a rushing passage of rapids embraced by emerald terraced hills before arriving in Yichang in the morning, with a land excursion to the Three Gorges Dam Site. It is the world's  largest dam, 1.7 miles long and 220 feet high, and the largest electricity-generating plant of any kind. The dam body was completed in 2006. All of the originally planned components of the project were completed on October 30, 2008. Transfer for about one hour to the airport for the afternoon flight to Shanghai. End of service