Sail Through The Mighty Yangtze With Shanghai

Start your morning with traditional Chinese exercise and work up an appetite for the buffet breakfast. Then, disembark and enjoy a shore excursion to Shibao Pagoda, where you take in local life on a visit to a village relocated to make way for the Three Gorges Dam Project. Meet with a local family, visit a kindergarten and enjoy a kaleidoscope of sights at the farmers market. This afternoon, learn about Chinese traditional medicine and reflexology and/or do another optional shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost City at your own expense.

Early this morning, the ship navigates the Qutang and Wu Gorges before anchoring at Badong, where you board a ferry and travel up the Shennong Stream. Transfer to a 'pea pod' boats poled by Tujia boatmen to view the scenic Bamboo Gorge. The Tujia are members of a local minority culture famed for their boat-building skills and keen knowledge of the Yangtze. Return to the ship by ferryboat, accompanied by a Tujia boat tracker who shares insights into his daily life. Tonight, savour a 'Taste of China' dinner, followed by onboard entertainment.

Arrive at the Three Gorges Project Dam Site and Exhibition Center to learn the history of the world's largest dam, including the story of the resettlement of the 1.2 million residents of the cities submerged behind the 400-foot-tall engineering marvel. Disembark in Yichang around midday, transfer to the train station to catch an afternoon high speed train to Shanghai and transfer onwards to the hotel upon arrival.

As the most developed city around China, apart from being the international financial hub and largest logistics port for international trade in the world, Shanghai is also the worldwide icon for fashion and lifestyle. Your exploration in this metropolis begins with a visit to Xintiandi, a masterpiece of functional transformation from old dwelling quarter into a business complex home to many boutique hotels, luxury restaurants, art galleries, coffee shops and etc. A chic atmosphere is generated by the contract between the exterior with its original vintage look and luxury artistic interior of each building. You will proceed with the exploration of the city’s past with an excursion to Yuyuan Garden. Owned originally by a government official in Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD), the garden has been built with 20 years’ time. The courtyards, houses, ponds, pavilions and etc. are exquisitely laid out to create tiers of sceneries within the garden. The Bund is the best place to exemplify the cultural diversity of this city. It refers to an area running along the western bank of Huangpu River with many historical buildings ever home to various financial institutions operating in China in the middle of 20th Century. The development of this area began in 1844, when it was officially ceded to British administration by the court of Qing Dynasty (1636 – 1912 AD) as a result of the defeat in the First Opium War. It witnessed the history of China being defeated by foreign military power, invaded and finally declaring independence after hundreds of years of flight. Now the Bund is known for the best place for promenade in China as well as in the world. The old buildings on the western bank and the new skyscrapers on the eastern side represent the past and the present Shanghai. You will wind up your full day tour by a scenic drive among the skyscrapers on the other side of Huangpu River. You can access any of them for a panoramic view of the city by paying an additional cost on your own

Today will be a free day for you to continue exploration, do some shopping or simply take a rest at the hotel. We also offer you a couple of optional tours in case you still prefer to schedule some guided tours today.

You will be picked up from the hotel lobby and transferred to the airport to board your flight to the next destination. This is a private transfer and the pick-up time will be worked out exactly in accordance with your flight time.