Captivated by the Yangtze River Gorges

The Yangtze River Gorges are one of China's most famous scenic spots. They extend for 200 km. and cliffs on both sides of the narrow passageways are hundreds of meters high.

Peaks are as high as 2,000 meters. Even when the water level of the reservoir is fully raised by another 40 meters in 2009 for a total of 175 meters, the visual impact of the gorges will maintain its splendor.

We had an early 6 a.m. wake up call as we approached the first of the Three Gorges:

Qutang Gorge, the shortest at only 8 km. but considered the most spectacular.

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Then mid-morning the ship zig-zagged its way to the second gorge, Wu Gorge. This is about 40 km. long, and it is in this area that the Shennong Stream intercepts the Yangtze. Now that water levels have been raised, it is possible to navigate to the shallower waters of the Stream, an awesome experience as we were transferred to smaller peapod rafts and entered the narrower gorges.

Our Shennong Stream Adventure begins here...

...more Yangtze River Pictures

The third and final gorge, Xiling Gorge, is the longest one, at nearly 80km. Right at the end, you catch a glimpse of the massive Three Gorges Dam Project. The kids were thrilled with the idea of our boat "going down the stairs" to get to the other side, and so we entered the much anticipated ship locks...

To the Yangtze River Dam!

You can follow the course of the cruise in this Map of the Yangtze River as we started downstream from Chongqing to Yichang.

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