Famous throughout history for being a focal point of civilisation within China, with signs of human activity dating back some 27,000 years, this is an incredibly important part of China's history and culture throughout the ages.
One of the most well-known views along the Yangtze is the Three Gorges within the Wu Mountain range comprising of the Qutang, Wu, and Xiling gorges. This is a truly spectacular stretch of the river, as you sail under soaring peaks that rise dramatically from the waters, seemingly endlessly as the canyons stretch out into the horizon perfectly framing the iconic river with craggy cliff faces and verdant, tree covered slopes. As well as natural beauty, the river is famous for a fantastic man-made wonder in the Three Gorges Dam. This hydroelectric gravity dam is not only a fantastic renewable resource for the people of China, it is the largest of its kind in the world and produces record breaking amounts of electricity.
The river is also host to a wide array of wildlife, such as the endangered Chinese alligator, the world's smallest crocodilian, and the Chinese giant salamander, the world's largest amphibian. Unfortunately, due to pollution and human intervention, both creatures are now on the endangered list.
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The Yangtze, or 'Yangzi' is famous for being the longest river in Asia. It begins at the plateau of Tibet and makes its way eventually to the East China Sea. Winding its way through mountain ranges down to the middle course which stretches between the cities of Yibin and Yichang, before continuing to the lower course where we find the Three Gorges Dam. Here, we journey through a complex path of lakes, marshes and smaller river channels, popular with fishermen.
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