Lesser Three Gorges

The Lesser Three Gorges, also known as Small Three Gorges, stretch about 16 miles (25 kilometers) from north to south, and form the lower reaches of Daning River (a tributary of the Yangtze River). During this excursion, your Yangtze River cruise ship will dock at Wushan Port, and travelers will change to small sightseeing boats to sail upstream the Daning River.

The small gorges refers to Dragon Gate Gorge (Longmen Xia / 龙门峡), Misty Gorge (Bawu Xia / 巴雾峡) and Emerald Gorge (Dicui Xia / 滴翠峡).

• Dragon Gate Gorge: about 5 miles (8 kilometers) in length, the highlights include an ancient plank road in the cliffs and the towering Daning River Bridge.
• Misty Gorge: about 9 miles (10 kilometers) in length, the mystic hanging coffins in the cliff are the signature.
• Emerald Gorge: about 12 miles (20 kilometers) in length, you may find monkeys on the green slopes.

When the sightseeing boat arrives at the end of Emerald Gorge, travelers could choose the additional enhanced tour to the Little Lesser Three Gorges, also known as Mini Three Gorges.

These gorges are on the Madu River, a tributary of the Daning River, including Sancheng Gorge (三撑峡), Qinwang Gorge (秦王峡), and Changtan Gorge (长滩峡).

Since the Madu River is even narrower, so travelers need to change to a smaller boat. Although only about 9 miles (15 kilometers), the Little Lesser Three Gorges bring travelers into a “fairyland” with the picturesque scenery.