The Yangtze River: 10 Places to See Along China's Longest

The Yangtze River stretches 6,300 km across China from its source in the Tibetan Plateau through 11 provinces to Shanghai. This longest river in Asia flows through dramatic terrain including Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the world's deepest canyons, before emptying into the East China Sea.

Mode
Places
Start
Gang Genderu Glacier
End
East China Sea
Stops
10
Video author
travmap
Updated

Stops on this route

  1. Gang Genderu Glacier — High-altitude glacier in the eastern Tibetan plateau where the Yangtze originates, feeding one of Asia's mightiest rivers.
  2. Tangula Mountains — Eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau in western Qinghai Province, where the Yangtze originates as a braided stream at approximately 4,700 meters elevation in one of Earth's highest…
  3. Upper Yangtze Plateau — Vast elevated region where the Yangtze begins its journey, characterized by remote terrain and pristine wilderness.
  4. Tiger Leaping Gorge — The deepest canyon on any continent at 3,790 meters, cut between Jade Dragon and Haba snow mountains near the legendary boulder where a tiger allegedly leapt across the Yangtze to…
  5. Haba Snow Mountain — Snow-capped peak rising over 5,400 meters along the Yangtze's upper course, marking the transition from plateau to gorge terrain.
  6. Jialing River — The largest tributary of the Yangtze, merging at Chongqing where the collision of two major water systems created one of China's most dramatically situated and densely populated…
  7. Three Gorges — Dramatic limestone canyons spanning 200 kilometers where the Yangtze cuts through towering cliffs, showcasing nature's most spectacular river passage.
  8. Shiling Gorge — The third gorge in the Three Gorges system, part of the spectacular 200-kilometer canyon where the Yangtze narrows to 100 meters in places and strong currents posed lethal risks…
  9. Ming Mountain — Hill overlooking historic Fangdu crowned with Tang Dynasty temples and sacred underworld monuments including Hell Gate, now submerged beneath Three Gorges Reservoir since 2003 dam…
  10. East China Sea — Coastal waters where the Yangtze River delta spreads into the Pacific, forming one of the world's most fertile and populated regions.

Useful for your trip

Timing
Avoid traveling during summer flood season. In 1931, the Yangtze killed an estimated 3.7 million people in a single summer flood.
Tip
The upper Yangtze source region has oxygen levels less than 60% of sea level and winter temperatures below -30°C. Prepare for extreme altitude and cold conditions.
Transport
Tiger Leaping Gorge is over 15 km long and narrows to just 25 meters across in places with strong currents. Navigation is extremely dangerous.
Tip
Black-necked cranes breed on the upper Yangtze marshes from early spring. Visit the Qinghai-Tibet plateau wetlands during spring months to potentially observe their courtship displays.
Transport
Chongqing is a vertically built city where neighborhoods exist on cliff faces and apartment blocks rise 30 stories above roads built on rooftops. Standard navigation is difficult; use local guides.
Tip
The Three Gorges stretch roughly 200 km with mountains rising 1,000 m straight up from the water. Ancient tracker paths carved into limestone cliff faces are still visible after 2,000 years.
Avoid
The old town of Fangdu is completely submerged underwater since 2003 when the Three Gorges Dam reservoir filled. A new Fangdu exists on the opposite bank on higher ground.
Tip
The Naxi people in the Tiger Leaping Gorge region maintain a pictographic writing system called Dongba script, one of the last still in active use on Earth. Some villages preserve matriarchal family structures.
Tip
Fangdu's Ming Mountain contains temples dating to the Tang Dynasty, though most original structures are now submerged. Only temples built on high ground survived the dam's 30-meter water rise.
Tip
The Yangtze is 6,300 kilometers long, starting from a glacier on the Tibetan Plateau at 5,342 m elevation and ending in Shanghai. The journey passes through 11 provinces.

Video on this route

THE YANGTZE: The River That Built and Drowned an Empire | 4K Travel Documentary

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