Shennongjia National Park

The Shennongjia National Park is located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, serving as the watershed between the Yangtze and Han rivers in Hubei Province. According to legend, it was named after the ancient Emperor Shennong, who is said to have set up a framework to gather medicinal herbs in the area. The reserve features six peaks that rise above 3,000 meters, earning it the title of the "Roof of Central China." Spanning alpine forests, deep valleys, and high plateaus, it remains one of the few regions in the Yangtze River basin that has preserved its original wilderness on a large scale.

The reserve is home to the best-preserved forest ecosystem of the global northern subtropical zone, earning it the title of a "green miracle" in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Shennongjia has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2016 due to its outstanding ecological value. It is a sanctuary for some of China’s rarest plant and animal species, including the elusive golden snub-nosed monkey, clouded leopards, and over 1,200 species of higher plants.

On the second day of your Yangzi Explorer 4-night cruise from Yichang to Chongqing via Shennongjia, after breakfast, you will disembark at Xingshan Pier and travel by car to explore the Shennongjia National Park.