Zhangjiajie National Park in China is considered one of the most beautiful places in the Middle Kingdom. The well-known film Avatar originates from here, and the landscapes of Zhangjiajie Park became the prototype of the floating mountains in the film. I would like to add that this is not just a promoted place. Zhangjiajie Park is truly beautiful and worth going here for inspiration and photos.
Today in this article we will analyze in detail the routes around the park, understand how to get there and how much the total cost will be. Since I already visited Zhangjiajie Park several years ago in the winter season, today there will be a mix of “summer” and winter photographs. This is due to the fact that while in Zhangjiajie in October 2017, I was caught in a typhoon and visibility was almost zero. Accordingly, we managed to take only a few photographs. Therefore, do not be surprised by snow-covered photographs and their almost complete absence. More practical information today
How to get to Zhangjiajie
There are several ways to get to Zhangjiajie Park. You can fly by plane, take a bus or train. We will consider the option of a train; I see it as the most affordable and convenient. In a while I will write a separate article on how to book trains online in China, it’s quite simple. In a nutshell, you simply install the ctrip application on your phone, which has, among other things, a Russian interface. Select the name of the city from which you are leaving (the names of cities can be written in Russian) and the city of arrival - the city of Zhangjiajie. You book, pay, receive a ticket in your hand from the railway ticket office using your passport and calmly settle into the train. Just in case, here is the name of the city of Zhangjiajie in Chinese (in pinyin brackets) - 张家界（Zhāngjiājiè）
So, we need to get to Zhangjiajie National Park in China. To do this, we first go to the city of the same name, Zhangjiajie. Next we have two options. Stay for a few days in the city of Zhangjiajie or get a little closer to the park by taking a bus to the town of Wulingyuan. I highly recommend the second option since Wulingyuan is located very close to the entrance to Zhangjiajie Park.
In order to get to Wulinyuan you need to take a mini bus that departs from the Zhangjiajie bus station. The bus station is located a five-minute walk from the railway station. Enter the bus station building, bypassing the ticket office, and go straight to the waiting room. On your left will be exit number 1. Feel free to take this exit, go out to the parking lot and then you need to take a bus to Wulinyuan. All foreigners travel in this direction and the Chinese know very well where you need to go, so you are unlikely to get on the wrong bus. Just in case, here is the name of the bus station in the town of Wulinyuan - 武陵源(Wǔlíngyuán).
From Zhangjiajie to Wulingyuan, the bus journey takes about one and a half hours, the ticket costs 20 yuan per person.
Where to stay in Zhangjiajie
I can recommend the hostel where I spent several days. The hostel is called Wulingyuantuniu Youth Hostel, is located just five minutes from the entrance to Zhangjiajie National Park. The journey on foot from Wulinyuan Bus Station will take about 15 minutes, no more.
Entrance gate to the park from Wulingyuan
We figured out how to get to the park and where to stay for the night. Let's talk about how much the entrance fee to Zhangjiajie Park and travel inside the park cost, and then we'll move on to route options.
Prices in Zhangjiajie Park
Below you can see a photo with prices for entrance to the park (photo from October 2017). It would also be a good idea to indicate the prices for cable cars and elevators inside the park. Prices are in RMB. The ticket is valid for 4 days. You can also buy a ticket that will be valid for a year (whether it is valid for 12 months after purchase or only until the end of the current year, I don’t know).
Entrance fee to Zhangjiajie National Park in high season is 245 per adult, 160 with a discount (most likely, a discount is given to children, students and pensioners).
Admission in low season is 136 per adult and 82 with discount.
Cable cars in the park from 65 to 72 yuan
Bailong elevator 71 yuan
Below are two parts of the same map. The first image is the eastern part of the park, from where we enter Zhangjiajie Park. Second image, western part, where most of the interesting places are located. I have numbered the areas and points of the park on the map to make it easier for you to navigate. A detailed description of the routes follows immediately after the maps of Zhangjiajie Park.
A place with good hostels in Wulinyuan
Entrance to the park. Here you can buy a ticket and board the buses
Lower cable car station
Upper cable car station
Observation deck
The beginning of the walking path along the lower part of the park. From the entrance to the park you can get to this point by bus in about 20 minutes. Walking to the beginning of the climb to Avatar (point 12) will take 30 minutes. It will take about 1 hour to reach the other entrance to the park (point 10).
Baylong Elevator
Walking ascent to the site with the Avatar (takes about an hour).
Turn onto a deserted path. It will take about one hour to walk the trail and return (the end of the trail is marked on the map as number 11).
The start of the climb up the mountain. The ascent and descent takes about 3 hours. Alternatively, you can go down by cable car.
The end of the trail. The map shows that there is no passage. In fact, the road splits into two more. One leads to the cable car (about 10 kilometers), the second to the climb up the mountain with access to the road with buses (you can climb it in 1 hour).
Observation deck with Avatar.
The lower cable station leading to the Yangjiajie area.
The beginning of the route along Yangjiajie. Passing the selected area takes about 3 hours.
Paved road with no buses. The journey in both directions will take about 3 hours at a brisk pace.
*Please note the map. There are numbers next to the bus icons. They indicate how many minutes it takes a bus to travel from one station to another.
Zhangjiajie route for 1 day
No matter how many days you have to visit the park, my advice is to always arrive when it opens. The park opens at 7 am. You can create a dozen routes around the park, and all of them have the right to life. It depends on how much you want to rush to see everything or whether you need a leisurely pace, whether you will use the cable cars and the elevator or prefer walking. I will offer one of the options, and you can edit it yourself to your taste.
For the first day, the route around Zhangjiajie can be constructed as follows. We arrive at seven in the morning, when the park is just opening. There will already be a lot of tourists, but still not crowds. We pass the turnstile, take the bus and get to the Baylong elevator (marked as number 7 on the map). We take the elevator and go to the observation deck with the Avatar (12). The option with a morning arrival and an elevator is the only one when you can really be alone on this observation deck. It is very crowded and noisy here throughout the day. If crowds of people don’t bother you, you can take a bus from the entrance to the beginning of the walking route (6), walk alone half an hour before the start of the climb to Avatar (8) and go directly up to the observation deck (12). The journey from the entrance to the Avatar will take you about two hours at an average pace.
Bridge near the observation deck with Avatar
One way or another, we are at the observation deck, marked on the map at number 12. Then you can take a bus and get to the beginning of the western part of Zhangjiajie Park called Yuanjiajie. A tour of this area of the park takes between 3 and 5 hours. Depends on your physical fitness and availability of free time. It's better to explore the right side first (on the map the end point of the right side of Yuanjiajie is marked as Tianbo Mansion), as there is a chance that it will not be as crowded as after lunch. Then the left part, which will take you more time. On the map of Zhangjiajie Park, the left side of this area ends in a place called Corridor the Cliffs.
One of the typical views in Yuanjiajie area
I highly recommend Yuanjiajie. Especially, on the left side of Yuanjiajie you will hardly meet people, the views are sometimes very beautiful, and at the end of the road you will find a fenced cliff where you can fully enjoy what we came here for - the views of the Zhangjiajie National Park with its hills and fogs.
After visiting Yuanjiajie, we take the bus and go to point 5, the next observation deck. The views are beautiful, but be prepared that there will be a lot of tourists. You can return to the entrance to the park either by going down the cable car or walking down the stairs. Alternatively, you can spend 3 hours exploring a completely deserted area (15). If in general Zhangjiajie is a lot of steps, then this area is an ordinary asphalt road with practically no cars. It’s hard for me to judge how beautiful the views are. When I was there, everything was foggy, like milk. But if you have time, why not take a walk.
This completes the route for 1 day in Zhangjiajie Park. We return to the hostel, relax and gain strength for tomorrow.
Zhangjiajie route for 2 days
If you want to build a route for 2 days in Zhangjiajie Park, on the second day you can also arrive at the opening, take a bus and get to the beginning of the hiking route along the lower trail of the park (6). In this case, you have a great chance to walk under the quaint hills almost alone, enjoying the nature of Zhangjiajie. The journey from the start of the hiking route (6) to the turn to the right onto a completely deserted path (9) will take about 30 minutes. I highly recommend walking along the path marked on the map as number 9. The journey there and back will take about an hour. Along the way, you will be able to contemplate the nature of Zhangjiajie alone and most likely meet the local inhabitants - monkeys. The monkeys in this park are not at all aggressive and you should not be afraid of them. Photos of our smaller brothers are below in the article.
After passing the secondary trail and returning to the main one, you can continue along the lower part of the park, reaching another Zhangjiajie gate (10). Here you will have the opportunity to climb to one of the observation platforms. A nice temple will await you at the top. The journey up and down on foot at a relaxed pace will take about three hours. Alternatively, you can go down by cable car.
Temple on top of the mountain
Panorama from the temple
If you only have two full days to explore Zhangjiajie Park, after lunch on the second day you can go to a cave located near Wulingyuan. Or spend more time in the park itself. There are many options, all the information is before your eyes.
If planning Zhangjiajie Park seems like a difficult task to you, you don’t want to waste your time on it, and you also want to combine Zhangjiajie National Park with other equally beautiful places in China, my first program in China will be organized in May 2018. All details are in a separate article. In a nutshell, in 11 full days we will travel from Shanghai to Guilin and see a lot.
Photos of monkeys in Zhangjiajie Park
Since I was able to take as many photographs of the park as I would have liked, below you can see photographs of monkeys, of which there are a lot in the park. After the photos, the article will tell you what you can see in the vicinity of Zhangjiajie.
Places around Zhangjiajie Park
In addition to the park, there are several places that you can visit. But you need to think a hundred times before going to them. Any entrance to the natural attractions of China is not a cheap pleasure. Below I will tell you about three popular places located in the vicinity of Zhangjiajie National Park.
Glass Bridge
A very advertised place, located just under an hour by bus from Wulingyuan. In my opinion, a waste of time and money. It will take you about four hours to get to the bridge, check tickets, inspect the bridge and return. Moreover, it will take about an hour to stand in queues with hordes of Chinese. When you get to the bridge, accordingly, those Chinese with whom you stood in line will be on the bridge with you. The pleasure is doubtful.
On top of that, the bridge is not completely glass. In the pictures below you can see that the bridge was simply made into rectangular transparent areas into which you can see the canyon below. The views from the bridge are the most ordinary, especially, they are not impressive after visiting the park itself. You'll walk across the bridge through hundreds of Chinese tourists jumping in place or lying down with selfie sticks. I understand that everyone has their own tastes and preferences, but this place did not impress me at all.
If you do decide to go to the glass bridge, the entrance price is about 260 yuan. You need to book your ticket at least one day before arrival. This can be done at the hostel. By the way, in the hostel where I stayed ( Wulingyuantuniu Youth Hostel), they can help you buy a ticket with a discount of about 80 yuan. The name of the glass bridge in Chinese is 玻璃桥(Bōlí zhàndào/Bōlí qiáo). You can get there from Wulingyuan Bus Station in 40-50 minutes. You cannot bring cameras with you; you will have to leave them in a storage room next to the first checkpoint upon arrival at the bridge. Your ticket will indicate that you must arrive before 10am. If you are late, you will have to pay an extra 20 yuan on top. The bridge is open to the public from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Unlike the glass bridge, I would recommend going to the cave. You can get there from Wulinyuan in about 20 minutes by taxi or bus, the entrance ticket costs 100 yuan. Plus 15 yuan you can pay for entering a separate small area while already in the cave. Yes, you will not be alone in the cave; you will also have to make your way through crowds of Chinese tourists, who will be led by guides with loudspeakers. However, the main feature of the cave is its river. To be more precise, the opportunity to ride a small boat along the water channel of the cave. It's truly worth your time.
In Chinese, the name of the cave will be 黄龙洞(Huánglóng dòng). The opening hours of the cave are from 7 to 15.30. It is better to allow about two hours for the inspection.
boat tour through the cave
Mount Tianmen
To be honest, I don’t know whether to recommend this mountain or not. When I happened to be there, it was raining all day, a stormy wind was blowing and everything was in fog. Judging by the photos from the Internet, the place is quite interesting. If you've seen pictures with a huge hole in the mountain and stairs leading there, this is the place. The main thing to remember is that when you buy a ticket you have two options. Or first go up by cable car and then, after walking the route, going down, go back by bus. Or take the bus and return by cable car. This is a must. It is not possible to go there and back only by bus or by cable car. I heard many recommendations that the best option is to take the cable car and then return by bus.
(6 voted. Vote too!!!)Zhangjiajie National Park 张家界. Zhangjiajie.
It is also called Zhangjiajie Nature Reserve, Wulingyuan Nature Reserve 武陵源区 Wulingyuan. Locals simply call Zhangjiajie "Forest Park" (Senlin Gongyuan) Hunan Province.
Several dozen tourist routes.
You will see: the Pandora Mountains, a glass path over the abyss, picturesque valleys (without climbing the mountains), the Heavenly Gate. Rafting. Take a boat ride through the Yellow Dragon Cave. Numerous observation platforms. Amazing scenery is guaranteed everywhere, get your cameras ready!
Included by UNESCO in the World Heritage List under the name Wulingyuan.
Attention! An airport, a city, a village and a National Park have ONE name. Don't confuse them with each other.
The name of the Zhangjiajie Nature Reserve is translated as “Homeland of the Zhang Family.” Its area is not small - about 400 sq. km, and the concentration of sheer peaks directed towards the sky is the first in the world.
Best time to travel: April – September
Preferably at least 3 - 4 days.
Reserve symbol– gigantic salamanders (up to 160 cm in length). After all, this is the natural habitat of this endangered species of amphibian. But you are unlikely to see them: during the day, salamanders hide under stones. But there is no reason to be sad. One of the most beautiful places on Earth awaits you.
How to get there
1.By plane. Zhangjiajie Airport. Located 4 km southwest of Zhangjiajie city, but 40 km from the entrance to the National Park (Zhangjiajie Village - the southern entrance to it)
There are flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Xi'an, and from the administrative center of this province itself, Hunan - Changsha. And the list is expanding.
From the airport you can, without visiting the city of Zhangjiajie, go straight to the National Park itself and stay at a hotel in the village of Zhangjiajie, where you will find accommodation there too.
2.By bus. From the administrative center of the province itself (Changsha) to Zhangjiajie it is approximately 350 km to the northwest. Travel time is about 4 hours.
3.By train. The railway station is located 8 km southeast of Zhangjiajie city.
Communication with the cities of Beijing (23 - 27 hours), Guangzhou (14 hours), Huaihua (about 5 hours), Yichang (5 hours), Jishou (2 hours).
But no matter how you get to the city of Zhangjiajie, you still have to drive 30 km to the Reserve itself.
Minibuses run from the city of Zhangjiajie to the village of the same name (the stop is called “Forest Park”).
They depart from the intercity bus station every 15 minutes. Travel time is 40 minutes. (The last bus returns at 19:00)
The bus station is located on Huilong Lu Street.
Attention! Check which entrance to the Reserve your bus goes to. Is it what you chose? If you suddenly make a mistake and arrive at the eastern entrance, in general, it’s okay: you can stop there quite well. Choose a different route to start, or take another bus to the south entrance (Zhangjiajie Village). They travel around the Reserve frequently. And if you buy an entrance ticket to the park, you do not pay for the trip between these entrances (everything is included in the price).
Since the cost of bus travel within the park is included in the entrance ticket, many tourists who do not particularly like walking even choose to travel by these buses as a way of traveling.
Where to stay
Zhangjiajie City. The best choice of hotels, but then you still have to get to the park itself. At the same time, there are more restaurants and grocery stores here.
Zhangjiajie village. There are some good hotels. Mainly located on the main street of Jinbian Lu. The choice of comfortable living conditions is smaller, but there are undeniable advantages: the entrance to the Reserve (southern, also central) is nearby.
Eastern entrance to the Reserve(from Wulingyuan side, Sosi Lake). Good selection of hotels.
Northern entrance to the Reserve. (From the side of Tianzi Mountain). There is also a good selection of hotels.
You can also stop at the park itself, if you agree with local residents to spend the night with them (for example, with those who sell drinks, food and souvenirs in the park).
There is a fee to visit the reserve. The ticket is valid for two consecutive days (without a break). Your thumbprint will be taken at the entrance, and from that moment on, only you can use this ticket. This ticket includes transportation within the park; entrance to some attractions along the route is paid separately. In hotels in Zhangjiajie town and village, there is a tourist map of Zhangjiajie National Park and a map of the area in English at the ticket office.
Zhangjiajie Nature Reserve
South entrance (central)
Most popular route: From Zhangjiajie village, located at an altitude of approximately 600 meters above sea level. You are immediately greeted by mysterious sheer cliffs.
The Huangshi 黄石 Zhai Plateau is considered the most beautiful in the reserve. Located at an altitude of 1048 meters. You can climb it on foot, heroically overcoming almost 4000 steps (or rather, 3878) in about 2 hours. You can take the cable car and just go down.
At the top is the Qingping Temple from the 17th century. This is the highest place in the Reserve near the southern entrance.
If you don't want to climb the mountain, there are several routes through beautiful valleys, starting right from the main entrance.
Behind the southern entrance, if you turn left, there is a route along the Pipa stream (Pipa Xi). Forest, pagodas, bridges. The journey takes 4 hours.
If you turn left from the entrance into Shadogou Valley, you can reach the Black Dragon Village (Heilongzhai) in a day. On this route you will see the Gates of Heaven. And if you turn right from the entrance, several routes begin. The shortest and most popular of them is the seven-kilometer long one along the Golden Whip (or whip) stream - Jinbianxi. The route along this gorge is considered the most beautiful: mountains, waterfalls.
East entrance from Wulingyuan, east of Sosi Lake. Sosiyu National Park. Sosi Gorge in the northeast of the Wulingyuan Nature Reserve.
North entrance from the side of Tianzi Mountain - Tianzishan National Park.
Located in the north and northwest of the main Wulingyuan Valley - Ten Mile Gallery Nature Reserve. There is a kaleidoscopic succession of picturesque landscapes in it and those extending from it.
You can see if you keep to the left:
Mount Tianzi (in the translation: Son of Heaven, i.e. Emperor), waterfalls and mountain streams and streams.
Mountain attraction: “Bridge of the Immortals” - a narrow ledge, like a bridge, connected the two edges of the gorge at a length of 26 m and 100 m above the abyss. You are not immortal, so don’t try to walk along it. There is a minibus service from the village entrance to the Tianzishan area. There is a route to Jiutian (Ninth Heaven) Cave, which includes rafting. The scenery is amazing and the descent is not very dangerous. Trip 4 hours + descent 4 hours.
Story
380 years ago the sea roared here, and when it retreated, an uneven bottom rose from the water. The skillful work of wind and rain went on for thousands of years. Nature has carved out an extraordinary temple for itself. Its quartz columns rise almost vertically. It has a mild climate and lush vegetation (3000 species!). Among the animals there are very rare species: salamander and black bear. Those living in these places did not disturb them. The fields here were not cultivated: they were cramped and could not be properly cultivated. They only wandered in to buy medicinal plants and firewood. After all, almost the entire area is covered with forests. And somehow it was not comfortable.
The most famous places
Pandora Mountains.
This is now often called the fantastic rocks of the Zhangjiajie Nature Reserve. One of them is officially (since January 2010) called "Avatar Hallelujah". After all, it was here that the unrealistically beautiful landscape of Pandora, the famous film “Avatar,” was filmed. But the Huangshan Mountains are also related to the floating mountains of Pandora, as Cameron, the creator of the film, says.
A glass transparent path over the abyss (on Mount Tianmen) is 60 m long and only 6 cm thick. A peculiar attraction for tourists since 2011, making their hearts skip a beat. They write that the height of the abyss underfoot is 1430 meters. I don’t know who measured it and how, but it’s really high and scary.
Mount Tianmen (in Heavenly Gate lane).
And earlier, the mountain was famous for the fact that a long time ago, in 263, a huge piece broke off from the rock and got stuck between the rocks, blocking the passage at a length of 60 meters and the height of the “gate” with a little more than 130 m with a slope of up to 28 m. Since 1999 No, no, but planes began to fly through the gates - these were pilots showing their skills. The Russians, of course, did not stand aside. And one was among the first, and in 2006 a group of “Russian Knights” flew through these Heavenly Gates.
The mountain is covered in legends: both the mountain is a predictor and the keeper of the countless treasures of the leader of the peasant uprising, however, they searched for centuries, but found nothing. Or maybe they found it, but didn’t tell anyone)))
You can climb to the top via 999 steps called the “Heavenly Staircase”. By bus on a 99-turn road called the “Road to Heaven.” Or you can easily, but expensively, along the world’s longest cable car at 7456 meters. Most often they go up by cable car and go down on foot, admiring and photographing the stunning, simply unearthly landscapes.
Lake Baofeng(Baofeng Hu), as well as the mountain rivers of the Reserve, are the habitat of giant salamanders. But you are unlikely to see them: they are nocturnal. However, the lucky ones manage to be caught early in the morning by the lake blissfully under the gentle rays of the sun, but, thanks to their color, they blend perfectly with the stones. These animals reach 160 cm in length. Salamanders are very sensitive to the purity of air and water, and to silence. Twice a year, animals are ceremonially released during a traditional holiday. Then you can look at them without any difficulty.
And in Zhangjiajie you can take a photo with a Chinese woman in the national costume of these places.
Zhangjiajie Park in China is now famous not only as a beautiful national forest park, but also as a place where the acclaimed "Avatar" was filmed. It seems to me that being here is a great success. The park makes you fall in love at first sight of its extraordinary rocks floating in the morning haze and from the first breath of its fresh forest air.
A little about the history of the park
China Zhangjiajie National Park was founded in 1982, and soon after it was deservedly accepted into the UNESCO World Heritage List. In general, these beautiful places have long been known to mankind; many legends and tales are associated with them. One of them says that a long time ago, during times of brutal wars, one of the warlords of the Yang clan set up his camp at the foot of the city of Tianzi. As the war lasted for many years and decades, the sons and grandsons of the commander and his army settled these lands. After this, the area acquired its name, which translated from Chinese means “land of Yang.”
Zhangjiajie has always been popular with tourists, but after the fantastic “Avatar” was released and viewers heard that this park was the prototype for the landscapes depicted in the film, the influx of visitors became even greater.
Important! There are especially many tourists in the park from May 1 to May 3 and from October 1 to October 7 (Chinese national holidays), as well as in July-August during the summer holidays. If you want to calmly and leisurely explore the park, without standing half the time in queues and without crowding to take pictures of some beautiful place, I highly recommend choosing a different time for your trip.
Zhangjiajie - main attractions
First of all, the park fascinates with its natural beauty. Extending over a huge area, the park combines picturesque mountain landscapes, the peaks of which are lost in the clouds, dense green slopes covered with forests and thin sparkling streams of streams and waterfalls.
Did you know? A characteristic feature of the park is frequent fogs, which, softly enveloping the ground, give the landscapes an even more mysterious look.
The park has a rich flora and fauna, many rare animals and plants are found, including salamanders, civets, rhesus monkeys, ginkgo trees, mahogany and many others.
Thanks to the mild climate and the absence of sudden temperature changes, walks in the park will be a real pleasure.
Important! You will really have to walk a lot in Zhangjiajie - I advise you to think about comfortable shoes and clothes in advance. If you are not in the best physical shape, or simply to save time, I recommend using cable cars to climb mountain peaks. Although this will require additional financial costs, it will save your energy for sightseeing.
So, what are the main attractions of the park?
Avatar Mountains. First of all, most tourists strive to see this particular attraction, thanks to which the park has gained new life.
There are quite a lot of high lonely mountains, as if floating in the fog, in the park. Their formation is associated with the gradual weathering of rocks.
Did you know? One of these rocks was even renamed “Avatar Hallelujah” after the film was released.
The area of the park, in which there are especially many “floating” mountains, is called Yuanjiajie. Here, by the way, there are many sculptures depicting those very avatars - rarely can anyone resist the opportunity to take a photo with these fairy-tale characters.
Yangjiajie Park. Some consider it a separate park, others consider it just a zone of Zhangjiajie. Be that as it may, this attraction attracts crowds of tourists.
Mount Tianzi. This attraction is popular not only for its natural beauty, but also for another interesting architectural site - the Imperial Palace.
In my opinion, this is too loud a name for a building of this size, but the building is really beautiful, made in a traditional style.
Golden Whip Brook. This is a very picturesque stream, with walking trails along which stretch for 8 km. There are not as many tourists here as in other places, so if you want to enjoy the murmur of a stream and the singing of birds in relative solitude, this is the place for you.
By the way, a big advantage of this place is the ease of overcoming the route - the stream is located in a valley at the foot of the mountains, so your walk here will not require steep and long climbs.
There are many more valuable and unusual places in the park, but these are perhaps the most important.
You will encounter wild monkeys on many of the park's routes and trails. These cute creatures make visitors fall in love with them, especially their children.
Important! But don’t let your guard down—one of the monkeys’ favorite pastimes is stealing. They often snatch packages and bags from the hands of tourists and run away with them high into the trees.
What to see in the vicinity of Zhangjiajie?
- Mount Tianmenshan. The most popular among tourists is Tianmen Mountain. It reaches 1518 m in height and is one of the main attractions of the area.
Did you know? There is a legend associated with the mountain that it warns local residents about upcoming changes. They say that before important historical events, a waterfall begins to flow from the mountain peak.
- Another popular attraction is located on Tianmen Shan - the picturesque Heaven's Gate Cave. The best way to get to the top of the mountain is by using the cable car. By the way, this cable car is the longest in the world. There is also an interesting route here - "Path of Faith" in Zhangjiajie, which is an interesting design: it is a narrow path with a glass bottom, laid along a cliff. Not everyone decides to walk along it, although in fact it is absolutely safe.
- Yellow Dragon Cave. An equally popular attraction is the huge Yellow Dragon Cave, whose height reaches 140 m. It is one of the largest karst caves on the planet. Thanks to the beautiful interior “decoration”, consisting of bizarre and unusual shapes and shades, the cave is considered magical. Inside you can also see numerous underground rivers and pools, as well as waterfalls.
- Fenghuang. This, although small, is a very ancient and beautiful city, attracting tourists primarily for its architecture. Its small wooden houses look truly “Chinese” and very picturesque. The atmosphere in the city is indescribable.
- Lake Baofeng. This picturesque body of water fits so harmoniously into the surrounding landscape that it is hard to believe that it is not of natural origin.
- Zhangjiajie - Grand Canyon. Not far from the National Park there is another popular attraction - the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, where, in addition to beautiful walking trails and a magnificent lake, there is another iconic place: the glass suspension bridge - the longest and narrowest in the world.
Yellow Dragon Cave
Entertainment and attractions of the park
- Undoubtedly, the main entertainment of Zhangjiajie is the walk through the park itself.
- In addition, climbing to its sights with the help cable cars or Bialong elevator can also be an exciting adventure.
- It also has its own small railway. You can explore some of the sights in comfort and fun while traveling on a mini-train.
- Many come to large glass bridge or on the path of faith to “tickle” your nerves.
- The park has many cafes and restaurants, where you can have a good time and have a tasty snack.
- The city of Zhangjiajie, located near the National Forest Park, has many restaurants and entertainment venues where you can have fun and spend your leisure time.
Elevator Bialong
Zhangjiajie National Park – how to get there?
Getting to the park is quite easy.
- First you need to get to Zhangjiajie city. Since it has its own airport, it is easiest to fly here by plane. There are regular flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi'an, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and many others.
- From the airport you can go either to the city or directly to the park using taxi or bus. If you are thinking about how to get to Zhangjiajie from Beijing or Shanghai as quickly as possible, perhaps air travel will be the best option.
- Also you can go to Zhangjiajie by train. It will take much longer, but the cost of such a trip is lower.
- If you are already close to Zhangjiajie, you can use bus services. However, buses also travel here regularly from cities such as Shanghai, Changsha, Wuhan, etc., but this is far from the most convenient way of transportation - traveling by train or plane is much more comfortable. I advise you to choose them to save energy and nerves for exploring the park.
- From the city you can get to the National Park by bus or order a taxi.
Important! Taxi drivers like to greatly inflate the cost of a trip, insist that they use the meter or negotiate.
I immediately advise you to choose the attractions that you want to see first - there are three entrances to the park, and you need to get to the entrance that will be closest to the objects you have selected.
Zhangjiajie Park or Avatar Mountains (video)
Beautiful video about Zhangjiajie Park. Enjoy watching!
Prices, promotions and opening hours of Zhangjiajie Park
The park's opening hours differ in summer and winter.
- In summer the park is open from 6:30 to 19:00, in winter from 7:30 to 17:00.
- Prices for visiting the park also differ at different times of the year. In winter, visiting is much cheaper.
- You can buy two types of tickets: a 4-day ticket will cost you approximately $38, and a 7-day ticket will cost approximately $46.
- For an additional fee, you can also order a porter service.
Important! The ticket price also includes travel by bus within the park. You will have to pay extra for using cable cars, elevators and local trains.
There are always a lot of promotions going on in the park.
- Students under 24 years of age pay half the cost of visiting.
- The same applies to pensioners from 60 to 69 years old. People over 69 years old pay even less.
- Children up to 120 cm tall can visit the park completely free of charge, and children from 120 to 150 cm also pay half the price of tickets.
I sincerely invite you to visit the Avatar Mountains in China - my favorite Zhangjiajie National Park.
I hope that I have provided all the necessary information needed to plan your trip. If you still have questions or you have already been to Zhangjiajie Park and you have something to add to what has been said, I will be very glad to see your comments.
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, or Avatar Park as it is often called, is a unique natural wonder in southwest China. It is located in Hunan Province (湖南省húnánshěng), more than 300 km from the provincial capital - Changsha (长沙chángshā) and belongs to the Wulingshan mountain system.
The main asset of the park is the bizarre rocks that rise in pillars to the sky. Such an amazing landscape was formed as a result of prolonged weathering and washing out of rocks.
This was one of those places that I dreamed of visiting from the moment I first learned about its existence. Even living in China, going on this trip was not easy; it was necessary to figure out the timing and calculate the finances. But in the fall of this year, what I had been waiting for for so long happened: my husband gave me a trip to the wonderful world of “floating rocks” for my birthday. Such a gift will truly be remembered for a lifetime.
It is said that the local landscapes were among those that inspired the director of the film "Avatar" to create the floating mountains of the planet Pandora. This served as a kind of advertising for the park, and after the film was released, the flow of tourists to Zhangjiajie increased significantly. The grateful Chinese even renamed one of the mountains “Avatar Hallelujah” and placed several “avatars” in the park, near which people usually line up for photos. And indeed, while walking around the park, I got the impression that I was somewhere on another planet, such incredible landscapes sometimes opened up before my eyes.
In addition to picturesque landscapes, there is rich flora and fauna. Some species of plants, birds and animals found in these mountains are listed in the Red Book, for example, the giant salamander, civet, pangolin, clouded leopard, rhesus macaque and many others.
I was 100% satisfied with my visit to Zhangjiajie. Despite the fatigue and “wobbly” legs, I received so many impressions that it’s difficult to even describe. All lovers of nature and unusual landscapes will definitely like this park. In my personal list of natural beauties, it took an honorable third place after the Bolaven plateau () and the park.
When to plan a visit
Zhangjiajie National Park is open to visitors all year round, but the weather is not always suitable for enjoying nature to the fullest. Therefore, when planning a trip, you need to decide what landscapes you want to see and what you expect from your visit.
The optimal season for visiting the park is autumn, especially the period from September to early November. At this time of year, the weather is almost always sunny and the temperature is comfortable enough to be in the park from morning to evening. They say that mountains are best seen in autumn.
In winter, the park is too cold for long walks. In addition, due to bad weather, some trails are closed for safety reasons, and snowfall and fog can cause poor visibility. But this does not stop tourists who want to see snow-covered landscapes and admire the views almost alone. Another plus is that tickets are cheaper at this time of year.
In spring, the rainy season begins in Zhangjiajie, which lasts from March to June. Of course, it is unpleasant to inspect the mountains when the sky is constantly dripping, but it is at this time that fogs cover the valley and many people come here to enjoy the effect of the “floating peaks”. When the fog hides the base of the mountains, it really seems like the mountains are hanging in the air. But here it depends. Maybe you won’t be able to see anything at all behind the veil of fog.
I was in the park on the 20th of October 2015. Although the weather was sunny and warm, visibility was still not absolute, at any time of the day there was a haze that more or less hid the outlines of the mountains, nothing was visible in the distance .
On the day of our departure, it rained for the whole day, but by that time I had already managed to see everything I wanted. Therefore, when planning a trip, it is better to take one “extra” day in case the weather lets you down. If there are no problems with the weather, you can visit neighboring attractions, for example, Baofen Lake, Huanglong Cave or Tianmen Mountain.
As for the time required to visit the park, this is individual. Some people say that they watched everything in one day, while for others even a week is not enough. It seems to me that you need at least 2 days to explore the main beauties without haste, plus a couple more days to go to nearby tourist spots that also deserve attention.
If you want to avoid large crowds, I do not recommend planning a trip to Zhangjiajie in the first week of May and October due to holidays, as well as during the summer holidays (July-August).
How to get there
To visit Zhangjiajie National Park, you must first come to the city of the same name, and then go directly to the villages at the entrance to the park. Let's start in order.
How to get to Zhangjiajie city
There are several ways to get to Zhangjiajie: by plane, train, bus.
By plane
If your goal is to visit Zhangjiajie Park and spend minimal time on the road, the easiest way would be to fly from other cities in China. The local airport is located just 5 km from the city center. The full name of the airport in Chinese is 张家界荷花机场 (zhāngjiājiè héhuā jīchǎng) in English - Zhangjiajie Hehua (Lotus) Airport. It receives daily flights from Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Changsha, Tianjin, Wuhan and other cities in China. Among international flights, only flights to Busan (Korea) and Bangkok () are available. Approximate prices for flights within China are listed below:
- from Beijing – $110-130 (2 hours 45 minutes on the way),
- from Shanghai – $115 (2.5 hours),
- from Guangzhou – $70-80 (1.5 hours),
- from Xi'an - $70-80 (1.5 hours).
You can get from the airport to the city by taxi or bus, but although the latter is written about on the Internet, in reality it is rare. A taxi to the station costs about 15 yuan ($2.5), to the city 20-30 ($3-5) depending on where you need to go. A taxi directly to the park entrance will cost 100 yuan ($15). Be sure to bargain, because the distance is minimal, and taxi drivers, taking advantage of tourists’ ignorance, began to charge astronomical prices - 200 yuan ($30) to the city.
By train
Trains to Zhangjiajie run from many major cities, but this method is suitable for those who have a lot of free time and patience. For reference: the road from Beijing takes 22-26 hours, and a ticket will cost 60 dollars (reserved seat) or 100 (compartment). From Shanghai the train takes 20-22 hours and costs $60/80. By train from Guangzhou you can get there in 13-17 hours, paying $50/77, and from the provincial capital, Changsha, in just 5 hours and $30/40.
Zhangjiajie Railway Station has a very convenient location. It's close to the city center and airport, and is also within walking distance of the cable car start station for Tianmen Mountain (another must-see), as well as the central bus station for Zhangjiajie National Park. The map shows the route from the airport to the train station (distance 4.9 km), and also shows the location of the airport, railway station and central bus station.
By bus
The city has several bus stations with regular services from other major cities. I was at the central bus station (张家界中心汽车站zhāngjiājiè zhōngxīn qìchēzhàn), which is indicated on the map above and I know that from there there are buses to Shanghai, Changsha, Wuhan, Zhuhai and several other cities, which means it is also possible to come to Zhangjiajie by bus. Departure schedules, travel times and ticket prices must be found directly at the bus stations.
How to get to Zhangjiajie National Park
After you get to the city in a way convenient for you, the question will arise: where next? To get to the park, you need to go to one of the entrances to the reserve, where small villages are located. You can also stay there for the night. Judging by the map, there are only three of them:
- the closest entrance to the city is 32 km from the city, and many people call it the village of Zhangjiajie after the name of the entrance to the park (张家界国家森林公园门票站 zhāngjiājiè guójiā sēnlín gōngyuán ménpiào zhàn), conditionally on the map marked as INPUT #1;
- 40 km from the city there is an entrance in the Wulingyuan area (武陵源门票站 wǔlíngyuánménpiào zhàn) designated as ENTRANCE No. 2;
- The farthest entrance is located at Mount Tianzi (天子山门票站 tiānzǐshān ménpiào zhàn) - 50 km from the city, ENTRANCE No. 3 on the map.
As far as I understand, entrance No. 3 is not particularly popular, because I did not see any buses to this place, and when preparing for the trip I did not see any information about it.
Taxi
If you choose a taxi, you need to know that the distances here are short, and the approximate price from the airport is 100 yuan ($15.5), from the city or railway station it is a little cheaper, 70-80 yuan ($10-12). Local drivers are very reluctant to use a taximeter and quote exorbitant prices in an attempt to scam tourists, so you need to bargain persistently. Most taxi drivers do not speak English, although they sometimes understand simple phrases like “how much?” But most likely you will have to explain yourself using gestures, a map and notes on paper. Be sure to prepare the names of the places you need in hieroglyphs, because the English names mean nothing to them; you can even print out pictures for clarity. Also, to avoid misunderstandings, do not forget to agree on the cost in advance before getting into the car. In China, I never booked a taxi in advance. Usually you can catch a car on any street, and they are always on duty at all tourist places.
Bus
Unlike taxis, bus fares are very cheap; getting to Wulingyuan costs only 12 yuan ($2). I decided to choose a budget option and, having saved a decent amount, was satisfied.
Starting at 6 am, buses depart from the Central Bus Station (张家界中心汽车站 zhāngjiājiè zhōngxīn qìchēzhàn), which is located next to the train station. During the season, the last flight departs at 19:30, and in winter an hour earlier. The journey takes just under an hour.
Since I came to Zhangjiaqie by train, I found the bus station easily. If you walk to the end of the station square and stand with your back to the station building, you will see MacDonald’s on the left side and the entrance to the station is located right next to it. In the screenshot you can see what the desired building looks like.
Then you need to go through the waiting room to the area with buses and find a minibus with the hieroglyphs 武陵源. Usually there are several of them, the drivers will tell you which one will go faster. There is no need to buy tickets in advance at the box office; everything is paid for on the bus. Along the way, the driver will make several stops, picking up and dropping off locals. If you are going to the village of Zhangjiajie (entrance 1), then you need to inform the driver about this in advance, but he does not stop there, he will only drop you off at the turn to it. If you are going to Wulingyuan (entrance 2), then the stop you need is the final one, and you don’t have to worry about missing it. In Wulingyuan, the bus arrives at the station, from which you can walk or take a taxi to the hotel or park entrance.
Where to stay
When it comes to housing, there are again several options. The first is to check into a hotel in the city of Zhangjiajie, the second is to go to any entrance to the park and stay there, the third is to stay on the territory of the park itself.
- The city of Zhangjiajie has a good selection of hotels, restaurants, and many ways to spend your leisure time. But having settled in the city, you will have to spend time and money every day on the road to the park and back, which is about two hours a day. Not very convenient, would you agree?
- By staying in a village at the entrance to the park, you can save time on travel and at the same time not be as cut off from the world as inside the park. The villages also have a good selection of hotels and cafes.
- You can stay in the park itself, but, as I understand from hotel reviews, living conditions inside the park are spartan: there may be interruptions in the supply of light, water, and problems with the Internet. You cannot leave the park after closing, and the choice of food and products is limited. Money must be withdrawn in advance, since it is not possible to withdraw money or pay by card within the park.
Before the trip, I studied the option for a long time and chose the village of Wulingyuan. I can say that I didn’t regret it at all. My hostel was a 10-minute walk from the park, in addition, there were a sufficient number of shops nearby, a market with fruits and souvenirs, an ATM and a cafe with decent food. There are many accommodation options to suit every taste and budget: there are budget hostels and expensive hotels.
I stayed at Wulingyuan Tuniu Youth Hostel. I booked my accommodation in advance on a well-known website and realized that I had done the right thing when, upon arriving at the place, I saw the inscription “full” on almost every door. When talking with the guy from the reception, we managed to find out that during the high season, all housing is sold out a month in advance. At the hostel they gave me a map of the park and drew up a visiting route, for which a special thank you! In principle, I can say that I was satisfied with the accommodation, considering the price-quality ratio, I got what I paid for: a clean and tidy room, breakfast with decent food in a nearby cafe, convenient location. I had dinner at the establishment that provided us with breakfast, because of all the places on our street it was the cleanest and most attractive. Almost all the foreigners I met in the park and village also ate there. But I didn’t remember the name, unfortunately.
Park opening hours and entrance fees
When I first visited the park, I was guided by the opening time, which was indicated on the map obtained from the hotel. It said that the park opens at 6:30, so at the beginning of seven I was already at the entrance gate. But it was still closed and there were no people wanting to get into the park except me and my companion. After 15-20 minutes, Chinese groups began to arrive. The park opened at 7 o'clock, but by this time the crowd was simply huge. So see for yourself what is more convenient, but I recommend coming at opening or even earlier. Approximate opening hours:
- In summer from 6:30 (7:00) – 19:00
- In winter from 7:30 – 17:00
Entrance fees
You can purchase 2 types of tickets:
- 4-day ticket for 245 yuan ($38),
- 7-day ticket for 298 ($46).
Prices are for high season; in winter, a ticket costs 145 yuan ($22).
Paid separately:
Chinese and international students studying in China have the option of buying a half-price ticket, but this was more difficult than other places I've visited in the past. When purchasing discounted tickets, an age restriction was introduced: students over 24 years old pay the full price. At the same time, simply correcting the student’s date of birth will not work, because when purchasing a discount ticket, you also need to present your passport. Children under 120 cm tall have free admission, from 120 to 150 cm half the price, as well as people of retirement age from 60 to 69, those over 70 are even cheaper, but I don’t know whether this applies to people of all nationalities or only Chinese.
The price includes transportation by bus between park stops.
The check at the entrance is quite strict. Each ticket has a serial number stamped on it, to which fingerprints are attached when entering the territory for the first time. I had this story: I visited the park with my husband, and our tickets were kept in one place, the next day we simply took them, without knowing which was whose, and went through the turnstile, but the system refused to let us through. It turned out that we had mixed up our cards, and you can’t use someone else’s.
As a conclusion, do not buy tickets second-hand, even if the offer seems tempting, and keep your ticket in a safe place, because if you lose it, you will have to buy a new one.
It’s better to come to the park early, then you have a chance to enjoy the views in relative silence. If you plan to use the Bailong elevator, it is best to go on it in the morning, as soon as the park opens, and go down before 3-4 pm, otherwise you can spend about 4 hours in line. Or avoid this method of climbing altogether.
I was lucky, as I already said, on the first day of visiting the park we came even before it opened, so we were among the first to buy tickets and go sightseeing. When we arrived at the elevator, there was still no line, and we managed to get up without any problems.
Keep in mind that you will be walking a lot, so make sure your shoes are comfortable and do not chafe. Clothing should also be comfortable. It won't hurt to take a band-aid with you.
The distances in the park are very large, and climbing uphill is difficult and often takes a long time, so it is better to combine the use of cable cars with walking routes. If you rely only on your legs, you may not meet the time limit and miss out on some of the sights. The most convenient way is to go up by cable car and go down on foot.
There are a lot of wild monkeys on some trails.
Some of them can be aggressive towards people, so do not tease them, hold your valuables, camera, phone tightly. In places where monkeys gather, it is better not to carry anything in your hands at all, but to hide everything in a bag or backpack. Before my eyes, monkeys snatched bags from people’s hands as they walked and climbed a tree with them or ran away into the forest. And don’t think that they don’t know how to stand up for themselves, a monkey can bite, after which you have to go to the hospital and get injections, such cases have also happened. Therefore, be careful with wild animals.
When going to the park, bring a map, cash, sunscreen, rain gear, water and food. The prices for food in the park itself are very high, so it is better to take something with you, but inside you can buy fruits, fried potatoes, corn (about 10 yuan - $1.5).
But in the cafes located in the park, the prices are simply astronomical, so apart from McDonald’s, which also came here, we didn’t eat anywhere else.
What to see in Zhangjiajie National Park
The photo shows the map that they gave me at my hostel, and which I used to navigate when visiting the park. In my opinion, this is the most understandable and convenient map possible. Despite the fact that it distorts the scale, it is still possible to get an idea of the structure of the park. Having scoured the Internet, I couldn’t find anything more sensible.
It is important to know that there are two main planes of movement in the park: lower (in the valley) and upper (in the mountains). There are also two lines of free buses, some of them run at the foot of the mountains (marked in purple on the map, the buses themselves are also purple), others at the top of the mountains (red line on the map, beige buses). Accordingly, the P stop icon is also marked either red or purple, and its color indicates which route the stop belongs to. Hiking trails are marked in green. What I like about this map is that it shows the approximate travel time from one point to another, although this is not always true. Depending on the number of days allocated to explore the park, you can plan different routes.
In general, the territory of the park is divided into several zones, each of which is special and picturesque in its own way. I was unable to figure out the exact number of these same zones. Information on this matter is controversial; some guidebooks write that the park is divided into 6 separate sections, but on my map there are 7 of them. At the same time, another important part of the park on my map is not allocated to a separate zone, which is why there was such confusion. On the map below I tried to symbolize all these zones with different colors, and I came up with 8 of them.
- Red - Tianzi Mountain;
- Blue - Yuanjiajie;
- Yellow - Yangjiajie;
- Orange - Golden Whip Brook;
- White - Huangshizhai, or Yellow Stone Village;
- Lime - Yaotsizhai, Hawk Village;
- Pink - Daguandai;
- Purple - Laowuchang.
Yuanjiajie (袁家界 yuánjiājiè)
The Yuanjiajie area is one of the most visited and popular areas of the park, and it is its landscapes that are most often compared to the “Avatar Mountains”. If you don’t climb to the top on foot, but use the Baylong elevator or get there by bus from other park areas, then it’s quite easy to get through.
This part of the park is famous for the “First Heavenly Bridge” (天下第一桥 tiān xià dì yī qiáo) and the column, which has recently been called “Hallelujah” (哈里路亚山 hālǐlùyà shān).
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After listening to rave reviews, it was decided to immediately go here. You could say that this part of the park was the first thing I saw in Zhangjiajie after the Bailong elevator, so I was shocked by the views. But after walking around the park for several days, I can’t say that this place is the most worthy. Nature has really done its best here, but the impression is spoiled by the large influx of tourists. In order to take a photo, you first need to stand in line, and then, when your turn comes, everyone around you will rush you or simply unceremoniously push you away from the shooting location. But at least to see the lonely floating pillar, it’s worth coming here.
Yangjiajie (杨家界 yángjiājiè)
The Yangjiajie zone was opened later than the others, and has not yet gained such popularity as Yuanjiajie. In terms of its development, it also loses. On the map below, the yellow circle conventionally indicates the territory of Yangjiajie, and the orange part inside it is the part that I went through.
From the map it seems that the distance is short, but it is not easy to pass. To examine even part of it, you will have to be pretty exhausted and sweaty. As on other trails, here you can hire porters for an additional fee to help you cover the route. Their prices are fixed from one stop to another, but you can try to bargain. On the one hand, this is hard work, which is paid for by poor health, and I would not want to use people as “slaves” like this, but on the other hand, how else will they earn their bread? The Chinese, apparently, take this easier, because they use such services everywhere, but it’s somehow strange to me.
In this part of the park, tourists can expect steep steps and narrow passages between rocks, shaky iron stairs and cliffs. This is what one of the peaks looks like, which is called Tianbo Mansion (天波府 tiān bōfǔ).
And in the photo below is the view that opens from it. If it weren’t for the haze, it would be absolutely wonderful, but it is what it is.
I liked this part of the park, there weren’t too many tourists, the views were pleasant, and the visibility was relatively good.
Mount Tianzi (天子山 tiānzǐ shān)
At the time of my visit to the park, the cable car to Tianzi Mountain was not working, and the hostel employee did not advise climbing on foot. Later I understood why. Even after walking down the mountain, I couldn’t feel my legs, let alone climb it. Such a feat is possible either for athletes or for the Chinese, for whom climbing stairs is both a favorite hobby and a national tradition :). And I still had many sights planned ahead, and I decided to take care of my only means of transportation. To visit Tianzi, I arrived at the end point of this part of the park by bus from Yangjiajie. To our great joy, there is a McDonald's at the top, so it was decided to have lunch there, given that we couldn't get a decent meal anywhere else in the park. And having refreshed myself, I went down and inspected the landscapes along the way. The rocks here are a little different from those we were able to see before. Along the way there is a pagoda called the Emperor's Palace (天子阁 tiānzǐ gé), you can climb it and explore the surrounding area.
This is the view from the top - sharp peaks in the midday haze.
Flimsy structures made of chairs tied to bamboo sticks stand waiting for their passengers; this picture is found on almost every flight.
Another beautiful lookout, unfortunately I didn’t remember the name.
There are beautiful landscapes everywhere, but the road is very exhausting.
Golden Whip Brook (金鞭溪 jīn biān xī)
The Golden Knut stream is one of the easiest areas for walking, since it is located in a valley at the foot of the mountains and does not involve steep climbs. The walking trail along the stream stretches for almost 8 km. If you wish, you can start climbing from this area to Yuanjiajie or Yellow Stone Village. I really enjoyed the walk in this part of the park. It was here that I was able to feel the desired unity with nature.
Noisy crowds of tourists are found only in some areas, and the rest of the time you can enjoy the singing of birds, the splashing of water in the stream and views of the mountains.
At one of the stops there live monkeys, which we tried to feed, but almost lost all our things. This was the first meeting with these seemingly cute animals in Zhangjiajie, and we did not yet know about their impudence and possible aggression.
For walks below you need to take warm clothes; in the morning it is very cold near the water, and during the day the air does not have time to warm up everywhere.
Yellow Stone Village, or Huangshizhai (黄石寨huángshí zhài)
You can enter this part of the park from Entrance No. 1 or come from Entrance No. 2 along the creek, which is what I did. As it turned out later, it was possible to go up by cable car, but I lost sight of this and climbed on foot. At the beginning of the road to the mountain it is written: “Whoever has not been to Huangshizhai has not seen Zhangjiajie,” or something like that, from which I concluded that this is a popular place, a must-see, although I had never heard of it before. There were surprisingly few tourists on the trail; mostly there were groups going down, who apparently climbed up using the cable car.
Here I met a huge number of cute and not so cute monkeys, which distracted me from heavy thoughts and entertained me along the way. Their screams were heard throughout the forest and trees shook. Many monkeys are not at all afraid of people, going out onto hiking trails, begging, rummaging through trash cans and posing for photos. It is very interesting to watch them, but a little scary, because they are the owners of these places, not us. Some adult males behave aggressively, attack people, take things from them and simply scare tourists. But it’s a pleasure to watch the kids: they frolic, play and willingly take pictures.
Somewhere I saw that the path to the top consists of 3800 steps, but I myself did not count them. I can say one thing - the climb on foot is not easy, especially when your legs are aching from the previous two days, but we managed it. It took us about 3 hours to get to the top. But at the top, as a reward for the hard journey, tourists are treated to magnificent landscapes. In the photo below, one of the local attractions is Five Fingers Mountain (五指峰 wǔzhǐ fēng).
And another mountain whose name I don’t know.
In addition, there are also areas in the park that I did not visit - these are Daguangdai (大观台 dàguān tái), Laowuchang (老屋场 lǎowū chǎng) and Yaozi Village (鹞子寨 yàozi zhài). I didn’t initially plan to examine them, because I didn’t find any interesting information about them on the Internet, and I didn’t have time.
Nearby Attractions
Besides Zhangjiajie National Park, there are several other natural attractions in this area that are worthy of tourists' attention.
Tianmen Mountain (天门山 tiānmén shān)
This attraction is located almost in the city of Zhangjiajie, and it is very easy to get to it - walk to the starting station of the cable car, which is located next to the railway station. The cable car leading up the mountain is one of the longest in the world, and it offers breathtaking views of the surrounding area, including the mountain serpentine of 99 turns.
This mountain road is also one of the features of Tianmen Park. You can take a special bus along it to the Heaven's Gate arch. To get to the arch, you need to overcome a difficult climb of 999 steps.
In addition, many tourists come here specifically to tickle their nerves by walking along the glass path on the edge of the cliff.
The cost of visiting the park includes a trip by cable car and bus along the serpentine road (if desired) and is 258 yuan ($40). For a walk along the glass section of the road you need to pay separately 5-10 yuan ($0.8 - 1.5). One day is enough for the inspection.
I was not as impressed by my visit to Tianmen Mountain as I was by my visit to Zhangjiajie Park. The impression was spoiled by the fact that at first we had to stand in line for more than 2 hours for the funicular. And the fact that it was very noisy and crowded at the top, the surrounding landscapes were obscured by haze. By the way, the “path of fear”, from which I expected special sensations, did not seem scary or exciting at all, but this is my personal opinion. In the photo there is a queue of tourists wanting to walk across the glass bridge.
But I still don’t regret visiting Tianmen Mountain, another Chinese landmark has been conquered, and I can tick it off my list.
Fenghuang Ancient City (凤凰古城 fènghuáng gǔchéng)
The ancient city of Fenghuang, also known as Phoenix, sits on the river and attracts tourists with its architecture and antique atmosphere. The city is given a special flavor by its wooden houses on stilts along the river, bridges, narrow streets and old boats. In the evening, all this is beautifully illuminated and looks no less impressive.
The route to Fenghuang is not close, so it is advisable to go overnight. The distance from Zhangjiajie is about 240 km, and the journey by bus takes all of 5 hours. Not long ago, visiting the city became paid, 148 yuan ($23) per person, but you can try to contact the hotel where you plan to stay and perhaps they will help you get in for free.
Baofeng Lake (宝峰湖 bǎofēnghú)
Lake Baofeng is a reservoir that was formed not long ago as a result of the construction of a dam. Being there, it’s hard to believe that this is the work of human hands, and not a miracle of nature, it fits so organically into the local landscape.
From Wulingyuan village you can take a taxi for 10-15 yuan ($1.5 - 2.5) or walk, which takes about 40 minutes.
Entrance ticket per person costs 96 yuan ($15) and includes a short walk around the lake. It takes place on a carved wooden boat accompanied by the songs of locals dressed in national costumes, which makes it even more exciting and colorful. Here you can see rocks growing straight out of the water and a beautiful waterfall. The place is worth a visit.
Cave of the Yellow Dragon, or Huanglong (黄龙洞 huánglóngdòng)
Not far from the village of Wulingyuan there is one of the most beautiful caves in China, the Yellow Dragon Cave. It is perfectly equipped for tourists and is striking in its size. Inside, in addition to many halls and corridors, there are several ponds and even rivers, and stalactites and stalagmites, which are illuminated in different colors, create views of extraordinary beauty.
You can get there by city bus or taxi for 20 yuan ($3). The entrance ticket costs 100 yuan ($15) and includes a boat ride inside the cave.
In general, going to Zhangjiajie is really worth it; although this trip will not be cheap, it will delight you with unique landscapes and attractions, and will leave a lot of pleasant memories.
