Updated: November 2025

Zhangjiajie is famous for its spectacular and unique mountain scenery. The towering rock pillar formations of Zhangjiajie really are a sight to behold. They might look a little familiar, because Zhangjiajie was the inspiration for Avatar’s floating Hallelujah Mountains. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The place is HUGE, covering an area of 264.6 square kilometres (102.2 square miles). There are over 3,000 of the distinctive quartz-sandstone columns in Zhangjiajie. With so much to see, planning can feel quite confusing and overwhelming. I’ve put together a detailed guide for visiting Zhangjiajie, including practical tips and my suggested 3-day itinerary for Zhangjiajie.

I found trying to match up the English and Chinese names of places to be an additional source of confusion, particularly as the translations weren’t always consistent. So I’ve also included a glossary at the end of this post with key locations in both English and Chinese for reference.

I’ve visited Zhangjiajie twice now, once in winter and once in summer, and it was just as stunning the second time round. There have been a few changes to how the park operates due to it’s booming popularity with both domestic and international tourists, which I’ll discuss below.

Here’s everything you need to know before visiting Zhangjiajie.

Zhangjiajie Essential Info

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is part of the larger Wulingyuan Scenic Area, which also includes several other national parks. Zhangjiajie and Wulingyuan are often used interchangeably to refer to the national park area. So for ease, I’ll be referring to the whole area as Zhangjiajie National Park.

• Entry to the park is valid for 4 consecutive days
• Ticket cost: ¥227 (discounted entry ¥147 Dec-Feb)
• Opening times: 07:00-18:00 daily (07:30-17:30 Dec-Feb)
• NEW: since summer 2025, Zhangjiajie now operates a timed ticket entry system. You have to reserve your one-hour entry slot in advance (including which gate), and they are quite strict about timings. If you are late, you will be turned away and need to go to the ticket office to rebook a later slot.
• You need your passport to purchase the ticket. Facial recognition is used for entry into the park and for the ticketed cable cars/elevator. Make sure to carry your passport with you.
• There are free electric shuttle buses provided to transport you around the park, which run from 7am to 7pm. However the elevator and cable car tickets are sold separately inside the park.
• Zhangjiajie National Park is located in Wulingyuan town, which is 30km (8.6 miles) from Zhangjiajie city.
• Tianmen Mountain, commonly included in the Zhangjiajie itinerary, is a separate attraction outside of the national park. It is located in Zhangjiajie city.
• Zhangjiajie National Park has 5 entrances, but only two are really used:
  Wulingyuan entrance (east gate) – located in Wulingyuan town, the main entrance that the vast majority of visitors use
  Zhangjiajie National Forest Park entrance (south gate) – the Golden Whip Stream hike ends here. Direct buses go between here and Zhangjiajie city; there are also local buses going to Wulingyuan town

How to Buy Tickets for Zhangjiajie

You can buy tickets for Zhangjiajie National Forest Park on the day at the main entrance. You can also save time and book ahead using a ticket-booking service or through the official WeChat mini-app (张家界一机游, in Chinese only).

Zhangjiajie National Park now operates a timed entry system, where you need to reserve a one-hour time slot and entrance gate. When you buy Zhangjiajie tickets through Klook or Trip.com, you can reserve your time slot for the first day. For subsequent days, you can go to the ticket office at the park entrance. If you buy through the WeChat mini-app, you will be able to reserve entry slots through the mini-app.

When booking, make sure to select the East Gate for entry – this is the main park entrance.

Bailong elevator tickets can be bought inside the park at the elevator entrance, however I recommend buying Bailong elevator tickets in advance if you’re visiting during peak periods.

Tickets for Tianmen Mountain, Baofeng Lake and Yellow Dragon Cave can all be bought on entry. However, I do recommend booking the Tianmen Mountain Cable Car in advance, as queues are usually very long, particularly in summer.

Tickets for the Grand Canyon and Glass Bridge must be booked in advance, as you can’t buy them at the entrance (there is a daily cap on visitor numbers). You can book them directly on the WeChat mini-app or using a ticket-booking service.

TIP: an easy alternative option is to ask your hotel to help you book tickets. You can sort this out on arrival, or message them in advance to arrange it. The hotel we stayed at managed to get us discounted tickets, and took care of all the time-slot reservations, including troubleshooting when some routes were closed for maintenance.

What to Expect in Zhangjiajie

The natural scenery in Zhangjiajie is breathtaking, there’s no denying that. But experiencing nature at a tourist hotspot in China may be a bit different to what you’re used to. You won’t get a peaceful experience feeling at one with nature, at least not all of the time.

Firstly, there will always be crowds whatever time of year you go, although of course much less in the off season. Even when visiting in December, I ran into quite a few tour groups. They’re rowdy and chaotic, but they usually move on fairly quickly and are easy to overtake. The bottlenecks where it is most crowded are at the elevator and cable car entrances.

Most of the ‘hikes’ in the park are paved pathways and stairs, which may not be the kind of hike you’re expecting. The park is huge and there are shuttle buses to take you between locations. The hard work of climbing the mountains is removed with the elevator and cable cars. There are restaurants, food stalls and toilets dotted around the national park, even on the mountaintops. All of this may make the experience feel a bit ‘fake’. It’s a different way of doing things that allows for the literally millions of visitors that come every year.

Having said all of that, the mountains of Zhangjiajie really are stunning and it’s definitely worth the trip to see them with your own eyes.

Tips for Visiting Zhangjiajie

• The temperature in the mountains will be cooler than on ground level, so bring extra layers to keep warm.
• Wear good walking shoes. Most of the paths are paved stone or concrete with some wooden walkways, but they can get slippery when wet or icy.
• There are plenty of toilets (the squat variety) throughout the park, which are fairly well-maintained. But, as with most places in China, you should bring your own toilet paper and soap/hand sanitiser.
• You will encounter monkeys (macaques) in some parts of the park (Yuanjiajie, Golden Whip Stream). They look cute, but are aggressive and fearless when it comes to stealing food. Keep any food stowed safely away inside your bag.
• There are plenty of food stalls inside the park, so you won’t go hungry. The prices will be a bit more expensive (although still cheap) and fairly mediocre quality. Payment is using QR code (WeChat/AliPay) or cash. Check out my full guide on how to pay in China.
• Check the weather forecast and plan your itinerary accordingly. If the visibility is likely to be poor all day, then head to the ground-level areas such as Golden Whip Stream, Baofeng Lake and Yellow Dragon Cave. It’s not worth going to Tianmen Mountain with poor visibility – you’ll end up disappointed.
• If it’s foggy when you reach a viewpoint, wait at least 15 minutes and it may well clear up or improve.
• Keep track of closing time to make sure you don’t miss the last shuttle bus back. One of the bus drivers assured me that there’s an emergency number to call if you get stranded and they’ll come to pick you up, but I wouldn’t count on it…

Best Time to Visit Zhangjiajie

The best time to visit Zhangjiajie is in shoulder season, which is March to April (spring) and September to mid-November (autumn). It gets warm and humid in the summer (June-August), but nothing extreme. The main reason to avoid visiting in high season is the sheer numbers of visitors. Zhangjiajie is extremely popular with domestic tourists, and has over 80 million visitors every year. Don’t underestimate the sheer size of the summer tourist crowd in China. It’s unlike anything you might have experienced elsewhere.

There are three week-long periods of national holidays in China when you should avoid visiting Zhangjiajie or anywhere in China. These are: the first week of May (Labour Day ‘Golden Week’), the first week of October (National Day ‘Golden Week’), and the week around Chinese New Year (January or February depending on the year). Crowds will be even bigger than usual and hotel prices will also be inflated.

Zhangjiajie is also beautiful in winter (I have visited in December), and the park is much emptier. The trade-off is that the weather may be bad, and it will certainly be cold. In summer if it’s foggy, the fog often clears fairly quickly. However if it’s foggy in winter, the fog tends to stick around all day.

The otherworldly ‘sea of clouds’ appearance with ‘floating’ columns happens just after it rains. You’re more likely to see this phenomenon in the late spring and summer, when there is heavier rainfall. You won’t really see it in winter, but you might see spectacular snowy mountain peaks instead.

Having visited Zhangjiajie in both summer and winter, I found it to be more enjoyable in winter. The smaller crowd was definitely a big factor. But the heat and humidity whilst walking outside with little shade should also not be underestimated.

How to Get to Zhangjiajie

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is located in the city of the same name. Zhangjiajie is a small city in Hunan Province in south central China, with a population of 1.5 million. Yes, that counts as a small city in China.

Zhangjiajie’s tourism infrastructure has become more developed in recent years, especially since the release of the film Avatar (2009), but it’s still a little tricky to get to.

Flying to Zhangjiaije

Zhangjiajie has its own airport, which is about 4km (2.5 miles) outside of the main city. There are direct domestic flights to Zhangjiajie from several major cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Flights to Zhangjiajie usually arrive in the evening. There are also frequent direct flights from Seoul, as Zhangjiajie is very popular with South Korean tourists.

There’s an airport bus service which goes to the city, or you can also use DiDi (Chinese Uber) in Zhangjiajie.

If your departing city doesn’t have direct flights to Zhangjiajie, you can also fly to Changsha, which is the nearest big city. From Changsha airport, take the maglev train to Changsha South station (30 minutes direct), and then the train to Zhangjiajie West station (3 hours). It’s a bit more of a hassle, but depending on your starting point, this may still save you a lot of time.

Getting the Train to Zhangjiajie

Check out my comprehensive guide to train travel in China.

Getting the train is a much cheaper option compared to flying. Unfortunately, it’s also slower, as Zhangjiajie is quite out of the way. The best way to get to Zhangjiajie by train is via Changsha, the capital of Hunan province. Changsha is well-connected to the rest of China by high speed train. The Changsha to Zhangjiajie train is also a high speed train, but it takes 2-3 hours.

Note that Zhangjiajie has two train stations: Zhangjiajie station and Zhangjiajie West station. They are 9km (5.6 miles) apart. Most trains from Changsha arrive at Zhangjiajie West station.

On my trip, I took the bullet train from Xi’an to Changsha (5.5 hours). I stayed overnight in Changsha and took an early morning train to Zhangjiajie the next day. There’s not much to do in Changsha other than going for a stroll on the Orange Isle, an island park with a giant statue of a young Chairman Mao.

I recommend using Trip.com to book your train tickets and hotels in China. The website (and mobile app) is in English and easy to navigate. Tickets are issued electronically and linked to your passport number. It’s also easy to amend and cancel bookings. Check train ticket prices for Zhangjiajie.

Where to Stay in Zhangjiajie

Check out my detailed guide on how to book hotels in China.

There are two areas of interest here: Zhangjiajie city (Zhangjiajie downtown) and Wulingyuan town.

The majority of the sights are located in Wulingyuan, a town about 30km (18.6 miles) north of Zhangjiajie city. The exception is Tianmen Mountain, which is located in Zhangjiajie city.

I recommend basing yourself in Wulingyuan town for most of your trip, and staying in Zhangjiajie city for the final night. That way you can see Tianmen Mountain on the last day (weather allowing) and be closer to the train station/airport for departure. I actually did it the other way round, and stayed the first night in Zhangjiajie city. But I found it to be more hassle and it provided less flexibility for visiting Tianmen Mountain.

I recommend Trip.com for booking hotels in China. It has a better selection and cheaper prices than other websites, including Booking.com, which is my usual go-to outside of China. As a general rule of thumb, you should choose hotels with ratings 9.3/10 and above (ratings are very inflated). Make sure to check the bathroom setup as well, as some places have squat toilets. Check hotel prices for Zhangjiajie.

Zhangjiajie City

The main thing to see in Zhangjiajie city is Tianmen Mountain. The entrance to the cablecar is also close to Zhangjiajie train and bus stations (10-15 minute walk). I recommend staying in this area to minimise transit time. Note that Zhangjiajie city is also sometimes referred to as Zhangjiajie downtown.

Accommodation options for Zhangjiajie city:

• Premium: Hampton by Hilton – rest in comfort during your Zhangjiajie stay at this top-rated international hotel located right next to the Tianmen cable car entrance (Wulingyuan also has a Hampton by Hilton)
• Mid-Range: Ika Style Hotel – highly-rated local hotel with spacious rooms, located a short walk from Tianmen Mountain cable car entrance
• Budget: Zhangjiajie Lumingju Inn – simple family-run guesthouse, very budget-friendly

Wulingyuan Town

Wulingyuan town is quite small, and most of the hotels are clustered near the entrance to Zhangjiajie National Park.

It takes about 30 minutes by taxi, or 40 minutes by bus to get from Zhangjiajie city to Wulingyuan town. There are regular buses from Zhangjiajie bus station (next to Zhangjiajie train station), which cost ¥12. It’s then about a 15-minute walk from Wulingyuan bus station to the entrance of the national park.

If you’re arriving at the airport or Zhangjiajie West train station, it’s easier and quicker to get a taxi directly to your hotel in Wulingyuan town. I recommend getting a DiDi.

Accommodation options for Wulingyuan:

• Premium: Lanting Elegant Restaurant Hotel – this is one of the top-rated premium hotels in Wulingyuan. It has very elegant and stylish rooms, and is located close to the national park entrance
• Mid-range: No. 106 Guihua Road Inn – super helpful reception staff who can speak some English, comfy rooms, nice bathroom
• Budget: Zhangjiajie Wangshu Inn – cute rustic rooms, really lovely owners (I stayed here during my first Zhangjiajie trip)

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What to See in Zhangjiajie

As I said before, Zhangjiajie is HUGE. There’s a reason why the entrance ticket is valid for 4 days. You most likely won’t be able to see it all, which is a difficult fact to accept, but will make your planning much easier. Here’s a detailed explanation of all the places you can see in Zhangjiajie, including practical information on how to get there and the best routes to take.

The following places are part of the national park and included in the 4-day entrance ticket:

• Yuanjiajie (the ‘Avatar mountains’)
• Yangjiajie
• Tianzi Mountain
• Ten Mile Gallery / Three Sisters Peaks
• Golden Whip Stream / Huangshi Village

I found most maps of Zhangjiajie park to be really confusing. The more you look at them the less they makes sense. Essentially, there is an upper and lower section of the park. The upper section is the mountaintops, comprising Yuanjiajie, Yangjiajie and Tianzi Mountain. These three areas are connected by shuttle bus. The lower section comprises the base of the three aforementioned mountain areas, plus Ten Mile Gallery and Golden Whip Stream. The lower sections are connected by shuttle bus. There is no shuttle bus between the upper and lower sections. To get up/down, you can either hike or take a form of vertical transport: elevator at Yuanjiajie, cable cars at Yangjiajie and Tianzi Mountain.

These places are in the wider scenic area, but have separate entry tickets:

• Tianmen Mountain (located in Zhangjiajie city)
• Baofeng Lake
• Yellow Dragon Cave
• Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge & Grand Canyon

Fenghuang ancient city is a separate historic area that is located near Zhangjiajie, and easy to do as a day trip.

Yuanjiajie

This is the main attraction of Zhangjiajie National Park and probably the view you came for. Yuanjiajie is home to the ‘Avatar mountains’ of Zhangjiajie.

The stone ‘pillar forests’ here really are spectacular. The most famous one is the Southern Sky Pillar, standing at 1,080 metres (3,543 ft) tall. It’s narrow at the base and appears to be floating (more so when it’s misty). There’s also a natural stone bridge formed by weathering (No. 1 Bridge Under Heaven 天下第一桥) , which links the main section to a separate stone ‘island’.

Bailong Sky Elevator is an outdoor glass lift which takes you to the top of the mountain. Bailong (百龙) means 100 dragons, a fitting name for the tallest outdoor elevator in the world. The Bailong Elevator is 326m (1,070 ft) high, and the ride takes under 2 minutes. The view when you emerge into the open really is a ‘wow’ moment. The queues can be long (several hours in summer), so you should aim to get there close to opening time if you want to ride the elevator. It costs ¥65 one way.

You can buy tickets for Bailong on the day (there are separate queues to buy tickets and ride the elevator) or book in advance online.

Another way to get to Yuanjiajie is via shuttle bus from Yangjiajie or Tianzi Mountain. You do the walking route in reverse and ride the Bailong Elevator down. The queues are much shorter for the way down, although going down is probably less impressive. This might be advisable in summer.

Yangjiajie

Not to be confused with Yuanjiajie, Yangjiajie is an area that was opened to visitors more recently. It has similar views to Yuanjiajie, but you see the ‘Avatar mountains’ from the reverse side. There are proper hiking trails in this area, and it’s less crowded. A highlight here is the ‘Natural Great Wall‘, which is only about a 10-minute walk from the cable car station. The other hiking trails are quite long (5-10km one way), so I didn’t end up going.

Yuanjiajie has a cable car which takes you to the upper paths. It costs ¥76 one way. You can also hike up to the top of Yangjiajie or take the shuttle bus from Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain.

Tianzi Mountain

Tianzi Mountain is the highest peak within the national park. Needless to say, the views here are stunning. It’s a good place to spot the ‘sea of clouds’ as you are so high up.

Tianzi means son of heaven, which is another name for the emperor. It was named after a local peasant who led a revolt during the Ming Dynasty and proclaimed himself the son of heaven. Not to be confused with Tianmen Mountain (the one with the sky door).

Tianzi Mountain has a cable car to take you up and down the mountain. It costs ¥72 one way. You can also get to the upper pathways of Tianzi Mountain by shuttle bus from Yuanjiajie and Yangjiajie.

There is also an option to hike down Tianzi Mountain if you have time and energy. This takes around 3-4 hours. Make sure to stick to the main path going down, as there can be snakes in this area.

Stop at a teahouse at the top of Tianzi Mountain for some berry tea (meí chá 莓茶). It’s a famous tea from Zhangjiajie, which is high in anti-oxidants, and considered a ‘longevity tea’. You can try it hot or iced.

Ten Mile Gallery / Three Sisters Peak

Ten Mile Gallery and Three Sisters Peak are at the base of Tianzi Mountain. The Three Sisters are a formation of three rock peaks side by side.

Ten Mile Gallery is a walk through a lush valley where you can see over 200 different-shaped natural rock sculptures. Despite the name, it’s actually only 5.8km (3.6 miles) long. There’s the option of a sightseeing tram which takes you along the same route. It costs ¥36 one way. I recommend taking the tram there (as it’s uphill on the way) and walking back to admire the scenery in your own time. Note that it’s not a very peaceful walk, as there will be trams going back and forth all the time.

Golden Whip Stream / Huangshi Village

Golden Whip Stream is a very pleasant valley hike alongside a stream. You’ll see the famous rock pillars from a ground-level perspective here. It’s quite a peaceful hike, especially as you get further along the path.

You’ll encounter plenty of monkeys at the start of this hike.

You’ll need to get a shuttle bus from the main entrance (east entrance) to the start of the route. The path is 7.5km (4.7 miles), and fairly flat. It ends at the park’s south gate (the other gate).

If you have time, it’s worth heading to Huangshi Village once you reach the end of the Golden Whip Stream route. Huangshi Village is not actually a village, but a mountaintop trail with scenic views. The trail at the top is a loop, and Huangshi Village is not connected to the other upper paths of the park. You can hike or take the cable car (¥70 one way). The easiest way is to take the cable car up and hike down.

To exit the park, you leave via the nearby south gate, which is half an hour drive from Wulingyuan town. There are local buses from here that go back to the main park entrance for ¥8.

Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain is famous for its ‘heavenly door’, the natural limestone arch which looks like a huge doorway in the mountain. ‘Tianmen’ means heaven’s door.

Tianmen Mountain isn’t actually part of the national park, and is located further away in Zhangjiajie city. But the uniqueness of the mountain makes it a must-see stop on any Zhangjiajie trip. Tianmen Mountain’s cable car is one of the longest in the world at 7,455m (24,459 ft) in length. The entire cable car journey takes half an hour!

Entry to Tianmen Mountain is quite expensive at ¥278, which includes a return cable car journey. The glass skywalks cost ¥5. There are a few routes for getting up and down Tianmen Mountain, which can get confusing.

There are two areas to see. The first is the top of Tianmen Mountain, which is a loop route that includes the famous glass viewing platforms and ‘cliff edge’ walkways, as well as Tianmen Mountain Temple. The second area is the Tianmen Cave, aka Heaven’s Door, which includes the Stairway to Heaven, a 999-step staircase leading to Heaven’s Door.

The best route (Route A) is to take the cable car to the top of the mountain to do the mountaintop route first. Then take the escalator down to the Heaven’s Door area. Walk the 999 steps to knock on Heaven’s Door or cheat and take the escalator up (it costs ¥30). Get down the mountain by express cable car (larger capacity carriages, so shorter queues).

The cable car is very popular, and queues are quite long in the summer, so you should arrive as early as possible and book tickets in advance.

An alternative way to get up the mountain is to take the bus, which drives the ‘99 bends’ road (not for those prone to motion sickness). The bus stops near the base of the Stairway to Heaven. Once you get up to Heaven’s Door, you can take an escalator up to the top of the mountain, and then the cable car down to ground level.

If it’s a foggy day, I advise against going, as you’ll end up disappointed. I had thick fog on my visit to Tianmen Mountain and I could barely make out the hole in the mountain, even when standing right next to it!

Luckily, I got to visit again on a subsequent trip and had lovely, clear weather.

Baofeng Lake

Baofeng Lake is an alpine lake nestled in the mountains of Zhangjiajie. The lake is actually artificial and was created by a dam built in the 1970s. Baofeng Lake is located just south of Wulingyuan town.

Baofeng Lake has a separate entrance ticket, which costs ¥114 and includes a 30-minute ferry ride on the lake. There’s also a small waterfall in the area which was the filming location for Shuilian Cave (aka the Monkey King’s home) in the classic TV show Journey to the West.

Visiting Baofeng Lake is a relaxed way to spend an afternoon, especially if it’s too foggy to go to the mountains. The ferry does come with a tour guide who provides a running commentary in Chinese, which may ruin the serenity of the lake for some. Zhangjiajie has a large population of Tujia people, an ethnic minority group, and you will hear a Tujia folk song performance during the ferry ride.

You can get there by public bus (number 2) for ¥2, which takes 20 minutes. The bus to Baofeng Lake seems to be quite infrequent (every 45 minutes or so), even in summer. We ended up taking the number 1 bus (which was much more frequent) to the edge of town and then walking for half an hour. There are also taxis waiting in the area near the bus stop. DiDi (Chinese Uber) also works in Wulingyuan town.

Yellow Dragon Cave

The Yellow Dragon Cave, sometimes translated as Huanglong Cave, is a natural karst (limestone) cave. It’s an impressive size, stretching to 15 km (9.3 mi) in length. You can walk around inside the cave and admire the huge stalagmites, which are lit up by multi-coloured lights. There are a lot of stone steps, which can be a little slippery in places (the stalagmites/stalactites are still forming, so there’s dripping water!). There’s also a sizeable lake inside the cave – a boat ride is included in the ticket price. I recommend walking around inside the caves first and taking the boat to the exit. Most visitors, especially tour groups, do the boat ride first, so you’ll escape the crowds.

Yellow Dragon Cave has a separate entrance ticket, which costs ¥96. Yellow Dragon Cave is located around 10km west from the national park entrance. You can get there by public bus (number 1), which takes half an hour and costs ¥2. The bus departs from the main road near the park’s main entrance (east entrance), and is the same stop as the bus to Baofeng Lake. You could also take a taxi or DiDi (Chinese Uber).

Overall, the cave is impressive but missable on your Zhangjiajie itinerary if you don’t have time. It’s good to visit on a bad weather day in Zhangjiajie, as you’re sheltered from the elements inside the cave.

Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge & Grand Canyon

Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge is an attraction that opened in 2016. The bridge is 430m (1,410 ft) in length, making it the second-longest glass bridge in the world. Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge is suspended a dizzying 300m (984 ft) from the ground. The transparent floor of the bridge allows for exhilarating and/or terrifying views of the canyon below. The bridge is made out of triple-layered toughened glass and is pretty sturdy, although there is a 600-person limit on the bridge at one time. The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon is a separate area with a zipline and hiking trails.

Tickets cost ¥219 for the bridge and canyon together. You can also buy separate bridge-only tickets, but it’s not really worth it due to the travel time to get there (40 minutes). Tickets need to be booked in advance online. There is a bus from Wulingyuan town to the glass bridge area costs ¥10.

Fenghuang Ancient City

Fenghuang (or Phoenix) ancient city is often included in Zhangjiajie itineraries. It’s actually located 230km (140 miles) away, but there’s a connecting bullet train which cuts down the journey time to an hour. Driving would take around 3.5-4 hours.

Fenghuang has beautiful ancient stilted houses overlooking the Tuojiang river, and is home to a large Miao (Hmong) ethnic minority population. Add an extra day onto your Zhangjiajie itinerary if you’re planning a visit to Fenghuang.

As with many tourist sites in China, Fenghuang is a victim of its own success. If you are planning to visit Fenghuang, just be aware that it feels extremely commercialised and touristy. But it’s worth a visit for the interesting architecture if you haven’t been to many ancient Chinese towns. It’s very doable as a day trip from Zhangjiajie, although some people will stay overnight so they can admire the night views.

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3-Day Zhangjiajie Itinerary

Here is my 3-day Zhangjiajie itinerary. There are also options to add an extra day. The days can be switched around if needed according to the weather – prioritise clear weather days for Yuanjiajie (day 2) and Tianmen Mountain (day 3).

Day 1 – Golden Whip Stream

Assuming you arrived in Zhangjiajie city by train in the morning, head to Wulingyuan town (taxi or bus) and drop your luggage off at your hotel.

Walk enter the park through the Wulingyuan entrance (east gate). Make sure you bring your passport! Take a shuttle bus to Golden Whip Stream (around 20 minutes). Not many crowds here, so there’s no need to worry about getting here early.

This is a relaxed and pleasant hike in a valley, following the stream. You’ll see ground-level views of the famous sandstone pillars and lots of wild monkeys. The hike takes takes around 2-3 hours and finishes at the south entrance (Zhangjiajie National Forest Park entrance).

Optional: if weather and time permit, head up to Huangshi Village (which is actually a mountain). You’ll need to take a shuttle bus from the end of the Golden Whip Stream trail to Huangshi Village. Take the cable car up (¥70) for some scenic views and more monkeys, then hike back down.

Exit the national park at the south entrance and either take the local bus (¥10) or a taxi back to Wulingyuan town.

Day 2 – Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain

Get up early to reach the park entrance at opening time to beat the queue for the Bailong Sky Elevator.

Yuanjiajie
Take the shuttle bus to Bailong Sky Elevator. Take the elevator up to the top of Yuanjiajie (¥65). Walk few hundred metres, and another shuttle bus will take you to the Yuanjiajie viewing platforms. Wander along the walkways and admire the stunning views, including the ‘Avatar mountains’. Notable views are the Sky Pillar and the No. 1 Bridge Under Heaven.

Tianzi Mountain
Take the shuttle bus to Tianzi Mountain. You’ll be on the upper part of the mountain, where the view is pretty spectacular. After completing the circuit on Tianzi Mountain, take the cable car down (¥72) – your feet will thank you.

Optional: walk along the Ten Mile Gallery to admire the ‘walkway’ of natural stone sculptures.

Take the shuttle bus back to the main entrance of the park.

Day 3 – Tianmen Mountain

Transfer to Zhangjiajie city in the early morning. Drop your luggage at your hotel in Zhangjiajie city and head to the Tianmen Mountain cable car entrance.

The queue may be quite long, but the cable car up really does offer unparalleled birds-eye views of the mountain, including of the 99 Bends Road.

Walk along the upper paths of the mountain. You can take the east or west path – it’s a loop, so it doesn’t matter hugely which one you take. Note that the glass skywalks are one-way, but there are sections on both the east and west routes. There are routes to bypass the skywalk and cliff walks if you’re feeling squeamish.

Take the escalator down to the foot of the Stairway to Heaven. You can walk up the 999 steps to Heaven’s Door or take the escalator. You’ll have to get back down again, so an easy option is to take the escalator up and walk the steps down.

Take the cable car back down.

(Optional Extra) Day 4

If you have an extra day I recommend visiting Yangjiajie if the weather is good, keeping Tianmen Mountain as the final day.

If the weather is bad, spend the morning at Yellow Dragon Cave and the afternoon at Baofeng Lake.

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Zhangjiajie Bilingual Glossary

• Bailong Sky Elevator // 百龙天梯 (bǎi lóng tiān tī) – outdoor elevator going to the top of Yuanjiajie aka ‘Avatar mountains’
• Baofeng Lake // 宝峰湖 (bǎo fēng hú) – a lake in the scenic area
• Fenghuang Ancient City // 凤凰古城 (fèng huáng gǔ chéng)
• Glass Bridge // 大峡谷玻璃桥 (dà xìá gǔ bō li qiáo)
• Huangshi Village // 黄石寨 huáng shí zhāi – mountain area connected to Golden Whip Stream
• Ten Mile Gallery // 十里画廊 (shí lǐ huà láng) – a hike with interesting natural rock formations at the base of Tianzi Mountain
• Three Sisters Peak // 三姐妹 (sān jiě mèi) – a rock formation at the base of Tianzi Mountain
• Tianmen Mountain // 天门山 (tiān mén shān) – mountain with ‘Heaven’s Gate’ in Zhangjiajie city (NOT the same as TianZI Mountain)
• Tianzi Mountain // 天子山 (tiān zǐ shān) – mountain in the national park (NOT the same as TianMEN Mountain)
• Wulingyuan // 武陵源 (wǔ líng yúan) – the town where the national park is located
• Yellow Dragon Cave // 黄龙洞 (huáng lóng dòng) – a large karst cave
• Yangjiajie // 杨家界 (yáng jiā jiè) – area with hiking trails in the national park (NOT the same as YUANjiajie)
• Yuanjiajie // 袁家界 (yuán jiā jiè) – where the ‘Avatar mountains’ are located (NOT the same as YANGjiajie)
• Zhangjiajie // 张家界 (zhāng jiā jiè) – the name of the national park and also the main city (lit. means Zhang family homeland)

Check out these other guides to help you plan your trip to China:
Booking Hotels in China
Getting Around in China
Paying in China
Essential Apps for China
Getting a SIM Card for China

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