Yuanjiajie - Seek the Prototype of “Avatar Hallelujah Mountains”

You may not know about Yuanjiajie (袁家界), but you must have watched the world-famous movie “Avatar” and still remember those stone mountains floating in the air. Yuanjiajie, located in the central part of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park at Wulingyuan Scenic Area is rightly the shooting location of those “Hallelujah Mountains” in reality. With so fascinating scenery, particularly its mysterious view with clouds and mists after some drizzle, Yuanjiajie changes extremely appealing to global tourists and is praised as the mysterious “Pandora World”. Once you open the magic world, you will catch the enchanting sightseeing of thousands of peculiar mountains standing spectacularly with distinct shapes and postures from the deep valley in front of your eyes, experience how fast an elevator in the world can reach, know how nature “builds” a stone bridge without manpower, etc.

The South Sky Pillar (南天一柱) (also known as the Pillar between Heaven and Earth 乾坤柱) is the landmark of Yuanjiajie. After Mr. James Cameron was inspired by the mountain and then formed the floating Hallelujah Mountain in "Avatar", the hill changed its name to "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain (阿凡达悬浮山)" in January 2010.

Soaring in the south part of Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, this quartz sandstone pillar mountain of 1,074 meters above sea and 150 meters high vertically rising high from the deep valley has an unbeatable view, with verdant plants growing on the top. With the peculiar appearance and obvious cutting by nature, this mountain looks like a giant standing so upright and strong under heaven.

Bailong Elevator

Bailong Elevator (百龙电梯) being the world tallest outdoor elevator by World Guinness Record is one of the must experience highlights at Yuanjiajie. This one of the “World 11 Creative Elevators” and the “World 10 Great Tourist Landscape Engineering”, Bailong Elevator for you to experiencing its incredible max speed at 5 m/s and the breathtaking 1 minute and 28 seconds to go the whole 326 meters height. As the lift car is formed with double glass, you can appreciate the impressive natural view with 48 distinct stone hills forming a strong troop in front of you. Besides, taking this elevator, you can save a lot of time as well to reach Hallelujah Mountain, No.1 Bridge in the World, Fascinating Platform and more beautiful scenic spots at Yuanjiajie.

The First Bridge of the World

The First Bridge of the World (天下第一桥) is the must-see spot at Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, because it is a rarely seen bridge made purely by nature around the globe. The stone platform of 5 meters links the two peaks, creating another wonder at Zhangjiajie.

Weathered by wind, rain and sunshine, the weak part of the original mountain disappeared gradually and there left only a hole between. Now what you can see is the stone bridge of 3 meters wide, 5 meters thick and about 20 meters long, with a relative height of nearly 400 meters. Being so hard to find in the world, it is called the No.1 Bridge in the World.

Enchanting Platform

Enchanting Platform (Mi Hun Tai 迷魂台), , also known as the Ecstasy Terrace, is about 400 meters east away from the No.1 Bridge in the World. Standing at the platform, you will marvel at the best unbelievable scenery with hundreds of various peaks erecting like stone bamboo shoots surrounding you, like pavilions, towers, etc., which is so fabulous! When the sun shines after a rain, the entire landscape is enveloped in soft, floating clouds and mist around the middle of the towering peaks. They appear and disappear, creating a beautiful scene that easily makes one wonder about the location and the existence of immortality.

Why not step onto the platform to see if you'll be fascinated by the mysterious sightseeing at Yuanjiajie?

The Backyard Garden

You shall not miss this “Natural Bonsai”! Countless peculiar hills make diverse poses in the valley and cultivate a lot of lush towering ancient trees on the peak, to make the secret garden of green and emerald to release the mind. Every time when clouds and mists linger there, this Backyard Garden (后花园) full of fresh air changes to the imperial garden in the Forbidden Palace in the ancient centuries.

Besides, there are lots of other recommended spots to enjoy at Yuanjiajie, you can see the silk-like hanging waterfall from a 200-high place, visit Yuanjia Tujia Village to experience some local folk life and culture, and so forth.

Classic Route (1.5-2 hours): Bailong Elevator - Hallelujah Mountain - No.1 Bridge in the World (vice versa)

• Take Bailong Elevator up to the pillar peak;
• Then take the sightseeing vehicle to the Enchanting Platform (迷魂台) to appreciate hundreds of stone bamboo shoots growing in the deep valley;（If you are physically fit, you can choose to walk to the Enchanting Platform, during which you could enjoy the lush scenery of “Natural Bonsai” at Backyard Garden (后花园);）
• Admire the real Hallelujah Mountain (哈利路亚山) at South Sky Pillar;
• Walk to The First Bridge (No.1 Bridge in The World, 天下第一桥) which is naturally formed and rarely seen in the world;
• Then you can take the sightseeing vehicle at No.1 Bridge in the World Parking Lot to continue your visit to Tianzi Mountain.

(1.5-2 hours)

Hiking Route (over 4 hours): Trek from the Luancuan Slope (start/end at the midst of the Golden Whip Stream) to the Back Garden, then continue to mountaintop touring.

Top Recommended Zhangjiajie Tour including Yuanjiajie:

Day 1: Arrive in Zhangjiajie. Traavellers are recommended to accommodate at Wulingyuan District.

Day 2: Visit Huangshi Village, the biggest sightseeing platform to enjoy the spectacular view of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, and then discover the pleasant scenery with ravine, flowers, grasses and birds along Golden Whip Stream.

Day 3: Take Bailong Elevator up to visit the whole Yuanjiajie to see the Avatar Hallelujah Mountain and other thousands of stone mountain pillars in front of you. After that, take a sightseeing bus to visit Tianzi Mountain to meet the four wonders there.

Day 4: Take the tourist train to travel along the Ten-mile Natural Galley in the deep peaceful valley with all around emerald hills. And if you are interested in photography, you can extend to visit the Fields in the Air (Kong Zhong Tian Yuan, 空中田园) to see the lovely bright fields and terrifically idyllic rural life high above in the air.

Best Zhangjiajie Tours to visit Yuanjiajie, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park:

☛ 3 Days Zhangjiajie Natural Beauty Tour
☛ 4 Days Zhangjiajie Highlights Tour with Fantastic Hiking Experience
☛ 4 Days Leisure Zhangjiajie Nature Discovery
☛ 5 Days Zhangjiajie Avatar Mountains Photography Tour

By Car:

From Zhangjiajie Downtown: about 50-60 minutes (34km);

From Zhangjajie Airport: about 50 minutes (37km);

From Zhangjaijie Railway Station: about 60 minutes (35km).

By Bus:

Take a coach from Zhangjiajie Central Bus Terminal to Wulingyuan Bus Terminal for about 50 minutes (35km), and then you can walk to Wulingyuan Sign Gate Station for about 15-20 minutes (1.2km).

Zhangjiajie is an incredible place with absolutely beautiful landscape under heaven. Travelers usually spend 3 to 5 days in and around Zhangjiajie. There is no doubt that Wulingyuan National Forest Park is the highlight of all the stunning attractions which needs to spend 2 days inside. If you have one more day, you should add Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon with Glass Bridge Experience or Tianmen Mountain into the trip. Some travelers choose to visit Yellow Dragon Cave or Baofeng Lake for one day. If you prefer Zhangjiajie day tours, you can always find a tour.

If you want to enjoy the antique beauty of ancient town, Fenghuang Ancient Town is the best choice for one to two days' escape. And, you can also consider of Fanjingshan Mountain to see the mushroom stone and odd mountains.

Most travelers would add Zhangjiajie into their longer China trip and you can go with Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Yangtze River Cruise, Guilin, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing and more. To customize your China tour with Zhangjiajie, just feel free to tell us your likes and demands, and we are here ready to help you at any time! Tailor make your China tour with China Discovery now!

Travel Zhangjiajie with China Discovery

To help you enjoy a worry-free trip to Zhangjiajie and the whole China, we suggest you travel with China Discovery. Our experienced travel expert will help you arrange the accommodation, transportation and everything well to let you spend all your effort and time on the sightseeing. If you have any other ideas or questions about your Zhangjiajie tour, please feel free to contact us. We will help you plan your enjoyable trip with sincerity and professionalism!

We have helped many global travelers enjoy their memorable trips to Zhangjiajie for the past few years. Among them Mr. Elie & his wife from Belgium enjoyed 5 days in Zhangjiajie during their 69 days China trip customized with us and shared us their travel story. Travel with China Discovery to create your wonderful Zhangjiajie trip memories! Our best Zhangjiajie tours include classic trip to Zhangjiajie National Park, Glass Bridge, Tianmen Mountain and China tours with Zhangjiajie, Guilin, etc.