How to Plan a Zhangjiajie Tour: Ultimate Trip Planning in Zhangjiajie

In recent years, Zhangjiajie has become particularly well known for its striking surrounding surreal landscape. I bet you know two things in Zhangjiajie, one is Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan National Forest Park where the real Avatar Mountains are located and the other is Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge over the Grand Canyon.

The UNESCO-protected national park represents the main attraction in Zhangjiajie, with over 3000 quartzite sandstone columns providing one of the region’s most arresting natural sights. While, the Glass bridge experience is the standard for trilling and adventurous activity in China. Actually, there are many stunning tourist attractions in Zhangjiajie well worth your time for further exploration.

No.1: Hold your Breath to Walk through Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge over Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon

Imagine that you are walking 300 meters in the air while you can clearly see the deep canyon under your feet through the transparent glass, how do you feel? It is so thrilling and your feet may shake unconsciously. This is the must-do activity when paying a visit to Zhangjiajie. Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge is the longest and highest glass-bottled bridge in the world, with the full length of 430 meters and height of 300 meters above the valley bottom. Hold your breath and catch 360 degree view of the canyon on the hanging bridge.

Learn more about Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon and Its Glass Bridge Experience >>

No.2: Take the World’s Tallest Outdoor Lift - Bailong Elevator to See Avatar Mountains in Real

Recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s tallest outdoor lift, Bailong Elevator (百龙天梯) is the best and most convenient way up to Yuanjiajie Scenic Area to see Avatar Mountains in reality. Only 1 minute 28 seconds, you’ll climb up to the top of 326-meter peak. Otherwise, you need to spend around 3 hours hiking up to the mountain. With the fast Bailong elevator, you’ll travel like a rocket sending into the air with numerous peaks in thousands of postures in your sight. When arriving upon the peak, you can continue your walking to Yuanjiajie to find thousands of foliage covered vertical stone columns that rise up into the sky. It is this unique feature that helped inspire the floating Hallelujah Mountains of Pandora in the film Avatar.

Learn more about Bailong Elevator Experience in Yuanjiajie Scenic Area >>

Tianmen Mountain attracts lot of travelers coming to Zhangjiajie. It has everything for all, complete with 3 cliff hanging glass bridges, various temples, a forest hike, plenty of cliff hanging walkway, the longest cable car in the world, a chair lift, the gateway to heaven, 999 steps and 99 turns toward heaven. Sound like a great place to spend a day? It sure is.

Many travelers who have been to Tianmen Mountain and they said riding a cable car to Tianmen Mountain is the highlight of the Tianmen Mountain journey. Claimed in the tourist publication as the “longest passenger cableway of high mountains in the world”, Tianmen Mountain cableway starts from Zhangjiajie downtown area and ends at the top of the mountain, with a total length of 7455 meters. With the cable car in a fine weather, you can enjoy some fantastic views changing from the cityscape, beautiful farmland to the national forest park, and catch the sight of 99 turns winding sharply on the ground, Tianmen Cave (Heaven’s Gate Cave), the oval opening in the side of the mountain. At the end of the journey, the cable car makes a sharp turn upwards, giving you an unforgettable experience at the begining of your Tianmen Mountain visit.

Learn more about Tianmen Mountain Cableway & Other Thrilling Activity >>

No.4: Take a Beautiful Scenic Route through Golden Whip Stream in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

To explore Zhangjiajie National Forest Park with some exciting hiking experience, it is a good idea to take a beautiful scenic route through Golden Whip Stream, a 7-kilometer long stream flowing from the west to the east. This site is best suitable for photographers, nature lovers, hiker and adventure enthusiasts.

Golden Whip Steam was named after the Golden Whip Rock standing by the stream. After entering Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Ticket Station, travelers need to walk ahead for 300 meters and arrive at the entrance of Golden Whip Stream. The natural Golden Whip Stream runs through the peaks and the valley. Rare trees and wild flowers grow along the stream. Along the way, you will also encounter with wild monkeys and they can get up close and personal. While hike and taking photographs, time steals away from you. The whole hiking experience is about 2-3 hours.

Learn more about Golden Whip Stream >>

Reputed as the Most Beautiful Tiny Town in China, Fenghuang Ancient Town has more than 400 years’ history situated in the southwest of Zhangjiajie, about 200 km away. Fenghuang Ancient Town has the same fame like Lijiang Ancient Town in Yunnan Province and Pingyao Ancient Town in Shanxi Province.

With the clear Tuo River winding through the old town, there are many unique wooden houses called DiaoJiaolou built alongside. Taking a boat trip along the Tuo River is a great way to have a better view of the houses. Besides, it will be very enjoyable to take a relaxing walk on the old streets with dozens of ancient lanes and ancient residence in Ming and Qing Dynasties. You’ll explore Yang’s Ancestral Hall (杨家祠堂), Longevity Palace (万寿宫), Former Residence of Shen Congwen (沈从文故居), Former Residence ofr Xiong Xiling (熊希龄故居) and so on.

Learn more about Fenghuang Ancient Town and Top Fenghuang Ancient Town Tour >>

Recommended Tour: 6 Days Zhangjiajie Tour with Antique Furong & Fenghuang Ancient Towns >>

To pick the best time to travel to Zhangjiajie, you should first know the general climate and weather of Zhangjiajie. Located in the north middle latitude, Zhangjiajie has distinct four seasons - warm and wet spring, hot and rainy summer, comfortable and dry autumn and cold and sometimes snowy winter. The annual average temperature is about 16℃. In a year, the hottest month is July, and the average temperature of this month is between 26.3℃ to 30℃. While the coldest month is January, and the average temperature is between 3.5 and 4.3℃.

Considering the temperature and scenery, the best time to visit Zhangjiajie is from April to October when weather is pleasant and comfortable and scenery is attracting and impressive. However, depending on the experience you’re looking for, there may be a different season better suited for what you want to enjoy.

Nowadays, there are high-speed trains connecting Zhangjiajie with Changsha (shortening the transfer time from 4-5 hours to 2.5-3.5 hours), Chongqing (less than 4 hours), Chengdu (7.5 hours), Guilin (7.5 hours), Beijing (10.5 hours), Shanghai (9.5 hours)... Travelers can also take normal trains to Zhangjiajie from Yichang (4.5-5 hours), Tongren (about 7 hours), Xian (15 hours), Wuhan (10 hours), and so on. Learn more about Trains to Zhangjiajie >>

● Zhangjiajie West Railway Station (张家界西站)

Address: Wulingshan Avenue, Shadi Town, Yongding District, Zhangjhiajie (张家界市永定区北部沙提乡武陵山大道). 6km from Zhangjiajie downtown.

● Zhangjiajie Railway Station (张家界火车站)

Address: Guanli Road, Yongding District, Zhangjiajie City (张家界市永定区官黎路)

1. Wulingyuan Town: It has the most scenic attractions in and around, including Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Yuanjiajie, Tianzi Mountain, Baofeng Lake, Yellow Dragon Cave and Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, etc. Most travelers would like to spend their night in Wulingyuan Town after arrival and there are a large number of hotels from 5 star (including international bands) to 3 star and also many hostels and inns to meet your needs. Know more Recommended Hotels in Wulingyuan Town >>

2. Near Ticket Station of Outside of Wulingyuan National Forest Park: For travelers who want to stay close to Wulingyuan National Forest Park, you can stay outside of the ticket stations under the foot of the beautiful mountains of the park, which are Forest Park Ticket Station and Zimugang Ticket Station. You can easily make a trip to Yuanjiajie, Huangshi Village and Golden Whip Stream. There are multiple comfortable and budget hotels and hostels, however, which may be not luxury compared to those in Wulingyuan Town.

3. Zhangjiajie Downtown Area: Many travelers would like to spend one or two nights in Zhangjiajie downtown area. This place is great for travelers who want to explore Tianmen Mountain, or who arrive in Zhangjiajie by late flight or train and also it is great if you have an early leaving schedule to end your trip. Zhangjiajie downtown area is not very big, however, it has a rich array of luxury hotels, comfort hotels, budget hotels and many other good boutique hotels and hostels. Know more Recommended Hotels in Zhangjiajie Downtown Area >>

Yangtze River Cruise: Zhangjiajie should not be a single destination of your trip in China. It is a good idea to combine a Zhangjiajie tour after 4-day Yangtze River downstream cruise from Chongqing to Yichang or before a 5-day Yangtze River upstream cruise from Yichang to Chongqing. Both of the two destinations will be scenic and eye catching.

>> 7 Days Nature Tour to Yangtze River & Zhangjiajie

Chongqing: Chongqing, celebrated for its piquant dishes and multi-tiered urban layout, deserves a day in your itinerary to explore its unique transportation systems, including the dramatic Liziba Station, and iconic spots like E’ling Park and the Hongya Cave. For those with a passion for history and the great outdoors, don't miss the nearby UNESCO gems: the spectacular Wulong Karst Geopark and the ancient Dazu Rock Carvings, truly compelling destinations.

>> 6 Days Chongqing Zhangjiajie Surreal Adventure with Wulong Karst

Xian: Called the 13 ancient China dynasties, Xian is undisputed the perfect representation of Chinese dynastic history and culture. It will be great to spend around 2 days in Xian exploring Terracotta Warriors and Big Wild Goose Pagoda, taking a walk on Muslim Quarter and Ancient City Wall. Then take a 1.5 hour flight to Zhangjiajie. The two destinations are perfect combination of history and nature.

>> 7 Days Xian Mount Hua Zhangjiajie National Park Tour

Guilin & Yangshuo: Known as “the finest scenery under heaven”, Guilin offers you a chance to get up closer with the glamorous world of hills, rivers, countryside and adventures. Cruising along the picturesque Li River, cycling around historically and culturally Yangshuo Old Town, hiking through the magnificent Longji Rice Terrace...Various activities await you to do. Both Zhangjiajie and Guilin are scenic destinations, but Guilin is more relaxing than Zhangjiajie with amazing waterscape surrounded by Karst mountains.

>> 7 Days Best Guilin Zhangjiajie Landscape Exploration

Mount Fanjing: Located in Tongren, Guizhou Province, Mount Fanjing is about 330 kilometers away from Zhangjiajie. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018. It is the highest peak of the Wulingyuan Mountains in southwestern China, at an elevation of 2570 meters. Fanjingshan, which in Chinese means “Buddhist tranquility”, has also been a sacred site for Buddhist since the Tang Dynasty. Besides, it is a fantastic nature reserve with bizarre rock formations and dominating summit of stones all-above-the-clouds.

>> 7 Days Zhangjiajie to Fanjingshan Unbelievable Nature Tour

Besides above destinations, many travelers may also cover Changsha, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Jiuzhaigou, Huangshan, Hong Kong and Guangzhou and so on into their trip. If you have your own ideas for your Zhangjiajie China trip, please feel free to let us know and we can customize the tour for you at any time.