I had never even heard of Zhangjiajie 6 months back, but I fell in love with it at first sight...
Zhangjiajie (pronounced jung-jyaa-jyeah), home to 2 AAAAA scenic areas by China National Tourism is a city located in the northwestern part of the Hunan Province. The Wulingyuan Scenic Area, recognised as China's first national park in 1982 and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, the Tianmen Mountains as well as the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon make up some of the most spectacular natural landscapes in this remote part of China.
Wulingyuan Scenic Area
Covering 102 sq miles, the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, is a little piece of heaven on Earth. Over 3000 quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks form the landscape of the Wulingyuan Scenic Area. Every corner of the park, every turn in the path leads to wonderful picturesque landscapes. No wonder that these pillars were one of the inspirations for the Hallelujah Mountains in the movie Avatar - one pillar, the Southern Sky Column, has even been renamed the Avatar Hallelujah Mountain in honour of the film back in 2010.
The scenic area can be split into a few main areas for visit.
- Tianzi Mountain - famous for its clouds and pillars flowing thru the quartz sandstone pillars
- Yuanjiajie - the most popular and most crowded part of the park. Also, home to the famous Avatar Hallelujah Mountain and The First Bridge Under Heaven
- Yangjiajie - this is a newly discovered area of the park which is extremely challenging (read steep) to cover.
- Golden Whip Stream - an easy and relaxing walk in the valley
- Yellow Stone Village - its not a village. This area is very similar to Yuanjiajie just not as spectacular (hence not as crowded as well)
- Lastly, Laowuchang (Old House Area) - currently undeveloped but accessible with no crowds
Tianmen Mountains
Words do not do justice to this mountain - standing at over 1500m tall, home to Heaven's Gate (Tianmen Cave), the longest cable car ride in the world (a little shy of 7.5kms), cliff side walks some made purely of glass, road with 99 hairpin bends - every turn on this mountain takes your breath away.
The mountain is not just a paradise for photographers but also one for folks seeking adventure sports as there are few (powered paragliding, cycling down the slopes, drift racing, etc) that are held here.
Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon & Glass Walkway
Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon is a natural wonderland - one that is not easy to get to. Over a thousand steps down a narrow canyon one makes it down into the valley to be greeted with beautiful waterfalls, lush mountains, mystical streams, bandit caves and extremely fresh air. The glass walkway (Zhangjiajie Skywalk) is a thrilling engineering marvel as well.
Our Trip
Travel from Hong Kong to Zhangjiajie
- TransIsland Bus from Sheung Wan to Shenzhen Bay. Clear Immigration for China and then take subsequent bus from Shenzhen Bay to Shenzhen Airport
- Flight from Shenzhen Airport to Zhangjiajie
- Airport Pickup arranged by guide from Zhangjiajie airport to Pullman Hotel in Wulingyuan
- Wulingyuan National Park - Tianzi Mountains with cable car ride up
- Yuanjiajie Avatar Mountain with Bailong Elevator ride down
- Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge
- Climb down to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon and do the walk
- Baofeng Lake
- Tianmen Mountain / Heavens Gate
Travel Back from Zhangjiajie to Hong Kong
- Airport transfer arranged by guide from Pullman Hotel Wulingyuan to Zhangjiajie Airport
- Flight from Zhangjiajie to Shenzhen
- TransIsland Bus from Shenzhen Airport to Shenzhen Bay. Clear Immigration for Hong Kong and take subsequent bus from Shenzhen Bay to Sheung Wan
Day 1
Day 1 saw us taking the TransIsland Coach from the Sheung Wan/Macau Ferry Terminal in Hong Kong first to Shenzhen Bay Port which was approximately a 45 min ride.
We then cleared Immigration and Customs for China at Shenzhen Bay and then got on another Coach for Shenzhen Airport. Our journey from home to Shenzhen Airport was roughly 2 hours.
At Shenzhen Airport we marvelled at the size of the place as well as the size of the Hyatt located right across from it.
At Shenzhen Airport we marvelled at the size of the place as well as the size of the Hyatt located right across from it.
We checked in and as we had plenty of time to kill, we got some dinner before clearing security and heading towards our flight.
Currently there is only one flight operating between Shenzhen and Zhangjiajie.
China Southern Airlines departs Shenzhen @22:15 arriving at Zhangjiajie @23:55. For the return journey, China Southern Airlines departs Zhangjiajie @06:55 arriving at Shenzhen @08:35
After a rather uneventful flight, we reached Zhangjiajie on time and were met by the driver arranged by Kelly & Chris at the arrival gate. A very polite guy who could not speak English beyond "Hello" took our bags and drove us to the Pullman Hotel in Wulingyuan - a journey of around 35 mins. Kelly & Chris kept in touch with us thruout the ride, ensuring we were comfortable with the driver as well as confirming start times for our guided tour tomorrow (this was well past midnight!)
Currently there is only one flight operating between Shenzhen and Zhangjiajie.
China Southern Airlines departs Shenzhen @22:15 arriving at Zhangjiajie @23:55. For the return journey, China Southern Airlines departs Zhangjiajie @06:55 arriving at Shenzhen @08:35
After a rather uneventful flight, we reached Zhangjiajie on time and were met by the driver arranged by Kelly & Chris at the arrival gate. A very polite guy who could not speak English beyond "Hello" took our bags and drove us to the Pullman Hotel in Wulingyuan - a journey of around 35 mins. Kelly & Chris kept in touch with us thruout the ride, ensuring we were comfortable with the driver as well as confirming start times for our guided tour tomorrow (this was well past midnight!)
Day 2
I had read during my research that one needed to get to the park early to avoid the lines and wondered why our guide had scheduled a 9:30am start. I got a little worried when I saw hordes of people waiting at the hotel lobby when we went down for breakfast around 7am. It was later that our guide, Chris, explained that unless one leaves really early, it is best to reach slightly later when most of the large tour groups have already made their way in and dispersed within the parks. Plus, we were there in the last week of June and as schools had not closed for the summer yet the crowd was not as massive as expected.
We started from our hotel around quarter to 10, a slight hiccup with not carrying our passports with us delayed us a bit. From the Pullman Hotel the entrance to the Wulingyuan National Park is less than a 5 mins drive.
We started from our hotel around quarter to 10, a slight hiccup with not carrying our passports with us delayed us a bit. From the Pullman Hotel the entrance to the Wulingyuan National Park is less than a 5 mins drive.
Once at the gate we passed thru security and while our guide went to get our tickets, I went to see what was behind the beautiful building. Expecting to see a gorgeous valley, I was a little disappointed when it turned out to be just a bus stand with 10s of busses parked waiting to carry passengers to the various sights. I knew we were taking the cable car up and I should've known this could not be the start as I did not see any cable cars around, but I guess the excitement got the best of me.
The one thing that I did notice near the gate was the information wall with a poster advertising app that provides guiding and information on Zhangjiajie. As we had Chris with us we did not need to rely on the app but I still downloaded it thru the QR code to compare how it fares (If interested the name of the app is Xiao Lu Smart Guide ).
The one thing that I did notice near the gate was the information wall with a poster advertising app that provides guiding and information on Zhangjiajie. As we had Chris with us we did not need to rely on the app but I still downloaded it thru the QR code to compare how it fares (If interested the name of the app is Xiao Lu Smart Guide ).
At first the app seemed extremely daunting especially considering I don't know a word of Mandarin but as you play around with it (and try using Google Translate), it does become a little easy to navigate. The audio commentary on the homepage was all in Mandarin but in the commentary tab with the map the descriptions of each of the spots was in English. If one is planning on doing the area without a guide, this app could possibly help chalk out routes one may want to do.
Anyways, as Chris came back with our tickets we proceeded towards the gate to start finally start the day. Different websites quote various pricing for the entrance ticket to the park - the pricing as of June 2019 was as follows:
Anyways, as Chris came back with our tickets we proceeded towards the gate to start finally start the day. Different websites quote various pricing for the entrance ticket to the park - the pricing as of June 2019 was as follows:
- March to November: ¥225 (roughly HK$250/US$32) for Adults and ¥160 (roughly HK$178/US$23) for Children
- December to February: ¥115 (roughly HK$128/US$16) for Adults and ¥85 (roughly HK$95/US$12) for Children
Note: the tickets are valid for 4 days from the date of purchase and are non-transferable. Finger print scans are taken at the entrance that binds each ticket to a person.
As we made our way thru the entrance we noticed different alighting points for busses headed to different areas of the park - shuttles going towards the elevator vs towards the cable car. We made our way towards the shuttle that would take us to the cable car entrance - the line had over 30 people in front of us as a big tour had made their way right before us, so we prepared for a wait as one bus had just departed. We noted that there was no wait for the next shuttle to arrive as the next bus came as soon as the first departed, and wondered how many of those busses were actually driving around the park.
It was not best day weather-wise and our guide was not very happy that there was a lot of mist/cloud at the top of the cable car and kept suggesting that we take the elevator up instead, but c'mon this is nature we're talking about. It doesn't run on our schedules and clouds/mist gives a very different feel to a place - mystical! He was worried that we would complain about photographs not coming out "nice" (he'd had complaints in the past from other tours he had conducted) and was constantly in touch with his other tour guide friends determining the best route for the day - a little reassurance from our side that we were more interested in the experience helped assuage his doubts. Plus we don't travel with cameras, forget dslrs, we don't even carry our simple point and shoot - whatever photos we take are for our memories from our trusty phones. Anyways, it was around a 20 min drive to the cable car entrance and the mountains just kept getting more beautiful the further in we drove.
It was not best day weather-wise and our guide was not very happy that there was a lot of mist/cloud at the top of the cable car and kept suggesting that we take the elevator up instead, but c'mon this is nature we're talking about. It doesn't run on our schedules and clouds/mist gives a very different feel to a place - mystical! He was worried that we would complain about photographs not coming out "nice" (he'd had complaints in the past from other tours he had conducted) and was constantly in touch with his other tour guide friends determining the best route for the day - a little reassurance from our side that we were more interested in the experience helped assuage his doubts. Plus we don't travel with cameras, forget dslrs, we don't even carry our simple point and shoot - whatever photos we take are for our memories from our trusty phones. Anyways, it was around a 20 min drive to the cable car entrance and the mountains just kept getting more beautiful the further in we drove.
Once you reach the cable car stop, you cross a small stretch of vendors selling refreshments, snacks, souvenirs to a path that leads up (I can't remember the number of sure) around 70 off steps to the entrance of the cable car. I realised the intense humidity in the air especially when climbing up the stairs. The steps are lined with photographs and paintings of the National Park by various artists and as our guide had gone to purchase tickets for the cable car, we slowly made our way up admiring these and some were truly amazing.
There was no line for the cable car ride - we were ushered in as soon as we made it to the entrance and had a car all to ourselves to ride up over around 700m (~10mins) to the top of Tianzi Mountains (close to 1200m high). I believe a lot of other people might have just gone to the other side of the park and used the elevator up as the weather was a little clearer there. It didn't matter much to us though, it made the place easier to see with less crowd - and to be honest, the clouds made the mountains surreal!
There was no line for the cable car ride - we were ushered in as soon as we made it to the entrance and had a car all to ourselves to ride up over around 700m (~10mins) to the top of Tianzi Mountains (close to 1200m high). I believe a lot of other people might have just gone to the other side of the park and used the elevator up as the weather was a little clearer there. It didn't matter much to us though, it made the place easier to see with less crowd - and to be honest, the clouds made the mountains surreal!
The video is not the best - I was facing to see the climb up but had my phone facing the wrong way, and as I'm pretty scared of heights, I refused to move once the cable car started climbing. I think it was a around a 8-10 min ride up and as soon as we got off I found myself in the middle of the clouds, and it was absolutely amazing.
There was hardly any visibility at the top of the mountain but the clouds were moving and we knew it would only be a matter of time before things cleared up a bit. As you walk down the path in the photo from the cable cars towards the valley, the very first thing that you're greeted with is a HUGE McDonald's - there are 4 franchises in the Zhangjiajie area and the largest of the lot is on top of the mountains! As you cross the McDonalds you come across various paths leading to different sightseeing points.
We made our way across the beautiful Tianzi Pavilion - a six story tall Pagoda which I'm sure offered amazing views of the valley.
We made our way across the beautiful Tianzi Pavilion - a six story tall Pagoda which I'm sure offered amazing views of the valley.
I still regret not going up the Pagoda to get a view of the valley, but I think at that moment, I was more excited to head down the paths to see the rock formations.
For anyone with questions about the steps, I wish I could say that they were far and few, but alas, its quite the opposite. This park requires a lot of walking and a LOT of climbing. We went around the easier way and stuck to the tourist paths and the steps were well paved, very even and most of all non-slippery. Here are a few highlights of the sights from this side of the park.
After spending around an hour and half exploring various viewing platforms, we then made our way up to towards the bus stop. We passed the bronze status of Marshal He Long on our way - at first, he was an outlaw but regarded as Robin Hood by the poor as he would plunder the rich and provide for the poor.
He Long went on to become a powerful military leader eventually joining the Communist Party and becoming one of the 10 Marshals of China.
After a quick lunch at a buffet on the mountains, we got to the bus stop to make our way towards Yuanjiajie - the most popular (and most crowded) area of the park. It was a little less than an hour's ride to Yangjiajie - home to the Avatar Hallelujah Mountains!
The bus stops always had small shops with vendors selling refreshments, food and souvenirs - these were a blessing especially if you're running short on water. Past the shops we got on to a path that led us towards the cliff edge - a bunch of steps up - a few steps down - passing plenty of monkeys on the way (something I was not too fond of, especially people feeding them!) - we finally made it to The First Bridge Under Heaven.
After a quick lunch at a buffet on the mountains, we got to the bus stop to make our way towards Yuanjiajie - the most popular (and most crowded) area of the park. It was a little less than an hour's ride to Yangjiajie - home to the Avatar Hallelujah Mountains!
The bus stops always had small shops with vendors selling refreshments, food and souvenirs - these were a blessing especially if you're running short on water. Past the shops we got on to a path that led us towards the cliff edge - a bunch of steps up - a few steps down - passing plenty of monkeys on the way (something I was not too fond of, especially people feeding them!) - we finally made it to The First Bridge Under Heaven.
This is the highest natural bridge in the world - a unique creation connecting two pieces of rock at a height of 357m. You can cross the bridge and get to the platform on the other side which (as per our guide) provides good views but it was too crowded and we decided to walk ahead instead.
Slightly further ahead one comes across a pond filled with koi fish and a vendor selling more on the side. You basically buy a fish - make a wish - and then release it into the pond.
Slightly further ahead one comes across a pond filled with koi fish and a vendor selling more on the side. You basically buy a fish - make a wish - and then release it into the pond.
Slightly further ahead, one finally comes upon the scenery that I had been waiting for all day - the inspiration behind the floating Hallelujah Mountains in the movie Avatar. These quartz sandstone pillars were absolutely breathtaking!
From here we headed toward the Bailong Elevator, passing more gorgeous pillars (and some monkeys on the way)
I must say, we had been very lucky with queues around the park all day - I seriously think the we beat the holiday rush for our visit. Having read that there are long queues (1-2 hour wait which can go up to 4 hours), it took us less than 10 mins to catch the elevator down. Bailong Elevator or Hundred Dragons Elevator is the world's highest, fastest and largest load outdoor lift and holds a Guinness World record for it. As per the TopChinaTravel.com website, there are 3 sightseeing elevators that run parallelly (only 2 of which were running when we went). They can carry 50 people in each trip and now run at a rate of 5 m/s (earlier was 3 m/s), and if all 3 elevators run simultaneously they can carry 4000 people an hour one way.
The thing with the elevator is that only one side has the sightseeing window and unless you're one of the first 10 people in the queue or are super tall, you would not get to see much. Thankfully, we were among the first 10 :-)
The thing with the elevator is that only one side has the sightseeing window and unless you're one of the first 10 people in the queue or are super tall, you would not get to see much. Thankfully, we were among the first 10 :-)
From here we took the bus back to the entrance (around a 15-20min drive) where our car was waiting to drive us back to our hotel. If we had another day in the park, I would have loved to do the Golden Whip trek as well as try the Ten Mile Gallery. Yangjiajie, is still a question mark for me - it is rated as one of the most difficult treks in the park and I don't think I have the physical ability to experience it in entirety.
Steps walked: 15,399 ~ Distance: 10kms ~ Flights Climbed: 38 floors
Day 3
Today our plan was visit to the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon and the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge / the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Skywalk. Eventhough I have a fear of heights, I was very excited to see the relatively recently opened suspension glass bridge over the canyon.
The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Skywalk was opened in 2016 and is, I believe, currently the world's highest and longest Glass Bridge. It's 430m long and 6m wide hovering over a 300m vertical drop into the canyon. A bungee jumping base platform has also been built into the bridge (around midway) but was not operational - when operational it would, I believe, be the highest bungee jump (270m drop) in the world!
The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Skywalk was opened in 2016 and is, I believe, currently the world's highest and longest Glass Bridge. It's 430m long and 6m wide hovering over a 300m vertical drop into the canyon. A bungee jumping base platform has also been built into the bridge (around midway) but was not operational - when operational it would, I believe, be the highest bungee jump (270m drop) in the world!
The bridge is listed as one of the most spectacular bridges in the world and with the popularity increasing month on month, restrictions on entry have been put into play. The bridge has a maximum capacity of 8000 people per day with 600 people at any given time. Tickets now need to be bought 10 days in advance (and are linked to ones ID/Passport) and entry to the bridge is allowed only during the allotted time period as per the ticket.
Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge and Grand Canyon can be and should be done in a single day and ticket sales are provided appropriately as well.
As you pass thru the gates where your tickets and passports/ID is checked, you enter an area where you're handed booties to wear over your shoes (High heels and shoes with spikes are not allowed on the bridge). Also, do not carry too much baggage with you as only small bags are allowed on the bridge (as well as Canyon).
Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge and Grand Canyon can be and should be done in a single day and ticket sales are provided appropriately as well.
- Ticket A: For visiting only the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon - ¥121
- Ticket B: Combined ticket for visiting the Glass Bridge plus the Grand Canyon: ¥259 [Time periods are allotted at the time of booking this ticket: 8:00-9:59 / 10:00-12:59 / 13:00-15:00 - Entry must be made within the time on the ticket, else the ticket is invalid. Also, one has to enter the Grand Canyon before 15:30]
- Ticket C: For visiting just the Glass Bridge: ¥141 [Time period of entering in Ticket C is between 15:20-17:00]
As you pass thru the gates where your tickets and passports/ID is checked, you enter an area where you're handed booties to wear over your shoes (High heels and shoes with spikes are not allowed on the bridge). Also, do not carry too much baggage with you as only small bags are allowed on the bridge (as well as Canyon).
Once ready with your shoes covered, you head towards the bridge and marvel at the sight that awaits you.
A quick walk down the wood panelled steps gets you to the glass bridge. Designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, the bridge is an architectural delight albeit pretty scary!
Initially I stuck mostly to the metal structures on the side avoiding the glass as much as possible. For a person who is scared of heights, just looking down the glass panels was making me dizzy.
Initially I stuck mostly to the metal structures on the side avoiding the glass as much as possible. For a person who is scared of heights, just looking down the glass panels was making me dizzy.
Viewing the canyon below, I couldn't wait to make my way down - it looked so serene and beautiful. Plus, there is a lot of construction still going on the other side of the canyon, so its pretty noisy up on the bridge. From what we could see, they seem to be constructing elevators and more walkways.
Before we made our way down to the canyon, I was coaxed into stepping on the glass panels by both my husband and the guide - neither of whom could understand how I could make it all the way here and not experience the thrill behind the bridge. Over 100 glass panels are placed across the bridge - each panel is made of 3 layered 2 inch tempered glass. Seeing the kids wandering around with no care in the world that they were walking on glass did slightly build my courage a bit (hurt my ego possibly?)
My closed fist says it all in the photo - I was not happy being on that glass. Yes, they’ve driven a massive SUV across it and even one of the tourist coach buses, but c’mon people - I’m on a piece of glass over a 300m deep canyon! I thought with time I would get used to walking on the glass, but I didn't. I think it was also because of the option available to walk on the metal on the side.
Soon enough the light drizzle turned into a proper shower and as the bridge emptied out we also to make our way towards the canyon.
As we made our way toward the entrance to the way down to the canyon, .my pre-trip research again proved insufficient. I knew we had to make our way down 300m - what I did not know what that it was 300m in a continuous walk down steps with barely any place to take a break.
As we made our way toward the entrance to the way down to the canyon, .my pre-trip research again proved insufficient. I knew we had to make our way down 300m - what I did not know what that it was 300m in a continuous walk down steps with barely any place to take a break.
To get to the bottom of the canyon one needs to walk down a very steep set of stairs - and if the fact that the steps are steep wasn't enough, there are over a 1000 of them to climb down. Some of the sets are so steep that they look almost vertical. This narrow gap between two mountain cliffs is quite aptly named the Strip of Sky as one can only see a narrow strip of the sky above when walking down. This is currently the only way down to the canyon (the elevators being constructed on the other side may make the valley more accessible)
Now, on top of the fact that the steps are steep and there are way too many, add the fact its pouring which make them a little slippery as well - oh! and not to mention the humidity which makes it feel like you're breathing water. The climb down on a rainy day not just require enough physical stamina but also mental strength as well. Halfway down the cliff though, one is greeted by a 600m marble slide - there is an option to walk down the steps as well but the slide is really cool and a lot of fun. One is given a canvas wrap to tie around their waist (for easy sliding and not ruining your own clothes) and gloves (with rubber) for braking!
With wobbly legs we made our way down the slide and were greeted with sights like no other and totally worth the climb down. As they say, difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. And, what a beauty this was! The walk through the canyon was very refreshing filled with lush forest, ponds with colours I’ve never seen before, beautiful cliffs, natural springs and gorgeous waterfalls!
Now, on top of the fact that the steps are steep and there are way too many, add the fact its pouring which make them a little slippery as well - oh! and not to mention the humidity which makes it feel like you're breathing water. The climb down on a rainy day not just require enough physical stamina but also mental strength as well. Halfway down the cliff though, one is greeted by a 600m marble slide - there is an option to walk down the steps as well but the slide is really cool and a lot of fun. One is given a canvas wrap to tie around their waist (for easy sliding and not ruining your own clothes) and gloves (with rubber) for braking!
With wobbly legs we made our way down the slide and were greeted with sights like no other and totally worth the climb down. As they say, difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. And, what a beauty this was! The walk through the canyon was very refreshing filled with lush forest, ponds with colours I’ve never seen before, beautiful cliffs, natural springs and gorgeous waterfalls!
Closer to the end of the walk there is a zipline available for the adventurous and for those who's legs are giving away. It looked pretty exciting and costs ¥30 per person, but my fear of heights plus dangling from a rope up in the air don't really go well together, so we decided to skip this and to be honest it only saves less than 10 mins of walking. Further past the zipline finish, one comes up to one of the famous Bandit Caves of the area. A walk through the cave gets you to the other side of the canyon and the very last portion of the canyon walk where a small reservoir is set up for generating hydropower. A short boat ride on the reservoir brings you to the very end of the walk and right where you had started in the first place - in front of the parking lot from where one took the shuttle up.
The Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge plus the Grand Canyon walk took us around 4-4.5 hours to complete. By the time we reached our car in the parking lot, it was way past lunch time and we were famished. Thankfully our guide, Chris, having taken account of our likes and dislikes the day before had arranged a fabulous lunch for us in Wulinyuan Town. The ride back to town was spent nursing our tired legs - to be honest we had not walked as much as the day before, but the steps had been challenging. At this point I could walk up stairs, but my legs would get wobbly again if I had to walk down any steps.
After a scrumptious meal, we headed to our last destination for the day - Baofeng Lake. Located in the Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve, it is said that around the 1970s local villagers built dams to generate electricity which inadvertently created this scenic spot. Set in the gorges high up in the mountains, one can either hike up to the lake or take the numerous shuttle busses provided.
30 mins boat rides (commentary only in Chinese) are available to experience the ever emerald green waters of the lake which on average has a dept of 72m but at one point reaches 90m. As you take a ride on the boat, numerous small huts can be seen along the way from where locals entertain the guests by singing beautiful melodies.
After the boat ride, we took the shuttle down and then headed up to see the Baofeng Waterfall. Situated right at the entrance of the road up to the mountain, this waterfall has a height of around 100m and a walk up to the bridge to see it up close was indeed a lot of fun (though the steps down were still painful)
After the boat ride, we took the shuttle down and then headed up to see the Baofeng Waterfall. Situated right at the entrance of the road up to the mountain, this waterfall has a height of around 100m and a walk up to the bridge to see it up close was indeed a lot of fun (though the steps down were still painful)
Once we had our share of fun at the waterfall, our guide was adamant that we see the 75 year old Salamander that, I think, is kept for show. Behind the shops near the shuttle bus stops there are 3 Salamanders that are kept in glass cases for tourists to see. Firstly, I'm not very fond of reptiles and secondly, I'm also not very fond of wildlife in captivity but the guide was very excited to show us the salamanders so we acquiesced - there is supposedly also a salamander museum that one can visit as well (I have no comments on this!)
Baofeng Lake is included in the Combo Ticket for Wulingyuan Scenic Area (¥225 ticket for Day 2) - but can also be purchased separately if the scenic area is not on your agenda (I would question why though!?!) for ¥96 per person.
The salamander could have been avoided, but other than that it was a great day. The moment we got dropped off at the hotel, the very first thing we did was head to the spa and book ourselves foot massages to alleviate the pain in our sore legs!
The salamander could have been avoided, but other than that it was a great day. The moment we got dropped off at the hotel, the very first thing we did was head to the spa and book ourselves foot massages to alleviate the pain in our sore legs!
Steps walked: 16,474 ~ Total Distance: 10.6kms ~ Flights climbed: 22 floors
Day 4
This was our last full day in the Zhangjiajie area and our final sightseeing day, and, in my opinion, we had kept the best for last. Tianmen Mountain - words can do no justice to this natural wonder. Located around 8kms from the Zhangjiajie city centre, it is one of the tallest mountains in Zhangjiajie (clearly visible from flights and from the airport) and stands at over 1500m.
Tickets for the mountain are priced at ¥232 which includes one way cable car, shuttle bus, and upper escalators and are allotted for entry within a 1 hour period. There are 2 routes for the mountain:
We had opted for route 1 (or A) as even though our legs were still sore from the day before, I would rather climb down than climb up. Yes, I was still pretty enthusiastic at the start of the day to climb down the 999 steps!
Our tickets had entry between 9:00-9:59am. As per our guide, the shortest wait time for us would be to either get to the base entrance and be the first in line at 9:00am (prior to that entry is not given) or get to the base entrance as close to 9:59 to be one of the last ones to enter in which case the majority of the crowd would have made their way in already. After being with us for the last 2 days and seeing our need to queue up and irritation when others didn't follow a line, I believe, he thought there was no way we would've rushed in to be the first ones in at 9 ( which would have been totally true!), so we got the base entrance around 9:45 and made our way in as one of the last few instead. This was the first time that we actually experienced, what I thought was, a long queue. However, our guide later mentioned that we were lucky that we made it to the cable cars within 1 hour which is supposedly a rather not that long a wait!
Tickets for the mountain are priced at ¥232 which includes one way cable car, shuttle bus, and upper escalators and are allotted for entry within a 1 hour period. There are 2 routes for the mountain:
- Cable Car up --> Sky Garden on the peak (Glass Walkway, etc) --> Upper Escalator down to Tianmen Cave --> 999 steps down (or take lower escalators) --> Shuttle Bus down the 99 Bend road (Heaven Linking Avenue) --> Shuttle down to Base
- Shuttle from Base to Entrance --> Bus up the 99 Bend road --> Climb up 999 steps (or take the lower escalators) to Tianmen Cave --> Take Upper Escalator to Sky Garden --> Go around Sky Garden --> Take Cable Car down to Base
We had opted for route 1 (or A) as even though our legs were still sore from the day before, I would rather climb down than climb up. Yes, I was still pretty enthusiastic at the start of the day to climb down the 999 steps!
Our tickets had entry between 9:00-9:59am. As per our guide, the shortest wait time for us would be to either get to the base entrance and be the first in line at 9:00am (prior to that entry is not given) or get to the base entrance as close to 9:59 to be one of the last ones to enter in which case the majority of the crowd would have made their way in already. After being with us for the last 2 days and seeing our need to queue up and irritation when others didn't follow a line, I believe, he thought there was no way we would've rushed in to be the first ones in at 9 ( which would have been totally true!), so we got the base entrance around 9:45 and made our way in as one of the last few instead. This was the first time that we actually experienced, what I thought was, a long queue. However, our guide later mentioned that we were lucky that we made it to the cable cars within 1 hour which is supposedly a rather not that long a wait!
8 people to a car, we rode the 7.5kms ride up to the mountain peak - takes around 20 mins. To say the ride is thrilling is an understatement - the first half is quite normal, but in the second half, the cables are at an unusual 38° angle making it pretty scary for a person with slight acrophobia.
Our guide mentioned that one can cover the entire Sky Garden on top of the mountain in around 3 hours. The East Glass Skywalk side of the mountain, as per our guide, generally has city views so we decided to we would head towards the west side and walk past the Glass Skywalk and then make our way back as I really really wanted to get to Heaven's Gate.
Once on the cliff ridge walkway, though, you can't get enough of the place. The views are absolutely stunning!
Once on the cliff ridge walkway, though, you can't get enough of the place. The views are absolutely stunning!
We were over 1500m high, but were walking on concrete so it was not so bad! But then came the West Glass Skywalk - the walk of Faith, and for me, it truly was one.
A few bends from where this photo was taken is the West Glass Skywalk - not sure if you can see the spot on the cliff with people walking on the photo. A pair of shoe covers are required to go on the Skywalk and are charged at ¥5 (there is a way to avoid the glass so it's not required to walk on the glass).
As I put on my shoe covers I remember being extremely excited to get on the glass walkway. The excitement though was short lived and ended in a minor panic attack at the very first couple of glass panels! I stuck to the cemented edge at the cliff side of the path for a few meters but noticed that it kept getting slimmer and slimmer.
With A LOT of support from the husband, I slowly and steadily made my way forward counting each and every step to the end. At one point I was ready to walk back and take the non glass path, but its a one-way path - once you're on it - the only way is forward!
With A LOT of support from the husband, I slowly and steadily made my way forward counting each and every step to the end. At one point I was ready to walk back and take the non glass path, but its a one-way path - once you're on it - the only way is forward!
I tried to stick to the cliff side of the path as much as I could as it had a strip of cemented bit that I found far more reassuring to walk on than the glass! However, too soon for comfort the crowds caught up with us (or we caught up to the crowd as there were plenty of "my type" of personalities hanging around the path - walking on only the cemented strip, hanging on to the cliff for dear life) and I had to gingerly make my way to the center of the glass panels! Considering my need to hold on to something and people lined up at the cliff side of the path, I quickly crossed the glass and made my way to the far side to hold on to the railing instead.
The railing side of the path had looked pretty daunting at first, but once I got there, I realised it was far better than the cliff side as I was actually looking out into the valley and not down to my feet to the never ending cliff through the glass. Plus, the clouds were rolling in from below and it was a spectacular sight!
The railing side of the path had looked pretty daunting at first, but once I got there, I realised it was far better than the cliff side as I was actually looking out into the valley and not down to my feet to the never ending cliff through the glass. Plus, the clouds were rolling in from below and it was a spectacular sight!
I was getting more and more comfortable by the minute but still wanted to make my way to the end of the glass walkway as quickly as the crowds would allow. Although my tension of being on this walkway was quite apparent to my husband, it surely wasn’t to our guide. Our guide, who couldn’t fathom the fact that we could be happy with selfies and photos of each other while he was readily available to click photos of us! Our guide, who had made it a point to make us pose at his pre-decided (thru experience of course!) “perfect spots” and who at this moment had realised that we had just reached one such spot!
To be honest, I’m happy to pose for as many photos as one is willing to take considering we rarely travel with a guide to get that opportunity. But c’mon, I’m 1500m high above the ground on a glass bridge - I wanted “a shot” to capture the memory - that’s it! The guide though, wanted the “perfect shot” which even after 4-5 times he was finding difficult to take considering the hoarde of people walking by! Finally, he got this photo and thank god for that considering my smile changed to a frown soon after as I was not really happy spending all this time on the walkway - the husband of course thought the opposite! He knew he had to keep me on the glass walkway long enough to get me confident enough to walk in the center of the path without fear.
To be honest, I’m happy to pose for as many photos as one is willing to take considering we rarely travel with a guide to get that opportunity. But c’mon, I’m 1500m high above the ground on a glass bridge - I wanted “a shot” to capture the memory - that’s it! The guide though, wanted the “perfect shot” which even after 4-5 times he was finding difficult to take considering the hoarde of people walking by! Finally, he got this photo and thank god for that considering my smile changed to a frown soon after as I was not really happy spending all this time on the walkway - the husband of course thought the opposite! He knew he had to keep me on the glass walkway long enough to get me confident enough to walk in the center of the path without fear.
We stayed on the glass walkway for much longer than I would’ve liked to, and every time I made a move towards the exit I was distracted by the husband by either talking about the gorgeous mountain landscape or the beauty of the engineering behind the Cliff Hanging Walk! And, as they say, when you endure something long enough, you get used to it - and I did!
Halfway through the walkway the fear of walking on glass was completely taken over by the bountiful nature around us and somewhat also by the civil engineering behind this walk.
Our guide did ask me innocently how I felt being on the glass walkway now? To which I rambled on stating how this was much cooler than the Glass Bridge at the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, and how this was less scarier than the bridge considering the walkway is against the cliff whereas the bridge was a suspension bridge with a straight drop into the canyon! With the same innocent smile on his face the guide then proceeds to say, “𝘉𝘶𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝟷/𝟹 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨!” Though I did feel my heart pick a beat with this statement, I had been on the walkway long enough to get used to the height. Plus - we were almost at the end!
Halfway through the walkway the fear of walking on glass was completely taken over by the bountiful nature around us and somewhat also by the civil engineering behind this walk.
Our guide did ask me innocently how I felt being on the glass walkway now? To which I rambled on stating how this was much cooler than the Glass Bridge at the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, and how this was less scarier than the bridge considering the walkway is against the cliff whereas the bridge was a suspension bridge with a straight drop into the canyon! With the same innocent smile on his face the guide then proceeds to say, “𝘉𝘶𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝟷/𝟹 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨!” Though I did feel my heart pick a beat with this statement, I had been on the walkway long enough to get used to the height. Plus - we were almost at the end!
The views were absolutely amazing from the ridge walk, but soon after cross the Skywalk we turned around and made our way towards the Tianmen Cave. Right before reaching the entrance to the Upper Escalators one gets a beautiful view of the 99 Bend road from top - this is one of the most dangerous road around and has been a site for drift racing, cycling down, etc.
Closer to the entrance of the Upper Escalators one gets the first view of the Tianmen Cave from the top.
The Upper Escalators takes you right underneath the cave. Though I do marvel at the engineering behind this place, the thought that the cave was formed due to water erosion and a stream of water can still be seen flowing from above, makes me wonder the longevity of the sight. Right underneath the cave, a glass cover has been made to shield tourists from falling rocks - one of these panels was broken when we visited as a pretty big rock had broken off the cliff and broken the glass beneath it. For me, personally, it is a pretty scary that there are escalators built inside cliffs that are slowly eroding!
I was earlier very enthusiastic about walking down the 999 steps, but the sight from above is rather daunting and our legs were still pretty sore from the day before.
I was earlier very enthusiastic about walking down the 999 steps, but the sight from above is rather daunting and our legs were still pretty sore from the day before.
Our guide got us tickets to the lower escalators and we made our way down comfortably to see the Tianmen Cave in its full glory - as a gateway to Heaven.
With a short stop at the bottom to see the powered paragliders take off, we made our way down on the shuttle bus thru the 99 Bend road to the base. If I thought the cable car was scary - this was worse. The speed at which the drivers drive down the bends has people sliding down seats and swaying dangerously - or in my case pressing an imagine brake pad continuously!
Nevertheless, it was an amazing day spent on the mountain. As Walt Whitman once said, "...there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell."
Once in the city, our guide, Chris, had another scrumptious lunch waiting for us and as it was again well past lunch time, we were famished and ready to inhale the food!
Nevertheless, it was an amazing day spent on the mountain. As Walt Whitman once said, "...there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell."
Once in the city, our guide, Chris, had another scrumptious lunch waiting for us and as it was again well past lunch time, we were famished and ready to inhale the food!
The drive back from Zhangjiajie city back to our hotel was bittersweet knowing very well that this was the end of the holiday.
Day 5
Day 5 for us was the return journey home. It was an uneventful journey back - exact reverse of Day 1. An early morning flight back to Shenzhen and then on the TransIsland Bus to Hong Kong.
Travelling to / Getting there
With 2 AAAAA areas bringing in an influx of tourists, international flights to/from Zhangjiajie are still quite limited though they are the fastest way to get there. It is, however, well connected within Mainland China. Zhanjiajie is currently not on China's high speed rail line - closest point being Changhsa from where one would have to get on the slower train to Zhangjiajie.
We had explored the train option not just because its more economical (almost half price) but also because I really wanted to ride on the sleeper train in China (which look really cool on the youtube videos). From Hong Kong it would have been a 4 hour ride to Changsha on the high speed rail from West Kowloon - then a change of station at Changsha to Changsha South which is around half hour away and then another 5.5 hour train ride to Zhangjiajie. Considered we stay on the Island, we had to factor in another 1.5 hours to get to Kowloon West, pick up tickets and get to the train - so net net a minimum 12-13 hour journey depending on the transfer wait time in Changsha. Instead we took the flight over from Shenzhen. It took us 2 hours to get to Shenzhen Airport with the TransIsland Bus and then another 1.5 hour flight to Zhangjiajie. This was our first time taking the. bus to Shenzhen so we kept an extra hour buffer, and even with the buffer it took us 6 hours to get to Zhangjiajie - definitely more convenient and much faster than the train.
This seemed like the best route from Hong Kong considering there are no direct flight options and flying out from Hong Kong was not just more expensive but the fastest route still had a flight time of over 7 hours with a stop over in Shanghai for over 2 hours. Zhangjiajie is much easier to get to when one is within China with direct flights & train connections from all major cities.
We had explored the train option not just because its more economical (almost half price) but also because I really wanted to ride on the sleeper train in China (which look really cool on the youtube videos). From Hong Kong it would have been a 4 hour ride to Changsha on the high speed rail from West Kowloon - then a change of station at Changsha to Changsha South which is around half hour away and then another 5.5 hour train ride to Zhangjiajie. Considered we stay on the Island, we had to factor in another 1.5 hours to get to Kowloon West, pick up tickets and get to the train - so net net a minimum 12-13 hour journey depending on the transfer wait time in Changsha. Instead we took the flight over from Shenzhen. It took us 2 hours to get to Shenzhen Airport with the TransIsland Bus and then another 1.5 hour flight to Zhangjiajie. This was our first time taking the. bus to Shenzhen so we kept an extra hour buffer, and even with the buffer it took us 6 hours to get to Zhangjiajie - definitely more convenient and much faster than the train.
This seemed like the best route from Hong Kong considering there are no direct flight options and flying out from Hong Kong was not just more expensive but the fastest route still had a flight time of over 7 hours with a stop over in Shanghai for over 2 hours. Zhangjiajie is much easier to get to when one is within China with direct flights & train connections from all major cities.
Accomodation
Here are a few things to consider while booking your accommodation:
Almost all the guides that we approached prior to the trip asked us to change our booking for the last night at Wulingyuan to stay at Zhangjiajie city instead - telling us that Tianmen Mountains can be done on the last day and it doesn't make sense to go all the way back to Wulingyuan post the tour only to come all the way back to Zhangjiajie for the flight and that airport transfers at 4:30 in the morning will be very costly. They also provided us with conflicting travel times between Zhangjiajie & Wulingyuan, one even stating that it takes 1.5 - 2 hours! For all the journeys that we did between Zhangjiajie City and Wulingyuan City (4 in total) - it took 45 mins only once, the rest of the journeys were pretty much in the 30-40min range), so think about this before changing/making your hotel bookings.
- Zhangjiajie city is where the airport, train station, and main bus stop is. It is also where the Tianmen Mountain with Heaven's Gate is located.
- Wulingyuan, home to the Hallelujah / Avatar Mountains, the Grand Canyon, the Glass Bridge, etc is located 60kms (40-45mins car ride) from Zhangjiajie. It doesn't seem like much but when you are flying in and out of Shenzhen and the only connection currently in play has a flight landing at 23:55 and taking off at 06:55, the 60kms makes a difference for airport transfers late at night and early in the morning.
Almost all the guides that we approached prior to the trip asked us to change our booking for the last night at Wulingyuan to stay at Zhangjiajie city instead - telling us that Tianmen Mountains can be done on the last day and it doesn't make sense to go all the way back to Wulingyuan post the tour only to come all the way back to Zhangjiajie for the flight and that airport transfers at 4:30 in the morning will be very costly. They also provided us with conflicting travel times between Zhangjiajie & Wulingyuan, one even stating that it takes 1.5 - 2 hours! For all the journeys that we did between Zhangjiajie City and Wulingyuan City (4 in total) - it took 45 mins only once, the rest of the journeys were pretty much in the 30-40min range), so think about this before changing/making your hotel bookings.
Guides
Though it isn't particularly necessary for one to get a guide and driver for Zhangjiajie, especially considering the abundance of available taxis, it is surely recommended.
We contacted the Pullman Hotel and asked them for airport transfers knowing very well that we be paying a premium price. They, of course, had not issue with our flight timing and came back with a quote mentioning that it normally takes 30mins but can take up to 45mins to get to/from the airport. This got us thinking about the genuineness of all the information we had received from the tour companies and guides. Trying our luck we asked the hotel if they had any recommendations for guides/drivers and they came back to us with details of Kelly & Chris who we eventually booked with.
Kelly & Chris, a husband-wife team, run a private tour guide company offering the same amenities that the big tour companies were offering for almost half the price. Chris used to work at the Pullman for 7 years before he quit to join his wife as a professional tour guide. They charged us RMB5600/US$815 and their arrangements were wonderful, but most of all when we specifically mentioned that we were booked in Wulingyuan for ALL our nights, they came back with a "Don't worry, we will arrange everything." Luxurious cars (Toyota Vellfire) with a very professional driver was available to us on all day and Chris, who accompanied us thruout as our guide, was very nice. He spoke English (though a little broken at times) and may not have been a geology expert, but he knew his way around the park and mountains and could give us basic information about the place with a few interesting stories thrown in here and there. Most of all, Chris was very understanding and conscience of our dietary needs - lunches on all 3 days were included as part of the package and after seeing us struggle a bit at a buffet the first day he sat down and noted not just things that we didn't eat but also things that we liked. Next day onwards he made sure we ate our hearts out at lunch - finding restaurants that were best suited for our palette and ordering the food beforehand so that varieties of piping dishes were served as soon as we sat down - we can't possibly thank him enough for the wonderful lunches we had in Zhangjiajie. Also, Chris was extremely helpful in taking photos of the sights as he knew the best spots and angles to use for a great shot, and he also could not fathom how we could be happy with just selfies and offered to take photos of us everywhere!
For anyone visiting Zhangjiajie area, I would highly recommend the services offered by Chris & Kelly. They can be reached over email and WeChat (as well as their TripAdvisor page) and are very responsive. Feel free to message us to get their contact details.
- Unless you are fluent in Mandarin, communication will be an issue. There is a very small set of people who understand English and an even smaller set who can converse understandably - these sets mostly consists of hotel managements and guides!
- Restaurants, taxis and even the driver of our private car did not understand much English, if any. Having said this the biggest issue for someone travelling without a guide would be getting tickets for the various sights - though the ticket counters displayed ticket details in English as well asking for the specific tickets could be challenging charades game without a guide. Plus, the concept of a line and waiting for your turn is not particularly followed.
- Having a guide ensures a stress free travel, not just in getting tickets or navigating through the parks or for that matter even getting to the sights but also in finding appropriate restaurants and ordering food!
We contacted the Pullman Hotel and asked them for airport transfers knowing very well that we be paying a premium price. They, of course, had not issue with our flight timing and came back with a quote mentioning that it normally takes 30mins but can take up to 45mins to get to/from the airport. This got us thinking about the genuineness of all the information we had received from the tour companies and guides. Trying our luck we asked the hotel if they had any recommendations for guides/drivers and they came back to us with details of Kelly & Chris who we eventually booked with.
Kelly & Chris, a husband-wife team, run a private tour guide company offering the same amenities that the big tour companies were offering for almost half the price. Chris used to work at the Pullman for 7 years before he quit to join his wife as a professional tour guide. They charged us RMB5600/US$815 and their arrangements were wonderful, but most of all when we specifically mentioned that we were booked in Wulingyuan for ALL our nights, they came back with a "Don't worry, we will arrange everything." Luxurious cars (Toyota Vellfire) with a very professional driver was available to us on all day and Chris, who accompanied us thruout as our guide, was very nice. He spoke English (though a little broken at times) and may not have been a geology expert, but he knew his way around the park and mountains and could give us basic information about the place with a few interesting stories thrown in here and there. Most of all, Chris was very understanding and conscience of our dietary needs - lunches on all 3 days were included as part of the package and after seeing us struggle a bit at a buffet the first day he sat down and noted not just things that we didn't eat but also things that we liked. Next day onwards he made sure we ate our hearts out at lunch - finding restaurants that were best suited for our palette and ordering the food beforehand so that varieties of piping dishes were served as soon as we sat down - we can't possibly thank him enough for the wonderful lunches we had in Zhangjiajie. Also, Chris was extremely helpful in taking photos of the sights as he knew the best spots and angles to use for a great shot, and he also could not fathom how we could be happy with just selfies and offered to take photos of us everywhere!
For anyone visiting Zhangjiajie area, I would highly recommend the services offered by Chris & Kelly. They can be reached over email and WeChat (as well as their TripAdvisor page) and are very responsive. Feel free to message us to get their contact details.