Six Days and Five Nights in Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang: A Free-and-Easy Trip Diary
I'd wanted to go since early this year, but for various reasons it was postponed until after National Day. I booked flights a month before departure at a price I was happy with, and finalized the itinerary just a week ahead: three days in Zhangjiajie and two in Fenghuang—plenty of time. Since it was a free-and-easy trip, reading online guides was essential. Departing on the 17th...
This article is compiled from the original travel notes on the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com); it is a record of trips from earlier years. Time-sensitive information such as ticket prices, schedules, and accommodation prices is subject to the latest announcements from scenic areas and transportation authorities; the itinerary ideas and attraction introductions still have reference value.
I had wanted to go as early as the beginning of this year, but due to various reasons, the trip could only be postponed until after National Day. I booked the air ticket a month before departure, and the price was quite satisfactory. The itinerary was also discussed only a week before departure: three days in Zhangjiajie and two days in Fenghuang. The time was still quite sufficient. Because it was an independent trip, reading guides online was indispensable.
We departed on the 17th. Because it was an evening flight, I booked the Zhangjiajie Home Inn He Mei Hotel, because it has airport pickup service, which saved a lot of worry. The plane arrived in Zhangjiajie on time at 21:35. The person who picked us up was an older man, and he safely delivered us to the hotel. We checked in smoothly. We washed up as quickly as possible and then went to look around inside the hotel. The hotel was very large, with many distinctive late-night snack shops and also a flower wine street, mostly quiet bars, though quite noisy. After wandering around a bit, I found a place with more people for a late-night snack. We ordered the famous teppanyaki here, as well as barbecue. The prices in Zhangjiajie were still relatively low for us. After the late-night snack, we went back to the hotel to rest. Tomorrow we would enter the mountains, so we needed to conserve our energy.
On the 18th, it began to rain lightly. Yesterday we had agreed with Guide Chen to set out for the mountains from the hotel at 8 o'clock, so today we got up at 7. Guide Chen arrived on time at 8. We checked out and went with her to the bus station. Because we had not eaten breakfast yet, she took us to buy some near the station. At this time a small mishap occurred: her mobile phone was accidentally stolen by a pickpocket. I thought to myself, with something like this happening, would the quality of our itinerary be reduced? After more than an hour's journey, we first entered the mountains at the entrance in Tianzi Mountain Town. Guide Chen said we had too much luggage and needed to put it in the guesthouse first (this was also right; the four of us women each had a large suitcase, and if we did not put them down first, it would be quite tiring). The guesthouse we stayed in had ordinary conditions, but was still acceptable. By the time we reached the guesthouse it was already noon, so we ate lunch first. The main meal was four dishes and one soup, two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, and the taste was quite good. After lunch we set out. We first went to the Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, taking the park's shuttle bus, and arrived in about ten minutes. We first saw the No. 1 Bridge under Heaven. The rain still did not stop, and the fog was very thick. All the scenery was a vast expanse of white, which was really disappointing. We finished looking very quickly. Guide Chen asked whether we wanted to go to the next scenic spot, but the fog was too thick and it would look the same, so we gave up going to scenic spots and decided instead to stroll around the shopping area in the scenic area and buy some souvenirs. One stroll took more than an hour, and we bought a big pile. The prices here were cheaper than elsewhere, not expensive at all. At this time the sky cleared, and we got separated from the guide, but we could still get back on our own, so we took the shuttle bus back to the guesthouse. On the way back we passed a scenic spot, Wulong Village. We got off, wanting to see this scenic spot ourselves. At this time the guide called us and said he had returned to the guesthouse. We said we wanted to go to this scenic spot, and he told us to wait for her and that she would come right away. After waiting 20 minutes and still not seeing him, we decided to go up ourselves. We had walked less than 5 minutes when she caught up, saying it would take more than two hours to finish walking here, and the shuttle bus stopped running at 5:30. It was already almost 4 o'clock, so she urged us to walk faster. Walking all the way was truly very tiring, but when we reached a scenic spot called Tianbo Mansion, everyone immediately became excited. This place was too beautiful, and the path up was too perilous. It was really hard to describe in words. According to Guide Chen, what we were seeing now was the most beautiful. The fog had dispersed, like a fairyland, and it was truly worth the ticket price. After enjoying this fairyland, we had to quicken our pace down the mountain, because the bus would not wait. Fortunately we just caught the last bus, though our feet were so tired! But after dinner the four of us still battled on for a while.
On the 19th, after a night's rest, our strength recovered. There were many scenic spots to visit today. We first went to Helong Park, and only afterward did we realize that this was the summit of Tianzi Mountain, a major scenic spot. Yubi Peak, Fairy Scattering Flowers, Shentang Bay, Jiangtai, and so on. Today was good weather for viewing the mountains, and the scenery was truly beautiful. At noon we went to Daguantai for lunch. The food made here was more delicious than at the guesthouse and deserved praise, but adding dishes ourselves was very expensive: a vegetable dish cost more than 20 yuan, and a meat dish cost 48 yuan. After lunch we had to go down 660 steps. It did not sound like many, but walking them was deadly. Of the whole trip, this was the most exhausting part. The scenic spots below included Yibu Nanxing and Xianren Bridge. Because yesterday when we went to see the No. 1 Bridge under Heaven the fog was thick and we did not see that kind of grandeur, we decided to go again today. Only when we arrived at the scenic spot did we realize that although we could see it clearly today, we actually felt that what we had seen yesterday was more beautiful than what we saw today. That is how people are: only through comparison can one distinguish good from bad. Today we were really too tired. When we returned to the guesthouse for dinner, we added a local chicken, stewed to replenish everyone's strength. It cost 120 yuan for one, weighing just over two jin. So expensive, but really delicious! In the evening we continued to battle on.
On the 20th, today we had to go down the mountain. We hired porters to carry the luggage down, 100 yuan for four pieces. At first I thought it was quite expensive, but later I found it was worth the money. Today's itinerary was first Shili Gallery and then Golden Whip Stream. We first took the cableway down the mountain, 52 yuan, and could reach the foot of the mountain in 6 minutes. Our time was a bit tight, so for Shili Gallery we chose to take the mini train round trip. Actually walking both ways would only take about an hour, but 33 yuan round trip was also acceptable. I did not feel much about it. Along Golden Whip Stream is a very beautiful section of scenery in the National Forest Park, with a total length of 5.7 kilometers, winding through peaks and deep valleys. The stream water is clear, with varied and graceful flows, and small fish swim in it. By the stream the flowers and plants are fresh and beautiful, birds sing and orioles call, and walking along the clear stream is like traveling through a painting. The whole route takes more than 3 hours. We viewed it in reverse; the first half of the route had few scenic spots, and the scenic spots were all in the latter half. After finishing Golden Whip Stream, we left at the exit of the National Forest Park, ending the three-day itinerary. Guide Chen sent us back to the city area. After lunch in the city area, Guide Chen disappeared. It turned out she had gone to buy a mobile phone. We went to collect our luggage ourselves and got on the bus from Zhangjiajie to Fenghuang and left. Guide Chen was a Tujia girl in her early twenties, quite honest. It was just that because her mobile phone was lost at the beginning, she lost us twice, which was also forgivable. After three days together, in the end we did not even get to say goodbye. What a pity!
After more than 4 hours by bus, the whole journey was quite perilous, with narrow roads and many curves. We did not arrive in Fenghuang until after 8 o'clock. We were extremely excited. Fenghuang at night was so lively, and there were many people. I looked for a long time and still could not find the guesthouse I wanted. Finally, after making several phone calls, the guesthouse owner came to pick us up, but only after going there did we learn that the stilted house we wanted to stay in was already full. Having come all this way, we did not want to stay somewhere not by the river. After some effort, we still found one we were satisfied with, but I felt quite apologetic: we had asked the owner of Xiaochengju Guesthouse to take us in, yet we did not stay there. In the end we stayed at Chilaju Guesthouse. The environment of Xiaochengju Guesthouse was really good, better than Chilaju Guesthouse. Next time I go, I will definitely book a room first. After putting down our luggage, my heart could no longer be restrained, and I immediately went out to find food. The whole street was full of snacks, and I did not know where to start! We decided to taste everything, and finally stuffed our bellies full. It was truly a snack paradise, especially the stinky tofu, whose deliciousness was beyond words. Also, the things sold in the shops at that time were all very distinctive, and my friends were rooted to the spot and would not leave. There were also all kinds of bars, and we agreed that we must go tomorrow. It was already late today, and it was almost 1 a.m. when we got back to the guesthouse. Standing on the guesthouse balcony looking at the colorful Fenghuang, I was still excited inside.
On the 21st, we got up very early. Everyone says that morning and dusk in Fenghuang are the most beautiful. It began to rain lightly. Early morning Fenghuang was so peaceful, a completely different scene from last night. I truly loved this place to death. In the morning we ate rice noodles, which are famous here, and then strolled around the ancient town. Before we knew it, it was noon. We also took a boat tour on the Tuo River, which was truly poetic. After the boat tour we were all hungry, so we ordered the local specialty dishes. This was our only proper meal; the rest were all snacks. People say Fenghuang is very small and can be toured in two or three hours, but we wandered for a whole day, so why had we not finished? In the evening we first went to the riverside to release wishing lanterns. This is something one must do when coming to Fenghuang. Along the Tuo River there were all kinds of vendors selling wishing lanterns, and the various wishing lanterns dazzled the eyes. We all released several, very special, and I hope all the wishes I made can come true. Afterward we tasted Miao snacks at an authentic Miao snack shop, and they were really good. After eating, we strolled until after 8 o'clock and then found a bar to sit down in. The bars here are all quite distinctive. Fenghuang at night is truly different from the daytime. That night we also played until very late before returning to the guesthouse. The beauty was beyond words, and I could only capture it with the camera in my hand, but my skills are very limited.
On the 22nd, I really did not want this day to come. It was time to leave. I got up very early. The weather today was excellent. I quickly went around to see what I had not seen yet, and only then did I realize how peaceful Fenghuang's morning was, how pleasant the street vendors' calls were. I also unexpectedly discovered a snack called lotus leaf ba. I really regretted buying so few; it was so delicious. At 10 o'clock, I checked out, took a taxi to Fenghuang South City Bus Station, got on the bus to Jishou, and left Fenghuang. At 12 o'clock we arrived in Jishou. We still discussed going to Wangcun and bought tickets for 1 o'clock. Along the way we saw people going to market; it was so lively, but the bus was also stuck for a long time. Only at 2:30 did we arrive at Furong Town. This place used to be called Wangcun and became famous because a film called Hibiscus Town was shot here, and in the end it was also renamed Furong Town. Furong Town is quite small; you can finish looking around in a little over an hour. If you go to Fenghuang first and then come here, there is not much surprise. Still, it has its own beauty; it is just that there is something to compare it with. The rice tofu here is very famous, and there is also the number one snail under heaven. I tried both; they were just average. From the station you can take a one-yuan bus in, only a few minutes, while walking takes twenty minutes. We took the bus at a little past 5 back to Zhangjiajie and arrived at 7. At KFC we ate the last dinner of this trip. A little after 8 we rushed to the airport; the taxi cost 25 yuan. Zhangjiajie's airport is very small, and check-in was done quickly. And so ended this six-day, five-night journey.