The Most Detailed Information and Practical Tips for Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang
To better help the many independent travelers coming to Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang, I've compiled and gathered information on various aspects of both places, hoping to offer some help. Most friends drawn to Zhangjiajie come for Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. First of all, here...
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.
In order to better help the many independent travelers coming to Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang, I have compiled and collected some information on various aspects of Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang, hoping to provide some help to the many independent travelers coming to Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang.
Most friends who come to Zhangjiajie attracted by its fame come for Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. First, here is a brief introduction to the four major signature scenic areas of Zhangjiajie tourism. Of course, the one that undoubtedly ranks first is Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Scenic Area (the tour routes already open to the public include the Huangshizhai boutique tour route and the Jinbianxi boutique tour route), and Tianzi Mountain Scenic Nature Reserve (the tour routes already open to the public include the Tianzi Mountain tour route, Yangjiajie Scenic Area tour route, Yuanjiajie Scenic Area tour route, and Shili Gallery tour route); nearby there are also Huanglong Cave Scenic Area and Baofeng Lake Scenic Area.
For tourists coming to Zhangjiajie for sightseeing, these four major scenic areas are must-visit places, and only three days need to be arranged. If your travel time is sufficient, you can also choose nearby Mengdong River rafting, Furong Ancient Town, Maoyan River rafting, or, a bit farther, you can go to the Fenghuang Ancient City Scenic Area in Jishou Autonomous Prefecture.
Now, according to the actual situation, the most suitable arrangements for travel routes and itineraries in the Zhangjiajie area and surrounding areas, as well as matters needing attention, are explained in detail as follows:
[Travel Precautions]
1. On the train and at the train station
Taking the train to Zhangjiajie is one of the common and affordable transportation options chosen by many tourists. The train is crowded with a complex mix of people and high traffic, making it the most prone to problems. Let's set aside petty theft for now. If you are a tourist, some illegal touts will quickly target this 'fat meat.' As soon as the train enters the surrounding cities near Zhangjiajie, such as Changde, Shimen, Cili, Jishou, etc., they will spring into action, claiming to be reception staff from XXX travel agency or XXX hotel. Some even wear railway uniforms and peaked caps [Note: mostly to confuse tourists. Think carefully—would real train staff engage in touting? True or false, it's obvious.] They will chat with you, hand out price lists for various tour routes, and earnestly try to 'comfort' you, persuading you to join a tour organized by XXX, claiming how good the quality is, how good the reputation is, how famous they are... If this group doesn't succeed with you, a second group will come, truly like fighting a high-difficulty battle, and their 'spirit' is really 'admirable.'
When negotiating prices with you, they all initially use the "high-price" tactic. If you notice something or already know better, they then switch to the "low-price" tactic, lowering the price again and again until even you can hardly believe such a "good deal" exists. Once they've hooked you, an unlicensed guide leads the way. If problems arise, you have nowhere to complain and can only weep bitterly.
Their common tricks:
1. Play a prolonged battle, use low prices as bait to lure you in, then strike at the right moment.
Premise: Your stance is temporarily firm and you haven't compromised with them. If they didn't achieve 'results' on the train, after you get off and reach the train station square, if those touts think there's still hope for profit from you, they generally won't let go. There's a second trick! What is it? They send someone to follow you. Wherever you go, they shamelessly stick to you [Note: We often hear scattered tourists confide in us like this: 'At the train station, I almost got torn apart by 'them''; 'Tell me, do we look like we're doing underground work?'; 'Sigh! It was so hard to escape!']. If you stay at a hotel, they follow you to the hotel, and after you check in, they demand a commission from the hotel, insisting these guests were introduced by them.
2. Exploit loopholes in tour routes, adopt low-cost expenses and poor-quality service to obtain high profits.
Premise: Your stance has been compromised and you've been conquered by them. Many tourists, due to insufficient understanding of the local tourism situation, don't consider things carefully. On the train, when discussing tour packages with those scattered touts, if it looks like a Zhangjiajie tour of several days and nights, with a densely packed list of attractions and a particularly affordable price, they agree without much thought. Actually, this is very wrong. You must first understand the following two facts:
1. Zhangjiajie's essential attractions include Huanglong Cave, Baofeng Lake, Tianzi Mountain, Zhangjiajie Forest Park, and Yuanjiajie.
2. The main hotel distribution areas are: Wulingyuan District (Suoxiyu), the Forest Park entrance, and Zhangjiajie City—these three major areas.
But in order to reduce expenses and costs, thereby achieving the goal of obtaining high profits, they generally change the conventional routes and accommodation areas: reduce the scenic spots on the essential tour routes (especially the spots that require admission tickets), and add less important scenic spots (since they do not require tickets anyway or the tickets are cheap, listing more of them may actually make you feel you have gotten a bargain).
2. During tourism shopping
On the whole, Zhangjiajie's shopping market is still fairly well regulated. Especially in recent years, efforts to crack down on and shut down illegal shopping venues have achieved good results, and forced selling and buying are almost nonexistent. However, tourists should still pay attention to the following aspects when shopping during travel:
1. Do not spend money in "black shops" without business licenses — if you are not at ease, I am worried;
2. Don't casually buy "antiques and curios," "fossils and strange stones," "jewelry and jade," or "precious medicinal materials" unless you are very knowledgeable;
3. Do not believe in "human-shaped fleeceflower root" — no matter how much it looks like one, it is still a "once-in-a-thousand-years" find;
4. Look clearly when bargaining for goods; only take them after the price is settled, and ask for a receipt for future reference;
3. Other aspects
1. Do not take some special free or low-cost airport or train station pick-up vehicles; the best transportation is by taxi, bus, or request a regular travel agency to send a car, otherwise they will take you to places you do not want to go;
2. Do not easily trust tour guides or touts who offer overly low prices or are excessively enthusiastic; they are very likely to be a "wild horse" (illegal tour operator).
3. Friends who drive to Zhangjiajie themselves must absolutely not let strangers hitch a ride in your car along the way, such as at fork or crossroads, or at toll stations; they are very likely to be a "high-level wild horse."
4. Many wild horses operate illegal tourism reception in public places under the guise of being received by a certain legitimate travel agency; tourists must not easily trust them.
For a one-day tour of Fenghuang Ancient Town, it is recommended not to buy a through ticket to visit Fenghuang Ancient Town (ticket price: 168 yuan per ticket), as this would be a waste. How to get to Fenghuang from Zhangjiajie: most people choose to take a direct bus for 61 yuan because it is very convenient and saves the trouble of transferring, and it takes four hours to arrive, but there are fewer trips, only two buses a day, at 8:30 am and 2:30 pm. If your time just misses these two buses, you can choose to stay one night in the city or take a train to Jishou first and then transfer to Fenghuang. There are more trains to Jishou in the afternoon, at 17:28, 18:30, and 17:30. But you may only be able to stay one night in Jishou, because the bus from Jishou to Fenghuang only runs until after 8 o'clock. Of course, friends with money can spend 80 to 100 yuan to charter a car.
Sightseeing in Fenghuang:
In Fenghuang Ancient Town, you can leisurely tour Fenghuang, mainly to experience one of China's most beautiful ancient towns, walk along the stone-slab streets of the Ming and Qing dynasties, look at the Miao stilted houses in Fenghuang, and choose some Miao small decorations; there are many varieties and they are very complete! It will dazzle you. You can visit free attractions such as the North Gate Tower, Tiaoyan, Wanming Pagoda, and Chaoyang Palace. If you stayed in Fenghuang the night before yesterday, do not forget to stay in a stilted house; staying in a hotel in Fenghuang will not have the original feeling, and even more, do not forget to visit Fenghuang's small bars! You can also find locals to charter a small boat and cruise the Tuo River (cost: 30-50 yuan per boat, and you can bargain), or you can buy tickets to visit the following attractions: (ticket prices will be listed in detail later) East Gate Tower, Hongqiao Art Building, Shen Congwen Former Residence, Xiong Xiling Former Residence, Yang Family Ancestral Hall, and other attractions; among them, around Fenghuang there are also the Southern Great Wall, Qiliang Cave, and Huangsiqiao Ancient Town. These attractions are relatively far apart, and it is recommended not to visit them, as they do not have much sightseeing significance! Touring Fenghuang is mainly to experience the small town, walk and sit in this thousand-year-old ancient town! An ancient town, not too big or too small, just wander freely; I will not elaborate further here! Hehe~~~~~ If your trip only has these precious four days, after seeing Fenghuang, choose to return to your warm home.
Shopping in Fenghuang:
In the ancient town, you can buy handicrafts such as batik, tie-dye, horn products, old cloth, Miao embroidery, and silver jewelry. The 'Liuse Fang' on the old street is very distinctive. You can also visit the dyeing craftsman (Liu Dapao), batik craftsman (Xiong Chengzao), tie-dye craftsmen (Zhang Guiying, Wu Huahua), and brocade craftsman (Ye Shuiyun). Even if you don't buy anything, it's a feast for the eyes. If you go to the Miao town market, you'll find prices are relatively cheap, and you have the chance to buy good items for little money, such as bamboo weaving and silverware. The market day in Alaying is on the 2nd and 7th of the lunar month; the Shanjiang market is on the 3rd and 8th. Among them, the Alaying market is larger; Shanjiang town is a Miao market where you can see Miao women in traditional dress.