Mastering a DIY Zhangjiajie Trip: Routes and Anti-Scam Tips
Best Time to Visit: The best seasons for Zhangjiajie are spring and autumn (summer works too for escaping the heat). In spring, Zhangjiajie has fresh fragrant grass and falling blossoms—trace the Golden Whip Stream, tour the Ten-Mile Gallery, explore Yellow Dragon Cave, and feel the surprise of the Wuling fisherman entering Peach Blossom Spring. In autumn, the sky is high and clouds are light, forests dyed in layers of color, and it's the season for delicious kiwis and mandarins...
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.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit Zhangjiajie is in spring and autumn (of course, summer is also fine for escaping the heat): in spring, Zhangjiajie has fresh fragrant grass and falling blossoms; you can trace the Golden Whip Stream, tour the Ten-Mile Gallery, and explore Yellow Dragon Cave, experiencing the surprise of the Wuling person entering the Peach Blossom Spring; in autumn, Zhangjiajie has high skies and light clouds, with forests dyed in layered colors, and it is exactly the season when delicious fruits such as kiwi and mandarin oranges ripen. Relatively speaking, summer is hot and rainy, and winter is cold, so comfort is slightly inferior to spring and autumn.
Three-Day Tour Route:
D1: Visit the Forest Park and Golden Whip Stream: Guanyin Delivering a Child, Golden Whip Rock, Master and Disciples Fetching Sutras, Longevity Spring, Two Turtles Exploring the Stream, Purple Grass Pool, Meeting After a Thousand Miles; from the Meeting After a Thousand Miles at Luanchuan Slope, climb the mountain or take the Bailong Elevator to Yuanjiajie. In the afternoon, visit Yuanjiajie's Back Garden, Soul-Enchanting Terrace, and Number One Bridge under Heaven. Stay in Yuanjiajie.
D2: In the morning, visit Tianzi Mountain's Grand Sight Terrace, One Step Is Hard to Take, Divine Chicken Pecking Food (where you can view the panorama of the Ten-Mile Gallery), Immortal Bridge, and Tianzi Seat. In the afternoon, visit Yangjiajie's One Step to Heaven, Sky Corridor, Wulong Village, Three Passes, Tianbo Mansion, and Golden Rooster Announcing Dawn. Stay in Yuanjiajie.
D3: Visit Shentang Bay, Point-General Terrace, He Long Park, Yunqing Rock, Touring Within a Painting, Imperial Brush Peak, and Fairy Presenting Flowers. You can take the Tianzi Mountain cableway down the mountain. You can also walk down from Tianzi Pavilion via Wolong Ridge to the Ten-Mile Gallery.
The two-day tour is as follows:
D1: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park: climb Huangshizhai, go up to Star-Picking Terrace, stroll along Golden Whip Stream; along the way are scenic spots such as Meeting After a Thousand Miles, Purple Grass Pool, Golden Whip Rock, and Four Gates Surrounded by Water. Stay in Zhangjiajie.
D2: Tianzi Mountain Scenic Area: Fairy Presenting Flowers, Imperial Brush Peak, South Heaven Gate, Heaven Platform, He Long Park, Ten-Mile Gallery, Herb-Gathering Old Man, Sister Peaks, etc. Take the eco-bus to Yangjiajie: Number One Bridge under Heaven, Soul-Enchanting Terrace, Back Garden. Take the world's number one elevator—the Bailong Elevator—down the mountain. Stay in Zhangjiajie city area. However, if you have enough time, I still suggest taking the three-day route (because it is more classic).
Anti-Scam Guide:
1: If you come to Zhangjiajie by train or plane, on the train you take and at the train station and airport there are often people wearing uniforms (mostly impersonators), or hanging around a certain reception department, or soliciting passengers in the name of a certain travel agency. They will ask you to join their travel agency, or ask to provide you with services such as accommodation, guide, and vehicle. At this time you should keep a clear head, do not talk with them, and do not easily have dealings with them (because they either charge very high prices, or provide very poor service quality, and there are often cases of abandoning tourists). For those who pester endlessly, you can report to the duty officer, or call 110, or call the tourism complaint hotline to resolve it.
2: If you come to Zhangjiajie by self-driving car, those solicitors will rack their brains even more to discuss tour package matters with you. Because you are driving yourself, the first thing they want to do is get into your car before you arrive in Zhangjiajie. As long as they get into your car, they have a place to perform. According to their bragging, there is nothing they cannot do that you can imagine. About Zhangjiajie city area introduction:
Accommodation: Xingchen, Nanhang Fulilai, Tianhong, Dongfang Mingzhu, and Huayu have fairly reasonable prices. Prices are divided into peak and off seasons, and can be settled for 180 to 280 yuan; bargain yourself, it is worth this price, otherwise just leave; two-star places at 80–120 are also fine.
Food: At the People's Cinema area, the night market stalls are lined up all along the street; choose places with more people, and the taste absolutely will not be wrong. What is said above are distinctive small places, and going to eat there yourself is best, but if you are with more particular friends, it seems not quite suitable. Below are a few restaurants that Zhangjiajie locals often go to that are of a decent standard: Jiudouliang Specialty Restaurant, located at the entrance of Shunshilong Hotel on Ziwu Road, Zhangjiajie city; Shangui Village: the shop is also on Ziwu Road; Xiangli Renjia: on Huilong Road in the city area, etc.
I hope all you travelers can enjoy yourselves to the fullest in Zhangjiajie.