A Travelogue of Our Family of Five's DIY Trip to Zhangjiajie
From July 27 to 30, my wife, son, parents and I—five people in all—spent three days in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. I'm very grateful to fellow travelers' travelogues and guides, which helped a lot in planning our trip. After careful consideration, I chose Guide Deng, highly recommended among guides by fellow travelers. On the phone, Deng and I...
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.
From July 27 to 30, my wife, son, parents, and I, 5 people in total, spent 3 days touring Zhangjiajie Forest Park. I am very grateful to the travel notes and guides of fellow travelers for helping us a great deal in making our trip. After careful consideration, I chose Guide Deng, among the guides strongly recommended by fellow travelers. On the phone, Guide Deng and I agreed on a price and chose 3 days and 2 nights at 470 yuan/person. Or hiring a guide alone at 50 yuan per day. Free room booking; inside the scenic area, a standard twin room is 60-100 yuan per room, with private bathroom, hot water, and TV; a two-star hotel is 100-140 yuan per room; a three-star hotel is 180-240 yuan per room.
On July 27, our family of 5 took the train from Yichang and arrived at Zhangjiajie around 18:00. Guide Deng met us at Zhangjiajie Railway Station and took us to stay at Zhangjiajie Forest Hotel. Early on July 28, Guide Deng came to the hotel to pick us up and set off. We took a bus from Zhangjiajie Bus Station for about 50 minutes and arrived at Zhangjiajie Forest Park. Guide Deng helped us buy the tickets, and after fingerprint verification we entered the park. After entering the park, Guide Deng said: this morning we are going to see Zhangjiajie's number one grand canyon, the Jinbianxi Scenic Area, also Zhangjiajie's most beautiful grand canyon, with a total length of 7500m. The main scenic spots include: Muzi Feng, Zhu Bajie Bei Xifu, Shitu Qujing, Shenying Hubian, Wenxingyan, Zicaotan, Qianli Xianghui, Shuirao Simen, Zhang Liang Tomb and so on. Before we knew it, the whole morning had passed. We took the elevator at 56 yuan/person, not included in the 470, and had to pay out of our own pockets. At noon we arrived at Guide Deng's Tujia Tribal Inn. Our luggage was placed in the room. We stayed in 1 standard twin room and 1 triple room, with bathroom and hot water. The hygiene was fairly acceptable. After lunch, Guide Deng took us to see the scenery at Daguantai. The main scenic spots included: Xianren Qiao, which is blocked by railings and visitors are not allowed to cross; Tianzi Zuo, which Guide Deng said is the legendary throne of the Tujia hero King Tianzi; Yibu Nanxing, which can now be crossed and has protective measures; and Shenji Bushi. At night we stayed at the Tujia Inn.
On the morning of the 29th, Guide Deng took us to Yangjiajie Scenic Area. The main attractions included: Wulong Village (also the most famous bandit lair in Xiangxi), the Three Ghost Gates, the Yang Family Women Warriors, Echo Wall, Lovers' Peak, Five Finger Mountain, Tianbo Mansion, Fifth Son Worshipping Buddha, One Step to Heaven, and the Sky Corridor. At noon we had lunch at their Tujia inn in Wulong Village. In the afternoon, they took us to see Yuanjiajie Scenic Area. The main sights included the Number One Bridge Under Heaven, Soul-Enchanting Terrace, Back Garden, Five Women Setting Out to Battle, and the Nine-Heaven Mystic Ladder. But what impressed me most was the Number One Bridge Under Heaven—it was so amazing. In the evening we returned to the Tujia inn where we had stayed the night before. On the morning of the 30th, they took us to see Tianzi Mountain Scenic Area. The main attractions included: Shentang Bay, where the Tujia hero King Tianzi jumped off the cliff to his death after being defeated—the scenery is very beautiful, and it's a place few tour groups visit; Jiangjiang Terrace, Helong Park, Fairy Scattering Flowers, Jade Brush Peak, Yunqing Rock, Painting Immortal Enraptured, Tianzi Viewing Platform, and Tiantai. After lunch at noon, we packed our luggage and were about to go down the mountain. In the afternoon, Guide Deng took us to see Suoxiyu, Ten-Mile Gallery, Herb-Gathering Old Man, Three Sisters Peak, Family Portrait, and Longevity Star Seeing Off Guests. We exited the mountain through the Wulingyuan main gate and took a bus to Zhangjiajie City. Since we still had to go to Beijing, when he picked us up we had asked Guide Deng to book flight tickets to Beijing for the night of the 30th in advance. Guide Deng picked up the plane tickets, saw us off to the airport, and only then said goodbye to us.
On this Zhangjiajie trip, what impressed me most was the dedication of Guide Xiao Deng, who accompanied and transported us throughout the whole trip, which moved me. They never induced us to buy specialty products or similar things. I think the attractions most worth seeing are: Shentang Bay, Jiangjiang Terrace, Fairy Scattering Flowers, Jade Brush Peak, Herb-Gathering Old Man, Number One Bridge Under Heaven, the Bandit Lair, Tianbo Mansion, Sky Corridor, Immortal Bridge, Tianzi Seat, and Divine Eagle Guarding the Whip.
After returning, I wrote down my views, which may be of a little help and reference to those who come later. The place where I had the most fun on this trip was Zhangjiajie.