Magical Zhangjiajie, a Paradise for Travelers
Zhangjiajie, a place of beautiful mountains and forests, has always been somewhere I wanted to visit. This time I finally got the chance to go, and I was quite excited. I searched for information online many days in advance, but it was all rather disorganized. Eventually I found a local guide named Zhou Wenjing, printed out a small stack of materials, and set off with my backpack. Since I only had three days...
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.
Zhangjiajie, a place of beautiful mountains and forests, is also somewhere I had always wanted to go.
This time I finally had the chance to go see it, and I was a bit excited. I had been searching for information online for quite a few days in advance, but unfortunately it was all rather disorganized. In the end I found a local guide named Zhou Wenjing, printed out a small stack of materials, and set off with my backpack.
Since I only had three days, I could only take an evening flight. By the time the plane arrived in Zhangjiajie it was already eleven o'clock. Zhangjiajie Airport is a rather interesting place—it's actually more than ten kilometers from the city center, so you have to take a taxi from the airport to the city bus station, because the best way to get to Zhangjiajie Forest Park is to depart from the bus station in the city. Here I should remind fellow independent travelers: Zhangjiajie Airport is really chaotic. Best not to pay attention to people who approach you at the exit, and don't wander around randomly—just take a taxi directly to the city bus station. That night we stayed at Jiaoyuan; the environment there was okay. The next morning we contacted Guide Xiao Zhou, and we were immediately on a minibus to the Forest Park. After about forty or fifty minutes we arrived at the Forest Park entrance.
I had agreed with Guide Xiao Zhou beforehand: three days and two nights, all-inclusive (entrance ticket, meals, accommodation, guide fee) for a total of 470 (not including the Bailong Elevator and Tianzi Mountain cable car). This price seems to be the generally accepted one online. At the Forest Park entrance I first paid her 300 yuan, and the rest was paid on the evening of the second day. After buying tickets we went in. The ticket is an IC card, 248 yuan total, and you also have to verify your fingerprint when entering. By the way, the card says the ticket is only valid for two days, but in reality, since we were staying inside the scenic area, we could stay several more days. Because the original hotels inside the scenic area have all been demolished, tour group visitors must return to hotels outside the scenic area to rest after each day's touring. In that case, you can only re-enter the scenic area with your IC card.
After entering the scenic area, we set off according to the route the guide provided. The guide said that given our three-day timeframe, Huangshizhai's scenery was just average, so we skipped it. We went straight to the right, following Golden Whip Stream the whole way. The stream water was very clear and very cool, with towering peaks on both sides. In the middle of Golden Whip Stream there's a spot specifically for collecting spring water to drink. After walking for more than two hours we reached Shuirao Simen (Water Winding Around Four Gates), where there's a stone monument for Zhangjiajie. We had lunch at Shuirao Simen, rested a bit, then took the scenic area's eco-bus (the shuttle bus inside the scenic area, free of charge, with stops at Shuirao Simen, Ten-Mile Gallery, Bailong Elevator, No. 1 Bridge under Heaven, Helong Park, Tianzi Mountain cable car, and Wulingyuan entrance) to the entrance of the Bailong Elevator. We spent 56 yuan to go up the mountain, then took a bus to the No. 1 Bridge under Heaven. We stayed at a farmhouse very close to the No. 1 Bridge under Heaven—it was fairly clean and hygienic. After dropping off our luggage, we went to the No. 1 Bridge under Heaven, *** Terrace, and the Back Garden. These scenic spots are all close together. The No. 1 Bridge under Heaven is covered with bronze locks—you can also buy a lock at the pavilion by the bridge and lock it onto the bridge, though the bridge is already quite full, so let's see if you can squeeze yours in. We wandered around here for over two hours, and that night we went to bed early.
The second day was the most tiring but also the most scenic, and these spots are generally not visited by tour groups. Early in the morning, we took the eco-bus to the entrance of Xianren Bridge (Fairy Bridge). After walking down the stairs, there's a small platform where you'll find two paths—left and right. The right path leads to Xianren Bridge, and the left goes to Yibu Nanxing (One Step Difficult to Walk). Many people miss the left path to Yibu Nanxing; I think this spot is quite interesting—go see for yourself. At Xianren Bridge, the bridgehead is sealed with wire but you can still cross; however, it's somewhat dangerous and not recommended, because the bridge is only a little over 1 meter wide and has no railings on either side. Going further ahead is Tianzi Seat, also a place with very beautiful scenery—definitely worth a visit. On the way back it's all uphill; if you really can't walk anymore, you can take a sedan chair. Tell your guide and have him negotiate the price for you—usually 20-30 yuan is enough. After touring Xianren Bridge and Tianzi Seat, we continued by eco-bus to Wulong Village, had lunch at the entrance, rested for an hour, and then set off. Our route was a bit different from the usual one: on the way to Wulong Village, we first took a small path on the left to visit Yibu Dengtian (One Step to Heaven) and the Sky Corridor, and then went to Wulong Village and Tianbo Mansion. Many people have never been to the Sky Corridor; personally, I think it's truly worth visiting. On the way, we even had a brief rain shower, making the ground wet and slippery. The Sky Corridor is actually inside a narrow valley between two peaks, with a walkway along the mountainside. At the end, looking up, you realize you're actually halfway up this peak. The scenery there is very beautiful—peaks on the left, and terraced fields and houses on the right. Not long after retreating back down, there's a path leading to Wulong Village and Tianbo Mansion. Wulong Village is quite interesting; before entering, there are three perilous passes. The first and second passes require you to bow your head, and the third is a very narrow path where even I had to turn sideways to move forward. After walking in for a while, you can see Tianbo Mansion. Tianbo Mansion is the most beautiful scenic spot in Zhangjiajie, somewhat similar to Yibu Dengtian. It's actually on the top of a peak; before going up, you have to cross a floating bridge and then climb a staircase that's nearly 80 degrees steep. At the top there's a small platform, and standing on it, you can see four peaks in the distance that look like city walls. One glance and the scenery is truly magnificent. We walked very tiredly that day, but we saw extremely beautiful scenery, and it was well worth it.
On the third day, we went to Tianzi Mountain. First we visited Shentang Bay and Dianjiang Terrace—these two spots are also quite nice. Then we went to Helong Park, where it became very crowded with many tour groups. Walking further in, you can see Yubi Peak (Imperial Brush Peak), Xiannü Sanhua (Fairy Maiden Scattering Flowers), Xihai Stone Forest, and Tianzi Pavilion. Then we took the eco-bus to the Tianzi Mountain cable car, going down for 52 yuan. At the bottom, we took the eco-bus to Shili Gallery for lunch. Since we had to catch a flight after 3 PM, at 1 o'clock I took the eco-bus to the Wulingyuan entrance. At the entrance, I took a private minibus to Wulingyuan Bus Station, spent 10 yuan to get to Zhangjiajie Bus Station, and then transferred to the airport.
The three-day, two-night trip came to an end, but the beautiful scenery of Zhangjiajie keeps appearing in my mind. If you have a few more days, you can visit Baofeng Lake near Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, go rafting on the Maoyan River, or see Tianmen Mountain in the city area, and so on.