2013 Latest Guide to Visiting Zhangjiajie
Author: Walking to the Ends of the Earth. Our itinerary: arrived in Zhangjiajie city on the evening of March 7, toured the scenic area March 8–10. Due to limited time, we only visited four spots: Tianzi Mountain, Yuanjiajie, Yangjiajie, and Golden Whip Stream. From this trip, I have some tips to share: 1. Find a local guide.
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.
Author: Walking to the Ends of the Earth
Our specific itinerary was to arrive in Zhangjiajie city area on the evening of March 7, and tour Zhangjiajie Scenic Area from March 8 to 10. Due to limited time, we only visited four attractions: Tianzi Mountain, Yuanjiajie, Yangjiajie, and Golden Whip Stream.
After this trip, I also have some insights I would like to share with everyone here:
1. Finding a local guide is a must.
Only after arriving there did I realize that the online guides were absolutely right. Zhangjiajie Scenic Area covers a very large area, and six scenic zones have now been opened, namely: Huangshizhai, Tianzi Mountain, Yangjiajie, Yaozizhai, Golden Whip Stream, and Yuanjiajie. Although shuttle buses can reach each attraction, some shuttle bus stops have almost no signs at all. If Guide Liu had not told us where to get off and where to get on, we would not have been able to tell where the stops were at all. So with a guide, you do not have to worry about getting lost, and you will not take many repeated routes. On the other hand, with Guide Liu there, we did not have to worry about sightseeing time. Basically, when Guide Liu said there was plenty of time, we would stay longer at the places we liked, without worrying about time or rushing along, and we could fully enjoy the freedom of independent travel. Also, because there are many places selling local snacks at the entrance to the scenic area, and looking at so many things I did not know what they all were, I often asked Guide Liu to introduce them to me, so that I could pick 1-2 distinctive local snacks to satisfy myself, and the things he introduced were all very good, such as kudzu root cakes, and the iced sweet rice wine and iced white fungus soup on the mountaintop of Yangjiajie were all delicious. I am especially grateful to Guide Liu because in Yangjiajie he reminded me that if I wanted to take a sedan chair, I should make clear to him in front of the local bearers the starting point and the destination, otherwise the local bearers would very likely cut the route short. Although in the end we still did not take one, Guide Xiao Liu's thoughtful little reminder warmed my heart.
2. Finding a guide with a good reputation is a stroke of luck.
My husband and I think we were lucky. I have already mentioned some of the advantages of having a guide. This time when we went to Yangjiajie, it happened to be a very sunny day. Guide Liu suggested that with such a rare fine day, we could watch the sunset from the mountaintop. Of course we could not ask for more than such an opportunity that comes only by chance, so after touring Tianzi Mountain that morning, we went back to the inn and had a wonderful afternoon nap, and only at five in the afternoon did we climb the mountain full of energy. Later we realized that climbing at this time was very good. The sunset was intoxicatingly beautiful, and because of this we did not have to go up under the scorching sun, and there were fewer and fewer visitors, which allowed us to better appreciate the grandeur and tranquility of the great mountain. Of course, when going down the mountain after sunset, it may become dark by the end of the walk, so if you plan to watch the sunset, it is very necessary to prepare a flashlight. In addition, if you are not staying in Yangjiajie, then there will be no shuttle bus when going down at this time, so you can ask the guide to help contact a driver to pick you up and take you back to your accommodation. On the mountaintop we met three New Zealanders. They had no guide. One of them could only speak a little Chinese, and they set off with a map. Later when we talked about it again, we both felt we especially admired the three of them, though I also felt it was quite adventurous. Fortunately they met our Guide Xiao Liu, because they had originally wanted to walk all the small paths according to the map, but later Guide Liu told them that many old paths on the map are now covered by vegetation and there is simply no road anymore, and some places are even broken roads that cannot be passed at all, while some places cannot be walked back from in a day. So with Guide Xiao Liu's help, they revised their plan again, otherwise the consequences would really have been hard to imagine. In the end, because they stayed on the mountain too late and had already missed the last bus, they had to ask Guide Liu to help arrange a car, and only then did they return smoothly to their accommodation.
3. About food.
If you choose a self-guided tour guide, they are responsible for food and accommodation. Because the local diet is mainly characterized by sour and spicy flavors (I tasted the local food and really could not accept it). Fortunately, after tourism developed, the locals pay more attention to travelers' tastes. Since my husband and I cannot eat spicy food, we told Guide Xiao Liu this after first meeting him, and there were no problems with meals afterward. Moreover, because they use vegetables grown by mountain families, the food always tasted fragrant. In addition, if you want to eat local rock fungus, free-range chicken, and cured meat, the price will be relatively expensive, and this must be paid for by yourself. Actually, Guide Xiao Chen did not recommend that we eat these; it was my own curiosity. I always felt that not eating some mountain products while on the mountain would be letting myself down, so I ordered a rock fungus stewed free-range chicken, and it tasted good.
4. About choosing scenic spots.
Among the four attractions we visited, I think the best are Yangjiajie and Yuanjiajie. Next is Tianzi Mountain, and the most ordinary is Golden Whip Stream.
Tianzi Mountain: Compared with Yangjiajie and Yuanjiajie, I think it is insufficient in grandeur but more than sufficient in beauty. The scenery is also quite good, and of course there are also very many visitors, so if time is plentiful, it is best to come a bit later.
Golden Whip Stream: An attraction that disappointed me somewhat. If you have been to several valleys in Sichuan (such as Hailuogou, Shuangqiaogou, and Jiuzhaigou), there is completely no need to come here. Because this is just a long canyon accompanied by a small stream all the way. If time is plentiful, it is harmless to come and take a look in your leisure time, but it will not give you too many surprises.
Yangjiajie: The scenery is magnificent, and it is also the best place to watch the sunset. Because group tours do not come here, there are generally very few people here, and some places have very rugged mountain paths. It feels that even if one wanted to be a bandit back then, it would not have been an easy thing.
Yuanjiajie: The landscape is very stunning. Cameron had good reason to film here. But there are simply too many tourists, and tour guides with groups often shout through small microphones. Everyone around seems to be taking photos just for the sake of taking photos, and some very good photo spots are occupied by crowds taking pictures, making it hard to calm down and appreciate the grandeur and mystery of the great mountain. So I suggest that friends who come here can appropriately listen to the guide's advice and choose some routes that group tours do not take during the daytime peak, and then come here near dusk. I believe you will gain a great deal.
5. About accommodation on the mountain.
If you choose a self-guided tour guide, then they can help you solve accommodation. But basically you stay in their own inn. I originally wanted to stay at Milan Inn, but I also wanted to find a guide with a good reputation to help me arrange it. As a result, I found that except for Guide Liu, who could help arrange it, guides from other families did not take on such business. That is to say, if you choose a guide, you must stay in his family's inn; if you want to choose an inn, then you must choose that inn's guide. At first I did not understand this, but after coming here I understood that this directly affects the guide's income. If you do not stay in his own inn, then the guide actually does not have much money to earn. So on this point, I was also very satisfied with Guide Liu. But special note should be made that the inns on the mountain all have very simple conditions. On the one hand, this is because water, electricity, and supplies are all very precious; on the other hand, it is also because building hotels here is not allowed in order to avoid damaging the environment, so the so-called inns are all farmhouses with quite simple conditions. If everyone wants to stay on the mountain, do not have too many requirements about hygiene, and the rooms are basically not soundproof, so just make do for one night. Of course, after weighing the pros and cons, my husband and I still chose Xingfuli Inn, run by Guide Liu's friend. It is worth mentioning that every room in his place is equipped with a water dispenser. At first I did not understand and suggested that they just prepare electric kettles, but later I learned that there is no tap water here at all. All water comes from a reservoir, and this kind of water is fine for washing but cannot be drunk at all, so they specially equipped water dispensers (which moved me again).