A Very Impressive 5-Day Zhangjiajie Tour Itinerary
5-day Zhangjiajie tour Zhangjiajie is a beautiful and magical place, especially suitable for hiking, sightseeing, traveling with the elderly and children, and relaxing... It receives tourists from all over the world every day, and everyone who has visited Zhangjiajie praises it endlessly... Some people like to come for a 2-day weekend to get a rough look at Zhangjiajie, while others wait for the 5-day long holiday to completely relax. A beautiful place like Zhangjiajie is good to visit in 5 days...
5-Day Zhangjiajie Tour
Zhangjiajie is a beautiful and magical place, especially suitable for hiking and wading, taking in the sights, traveling with the elderly and young, and relaxing…… Every day it welcomes tourists from all over the world, and everyone who has visited Zhangjiajie praises it endlessly... Some people like to come for a 2-day weekend to get a general impression of Zhangjiajie, while others wait for the 5-day long holiday to completely relax.
A beautiful place like Zhangjiajie is absolutely worth taking 5 days to fully appreciate. So now let me recommend a few 5-day Zhangjiajie tour routes for you:
Day 1: Arrive in Zhangjiajie from all over the country (by flight, bus, or train), head to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (35 kilometers from the city center, only a 40-minute drive), buy tickets and begin touring Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (ticket: 248 RMB/person). First, tour the Huangshizhai premium sightseeing route (you can take the cable car or hike up), where you can visit Liqi Pavilion, Star-Picking Platform, Two Gates Welcoming Guests, Five-Finger Peak, Vase Peak, Golden Turtle in the Sea of Mist, Flying Cloud Cave, Fairy Scattering Flowers, and other attractions. If time permits, you can do a loop tour around the top of Huangshizhai, which takes about 3 hours; hiking up also allows you to enjoy the following attractions: Lion Looking Back, Big Rock House, Point-General Platform, Heavenly Book Box, Heavenly Book Hanging High, Sea-Calming Needle, South Heavenly Gate, and more;
After the tour, exit the forest park entrance for lunch, rest for a moment, then re-enter the park to tour China's most beautiful grand canyon——the Golden Whip Stream premium sightseeing route (7.5 kilometers long, walking required, about 3.5 hours), where you can enjoy the following attractions: Pig Bajie Carrying His Bride, Divine Eagle Guarding the Whip, Golden Whip Rock, Master and Disciples Seeking Scriptures, Drunken Arhat, Splitting the Mountain to Save the Mother, Scholar's Book Collection, Wenxing Rock, Purple Grass Pool, Meeting After a Thousand Miles, Golden Turtle Exploring the Sea, Water Winding Around Four Gates, Zhang Liang's Tomb, Long Live Tablet, and more;
At the Water Winding Around Four Gates eco-bus parking lot (free, bus fare included in the ticket), take the scenic area eco-bus to the Wulingyuan ticket station to end the day's itinerary; stay overnight in Wulingyuan (also known as Suoxiyu on other websites, it's actually the same place). That evening, if you still have plenty of energy, you can watch the Charming Great Xiangxi Tujia Folk Custom Performance. This performance is excellent, and I suggest that if you have time, you must see it! It gives you a comprehensive understanding of the Tujia ethnic life and folk customs of Zhangjiajie.
Day 2: After breakfast at the hotel, continue using the ticket purchased on Day 1 to enter the forest park from the Wulingyuan ticket station. At the ticket station parking lot, take the eco-bus to the lower station of the Tianzi Mountain cable car to go to Tianzi Mountain (because there are many attractions to visit today and the schedule is tight, it's recommended to take the cable car up Tianzi Mountain; hiking up doesn't offer many worthwhile scenic spots). Take the Tianzi Mountain cable car up (cable car ticket: 56 RMB/person), the ride takes 8 minutes, and the cable car passes through Tianzi Mountain's most beautiful peaks, offering a bird's-eye view that is very beautiful. Upon arriving at the top of Tianzi Mountain, take the eco-bus at the cable car exit to He Long Park (about 4 minutes), arriving at He Long Park, which is the core scenic area of Tianzi Mountain. Tour He Long Park, the He Long bronze statue, West Sea Stone Forest, Imperial Brush Peak, Fairy Scattering Flowers, and climb Tianzi Pavilion (note: there are monks at Tianzi Pavilion who pester tourists, ignore them) to overlook Tianzi Mountain. The Tianzi Mountain stone forest is fully visible, and it is the highest viewing platform. Based on actual conditions, touring Tianzi Mountain takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Return to the He Long Park eco-bus parking lot and take the eco-bus to the No. 1 Bridge under Heaven. If interested, you can get off along the way to visit Point-General Platform, Divine Hall Bay, Immortal Bridge, and other Wuling wonders, then flag down a bus along the way to the No. 1 Bridge under Heaven (takes 40 minutes, you can rest a bit). Arrive at the No. 1 Bridge under Heaven and have lunch there (the only formal fast-food restaurant in the scenic area, 25 RMB/person, buffet fast food, or you can order dishes); after lunch, tour the Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, where you can enjoy the No. 1 Bridge under Heaven, Five Women Going to Battle, Golden Turtle Gazing at the Moon, Qiankun Pillar, Soul-Enchanting Platform, and other core wonders. If time permits, you can continue to tour the Yangjiajie Scenic Area, where you can enjoy Tianbo Mansion, Wulong Village, One Step Hard to Pass, and other wonders. Take the eco-bus to the Bailong Elevator (about 15 minutes) and take the world's No. 1 elevator——the Bailong Elevator down the mountain (ticket: 54 RMB/person). The height difference is over 300 meters, and the ride takes nearly 2 minutes. In the fully transparent elevator, enjoy the stone forest scenery such as the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals opposite. After descending, head to the Water Winding Around Four Gates parking lot and take the eco-bus to the Ten-Mile Gallery (about 10 minutes). Tour the Ten-Mile Gallery premium sightseeing route (10 li long, walking takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or you can take the sightseeing mini-train). You can enjoy Family Portrait, Herb-Collecting Old Man, King Xiang Reading, Three Sisters Peak, and other attractions; return the same way (you can only return the same way), take the eco-bus at the parking lot to the Wulingyuan ticket station, exit the ticket station. The five premium sightseeing routes of the forest park have been fully toured, and the ticket expires accordingly. If you want to enter again the next day, you need to buy another ticket! Stay in Wulingyuan (continue at the same hotel as the first night).
Day 3: After breakfast at the hotel, check out, store your luggage at the hotel front desk, and head to the Yellow Dragon Cave Scenic Area (12 kilometers, about 15 minutes). There are taxis and buses available. Buy tickets to tour Yellow Dragon Cave (ticket: 82 RMB/person). Touring Yellow Dragon Cave takes about 3 hours. Inside Yellow Dragon Cave there are four levels, two water caves and two dry caves; there is a river in the cave requiring a boat ride, mountains in the cave requiring climbing; bridges in the cave requiring crossing; you can enjoy Dragon Dance Hall, Xiangshui River, Loess Plateau, Flying Waterfall, Stone Harp Mountain, Dragon King's Throne, Sea-Calming Needle (the landmark attraction, the one that caused a global sensation by being insured for 100 million RMB), and other attractions; after lunch, take a taxi to the Baofeng Lake Scenic Area (13 kilometers, about 15 minutes) to tour Baofeng Lake (ticket: 74 RMB/person). You can enjoy Baofeng Flying Waterfall (the actual filming location of Flower Fruit Mountain in the later episodes of Journey to the West), take a boat tour of Baofeng Lake (a full loop around the lake, about 50 minutes), and enjoy Fairy Looking in the Mirror, Peacock Spreading Its Tail, Golden Toad Holding the Moon, and other attractions. As the boat travels on the lake, you can sing mountain songs in antiphonal style with Tujia young men and women…… After the tour, return to the hotel to pick up your luggage and return to Zhangjiajie city center (you can take a shuttle bus, departing every 30 minutes, the last bus at 19:00, ticket: 10 RMB/person). The return to the city center takes about 45 minutes. Arrive in the city center and stay in Zhangjiajie city center.
In the evening, choose to stroll around the streets of Zhangjiajie and taste local Zhangjiajie snacks (Zhangjiajie snacks will be covered specifically later). Actually, strolling around Zhangjiajie is also romantic.
Day 4: After breakfast at the hotel, you can choose to head to the Mengdong River Scenic Area (107 kilometers, about 1 hour and 30 minutes). There is no intercity shuttle bus from Zhangjiajie to the Mengdong River Scenic Area, and there is no need to rent a car. The Mengdong River Scenic Area has specially opened a short one-day tour of Mengdong River rafting and Furong Ancient Town for the convenience of tourist friends (cost: 200 RMB/person, including round-trip transportation and Mengdong River rafting ticket). The daily departure time is 7:30 AM. The Mengdong River Rafting Company will send a dedicated person to the lobby of your hotel to receive you and personally pick up and drop off travelers! The Mengdong River Rafting one-day tour allows you to participate in the world's No. 1 raft——Mengdong River rafting, experience passionate mountains and waters, the thrill of dancing with the waves, and a thrilling but safe rafting experience. The rafting takes 2.5 hours, 10 people per boat, rubber boats, each boat equipped with one safety officer. You can raft with peace of mind, there is no danger (notes will be covered later). After rafting, take the rafting company's dedicated vehicle to Furong Ancient Town, where you can visit the ancient town, taste the authentic Liu Xiaoqing Rice Tofu at No. 113, the actual filming location of the movie "Furong Town," the stone slab street, and experience the best-preserved ancient town appearance. Gather at about 16:00 and return to Zhangjiajie city center; if you still need to visit Fenghuang Ancient Town, you can take a shuttle bus on the roadside to Jishou (ticket: 35 RMB/person, takes 2 hours), then transfer in Jishou to Fenghuang Ancient Town (ticket: 15 RMB/person, about 1 hour and 15 minutes), arrive in Fenghuang, and stay in Fenghuang Ancient Town. It is recommended to go to Fenghuang this way. Also: if you are rather lazy and afraid of trouble, no worries, follow the tour bus back to Zhangjiajie city center, continue staying in Zhangjiajie city center that night, and the next morning go to Zhangjiajie Bus Station to take the 7:30/9:00 direct tourist express bus from Zhangjiajie to Fenghuang (ticket: 65 RMB/person), which can also get you to Fenghuang.
Day 5: One-day tour of Fenghuang Ancient Town. It is recommended not to buy the through ticket to tour Fenghuang Ancient Town (ticket: 168 RMB/person), as that would be a complete waste. In Fenghuang Ancient Town, you can leisurely tour Fenghuang, mainly experiencing one of China's most beautiful ancient towns, walking along the Ming and Qing dynasty stone slab streets, looking at the Miao stilted houses of Fenghuang, and picking out 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, Jumping Rock, Ten Thousand Names Pagoda, and Chaoyang Palace. If you stayed in Fenghuang the night before, don't forget to stay in a stilted house! Staying in a hotel in Fenghuang loses the original feeling, and even more, don't forget to visit Fenghuang's small bars! You can also find a local to charter a small boat and drift on the Tuo River (cost: 30——50 RMB/boat, you can bargain), or you can buy tickets to visit the following attractions: (tickets 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; if you want to learn more about Fenghuang's attractions and see pictures, you can choose to visit () for detailed reference. 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 don't have much sightseeing value! Touring Fenghuang is mainly about experiencing the small town, walking and sitting in this thousand-year-old ancient town! An ancient town, neither too big nor too small, just wander freely. I won't elaborate further here! Hehe~~~~~ If your travel time is only these precious five days, after seeing Fenghuang, choose to return to your warm home. You can choose to transfer back via Jishou. If returning via Jishou, there are only trains, and for flights you need to return to Zhangjiajie city center. If Jishou trains cannot reach your area, then choose to return via Zhangjiajie. If you still have time, return to Zhangjiajie, and I will arrange one to two more days of premium itineraries for you.
Finally, a kind reminder: some prices in the above itinerary may fluctuate, but overall the differences are not significant.