Zhangjiajie 6-Day Tour Unbeatable Route
Zhangjiajie 6-day tour: Immortals and mortals share the Wuling Gate, Gorges and green streams with cascading waterfalls, Water-eroded and cloud-shrouded, dawn and dusk alternate, Villages like Huangshizhai call the generals, Mountains revere Tianzi and He Long remains, Hundred-mile peak forest in a magnificent realm, Most delightful is Golden Whip inspiring future generations. Yes, this is Zhangjiajie, a fairyland-like place. Friends who have time and want to visit, take a look, here's a 6-day itinerary recommendation: Day 1: Arrive in Zhangjiajie from all over the country (by flight, car, train), head to Zhangjiajie National Forest...
6-Day Zhangjiajie Tour
Where immortals and mortals meet at the Wuling Gate
Gorges carve emerald layers, streams join waterfalls
Water erodes, clouds seal, dawn and dusk trade places
Huangshizhai commands the peaks like ranked generals
Tianzi Mountain honors the memory of He Long
A hundred miles of peak forest, a realm of splendor
Most of all, the Golden Whip inspires those who follow
Yes, this is Zhangjiajie, a place like a fairyland. If you have time and want to visit, take a look — here is a 6-day itinerary recommendation for you:
Day 1: Arrive in Zhangjiajie from anywhere in the country (by flight, bus, or train), then head to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (35 km from the city center, only a 40-minute drive). Buy your ticket and begin touring Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (ticket: 248 RMB/person). First, tour the premium Huangshizhai sightseeing route (you can take the cable car or hike up). You can visit attractions such as Liuqi Pavilion, Star-Picking Terrace, Two Gates Welcoming Guests, Five-Finger Peak, Vase Peak, Golden Turtle in the Sea of Mist, Flying Cloud Cave, and Fairy Scattering Flowers. If you have enough time, you can do a loop tour around the top of Huangshizhai, which takes about 3 hours. If you hike up, you can also enjoy the following sights: Lion Looking Back, Great Rock House, Point-General Terrace, Heavenly Book Box, Heavenly Book Hanging High, Sea-Calming Needle, South Heavenly Gate, and more.
After the tour, exit the forest park gate and have lunch. Rest for a moment, then re-enter the park to tour China's most beautiful canyon — the premium Golden Whip Stream route (7.5 km long, walking required, about 3.5 hours). You can enjoy sights such as Pig Bajie Carrying His Bride, Divine Eagle Guarding the Whip, Golden Whip Rock, Master and Disciples Seeking Scriptures, Drunken Arhat, Cleaving the Mountain to Save the Mother, Scholar Hiding Books, Wenxing Rock, Purple Grass Pool, Meeting After a Thousand Miles, Golden Turtle Probing the Sea, Four Gates Surrounded by Water, Zhang Liang's Tomb, and Long Live Tablet.
At the Four Gates Surrounded by Water eco-bus parking lot (free; bus fare is included in the ticket), take the scenic-area eco-bus to the Wulingyuan ticket station to end the day's tour. Stay overnight in Wulingyuan (also called Suoxiyu on other websites — it's actually the same place). That evening, if you still have plenty of energy, you can watch the Charming Grand Xiangxi Tujia folk custom performance. This show is excellent, and if you have time, I highly recommend you see it! It gives you a comprehensive understanding of the life, customs, and traditions of Zhangjiajie's Tujia people.
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 and head to Tianzi Mountain (because there are many sights to see today and the schedule is tight, I suggest taking the cable car up; 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, passing over Tianzi Mountain's most beautiful peaks with breathtaking views from above. Upon reaching the top of Tianzi Mountain, take the eco-bus at the cable car exit to He Long Park (about 4 minutes). Arrive at He Long Park, the core scenic area of Tianzi Mountain. Tour He Long Park, the He Long bronze statue, West Sea Peak 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 stone forest of Tianzi Mountain unfolds before you from the highest viewing platform. Depending on the situation, 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 First Bridge Under Heaven. Along the way, if interested, you can get off to visit Point-General Terrace, Divine Hall Bay, Immortal Bridge, and other Wuling wonders, then flag down a bus to continue to the First Bridge Under Heaven (40 minutes; you can rest a bit). Arrive at the First Bridge Under Heaven and have lunch there (the only proper fast-food restaurant in the scenic area, 25 RMB/person, buffet fast food; à la carte also available). After lunch, tour the Yuanjiajie scenic area, where you can enjoy core wonders such as the First Bridge Under Heaven, Five Women Going to Battle, Golden Turtle Gazing at the Moon, Qiankun Pillar, and Soul-Enchanting Terrace. If time permits, you can continue to tour the Yangjiajie scenic area, enjoying wonders such as Tianbo Mansion, Wulong Village, and One Step Too Hard. Take the eco-bus to the Bailong Elevator (about 15 minutes) and ride the world's No. 1 elevator — the Bailong Elevator — down the mountain (ticket: 54 RMB/person). The height drop is over 300 meters, and the ride takes nearly 2 minutes. From the fully transparent elevator, enjoy the stone forest scenery of the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals opposite. After descending, go to the Four Gates Surrounded by Water parking lot and take the eco-bus to Ten-Mile Gallery (about 10 minutes). Tour the premium Ten-Mile Gallery route (10 li long, about 1 hour and 30 minutes on foot; you can also take the sightseeing mini-train). You can enjoy sights such as Family Portrait, Herb-Gathering Old Man, King Xiang Reading, and Three Sisters Peak. Return the same way (the only way back), and at the parking lot take the eco-bus to the Wulingyuan ticket station. Exit the ticket station — the five premium sightseeing routes of the forest park have now been fully toured, and your ticket expires accordingly. If you want to go in again the next day, you'll need to buy another ticket! Stay overnight in Wulingyuan (continue at the same hotel as the first night).
Day 3: After breakfast at the hotel, check out and store your luggage at the front desk. Head to Yellow Dragon Cave scenic area (12 km, about 15 minutes). Taxis and buses are available. Buy a ticket and tour Yellow Dragon Cave (ticket: 82 RMB/person). The tour takes about 3 hours. Yellow Dragon Cave has four levels — two water caves and two dry caves. There are rivers inside the cave requiring boat rides, mountains inside requiring climbing, and bridges inside requiring crossing. You can enjoy sights such as Dragon Dance Hall, Xiangshui River, Loess Plateau, Flying Waterfall, Stone Harp Mountain, Dragon King's Throne, and Sea-Calming Needle (the signature attraction — the one insured for 100 million RMB, which caused a global sensation). After lunch, take a taxi to Baofeng Lake scenic area (13 km, about 15 minutes) and 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) and take a boat tour of Baofeng Lake (a full loop around the lake, about 50 minutes). You can enjoy sights such as Fairy Looking in the Mirror, Peacock Spreading Its Tail, and Golden Toad Holding the Moon. As the boat glides across 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 head back to Zhangjiajie city center (you can take a shuttle bus, departing every 30 minutes, with the last bus at 19:00; fare: 10 RMB/person). The trip back to the city takes about 45 minutes. Arrive in the city and stay overnight in Zhangjiajie city center.
In the evening, take a stroll through the streets of Zhangjiajie and taste local snacks (I'll cover Zhangjiajie snacks in detail later). Actually, strolling around Zhangjiajie is quite romantic too.
Day 4: After breakfast at the hotel, you can choose to head to Mengdong River scenic area (107 km, about 1 hour and 30 minutes). There is no regular shuttle bus from Zhangjiajie to Mengdong River scenic area, and there's no need to rent a car. For the convenience of tourists, the Mengdong River scenic area has specially launched a short one-day tour combining Mengdong River rafting and Furong Ancient Town (cost: 200 RMB/person, including round-trip transportation and the Mengdong River rafting ticket). You can call the Mengdong River Rafting Company's one-day tour hotline at 0744-8282980 to register. You must book one day in advance! Otherwise, they cannot accommodate you. This tour departs only once per day, and the number of participants is limited. To make your trip smoother, it's best to book several days in advance. Departure time is 7:30 AM daily. The Mengdong River Rafting Company will send someone to meet you in your hotel lobby and personally pick you up and drop you off! The Mengdong River rafting one-day tour lets you experience the world's No. 1 raft — Mengdong River rafting — with thrilling mountain-and-water excitement, dancing with the waves, and an adventurous yet safe rafting experience. The rafting takes about 2.5 hours, with 10 people per boat. The boats are rubber rafts, each with a safety officer. You can raft with peace of mind — there's no real danger (I'll discuss precautions later). After rafting, the rafting company's shuttle takes you to Furong Ancient Town, where you can visit the old town, taste the authentic Liu Xiaoqing Rice Tofu at No. 113, see the actual filming location of the movie "Furong Town," walk the stone-slab street, and experience the best-preserved ancient town scenery. We'll regroup at about 16:00 and return to Zhangjiajie city center. If you also want to visit Fenghuang Ancient Town, you can take a shuttle bus from the roadside to Jishou (fare: 35 RMB/person, about 2 hours), then transfer in Jishou to Fenghuang Ancient Town (fare: 15 RMB/person, about 1 hour and 15 minutes). Arrive in Fenghuang and stay overnight in Fenghuang Ancient Town. I suggest going to Fenghuang this way. Alternatively: if you're feeling lazy and don't want the hassle, no problem — just return to Zhangjiajie city center with the tour bus, stay another night in the city, and the next morning go to Zhangjiajie Bus Station to take the 7:30/9:00 direct tourist express bus from Zhangjiajie to Fenghuang (fare: 65 RMB/person), which will also get you to Fenghuang.
Day 5: One-day tour of Fenghuang Ancient Town. I suggest you don't need to buy the combo ticket to tour Fenghuang Ancient Town (ticket: 168 RMB/person) — that would be a waste. In Fenghuang Ancient Town, you can leisurely explore Fenghuang; the main thing is to experience one of China's most beautiful ancient towns. Walk the Ming and Qing dynasty stone-slab streets, see the Miao stilted houses of Fenghuang, and browse Miao handicrafts — there are so many varieties, it'll make your eyes spin! 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 feel. And don't forget to check out Fenghuang's small bars! You can also find a local to hire a small boat and drift on the Tuo River (cost: 30–50 RMB/boat, negotiable). You can also buy tickets to visit the following attractions (prices will be listed in detail later): East Gate Tower, Rainbow Bridge Art Building, Shen Congwen Former Residence, Xiong Xiling Former Residence, Yang Family Ancestral Hall, and more. If you want to learn more about Fenghuang's attractions and see photos, you can visit ( ) for detailed reference. Around Fenghuang there are also the Southern Great Wall, Qiliang Cave, and Huangsiqiao Ancient Town, but these are relatively far apart. I suggest you don't need to visit them — they're not particularly meaningful. Touring Fenghuang is mainly about experiencing the small town — walking and sitting in this thousand-year-old city! 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. From Jishou, only trains are available; for flights, you'd need to return to Zhangjiajie city center. If there's no train from Jishou to your area, then choose to return via Zhangjiajie. If you still have time, come back to Zhangjiajie and I'll arrange one or two more days of premium itineraries for you.
Day 6: After breakfast at the hotel, here are three options for today — pick one based on your actual situation:
Option 1: One-day tour of Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park: Take a taxi from the hotel to the lower station of the Tianmen Mountain cable car (2 km from the city center, only 5 RMB by taxi — convenient, right?). Buy your ticket (ticket: 258 RMB/person, including cable car fare). Ride the world's longest high-altitude passenger cable car up to the soul of Wuling — Tianmen Mountain. The ride takes 28 minutes. Experience the world's longest high-altitude passenger cable car, enjoy a full view of Zhangjiajie city, and gaze at Tianmen Cave in the distance. If you're afraid of heights, I suggest you don't look down — the height difference is truly unimaginable!!!! Upon reaching the top of Tianmen Mountain, you can choose the east route or west route for a mountain loop tour. You can enjoy sights such as North View of Tianmen, Li Na's Cabin, Cloud Dream Fairy Summit, Ghost Valley Cave, and Tianmen Mountain Temple (officially opened on October 1, 2008), Asia's largest ancient temple (reconstructed), magnificent and splendid, letting you feel the sacredness of the Tianmen Buddhist realm. Touring the top of Tianmen Mountain takes about 2 hours. Take the cable car down to the midpoint (don't mistake it for the terminal), get off the cable car, and transfer to the eco-bus (free; included in the ticket) to Tianmen Cave scenic area. Climb the 99 bends to Tianmen Cave and witness the world's road wonder — arguably the world's No. 1 road wonder. Arrive at Tianmen Cave and climb the 999-step Heavenly Road. This is the time to test your stamina. See Tianmen Cave (the cave that world-class masters flew aircraft through during the 1999 World Stunt Flying Competition; the cave that Russian Air Force Su-27 heavy fighters declared they would fly through on March 28, 2006). Let yourself feel nature's uncanny workmanship. The tour takes about 2 hours. Take the eco-bus down the mountain. End the Tianmen Mountain one-day tour.
Option 2: You can choose a one-day tour of Zhangjiajie's small city attractions. Visit Tujia Scenic Garden (ticket: 128 RMB/person). This is a cultural attraction — a comprehensive Tujia folk museum integrating Tujia life, farming, customs, traditions, weddings, architecture, song and dance. Its Nine-Heaven Stilted House and Thousand-Person Maogusi Dance have won world records. You can also feast your eyes on a large-scale Tujia folk song and dance performance. Visit the Jiangnan ancient temple (ticket: 20 RMB/person) — White Sheep Ancient Temple (also known as Puguang Zen Temple), China's first thousand-year-old temple integrating Buddhism and Taoism. The Mahavira Hall, Three Pure Ones Hall, and Martial Temple retain their original appearance with a unique style. Note: inside, do not easily believe the monks' words about burning incense to show sincerity — follow your own wishes. Visit China's largest private museum — Xiuhua Mountain Hall (ticket: 30 RMB/person) and admire the essence of Tujia collections.
Option 3: Whether winter or summer, friends who enjoy hot springs shouldn't miss this. You can choose a one-day Jiangya Hot Spring leisure tour or a one-day Wanfu Hot Spring tour. Here, I suggest Wanfu Hot Spring — advanced facilities and convenient transportation (near the highway exit). Let the hot spring relieve the fatigue from days of climbing mountains and enjoy the five-star service of a modern hot spring! In short, the above six-day itinerary is the most essential and classic itinerary in the Zhangjiajie and Xiangxi regions. Of course, there are also Maoyan River rafting, Jiutian Cave, and He Long's Former Residence, which belong to the western route. Currently, transportation is very inconvenient; self-driving tourists can give it a try. This is also Zhangjiajie's only red tourism route!
In summary: The above six-day tour itinerary suits all travel enthusiasts coming to Zhangjiajie. The first three days are must-visit places for Zhangjiajie travelers, and the last three days are optional destinations. These three days can all be combined separately with the first three days, and all combinations are very reasonable. Of course, if you have enough time, you can use six days to easily explore Xiangxi. Any combination — take your pick. This itinerary is especially suitable for self-driving travel enthusiasts!
Suitable travel styles: independent travelers, business independent travelers, corporate group tours, self-driving travel enthusiasts.