Traveling to Zhangjiajie Is Beautiful in Any Season
When and in which season is it most suitable to travel to Zhangjiajie? The best time to travel to Zhangjiajie is April and October each year. At this time, Zhangjiajie's natural scenery is at its most beautiful, with temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius. The best month is mid-to-late April, because many plants are growing new branches and buds, and the green is a vibrant tender green. In addition, there is more rain and more mist, so the scenery at this time can be described as a fairyland on earth…
When and in which season is it best to travel to Zhangjiajie?
The best time to travel to Zhangjiajie is April and October each year. At this time, Zhangjiajie's natural scenery is at its most beautiful, with temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius. The best month of all is mid-to-late April, because many plants are growing new branches and sprouting new buds, and the green is a vibrant tender green; combined with plenty of rain and mist, the scenery at this time can be described as a fairyland on earth without any exaggeration.
On mountains above 1,200 meters in Zhangjiajie, the temperature is 3-5 degrees lower than at the foot of the mountain. A brief rainy day is not a bad thing; as long as it is not continuous drizzle, you can still go sightseeing. On the contrary, you may get to see the absolutely stunning “fairyland on earth”; when it rains, do not go climbing (you can take the cable car up), first because the paths are slippery, and second because there will be heavy fog at the summit and you will see nothing. It is best to go to the summit to enjoy the view within 1-2 hours after the rain. Every year in July and August, there are more rainstorms or thunderstorms, and this period is also the season when sea of clouds forms most often. But after a rainstorm, rafting activities on the Mengdong River, Maoyan River, Loushui River and others may be unavailable, so you need to inquire in advance.
In winter, it snows in Zhangjiajie, adding much charm for winter tourists, but heavy snow will not close the mountain. Zhangjiajie Scenic Area has Spring Festival, summer vacation, and National Day as its peak tourist seasons each year. Once peak season arrives, all prices for food, accommodation, and transportation will rise. Starting in 2008, because the “May Day Golden Week” was canceled, the “National Day Golden Week” will be relatively booming, so if conditions allow, try to avoid the “National Day Golden Week” when traveling to Zhangjiajie.
Every season is a good choice for visiting Zhangjiajie. Zhangjiajie in every season is perfect.
But when you come to Zhangjiajie, you must understand these things:
Zhangjiajie is located in the northwest of Hunan Province. The Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area, composed of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Suoxiyu Scenic Area, Tianzi Mountain Scenic Area, and Yangjiajie Scenic Area, is a national key scenic and historic interest area covering 264 square kilometers. In December 1992, it was inscribed by UNESCO on the World Natural and Cultural Heritage List. Within the scenic area, three thousand strange peaks rise from the ground, eight hundred streams wind in all directions, the forest sea is vast, and mountain flowers bloom everywhere. The scenery is strange, beautiful, secluded, and precipitous, and it is praised as “the original model of Chinese landscape painting.”
Customs and folkways of traveling in Zhangjiajie:
Zhangjiajie has many ethnic minorities, accounting for 69% of the total population, mainly Tujia, Bai, Miao, and others, so the ethnic flavor is very rich. Marriage customs are full of fun and charm. Tujia marriage customs have many categories and are humorous and interesting; Bai marriage customs are “set in their ways,” and “the parents' command and the matchmaker's words” prevail. There are also fanghua (“discussing marriage”), mingzi (commonly called taking a courtesy name), qinqin (fetching the bride), “zhuanglang” (dressing the groom), “songqin” (escorting the bride), “yuanqin” (reunion of the couple), “jian daxiao” (meeting elders and juniors), “huimen” (returning to the bride's home), and so on.
Zhangjiajie's ethnic songs and dances have a distinctive local style, a strong rustic flavor, endless variety, and are extremely wonderful. There is the locally distinctive Gao Hua Deng dance, the Bai people's proud Zhanggu dance and Bench Dragon, the Tujia people's most influential large-scale dance Baishou dance and Sanbang drum, the Jiuzi whip (“Heavenly God Whip”) popular among the Han, Bai, and Tujia peoples and especially loved by the Bai people, and the melodious, lively Sangzhi folk songs.
Zhangjiajie's ethnic martial arts are somewhat famous, with many local martial arts styles, displaying the brave, honest, and sturdy character of the Tujia people as well as their strong and robust physique. Among them, Dayong qigong, Comb Boxing, and the vine-swinging technique essential for crossing ravines are especially well known in the martial arts world.
Climatic characteristics of traveling in Zhangjiajie:
Zhangjiajie has no severe cold in winter and no extreme heat in summer, with an average annual temperature of 16.8°C, so it can be called spring all year round. The best time to travel is from April to October each year; during this period, Zhangjiajie's natural scenery is at its most beautiful. Zhangjiajie has more rain in July, and the paths are slippery on rainy days, but the mountain scenery 1-2 hours after rain is the most beautiful, wreathed in mist, like a fairyland; in winter it snows, but the mountain will not be closed, and Zhangjiajie in heavy snow has a special charm. For weather conditions, please visit
Specialty dining of traveling in Zhangjiajie:
The Tujia cuisine of Zhangjiajie has both a strong ethnic character and the essence of Hunan cuisine. Spiciness is a feature of Hunan cuisine, and Tujia cuisine is no exception. Besides spiciness, Tujia people are also especially fond of cured, sour, and pickled foods, with a unique flavor. Zhangjiajie specialty dishes include cured pig's head, "New Year reunion dish," blood tofu, hezha, sour fish, loach burrowing into tofu, black chicken gastrodia soup, and so on; specialty snacks include shefan, pig's blood congee, Sangzhi salted dried tofu, kiwi juice, and so on.
Local specialties of traveling in Zhangjiajie:
Compared with major cities, Zhangjiajie's commerce is still underdeveloped, but there are many local specialties here, especially kiwi, Qingyan Mingcui tea, lobster flower tea, pine mushrooms, and others, which are relatively famous, original in flavor, and cheap and good; Sangzhi salted dried tofu was a tribute product in the Qing Dynasty, the “Gegen Bao” pure natural green series of drinks combines health care and longevity, Maoping Maojian tea has a refreshing fragrance, mellow taste, and beautiful color, and after drinking it moistens the lungs and refreshes the spirit. These are all good specialties; in addition, you can also buy some Tujia-flavored “Spicy Girl Spicy Cured” series foods to take home.