A Complete Travel Guide to Zhangjiajie National Park

Located in the northwest of Hunan Province, Zhangjiajie is the hinterland of the Wuling Mountains. Built and thriving for tourism, Zhangjiajie boasts breathtaking scenery. The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is the first national forest park in China. In 2010, the first 3D film "Avatar" built Avatar's world - Pandora based on the scenery of Zhangjiajie, which makes Zhangjiajie be famous around the world.

The stratum of Zhangjiajie city is complex and diverse, which has created the local characteristic landscape. There are mainly mountains, karsts, hills, hills, plains, etc. The mountainous area accounts for 76% of the total area, among which the most distinctive is the quartz sand rock peak forest landform, which is rare in the world.

In the Wulingyuan core scenic spot of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, there are 3,000 stone peaks set aside and 800 streams are winding. When you come to Zhangjiajie for sightseeing, you definitely will be shocked and overwhelmed by these peculiar sandstone peaks and forests and magnificent karst landscapes, as if you are in a fairyland of sacred mountains. For travelers who are eager to see marvelous mountain peaks during their China tour, Zhangjiajie can be on their top travel list.

April to June and September to November are the best time to travel in Zhangjiajie. April to June is the spring and early summer in Zhangjiajie when travelers can see the wildflowers, camellia, azalea, etc. There are also relatively few tourists during this period. September to early November is the autumn of Zhangjiajie, with a clear sky and pale clouds and light winds. The most beautiful time of the year is in autumn, so the number of tourists is large, and the accommodation fees are also the highest in the year.

July and August are the summertime in Zhangjiajie, hot, rainy, and humid. There are still many tourists because it is summer vacation. In winter from December to February, the temperature is low, and snowfalls may encounter occasionally, and many surrounding plants are withered.

1. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is the first national forest park in China. In December 1992, the great Peak forest of quartz sandstone was listed in the World Natural Heritage List by the United Nations, and in February 2004, it was listed in the World Geological Park. The landforms here are peculiar, with many pinnacles, various shapes, lush trees, steep slopes, and deep trenches, and the climate is warm and humid. The main attractions are Tianzi mountain, Huangshi Village, Golden Whip Creek, Yuanjiajie, Yangjiajie, etc., for other top attractions in Zhangjiajie, please go through Top 20 attractions in Zhangjiajie. It normally takes 2 days to fully enjoy the top attractions inside Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.

2. Tianmen Mountain

8 kilometers away from Zhangjiajie City, can be seen from Zhangjiajie Airport. Named for the natural wonder Tianmen Cave, the first famous mountain to be recorded in history. When visiting Tianmen Mountain, you can overlook the gorgeous scenery in the cable car. Tianmen Mountain has three travel routes, which can be easily chosen according to your schedule, preference and physical strength. You can experience the glass plank road built on the cliff, see the deep valley below your feet, and feel the joy of walking in the sky.

3. Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon

A newly developed tourist attraction, best known for having the world's highest and longest glass bridge. The total length is about 370 meters, standing on the bridge, the panoramic view of the valley 400 meters is below the foot. The canyon is lush with vegetation, fresh air, waterfalls, streams and springs everywhere, like a natural oxygen bar. Here you can see all the scenery of the northern temperate karst terrain.

4. Yellow Dragon Cave

Located in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, the core scenic spot of Zhangjiajie City, Yellow Dragon Cave is an organic part of the World Natural Heritage and World Geopark Zhangjiajie. It is a typical karst landform, and famous for its high sky, deep river and dense stalagmites. The highest point in the cave has a vertical height of more than 100 meters. There are holes, streams and rivers in the cave, as well as a sightseeing route of "Land and River". Travelers could have a walk in the cave first, then take a boat on the pier beside the dark river in the cave to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the river and the wonders of stalagmites in the water.

5. Xibu Street

Located in Wulingyuan District, Xibu Street is the only compound tourist and commercial pedestrian street in China that integrates water bar street, Chinese famous snack street, Xiangxi folk shopping boutique street, leisure inn/guesthouse, creative workshop, etc. Hiking in nature during the day, and then in the evening you may consider coming here to relax, drink, chat, and taste local food and snacks.

6. Furong Town (Hibiscus Town)

Located in the Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Xiangxi, Furong Town is 90 kilometers away from Zhangjiajie, less than 2 hours drive. It is an ancient town with a history of more than two thousand years, surrounded by green mountains and rivers, and full of honest and simple Tujia folk customs. As the magnificent waterfalls pass through the town, it is also called "the thousand-year-old town hanging on the waterfall". It is not only an ancient town with a long history of thousands of years, but also a tourist attraction that combines natural scenery and quaint ethnic customs.

7. Dehang(Deut Hangd) Miao Village

Located in Jishou City, Xiangxi Prefecture, Hunan Province, Dehang Miao Village is 180 kilometers away from Zhangjiajie, less than 3 hours' drive. “Deut Hangd” is Miao language, meaning "beautiful canyon". Due to the ups and downs of the mountain, the cliff towering, overlapping peaks, formed a lot of cliffs, stone walls, peaks, waterfalls, primeval forests. The region is interlaced with rivers, the four seasons are all like spring, pleasant climate, rich in animal and plant resources. There's a rural trail towards to the village entry right opposite of the national road, which is highly recommend to hike to enjoy the beautiful and charming countryside scenery.

8. Ancient Town of Fenghuang

Located in the southwest of Hunan Province Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous prefecture. Fenghuang Ancient Town is 220 kilometers from Zhangjiajie, about 3 hours and 20 minutes' driving. Built in 1556 in the Ming Dynasty, it is one of the top ten cultural heritages in Hunan and one of the famous historical and cultural cities in China. There are majestic ancient city walls, neat and uniform stilts, blue and gray smooth stone roads, and traditional handicraft shops. You will also find restaurants, bars, various souvenir shops and inns can be seen everywhere in the ancient town. In addition, there are many palaces and ancestral halls here, and the former residences of some Chinese celebrities are also kept here. Travelers are advised to stay inside the ancient town for one night, to capture the particularly gorgeous lights at night. You may choose to take a boat to enjoy the night view, or stroll through the ancient streets, or sit in the bar by the river side and just relax.

Flight

Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport is the only airport in Zhangjiajie. It is about 10 kilometers away from the urban area and about 15 minutes by car; it is about 35 kilometers away from Zhangjiajie's core scenic spot and about 40 minutes by car. At present, many cities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Changsha, and Kunming, etc have opened direct flights to Zhangjiajie. There are also international flights from Seoul, Busan, Osaka, Fukuoka, Ho Chi Minh, and Bangkok to Zhangjiajie.

For travelers who wish to visit Fenghuang ancient town (3.5 hours' drive to Zhangjiajie), they can also choose to fly to Fenghuang airport. Fenghuang Airport is located at the junction of Tongren City in Guizhou Province and Fenghuang County in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Hunan Province. It is 22 kilometers away from Tongren City and 28 kilometers away from Phoenix County. Tongren Fenghuang Airport has direct flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an every day. It’s best to visit Fenghuang ancient town after Zhangjiajie and then fly further to Beijing, Shanghai, or Xi'an.

Railway

Zhangjiajie’s railway lines are not well-developed, and there is no high-speed rail linking major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai to Zhangjiajie. The railway station is very close to downtown. The central bus station is on the left-hand side of the train station, with direct buses to Zhangjiajie Forest Park. There are many normal trains from Changsha to Zhangjiajie every day, and it takes about 4 hours one-way. The high-speed train from Changsha to Zhangjiajie West Railway Station has opened (less than 3 hours), and it goes further to Xianfeng in Hubei.

Travel within Zhangjiajie

The public buses are mainly in Yongding districts, and for local residents to work, go shopping, and so on. For self-travel tourists, it's best to take taxis to the main sites. The management of taxis in Zhangjiajie is relatively standardized and with meter pricing. Of course, travelers can take a tour through a local China travel agency like WindhorseTour, to have a private vehicle (with a driver) to save the hassle.

The most famous and worth visiting attractions in Zhangjiajie are mainly in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and Tianmen Mountain. The forest park has a total area of 4,810 hectares, which is equivalent to 67 Forbidden City. It is almost impossible to visit all the places inside the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Regular travelers need at least 4 days to appreciate the best part of Zhangjiajie which contains the most magnificent and unique scenery. Please refer to our 4 days Zhangjiajie national parks tour for more details.

For travelers who wish to combine the sites near the Wulingyuan district, 1-2 additional days are required for the Yellow Dragon Cave, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon with the Glass Bridge. In addition, an add-on trip to the nearby ancient tour Fenghuang can be also worthy of. View the nearly 500-year-old buildings here, learn about the folk culture, and understand the real-life from the locals. For more details, please check 6 days Zhangjiajie national forest park and Fenghuang old town tour.

Accommodations

1) Most travelers choose to stay at Wulingyuan District as it's close to Zhangjiajie's main attractions, like Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Yellow Dragon Cave, as well as Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. Most hotels/guesthouses are located along the Xibu street, and with various types and prices to choose from.

• Normally the budget hotel/guesthouse's rate is about CN¥ 200-350 per night, about CN¥ 300-450 per night for 3-star hotels, about CN¥  400-650 per night for 4-star hotels, about CN¥ 650-1,000 per night for the 5-star hotels. Please note that the above prices are based on regular travel season, peak season falls from Mid-July to October.
• All hotels/inns/guest houses' standard room, with either 2 single beds or 1 queen/king size bed. The single bed is about 1.1-1.5 meters wide and the queen/king size bed is about 1.5-2.0 meters wide, all beds are 2 meters long. They all provide free breakfast and free WiFi, rooms have air conditioning, towels, toiletries, slippers, hairdryers, etc. They also offer non-smoking rooms.
• For family travel who wish to have a family room or suite to stay together (3 or 5 people), some 3 or 4-star hotels like Manyuan Resort Hotel, Meiji Guanshanyue Hotel, Best Western Plus Qingxinyuan Hotel Zhangjiajie can offer rooms to accommodate 3-6 travelers.

2) The downtown area - Yongding District is 4 kilometers away from the Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area and 6 kilometers from Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport. It takes about 10-15 minutes by car. As Tianmen mountain is close to the airport, it's best to visit Tianmen mountain before going to Zhangjiajie parks if your flight lands in Zhangjiajie in the morning. Or visiting Tianmen mountain before flying out of Zhangjiajie in the late afternoon or evening. Yongding District has more than 1,000 hotels, inns, and guesthouses of all kinds and prices. It's a better choice for a business trip because it has more convenient traffic and more complete urban infrastructure. For travelers who fly out of Zhangjiajie in the early morning, it's also better to stay the night in Yongding district.

3) Inside Zhangjiajie parks, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is very large, and it usually takes two days to visit. Therefore, many tourists think that living inside the park is convenient for the next day‘s trip. However, considering environmental protection, the local government is gradually demolishing the inns/guest houses built inside in the  Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Generally speaking, the facilities and conditions of the inns/guest houses inside the park are basically not good, and the price is very expensive.

Food and Beverage

The local cuisine in Zhangjiajie combines the rich characteristics of the Tujia nationality with the essence of Hunan cuisine and uses smoked, pickled food and wild vegetables as ingredients. The salty, spicy and refreshing food is coveted.

• The food in downtown is mainly concentrated in Dayong Fucheng (大庸府城). In the evening, the streets are full of food stalls. Nanzhuangping Market (南庄坪大市场) and Dongmen Bridge(东门桥) night market popularity are also quite prosperous, snacks variety is rich.
   
• There are many places to have lunch in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, most of which are farmhouse restaurants of local Hunan cuisine. In the scenic spot, there are snack streets at each environmental protection bus station, mainly selling fried potatoes, glutinous rice cake, sweet potatoes, sausage and smoked meat, etc. There is also a McDonald's on top of the Tianzi Mountain. The restaurants in Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area are mainly concentrated near Tianmen Cave on the top of the mountain. There is a large open-air dining area that provides fast food, as well as Tujia cold noodles, pancakes, buns, egg cakes, sausages and other snacks. However, the price of meals in the scenic area is relatively more expensive than outside the scenic area.

Zhangjiajie Speciality Cuisine

• Sanxiaguo (三下锅): This is a must-order specialty in Zhangjiajie. The main ingredients are pig's trotters, pork belly, bacon, chicken, tripe, lamb tripe, or ribs, and put three of them together with potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, green peppers, and other side dishes, and finally add various condiments to cook. Costs about CN¥ 60-100.
• Stewed chicken with Rock Fungus (岩耳炖鸡): Rock fungus looks like ordinary fungus, but it grows on a cliff and is a specialty of Zhangjiajie. In ancient times, it was a treasure of the local chieftain's tribute to the court. Nowadays, it can be found in many restaurants and mostly matched with local chicken. It can be fried or stewed, the stewed one is extra delicious and nutritious.
• Wild vegetables: Don't miss the wild vegetables in Zhangjiajie when you order vegetables, they are fresh and nutritious. There are different wild vegetables in each period. Zhangjiajie has a rich variety of wild vegetables, and seasonal wild vegetables have the best taste and are fresh and fragrant.
• Kiwi Juice: Kiwi fruit is also a major specialty of Zhangjiajie. The fruit is tender, juicy, and fragrant. The juice made from it is also sweet and sour and very nutritious. You can buy it in supermarkets or street stores, which are delicious and easy to carry. There are glass bottles and cans of kiwi juice.

• The trip to Zhangjiajie requires a lot of physical strength, please prepare some dry food and bottled drinking water to satisfy your hunger. In addition, please wear comfortable shoes.
   
• Many scenic spots in Zhangjiajie require taking the cable cars, sightseeing cars, etc. and need to wait in line for a long time when the passenger flow is large during the peak season.
   
• There are many wild monkeys in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. They are not aggressive but will steal your food. Please be careful and remember to put your food inside your backpack when you witness the monkeys.
   
• From Yuanjiajie to Tianzi Mountain, travelers need to ride the sightseeing bus, which takes about half an hour. The road is narrow and sharp, and it is rather easy to get motion sickness. Travelers should prepare and take the medicines in advance if they are prone to motion sickness.
   
• Please pay much attention to your safety when taking pictures, including your cell phone and camera. The viewing trails often lie on the cliff, if your cell phone or camera falls into the mountain, you are losing it forever.