China's most spectacular natural-scenery destination — a forest of thousands of quartz-sandstone pillars rising into the clouds at Zhangjiajie National Forest Park / Wulingyuan (武陵源), the inspiration for the floating mountains in Avatar · the headline sight is the Avatar Hallelujah Mountain (哈利路亚山) at Yuanjiajie · ride the Bailong Elevator (百龙天梯), a 326-metre glass lift up the cliff face · take in the sea of pillars from Tianzi Mountain (天子山) · stroll the Golden Whip Stream (金鞭溪) through the canyon · over on the city side stands Tianmen Mountain (天门山), reached by one of the world's longest cable cars to Heaven's Gate cave (天门洞), past the 99-bend road and along the cliff glass skywalk · then cross the Grand Canyon Glass Bridge, the tallest and longest in the world · and Thai passport holders enter visa-free
Zhangjiajie (张家界) sits in Hunan province and is China's most spectacular natural-scenery destination — at its heart is a forest of thousands of quartz-sandstone pillars shooting straight up out of the trees, the place that inspired the floating mountains in Avatar · the sight everyone comes for is Zhangjiajie National Forest Park / Wulingyuan (武陵源) — the Yuanjiajie (袁家界) zone with the Avatar Hallelujah Mountain (哈利路亚山) and the single natural bridge under heaven · ride the Bailong Elevator (百龙天梯), a 326-metre lift up the cliff · take in the sea of pillars from Tianzi Mountain (天子山) · walk beside the Golden Whip Stream (金鞭溪) on the canyon floor · about 33 km away on the city side is Tianmen Mountain (天门山), reached by one of the world's longest cable cars up to Heaven's Gate cave (天门洞), a hole punched clean through the peak, past the 99-bend road and along the cliff glass skywalk (玻璃栈道) · and don't miss the Grand Canyon Glass Bridge (大峡谷玻璃桥), the tallest and longest glass bridge in the world — Thai passport holders enter visa-free
From the forest of sandstone pillars in Wulingyuan, the Avatar Hallelujah Mountain, Tianzi Mountain, the Golden Whip Stream and the Bailong Elevator, all the way to Tianmen Mountain, Heaven's Gate cave, the 99-bend road, the cliff glass skywalk and the Grand Canyon Glass Bridge — this is the scenery you'll actually meet in Zhangjiajie
The full Zhangjiajie guide is being added piece by piece · the Stay tab is ready now, while Eat and See are in the works, and for Plan and Prep there are China guides you can read first — just pick a tab below
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9.0National Forest Park / Avatar pillars · Bailong Elevator · Tianzi Mountain · Golden Whip Stream · Tianmen cable car · Grand Canyon Glass Bridge · Baofeng Lake — see where each one sits (the Wulingyuan park side and the city / Tianmen side are separate zones about 33 km apart) so you can plan your route · Zhangjiajie has no metro: get around on the free park shuttles, taxi / DiDi, cable cars and high-speed rail
Pick by budget and where you want to be — near the Wulingyuan park gate, or in the city by the Tianmen cable car · compare prices across 3 sites in one click before you book · Trip.com has the most China hotels
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✈️💎🌳🚡🏙️🌿⭐⛰️🏨🎨🎒A good trip isn't just one spot — 3 destinations around Zhangjiajie you can reach easily by road or high-speed rail, as a day trip or an overnight
Zhangjiajie (张家界) sits in Hunan province and is China's most spectacular natural-scenery destination — at its heart is a forest of thousands of quartz-sandstone pillars rising out of the trees, the place that inspired the floating mountains in Avatar · the must-see is Zhangjiajie National Forest Park / Wulingyuan (武陵源) — the Yuanjiajie (袁家界) zone with the Avatar Hallelujah Mountain (哈利路亚山) · the Bailong Elevator (百龙天梯), a 326-metre glass lift · the sea of pillars at Tianzi Mountain (天子山) · the Golden Whip Stream (金鞭溪) walk along the canyon floor · over on the city side stands Tianmen Mountain (天门山) with its long cable car up to Heaven's Gate cave (天门洞), past the 99-bend road and along the cliff glass skywalk · then the Grand Canyon Glass Bridge (大峡谷玻璃桥), the tallest and longest glass bridge in the world · plus Baofeng Lake (宝峰湖) and Yellow Dragon Cave (黄龙洞)
Zhangjiajie works on any budget — backpacker ฿1,000-2,200/day · mid-range ฿2,800-5,500/day (excluding flights and park tickets · the National Forest Park ticket is valid for several days) · Zhangjiajie splits into 2 main bases — Wulingyuan town right by the park gate, and the Zhangjiajie city centre near the Tianmen cable car, DYG Hehua airport and the railway station · get around the park on free shuttle buses, cable cars, glass elevators and a monorail, and around the city by taxi and DiDi (Zhangjiajie has no metro) · arrive by high-speed rail to Zhangjiajie West station, or fly into Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport (DYG) · the best window is Apr–Oct (early-year rains often bring a sea of cloud around the pillars · autumn, Sep–Oct, is clear with sharp views of the peaks), and avoid Chinese New Year and the long national holidays · Thai passport holders enter visa-free · don't forget to set up a VPN · eSIM · Alipay/WeChat Pay before you go
The Wherebest team is steadily adding deeper hotel reviews and Zhangjiajie guides — neighbourhoods to stay in, sights, food, and trips out to Wulingyuan and Tianmen Mountain. Start planning your trip with the complete China travel guide →
Start planning from the China travel guide, then pick off Zhangjiajie one sight at a time