16 July 2018, Monday
Rise and shine, exciting day ahead! We woke up bright and early at 7am and walked over to a small eatery near our guest house for breakfast. There was a “buffet” breakfast for only CNY 10 (S$2.09) but sadly, the variety of food available was very limited. We ended up only eating the custard bao and some soup noodles. Definitely not our kind of breakfast.
At 8:30am, our guide Xiaochu (小楚) arrived at our guest house, ready to take us out for a day of exploring. By a stroke of luck, my cousin Sonia had come to Zhangjiajie (ZJJ) just a couple of weeks ago and she engaged Xiaochu for her own tour. So she kindly passed on Xiaochu’s contact and helped us draw up an itinerary and tour package, which was a tremendous help indeed. Thanks Sonia!
Before coming to ZJJ, I had contemplated doing it free and easy on our own, because I thought it would save some money and that it would be manageable. However, as I embarked on my trip and hopped from country to country, I realised that I did not have time to plan all the nitty gritty details. I will soon find out that navigating ZJJ on your own is not as easy as it sounds, especially with a travel party of nine. Furthermore, based on our experience in Beijing and Shanghai, it dawned upon me that having a guide is beneficial because it will add so much more context and meaning to the visit. So I am very grateful and relieved that we engaged Xiaochu to take us around.
Zhangjiajie (张家界) is one of my most anticipated stops for the entire trip. Even if you have never heard of ZJJ, you have probably watched James Cameron’s 2009 film Avatar. The film’s floating Hallelujah Mountains were inspired by the quartz sandstone mountain formations in ZJJ, Guilin and Huangshan in China. You will find the landscapes in ZJJ very familiar.
What you should know is that ZJJ is not just one location, but a really huge area with many different attractions like the Bailong Elevator, Tianzi Mountain, Tianmen Mountain, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon and Glass Bridge, Baofeng Lake and more. So when I say “Zhangjiajie”, I am referring to the whole area with all these attractions collectively.
It will take a minimum of three days to cover most of the key sights, which are spread out over considerable distances. As such, unless you rent a car and you are very proficient in Chinese, you most likely won’t be able to do it on your own in a cost-effective and efficient manner. That is why it is advisable to get a tour package and a guide.
To give you a better idea of what ZJJ encompasses, the following map by Travel China Guide illustrates the various key attractions and their locations:
In terms of accommodation, there are two main areas where you can stay at: Downtown Zhangjiajie or a small town called Wulingyuan (武陵源). Downtown ZJJ is close to Tianmen Mountain (天门山) and Hehua International Airport (where we arrived last night). Wulingyuan (where we are staying at now) is the core scenic area of ZJJ. Hence, it is better to stay at Wulingyuan because you will be closer to the key attractions (except for Tianmen Mountain).
The entire Wulingyuan Scenic Area (武陵源景区) comprises of four parts:
– Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (张家界国家森林公园);
– Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve (索溪峪自然保护区);
– Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve (天子山自然保护区); and
– Yangjiajie Scenic Area (杨家界景区)
On some websites and maps, you’ll find that Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is used interchangeably with Wulingyuan Scenic Area, which is not accurate. To make things even more confusing, the most popular area of all is called Yuanjiajie (袁家界) and it is part of ZJJ National Forest Park. Don’t confuse Yuanjiajie with Yangjiajie.
As there is quite a lot of ground to cover at ZJJ, you will have to plan your route carefully. Let me break down the key sights of our three-day itinerary for you below. The admission prices for individual attractions are listed where applicable. Note that some attractions offer discounted rates for overseas seniors while some do not.
DAY 1 (WULINGYUAN SCENIC AREA*)
At Yuanjiajie (within Zhangjiajie National Forest Park):
– Bailong Elevator (白龙天梯) / CNY 75
– Avatar Hallelujah Mountain (阿凡达悬浮山)
– World No. 1 Bridge/Natural Bridge (天下第一桥)
At Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve:
– Imperial Brush Peak (御笔峰)
– Tianzi Mountain cableway (天子山索道) / CNY 72 for adults; CNY 36 for seniors
* Entrance ticket to Wulingyuan Scenic Area, valid for 4 days: CNY 248 (S$51.70)
DAY 2 (WULINGYUAN SCENIC AREA)
At Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve:
– Huanglong Cave (黄龙洞) / CNY 103
– Baofeng Lake (宝峰湖) / CNY 121
– Ten-Mile Gallery (十里画廊) / CNY 76 for adults; CNY 38 for seniors
At Zhangjiajie National Forest Park:
– Golden Whip Stream (金鞭溪)
DAY 3 (TIANMEN MOUNTAIN**):
– Tianmen Mountain cableway (天门山索道)
– Glass Skywalk (玻璃栈道) / CNY 5 for shoe cover
– Chairlift (山顶观光缆车) / CNY 25
– Escalators through the mountain (穿山自动扶梯) / CNY 32
– Tianmen Cave (天门洞)
– Heaven-Linking Avenue (天通大道), with the 99 bends
** Admission to Tianmen Mountain, plus cable car ride up and shuttle bus ride down: CNY 261 for adults; CNY 135 for seniors aged 60 to 65 ; CNY 97 for seniors above 65
As you can see from the above, we did not visit the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon and Glass Bridge. That is the only major attraction that we did not cover, and it is worth a visit if you have time.
Ok, now that I have put everything in context, it’s time to start our ZJJ adventure! Our first two days will be spent in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area. The core Wulingyuan Scenic Area covers about 264 square kilometres so it’s really huge. Wulingyuan was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 and recognised as a World Geological Park by the United Nations in 2004. Wulingyuan has undergone 380 million years of geological changes, resulting in more than 3,000 quartz sandstone peaks and deep valleys.
From our guest house at No. 129 Jundi Road (军邸路), we walked for less than 10 minutes and reached the Wujiayu ticket station (吴家峪门票站). There are four other entrance gates but this is the most accessible gate to the Wulingyuan Scenic Area. I chose our accommodation at Wally House precisely because it is near the Wujiayu ticket station.
After entering the gate, there was a large hall where we waited while Xiaochu went to get our tickets. It was a madhouse in there as hundreds of other tourists were waiting for their guides to get their tickets. I estimate that 99% of the visitors were local. It was so crowded and noisy inside that we got a headache. We waited for about half an hour before Xiaochu finally returned with our tickets.
Apparently, she had made a mistake because discounted tickets for seniors were only applicable to locals, not foreigners. When she phoned in to enquire last week, she was (wrongly) informed that the discount applied to foreigners as well, so she only reserved two full-priced tickets for the non-seniors in our group. The discounted tickets can only be purchased at the ticket office itself. Hence, she now had to queue to buy seven more full-priced tickets. If she had reserved full price tickets for all of us from the start, she would have been able to pick up our tickets right away without delay. Anyway, it was ok because we started our day early and had plenty of time.
With our ticket cards in hand, we joined the queue to enter. At the turnstile, we had to imprint our fingerprints onto the scanner to individualise our tickets. This means that the ticket card is non-transferable and only you can use it as you have to scan your fingerprint upon re-entry. The ticket is valid for four days so you can always return another day if you didn’t manage to finish covering all the sights due to shortage of time or bad weather.
After passing through the entrance gantry, we had to take a shuttle bus to go to our first destination – Bailong Elevator (白龙天梯). Here, there are different queues for the different attractions, so make sure you join the correct one. If you’re here on your own without a guide, it can be very confusing as there are too many options and you may not know where to go. This is especially so at the initial stage, where the crowds can really overwhelm you.
The shuttle bus ride took 20 minutes and we arrived at the entrance to the Bailong Elevator at 10:10am. Bailong Elevator was opened in 2002 to provide a convenient way to reach the mountaintop to access all the famous sights at Yuanjiajie. Before the elevator was built, it would have taken about two hours to hike to the top. Now, it takes less than two minutes to zoom up 335m to the top using the elevator. It is recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s highest exposed outdoor lift.
We queued for only five minutes before it was our turn to take the elevator. The air-conditioning in the waiting tunnel was so shiok I wouldn’t have minded queuing for another five minutes actually! 46 of us were ushered into the lift and we cramped into it like sardines. I managed to get in quickly and grabbed a spot by the window for a good view.
The first part of the ascent was covered, within the lift shaft, allowing anticipation to slowly build up. When we reached the exposed part and emerged in the bright sunshine, some people cheered loudly, as if it was a thrill ride. It was quite funny. After getting out of the lift, we joined the queue to take yet another shuttle bus. From there, it was a short five-minute ride to the start of the footpath for the Yuanjiajie scenic zone.
Xiaochu first led us to the Back Garden (后花园), also known as the Natural Bonsai. From the viewing platform, a sea of towering sandstone columns stretched out in front of us. Some of the columns were very slender and tall, beautifully covered with green foliage amid the exposed parts. It was amazing to see what nature has created and it was a really impressive sight. However, it would have been better if it was a little foggy and not so hot, as the fog would have added to the mystic and otherworldliness of the scene.
We then went to Mihun Stage (迷魂台), also known as Enchanting Terrace, where we saw yet more of the sandstone columns, from a different angle. We kept walking on the footpath and soon caught sight of the Avatar Hallelujah Mountain (阿凡达悬浮山). Before the Avatar film came out, it was known as the South Sky Pillar (南天一柱) or the Pillar between Heaven and Earth (乾坤柱). However, ever since the film was released, the column was renamed Avatar Hallelujah Mountain to ride on the popularity of the film.
As mentioned earlier, director James Cameron was inspired by the landscapes at ZJJ to create his magical world of Pandora. However, it should be noted that he never actually shot any of the scenes here. In the film, the Hallelujah Mountains are floating islands in the air, somewhat resembling the shape of icebergs, with overgrown foliage hanging down the sheer cliff faces. The South Sky Pillar is regarded as the “prototype” of the floating mountains as the lower part of the column is narrower than the upper part. Standing at about 150m tall, it is a real marvel and a wondrous creation of nature. It was staggeringly beautiful seeing it up close.
We continued walking and soon reached the World No. 1 Bridge (天下第一桥) or Natural Bridge (天生桥). As its name suggests, it is an archway connecting two peaks, created naturally from the process of weathering and erosion. The gap is large and the drop is actually very high, said to be nearly 400m. As it is quite a rare natural phenomenon, it is called the number 1 bridge in the world.
The stone bridge itself is about 20m long, 3m wide and 5m thick. We briefly crossed the bridge to the other side and back again. But as the bridge is covered with lush foliage, you can’t look through the trees to see how high you are, so it wasn’t scary at all. It felt like walking across a normal passageway.
At about 12:45pm, we finished touring Yuanjiajie. There was a KFC restaurant here but it was very crowded. Xiaochu recommended going to the McDonald’s at Tianzi Mountain for lunch instead, so we heeded her advice and joined the queue for the shuttle bus. The frequency of the shuttle bus was quite high but we still had to wait for quite a while because of the sheer number of visitors.
When it was our turn to board, all hell broke loose as the other visitors literally ran to the bus to get seats. As such, it was hard for the staff members manning the queue to count the number of people they released from the queue. We didn’t want to join the fray so we walked calmly in an orderly manner. But by the time we reached the bus, it was already full, so we found ourselves being split up – some of us managed to get on the bus while the others had to re-join the queue for the next bus. It was quite a chaotic situation.
The bus ride from Yuanjiajie to Tianzi Mountain took half an hour as the mountain roads were narrow and winding with a lot of bends. Those who easily suffer from motion sickness would do well not to board the bus with a stomach full of food.
We arrived at Tianzi Mountain (天子山) just before 2pm and headed straight to McDonald’s. Like Xiaochu said, it was indeed less crowded here than the KFC at Yuanjiajie. We had a quick lunch in air-conditioned comfort while enjoying the brief respite from the heat outside.
After recharging our batteries, we went to see the Imperial Brush Peak (御笔峰). Tianzi Mountain was formed by sedimentary rock being uplifted by crustal movements to form mountains. The sandstone was then carved by weathering and erosion over millions of years into the jagged rock pillars that we see here. The pine trees at the top of these slender rock pillars make them look like Chinese writing brushes, hence their name Imperial Brush Peak.
Xiaochu told us that we will need to use a lot of imagination when we come to ZJJ, because many of the rock pillars and formations resemble something else. She pointed out a cluster of rocky outcrops in the distance and asked us to spot the face of a pretty lady. The particular rock formation was called 仙女献花, which means “a fairy presenting flowers”.
It was quite far away so I had to use my phone to snap a photo and zoom into the picture before I could see what she was referring to. I could barely make out the side profile of a “face” with an eye and a nose, and a bunch of trees in front of her which represented the “flowers”. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You really need to stretch your imagination here!
The next one – a submarine perched atop a stone tower, was much easier to spot. It was nearer to us and the shape of the rock did bear a close resemblance to a submarine.
We continued walking along the footpath around Tianzi Mountain and saw more of the sandstone formations. To be honest, it wasn’t all that different from the landscape at Yuanjiajie earlier because they are all part of the same crustal plate anyway, just that the shapes of the peaks are slightly different. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still beautiful, but they tend to all look the same after a while. Again, it would have been better if it was a misty day with some fog shrouding the peaks.
At 3:40pm, we took a short shuttle bus ride to the Tianzi Mountain cableway station (天子山索道). For once, there was no queue and we got on the cable car immediately. The 8-minute ride down the cableway was incredibly scenic as we got to see the towering rock formations up close. It was an immensely enjoyable experience and a nice way to end our visit.
After reaching the bottom of the cableway, we queued up to board yet another shuttle bus to take us back to the entrance. As you realise by now, there is a lot of queuing involved when you visit ZJJ during the peak summer season. The bus ride took 13 minutes and we arrived at Wujiayu ticket station at 4:30pm.
We were done with our first day of touring ZJJ but Xiaochu wanted to make up for her mistake with the tickets, so she treated us to tea at one of the tea houses nearby. The tea was nice but the lady conducting the session went on and on explaining about the different types of tea and letting us sample them. However, we were not interested to buy the tea, so eventually it got a bit awkward when we made to leave. We appreciated Xiaochu’s gesture though.
After that, we were free to explore the shops at Wulingyuan town. There was a street market with stalls selling snacks like smelly beancurd (臭豆腐) and useful trekking gear like hats, walking sticks and waterproof jackets. The things here were considerably cheaper than those in Beijing or Shanghai.
We also found a decent bakery shop selling Breadtalk-style buns and confectionery. We were so happy to find this bakery because the buffet breakfast we had this morning was really not to our liking. We would return here every night to buy buns for the next day’s breakfast.
At 6:25pm, we had dinner at one of the restaurants near our guest house. It was quite a classy place with tasteful décor and it was fully packed. We felt that we deserved a nice dinner after spending a day on our feet, so we ordered a variety of dishes to share. We had quite a feast, yet it cost only CNY 351 (S$73.18).
We finished our dinner at about 8pm and retreated back to our rooms to rest. It had been an eventful day of endless queuing, squeezing with the crowds and walking amid the stifling heat. Nevertheless, we were awed by the breathtaking scenery and looked forward to more in the next two days.
I have put together a tour diary of our 3-day Zhangjiajie excursion because sometimes photos don’t do justice to the scenery. Enjoy!