Mist drifting between the quartz-sandstone pillars of Wulingyuan, the scenic area at the heart of Zhangjiajie in northwest Hunan
Destination · China

Zhangjiajie

the sandstone-pillar landscape of northwest Hunan

Zhangjiajie is northwest Hunan's mountain corner. Wulingyuan holds 3,000 sandstone pillars, many over 200 metres tall. Tianmen Mountain stands south of the city, with a cable car and a natural arch.

Signature moments

Why people
come to Zhangjiajie.

01

What to see

Quartz-sandstone pillars of the Yuanjiajie plateau in Wulingyuan, the scenic area at the heart of Zhangjiajie, shrouded in morning mist

Wulingyuan Scenic Area(the pillar valleys of northwest Hunan)

A landscape unlike anywhere else on Earth, Wulingyuan is home to thousands of towering sandstone pillars, lush forests and hidden valleys.

This extraordinary natural wonder inspired the floating mountains seen in Avatar. Every trail reveals breathtaking scenery, making it one of China's most unforgettable destinations for nature lovers and photographers.

For the best experience, arrive early to enjoy cooler temperatures, peaceful trails and stunning morning views.

Heaven's Gate, the 131-metre natural limestone arch through Tianmen Mountain south of Zhangjiajie city

Tianmen Mountain(Heaven's Gate, the longest single-line cable car)

Rising dramatically above Zhangjiajie, Tianmen Mountain is famous for its breathtaking cliffside walkways, winding mountain road and the spectacular Heaven's Gate arch through the mountainside.

From thrilling glass skywalks to sweeping panoramic views, every moment offers an unforgettable adventure above the clouds.

Visit in the morning for clearer skies and fewer crowds at the mountain's most popular viewpoints.

The Tianzi Mountain ridgeline north of Yuanjiajie, with sandstone peaks rising through cloud across the wider Wulingyuan composition

Tianzi Mountain Ridge(the wider Wulingyuan composition)

Known as the "Monarch of the Peak Forest," Tianzi Mountain offers spectacular views across a sea of towering sandstone pillars stretching to the horizon.

Mist drifting through the valleys creates a dreamlike landscape unlike anywhere else. Every viewpoint reveals a new perspective, making it one of Zhangjiajie's most iconic experiences.

An early morning visit offers the best chance to witness the famous sea of clouds.

The Bailong Elevator climbing the bare cliff face of Wulingyuan, the world's tallest outdoor elevator at 326 metres

Bailong Elevator(the tallest outdoor elevator in the world)

Built into the side of a towering cliff, the Bailong Elevator is the world's tallest outdoor glass elevator.

In just minutes, it carries visitors high above the forest to breathtaking panoramic views. The journey itself is as memorable as the destination, combining remarkable engineering with Zhangjiajie's spectacular natural beauty.

Travel early in the day to avoid the busiest queues and enjoy a smoother experience.

The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge, 430 metres long and 300 metres above the canyon floor, with the glass deck visible from the cliffside

Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge(430 metres long, 300 metres up)

Suspended high above a dramatic canyon, the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge offers an unforgettable walk across one of the world's longest and highest glass bridges.

With crystal-clear views beneath your feet and towering cliffs all around, it's an exhilarating experience for both adventure seekers and photographers.

Morning visits usually provide calmer conditions and the clearest views across the canyon.

Stilted Tujia houses leaning out from the cliff above the Wangcun waterfall at Furong Town in Yongshun County, two hours from Zhangjiajie

Furong Town(the Tujia hilltop village, Yongshun County)

Perched above a cascading waterfall, Furong Town blends ancient architecture with spectacular natural scenery.

Stone streets, traditional wooden houses and riverside views create a timeless atmosphere full of charm. As evening falls, glowing lanterns transform the town into one of the region's most enchanting destinations.

Visit in the late afternoon and stay into the evening to experience its magical night-time ambience.

The Yuanjiajie plateau inside Wulingyuan, with the No. 1 Bridge Under Heaven spanning two sandstone pillars at the southern edge of the ridge

Yuanjiajie Plateau(No. 1 Bridge, Mihun Tai, the Avatar pillar)

Home to some of Zhangjiajie's most famous rock formations, Yuanjiajie Plateau is renowned for its towering sandstone pillars and breathtaking viewpoints.

The dramatic landscape famously inspired the floating Hallelujah Mountains in Avatar. Walking among these remarkable peaks is an experience that feels both surreal and unforgettable.

Arrive early to enjoy the spectacular scenery before the busiest tour groups arrive.

Stilted Diaojiaolou houses leaning out over the Tuojiang River at Fenghuang Ancient Town, with lanterns lit along both banks at dusk

Fenghuang Ancient Town(Tuojiang stilt houses, Western Hunan)

With over 300 years of history, Fenghuang Ancient Town enchants visitors with its riverside stilt houses, ancient bridges and beautifully preserved streets.

Rich in ethnic culture and timeless charm, it offers a glimpse into China's historic past. As lanterns illuminate the river after sunset, the town becomes truly unforgettable.

Spend the evening here to enjoy its vibrant atmosphere and spectacular riverside reflections.

Dinghai Shenzhen, the Sea-Calming Needle stalagmite inside Huanglong Cave east of Zhangjiajie, lit pathways winding past the underground river of the karst system

Huanglong Cave(the karst system east of Wulingyuan)

One of China's largest and most impressive cave systems, Huanglong Cave is a hidden world of towering stalactites, underground rivers and vast illuminated chambers.

A peaceful boat ride through its mysterious passages reveals extraordinary natural formations shaped over millions of years.

Visit earlier in the day for a quieter journey and more time to appreciate this remarkable underground wonder.

02

What to eat

A silver-carp fish head laid flat on a platter under a blanket of bright red chopped fermented chilli, garlic and ginger, steamed Hunan-style

Chopped-chilli fish head(Duojiao Yutou, the Hunan signature)

Chopped-chilli fish head is the dish Hunan is best known for.

A silver-carp head, split flat on a long platter, comes under a blanket of red fermented chilli, garlic and ginger. It steams for 10 minutes, the heat cooks into the cheek meat, and the broth runs back through the platter. The cheek and soft collar are the bites to chase, savoury and bright with the fermented kick.

We seat you at a kitchen that buys its head from the morning market and chops the chilli in the back kitchen, not from a jar. The platter comes the moment the steamer lid lifts, steam still on it. Your guide names the cheek-and-collar order, so the best bites never sit cold.

A bowl of dark glossy pork belly cubes glazed in caramelised rock sugar and dark soy, Hunan red-braised pork in the Chairman Mao style

Chairman Mao's braised pork(Mao Shi Hongshao Rou, the Shaoshan icon)

Chairman Mao's braised pork is the Hunan plate that travelled out of the province with him.

Pork belly is cut in thumb-sized cubes and caramelised in rock sugar and dark soy. The cubes then slow-braise with dried red chilli, star anise and ginger. The fat melts into the lean and the sauce reduces to a black-glass glaze. Mao Zedong kept it on his table in Beijing all his life.

We seat you at a kitchen that uses rock sugar rather than refined. That caramel is the difference between this and any other red-braise. The pot has been on the stove since lunch, so the sauce arrives reduced rather than thin. A bowl of plain rice rides alongside.

A clay pot of Western Hunan three-in-the-pot stew with smoked pork belly, sour radish and tofu in a deep simmering broth

Three-in-the-pot stew(Sanxiaguo, the Western Hunan signature)

Three-in-the-pot stew is the dish Zhangjiajie kitchens are best known for, a Western Hunan Tujia signature.

A clay pot comes to the table with three braises in one broth. The smoked pork belly tastes faintly of woodsmoke, the sour radish pickles bright against the fat, and the tofu drinks up the spice. The story says Ming-dynasty soldiers had no time for three courses, so three things went into one pot.

We seat you at a Tujia-run kitchen in the old quarter, not the bus-stop canteens on the road to the park. The pot has been on an all-day simmer, so the broth is deep when it lands. Your guide orders the version that suits the spice at the table, chilli oil on the side.

03

Shows and experiences

The Love of Fox Fairy outdoor show at the foot of Tianmen Mountain, the lit silhouette of the mountain rising behind the waterfall stage

The Love of Fox Fairy(Tianmen Hu Xian, the outdoor evening show)

The Love of Fox Fairy is the outdoor evening show at the foot of Tianmen Mountain, the lit silhouette of the mountain behind the stage.

The story is a Western Hunan folk tale: a fox spirit and a woodcutter whose love does not survive the parting. Around 500 performers carry it across a stage built around a real waterfall.

We book centre-section seats where the waterfall stage frames the cliff above, not the front row where the spray reaches the audience. The show pairs with a Tianmen cable car morning, so the mountain reads from below in the evening that it read from the summit in the day.

Tujia and Miao folk performers on the tiered stage of the Wulingyuan Grand Theatre during the Charm of Western Hunan production

Charm of Western Hunan(Meili Xiangxi, the Wulingyuan grand theatre show)

Charm of Western Hunan is the long-running indoor show at the Wulingyuan Grand Theatre.

The 90-minute production brings Tujia and Miao folk traditions to a single stage. The arc moves through Tujia courtship songs, Miao silver-dress dances, high-pitched mountain singing, and the closing fire-walking the show is best known for.

We book centre-tier seats for the clearest sightlines on the fire walk. The show is timed for the evening after the Wulingyuan ridgewalk, so the music lands after a day of its landscape. Your guide briefs what is stage production and what is folk reading on the drive in.

A wooden flat-bottom boat poling upstream on the Tuojiang at dusk, lanterns lit along the stilt houses on both banks of Fenghuang Ancient Town

Fenghuang night cruise(the Tuojiang by lantern light)

The Tuojiang at Fenghuang turns into a different river at dusk.

Lanterns light along the Diaojiaolou houses, the North Gate watchtower lit at the bend, Miao women setting paper-lotus lanterns drifting downstream. The boats are wooden flat-bottoms, poled rather than motored. The cruise runs 45 minutes from the Hongqiao Bridge to the South Gate.

We book the second-shift boat after the first wave clears, when the river thins out. The bow has space to read the houses, not the boat in front. The boatman poles the quiet stretches, so the cruise reads as a river walk rather than a fairground ride.

How long to stay

Recommended
4 to 5 days.

  1. Wulingyuan

    Day 1: Golden Whip Stream and Yuanjiajie

    Begin on the valley floor, where Golden Whip Stream runs flat for 7.5 kilometres beneath pillars, many over 200 metres tall. After lunch, the Bailong Elevator climbs 326 metres up the cliff face to the Yuanjiajie plateau. The rim path leads past the pillar the world knows from Avatar's floating mountains, the No. 1 Bridge Under Heaven and the Mihun Platform viewpoints. As evening falls, settle into Wulingyuan town below the park.

    Morning

    1. Walk Golden Whip Stream beneath the pillars

    Afternoon

    1. Ride the Bailong Elevator up the cliff face

    2. Walk the Yuanjiajie rim to the Avatar viewpoint

    3. See the No. 1 Bridge Under Heaven and the Mihun Platform

    Evening

    1. Settle in for the night in Wulingyuan town

  2. Wulingyuan

    Day 2: Tianzi Mountain and Yangjiajie

    An early cable car puts you on Tianzi Mountain before the tour buses, where lines of sandstone towers run to the horizon. Imperial Brush Peak is the classic view, a cluster of thin spires said to resemble a row of writing brushes. The afternoon belongs to Yangjiajie, the park's quieter western corner of sheer cliffs and narrow ridge paths. On the way back, the small valley tram rolls through the Ten-Mile Gallery at walking pace, before a second night in Wulingyuan.

    Morning

    1. Ride the cable car up Tianzi Mountain

    2. Look out from Imperial Brush Peak

    Afternoon

    1. Walk the quieter cliffs of Yangjiajie

    2. Ride the valley tram through the Ten-Mile Gallery

    Evening

    1. Stay a second night in Wulingyuan

  3. Tianmen

    Day 3: Tianmen Mountain

    Private car south to the city, about forty minutes

    The morning cable car climbs out of Zhangjiajie city and up Tianmen Mountain's south face, the longest single-line circulating passenger cableway in the world. At the summit, cliff walkways circle the rock, with a short glass skywalk for those who want the floor to disappear. Descend the 999 steps through Heaven's Gate, the natural arch 131 metres high, then let the shuttle take the road of 99 bends down. Dinner is back in the city's old quarter.

    Morning

    1. Ride the Tianmen Mountain cable car from the city

    Afternoon

    1. Walk the cliff paths and the glass skywalk

    2. Stand beneath Heaven's Gate

    3. Take the shuttle down the road of 99 bends

    Evening

    1. Take dinner in the old Dayong quarter

  4. Furong

    Day 4: Furong Town

    Private car south, about an hour and a half

    A gentle morning starts the road day south to Furong Town, the Tujia village stacked on a cliff above the Wangcun waterfall. Spend the afternoon in the stone lanes, where stilt houses lean out over the You River. As evening falls, the waterfall and the riverside lanes light up, and the town quietens once the day-trippers leave. Staying overnight is the point: the lit falls after dark are Furong at its best.

    Morning

    1. Drive south through the hills to Furong Town

    Afternoon

    1. Wander the stone lanes and stilt houses

    2. See the waterfall from the riverside path

    Evening

    1. Watch the falls light up after dark

    2. Stay overnight in Furong Town

  5. Fenghuang

    Day 5: Fenghuang Ancient Town

    Private car south, about two hours

    Take the morning slowly by the falls, then drive south to Fenghuang Ancient Town on the Tuojiang river. The afternoon belongs to the riverbank: stilt houses lean over the water, the Hongqiao Bridge crosses at the bend, and cafe lanes run behind the banks. The evening is what you came for. Lanterns come on along both banks, the river doubles them, and flat-bottomed boats slip beneath the bridge into the dark.

    Morning

    1. Take a slow morning by the falls

    2. Drive south to Fenghuang Ancient Town

    Afternoon

    1. Walk the Tuojiang riverbank

    2. Cross the Hongqiao Bridge

    3. Browse the old town lanes

    Evening

    1. Drift beneath the stilt houses by lantern light

    2. Stay overnight in Fenghuang

When to go

When to visit,
and how it feels.

Daily max (°F)49°54°63°74°81°87°92°92°85°74°64°54°
Rainfall (mm)465888126193220227115101956427
CrowdsQuietCrowdedQuietSteadyBusySteadyBusyBusySteadyCrowdedQuietQuiet

November

Mild · Showery · Quiet

Crisp and quiet, with autumn colour under the pillars early in the month.

Temperature and rainfall are China Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991 to 2020. Crowd levels follow the Chinese public-holiday calendar and daily ticket caps at the major sites.

Mist drifting between the quartz-sandstone pillars of Wulingyuan, the scenic area at the heart of Zhangjiajie in northwest Hunan
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the sandstone-pillar landscape of northwest HunanZhangjiajie

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Best time

April to June · late September to October

Days needed

4 to 5 days

Where it sits

Under two hours by high-speed rail from Changsha · domestic flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu

Before you enquire

Questions worth
answering early.

  • Three full days covers the mountains. Two go to Wulingyuan, for Yuanjiajie, Tianzi Mountain and the Golden Whip Stream. One goes to Tianmen Mountain, the cable car up and the road down. The five-day plan on this page adds Furong Town and Fenghuang, the riverside old towns south. Both are at their best after dark, so each is worth its overnight. With four days, keep just one of them. The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge fits as an extra day if your companions want it. The trip loses none of the landscape without it.

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