Zhangjiajie and Wulingyuan National Park: Welcome to the Lost World of Pandora! Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Zhangjiajie National Park how to get there

National Park Zhangjiajie in China is considered one of the most beautiful places in the Celestial Empire. The well-known film Avatar originates from here, and the landscapes of Zhangjiajie Park became the prototype of the floating mountains in the film. I would like to add that this is not just a promoted place. Zhangjiajie Park is truly beautiful and worth going here for inspiration and photos.

Today in the article we will analyze in detail the routes around the park, understand how to get to it and how much the total cost will be. Since I already visited Zhangjiajie Park several years ago in winter time year, today there will be a mix of “summer” and winter photos. This is due to the fact that while in Zhangjiajie in October 2017, I was caught in a typhoon and visibility was almost zero. Accordingly, we managed to take only a few photographs. Therefore, do not be surprised by snow-covered photographs and their almost complete absence. More practical information today

How to get to Zhangjiajie

There are several ways to get to Zhangjiajie Park. You can fly by plane, take a bus or train. We will consider the option of a train; I see it as the most affordable and convenient. In a while I will write a separate article on how to book trains online in China, it’s quite simple. In a nutshell, you simply install the ctrip application on your phone, which has, among other things, a Russian interface. Select the name of the city from which you are leaving (the names of cities can be written in Russian) and the city of arrival - the city of Zhangjiajie. You book, pay, receive a ticket in your hand from the railway ticket office using your passport and calmly settle into the train. Just in case, here is the name of the city of Zhangjiajie in Chinese (in pinyin brackets) - 张家界（Zhāngjiājiè）

So, we need to get to Zhangjiajie National Park in China. To do this, we first get to city ​​of the same name Zhangjiajie. Next we have two options. Stay for a few days in the city of Zhangjiajie or get a little closer to the park by taking a bus to the town of Wulinyuan. I highly recommend the second option since Wulingyuan is located very close to the entrance to Zhangjiajie Park.

In order to get to Wulinyuan you need to take a mini bus that departs from the Zhangjiajie bus station. The bus station is located a five-minute walk from the railway station. Enter the bus station building, bypassing the ticket office, and go straight to the waiting room. On your left will be exit number 1. Feel free to take this exit, go out to the parking lot and then you need to take a bus to Wulingyuan. All foreigners travel in this direction and the Chinese know very well where you need to go, so you are unlikely to get on the wrong bus. Just in case, here is the name of the bus station in the town of Wulingyuan - 武陵源(Wǔlíngyuán).

From Zhangjiajie to Wulingyuan, the bus journey takes about one and a half hours, the ticket costs 20 yuan per person.

Where to stay in Zhangjiajie

I can recommend the hostel where I spent several days. The hostel is called Wulingyuantuniu Youth Hostel, is located just five minutes from the entrance to Zhangjiajie National Park. The journey on foot from Wulinyuan Bus Station will take about 15 minutes, no more.

Entrance gate to the park from Wulingyuan

We figured out how to get to the park and where to stay for the night. Let's talk about how much the entrance fee to Zhangjiajie Park and travel inside the park cost, and then we'll move on to route options.

Prices in Zhangjiajie Park

Below you can see a photo with prices for entrance to the park (photo from October 2017). It would also be a good idea to indicate the prices for cable cars and elevators inside the park. Prices are in RMB. The ticket is valid for 4 days. You can also buy a ticket that will be valid for a year (whether it is valid for 12 months after purchase or only until the end of the current year, I don’t know).

    Entrance fee to Zhangjiajie National Park high season 245 per adult, 160 with a discount (most likely, a discount is provided to children, students and pensioners).

    Admission in low season is 136 per adult and 82 with discount.

    Cable cars in the park from 65 to 72 yuan

    Bailong elevator 71 yuan

Below are two parts of the same map. The first image is the eastern part of the park, from where we enter Zhangjiajie Park. Second image, western part, where most of the interesting places are located. I have numbered the areas and points of the park on the map to make it easier for you to navigate. Detailed description routes follows immediately after the maps of Zhangjiajie Park.

    A place with good hostels in Wulingyuan

    Entrance to the park. Here you can buy a ticket and board the buses

    Lower cable car station

    Upper cable car station

    Observation deck

    The beginning of the walking path along the lower part of the park. From the entrance to the park you can get to this point by bus in about 20 minutes. Walking to the beginning of the climb to Avatar (point 12) will take 30 minutes. It will take about 1 hour to reach the other entrance to the park (point 10).

    Baylong Elevator

    Walking ascent to the site with the Avatar (takes about an hour).

    Turn onto a deserted path. It will take about one hour to walk the trail and return (the end of the trail is marked on the map as number 11).

    The start of the climb up the mountain. The ascent and descent takes about 3 hours. Alternatively, you can go down by cable car.

    The end of the trail. The map shows that there is no passage. In fact, the road splits into two more. One leads to cable car(about 10 kilometers), the second is to climb the mountain with access to the road with buses (you can climb it in 1 hour).

    Observation deck with Avatar.

    The lower cable station leading to the Yangjiajie area.

    The beginning of the route along Yangjiajie. Passing the selected area takes about 3 hours.

    Paved road with no buses. The journey in both directions will take about 3 hours at a brisk pace.

    *Please note the map. There are numbers next to the bus icons. They indicate how many minutes it takes a bus to travel from one station to another.

Zhangjiajie route for 1 day

No matter how many days you have to visit the park, my advice is to always arrive when it opens. The park opens at 7 am. There are a dozen routes around the park, and all of them have the right to life. It depends how much you want to rush to see everything or whether you need a leisurely pace, whether you will use the cable cars and the elevator or prefer to climb on foot. I will offer one of the options, and you can edit it yourself to your taste.

For the first day, the route around Zhangjiajie can be constructed as follows. We arrive at seven in the morning, when the park is just opening. There will already be a lot of tourists, but still not crowds. We pass the turnstile, take the bus and get to the Baylong elevator (marked as number 7 on the map). We take the elevator and go to the observation deck with the Avatar (12). The option with a morning arrival and an elevator is the only one when you can really be alone on this observation deck. It is very crowded and noisy here throughout the day. If crowds of people don’t bother you, you can take a bus from the entrance to the beginning of the walking route (6), walk alone half an hour before the start of the climb to Avatar (8) and go directly up to the observation deck (12). It will take you about two hours to travel from the entrance to the Avatar at an average pace.

Bridge near the observation deck with Avatar

One way or another, we are at the observation deck, marked on the map at number 12. Then you can take a bus and get to the beginning of the western part of Zhangjiajie Park called Yuanjiajie. A tour of this area of ​​the park takes between 3 and 5 hours. Depends on your physical fitness and availability of free time. It's better to explore the right side first (on the map the end point of the right side of Yuanjiajie is marked as Tianbo Mansion), as there is a chance that it will not be as crowded as after lunch. Then the left part, which will take you more time. On the map of Zhangjiajie Park, the left side of this area ends in a place called Corridor the Cliffs.

One of the typical views in Yuanjiajie area

I highly recommend Yuanjiajie. Especially, on the left side of Yuanjiajie you will hardly meet people, the views are sometimes very beautiful, and at the end of the road you will find a fenced cliff where you can fully enjoy what we came here for - the views of the Zhangjiajie National Park with its hills and fogs.

After visiting Yuanjiajie, we take the bus and go to point 5, the next observation deck. The views are beautiful, but be prepared that there will be a lot of tourists. You can return to the entrance to the park either by going down the cable car or walking down the stairs. Alternatively, you can spend 3 hours exploring a completely deserted area (15). If in general Zhangjiajie is a lot of steps, then this area is an ordinary asphalt road with practically no cars. It's hard for me to judge how beautiful views. When I was there, everything was foggy, like milk. But if you have time, why not take a walk.

This completes the route for 1 day in Zhangjiajie Park. We return to the hostel, relax and gain strength for tomorrow.

Zhangjiajie route for 2 days

If you want to build a route for 2 days in Zhangjiajie Park, on the second day you can also arrive at the opening, take a bus and get to the beginning of the hiking route along the lower trail of the park (6). In this case, you have a great chance to walk under the quaint hills almost alone, enjoying the nature of Zhangjiajie. The journey from the start of the hiking route (6) to the turn to the right onto a completely deserted path (9) will take about 30 minutes. I highly recommend walking along the path marked on the map as number 9. The journey there and back will take about an hour. Along the way, you will be able to contemplate the nature of Zhangjiajie alone and most likely meet the local inhabitants - monkeys. The monkeys in this park are not at all aggressive and you should not be afraid of them. Photos of our little brothers below in the article.

After passing the secondary trail and returning to the main one, you can continue along the lower part of the park, reaching another Zhangjiajie gate (10). Here you will have the opportunity to climb to one of the observation platforms. A nice temple will await you at the top. The journey up and down on foot at a relaxed pace will take about three hours. Alternatively, you can go down by cable car.

Temple on top of the mountain

Panorama from the temple

If you only have two full days to explore Zhangjiajie Park, after lunch on the second day you can go to a cave located near Wulingyuan. Or spend more time in the park itself. There are many options, all the information is before your eyes.

If planning Zhangjiajie Park seems like a difficult task to you, you don’t want to waste your time on it, and you also want to combine Zhangjiajie National Park with other equally beautiful places in China, my first program in China will be organized in May 2018. All details are in a separate article. In a nutshell, for 11 full days we will travel from Shanghai to Guilin and see a lot.

Photos of monkeys in Zhangjiajie Park

Since I was able to take as many photographs of the park as I would have liked, below you can see photographs of monkeys, of which there are a lot in the park. After the photos, the article will tell you what you can see in the vicinity of Zhangjiajie.

Places around Zhangjiajie Park

In addition to the park, there are several places that you can visit. But you need to think a hundred times before going to them. Any entrance to the natural attractions of China is not a cheap pleasure. Below I will tell you about three popular places, located in the vicinity of Zhangjiajie National Park.

Glass Bridge

A very advertised place, located just under an hour by bus from Wulinyuan. In my opinion, a waste of time and money. It will take you about four hours to get to the bridge, check tickets, inspect the bridge and return. Moreover, it will take about an hour to stand in queues with hordes of Chinese. When you get to the bridge, accordingly, those Chinese with whom you stood in line will be on the bridge with you. The pleasure is doubtful.

On top of that, the bridge is not completely glass. In the pictures below you can see that they simply made rectangular transparent areas on the bridge into which you can see the canyon below. The views from the bridge are the most ordinary, especially, they are not impressive after visiting the park itself. You will cross the bridge through a hundred Chinese tourists jumping in place or lying down with selfie sticks. I understand that everyone has their own tastes and preferences, but this place did not impress me at all.

If you do decide to go to the glass bridge, the entrance price is about 260 yuan. You need to book your ticket at least one day before arrival. This can be done at the hostel. By the way, in the hostel where I stayed ( Wulingyuantuniu Youth Hostel), they can help you buy a ticket with a discount of about 80 yuan. The name of the glass bridge in Chinese is 玻璃桥(Bōlí zhàndào/Bōlí qiáo). You can get there from Wulingyuan Bus Station in 40-50 minutes. You cannot take cameras with you; you will have to leave them in a storage room next to the first checkpoint upon arrival at the bridge. Your ticket will indicate that you must arrive before 10am. If you are late, you will have to pay an extra 20 yuan on top. The bridge is open to the public from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Unlike the glass bridge, I would recommend going to the cave. You can get there from Wulinyuan in about 20 minutes by taxi or bus, the entrance ticket costs 100 yuan. Plus 15 yuan you can pay for entering a separate small area while already in the cave. Yes, you will not be alone in the cave; you will also have to make your way through crowds of Chinese tourists, who will be led by guides with loudspeakers. However, the main feature of the cave is its river. To be more precise, the opportunity to ride a small boat along the water channel of the cave. It's really worth your time.

In Chinese, the name of the cave will be 黄龙洞(Huánglóng dòng). The opening hours of the cave are from 7 to 15.30. It is better to allow about two hours for the inspection.

boat tour through the cave

Mount Tianmen

To be honest, I don’t know whether to recommend this mountain or not. When I happened to be there, it was raining all day, a stormy wind was blowing and everything was in fog. Judging by the photos from the Internet, the place is quite interesting. If you've seen pictures with a huge hole in the mountain and stairs leading there, this is the place. The main thing to remember is that when you buy a ticket you have two options. Or first go up by cable car and then, after walking the route, going down, go back by bus. Or take the bus and return by cable car. This is a must. It is not possible to go there and back only by bus or only by cable car. I heard many recommendations that the best option is to take the cable car and then return by bus.

(6 voted. Vote too!!!)

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to a unique place in central China's Hunan Province, which served as the inspiration for the world-famous film Avatar. Welcome to lost World Pandora - Zhangjiajie National Park!

Wulingyuan Nature Reserve

Zhangjiajie Park, established in 1982, is noted as the first authorized national forest park in China. It is spread over the territory the most picturesque mountains Wulingyuan Scenic Area (Chinese: 武陵源风景名胜区), listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here water and wind created about three thousand peaks of bizarre shapes, consisting of sandstone and quartz. The picturesque area boasts natural beauty, where mountains, valleys, forests, caves, lakes and waterfalls coexist in complete harmony. To tell the truth, this place was the main reason for traveling to China. I really love nature in its pristine form, so while searching for something that could be just as impressive, I found my treasure and started digging.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (Chinese: 张家界国家森林公园) belongs to the Wulingyuan Nature Reserve and includes 4 zones:

  • Suoxi Valley (Chinese: 索溪峪)
  • Yuanjiajie (Chinese: 袁家界风景区)
  • Yangjiajie (Chinese: 杨家界风景区)
  • Tianzi Mountains (Chinese: 天子山)

The Wulingyuan Nature Reserve also includes other objects located outside the park:

  • Lake Baofeng (Chinese: 宝峰湖)
  • Yellow Dragon Cave (Huanglong Cave, 黄龙洞)
  • Cave of King Long Wang Dong (龙王洞)

A few kilometers south of the city of Zhangjiajie (not to be confused with Zhangjiajie Park) there is another gorgeous park - Tianmenshan. It is not included in the Wulingyuan Conservation Area, however it is no less unique place, but he will be discussed in the next post.

In 2016, another one was opened 20 kilometers northeast of Zhangjiajie Park. interesting place- Grand Canyon with a completely transparent bridge. When it opened, it became the longest and tallest glass bridge in the world.

For convenience, I have provided information on how to get to Zhangjiajie and where to stay. But here I will note once again that if you are planning to visit Zhangjiajie National Park, then it would be best to stop the day before at the southeastern entrance in the village of the same name Wulingyuan (Wulingyuan, Southeast Gate, Chinese: 武陵源, 东南门). A little further down on the map below it is marked as Entrance B.

Well, let's go see the great creation of nature? From our hotel to the southeastern entrance to the park is 25 minutes on foot or 5 minutes by taxi. In order not to waste time, we catch a taxi for 10 yuan to the park.

How much does a ticket to Zhangjiajie National Park cost?

There are 2 types of entrance tickets:

  • For 4 days. The entrance ticket costs 248 yuan for an adult, 163 yuan for beneficiaries.
  • For 8 days. The entrance ticket costs 301 yuan for an adult, 196 yuan for beneficiaries.

Notes:

  • Discount tickets can be used by children with a height of 1.2 to 1.5 meters, students under 24 years old, and pensioners aged 60-70 years.
  • For persons with 1st or 2nd group disabilities and pensioners over 70 years old, the cost of an entrance ticket for 3 days is 60 yuan, for 7 days - 80 yuan.
  • Free tickets are available to Chinese military personnel, journalists and children under 1.2 meters in height.

When purchasing, your finger is scanned, so if you come the next day, all you need to do is put your finger on the turnstile. Along with the tickets they give you a map of the park with routes and stops. You can move around the park between the main points on free shuttles that run every 10-15 minutes. Bus stops at major attractions are marked with a “P” on the map below. I will write the cost of tickets for additional transport during the description of the route.

Park opening hours

  • The park is open every day from 07.00 to 18.00
  • The operating hours of the funicular up from 07.30 to 16.00, down from 07.30 to 18.00
  • Buses run from 07.00 to 18.00

Zhangjiajie National Park Map

For convenience, I am posting a map National Park Zhangjiajie

Itinerary for visiting Zhangjiajie National Park

The park is divided into an upper and lower plateau, between which you can move by cable cars and a huge elevator in the rock. There are quite a lot of routes, including walking trails. We had 1 full day to visit the park, so we decided to move clockwise.

We go into the park, take the bus and go to railway station, where our first stop awaits us - Ten-mile Natural Gallery (Chinese: 十里画廊), located in the northwestern part of the Suoxi Valley at the foot of Tianji Mountain . Small railway track 5.8 kilometers long (marked in gray on the map) runs through picturesque landscapes of unusual rocks. The journey takes 10 minutes. Round trip fare 52 yuan per person. If you don’t want to spend money, there is a path nearby, a walk along which will take no more than 30 minutes.

On both sides, many of the peaks look like statues, as if carved by someone. The most famous peak is Herb Collecting Old Man (Chinese: 画廊采药老人图片). He is the symbol of this valley and looks like an old man with a basket on his back, collecting medicinal herbs.

Not far from the herbalist, you can also see a towering peak, which, according to locals, resembles a man with crossed legs, and next to it a series of smaller ones. This composition is called Immortals Worshiping Guanyin (Chinese: 观音十里画廊). According to legend, it is said that the highest peak is the deity Guanyin, and 19 worshipers worship near it, asking for mercy on this world and blessing people with a happy life.

On final stop can see 3 sisters (Chinese: 三姐妹).

Admire the monkeys living in a cage.

And invest your first money in the Chinese economy by visiting various stalls that sell Chinese herbs, postcards, wood and glass products. Having bought a wooden fruit basket, we return back by train and go to the stop.

Next point - Bailong elevator (Chinese: 百龙电梯). It is located in the area Yuanjiajie and is installed in the mountain of the same name, and Bailong itself is translated as “one hundred dragons” and is considered the highest external elevator in the world, its height is 326 meters. When you approach this structure, your legs give way, and the lens cannot completely fit it into one shot.

Let's go upstairs. The cost of the climb is 72 yuan per person. On the way to the elevator there are posters from the movie "Avatar".

The rise time takes 2 minutes. At first, part of the climb takes place in the rock, but then this height opens up and you no longer know what to do, whether to take pictures, or to be afraid. If you exit the elevator and turn right, you can find a cool observation deck on the elevator itself.

After admiring the views and fashionable Chinese panda slippers for a bit, we moved on to bus stop, already at an altitude of more than three hundred meters.

Arriving at one of the most important points of the park, McDonald's was discovered. Suddenly. But we decided to still support the local producer and tried an unknown fruit for us - yangmei, Chinese strawberry tree or mountain peach. Juicy and tasty.

So, the walking path lies along the cliff. In some places there are observation decks, from where breathtaking panoramas open up. Where the views are especially good, there are platforms for photographers who, for a fee, will take a photo for you as a souvenir.

The weather was far from sunny; sometimes the mountains were shrouded in a white veil. Moreover, it is not clear whether these are clouds or fog, however, one way or another, all this added some mysticism to the picture, visually it seemed that the mountains were floating, and you were as if on another planet, as if blue ones were really about to jump out of somewhere little men. And here they are, by the way.

Having covered a few more hundred meters, we came to the main exhibit. Mount Jiankunzhu (Chinese: 乾坤柱) more than a kilometer high and composed of quartz sandstone, it is translated as the column of the Southern Sky and has deep philosophical meaning.

Qian (䷀) is the first trigram in the ancient Chinese philosophy of I-Ching, a symbol of the masculine principle, sky, sun, father, husband, fortress.
Kun (䷁) is the second trigram in the ancient Chinese philosophy of the I Ching, a symbol of the feminine, earth, moon, mother, wife, subject.
Zhu – pillar, column.

Having deciphered the trigrams, we get another name, “Column between heaven and earth,” which, in my opinion, sounds much better.

In 2010, commerce won over philosophy when Western media spread information that this mountain formed the basis for the creation of the planet Pandora from the movie Avatar. After some time, in order to develop tourism, the mountain was given a new name - Avatar Hallelujah Mountain (Chinese: 阿凡达-哈利路亚山). And then they came up with an inviting slogan: “Pandora is far, but Zhangjiajie is close!”

However, despite the fact that the park is promoted internationally, in fact we were the only Europeans walking through this park. By the way, my girlfriend is blonde, and these 2 weeks in China she was a celebrity. Here, too, every 10-15 minutes they tried to either sit next to us so that we could get into someone’s lens, or openly asked to take a photo together.

Next on our way - The First Natural Bridge under Heaven (Chinese: 天下第一桥). It connects two peaks at an altitude of 360 meters and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the highest natural bridge in the world.

On the bridge, lovers can buy a lock for 40 yuan, ask them to cut out their names and hang it up, and throw the key into the abyss. They say that after this the family will be happy and strong. True, finding a place for your lock will not be easy - the railings and stairs are closely surrounded by thousands of locks. It seems to me that they are filed down from time to time.

Having walked to the end of the path, we come out to another stop. Here we found a post office, but my attempts to find out whether our postcards would reach Russia were unsuccessful.

In order to get to the next attraction, which is already in a different area Yangjiajie next to the funicular of the same name, we get off at the next stop “WuLong Village” and go on a short trek. First we go down, and then at the T-junction we turn up to the right. Compared to previous trails, this is a fairly steep climb, and some of the stairs look like they're about to fall apart.

But at the end of the climb a surprise awaits us - Tianbo Mansion (Tianbo Mansion, Chinese: 天波府). From here there is an amazing panorama of the Great natural wall stone pillars (The Natural Great Wall). Distinctive feature This place has narrow and high natural rock walls, different from typical pillars.

Afterwards we go back down to the T-shaped intersection and go in the opposite direction to the next observation point, which is called One Step to the Heaven (Chinese: 一步登天).

I will say that the first one was more interesting. Although it’s also beautiful, after spending half a day in the park you already begin to get used to it and the “wow effect” disappears a little. Some even manage to sleep.

We return back to the bus stop and go to the area Tianzi to the final attractions for today. The highest peak of Tianji Mountain, also called Son of Heaven Mountain, is the most high point in the park, its height is 1182 meters. Friends, just look at this beauty!

Well, let's dive a little into history, shall we? Mount Tianzi was called "Qing Yan Mountain" before the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In 1353, Xiang Dakun, the leader of the Tujia ethnic group, began a rebellion in the area and declared himself Tianji, which means Son of Heaven and is a traditional synonym for the Chinese emperor. In 1385, Xiang Dakong faced a fierce siege from an army commanded by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398), the first Ming emperor we've already heard about. Unfortunately, Xiang died in the battle and fell into Shengtang Bay. To show their respect to Xiang Dakong, the settlements were restored and the mountains were named after Tianji. Legend has it that sometimes the sounds of drums, neighing horses and screams of people can be heard from the canyon, as if an ancient medieval battle is still going on somewhere below!

Nothing bothers you? Right. There is no bay here. So called Valley of the Heavenly Abode (Shentang Gulf, Chinese: 神堂湾), where we headed. To avoid going in the opposite direction, you need to ask the driver to stop a little before the last stop. In the heart of the gorge there is a dark pool and there is only one way there - a terrible staircase, as if leading into the abyss. Shengtan Bay still remains untouched by human traces, like a mythical labyrinth with a bottomless gorge that is bathed in mist. all year round. And again, the mesmerizing panoramas make us freeze for a moment in order to capture this extraordinary beauty forever in our memory.

At the final stop of the main route we find ourselves in He Long Park (Chinese: 贺龙公园), named after the Chinese revolutionary Marshal He Long. The Tianji region was one of the sites of his military operations in the 1930s. In these parts he organized the Soviet Red Army of more than 200,000 people and in 1935 joined Mao Zedong to support him in the uprising. Afterwards he led guerrilla forces in Northwestern China both in civil war in China and during the Sino-Japanese War, and was generally successful in expanding communist control. By the end of 1945 he commanded a force of 170,000 troops. After the founding of the Chinese People's Republic in 1949 he held a number of civilian and military positions, and in 1955 he was awarded the honorary title of Marshal (there are 10 in China) for his invaluable contribution to the victory of the Communist Party. To perpetuate the memory of the great Marshal, at the 90th birthday celebration in 1986, the Zhangjiajie city government founded a park and erected a seven-meter bronze statue weighing about 9 tons. It is the largest in China.

Passing the bronze statue we find ourselves on Emperor's Platform (Tianzi Sightseeing platform, Chinese: 天子观景台), from which another breathtaking landscape opens. Of course, nature creates amazing things, somewhere it has created huge canyons, somewhere a magnificent ensemble of rivers and lakes, but here it’s hard to understand where these mountains, isolated from each other, came from, which seem to stand on a thin leg, and are waiting for something. After 10 minutes, this beautiful picture was again engulfed in a white veil. The weather here is completely unpredictable. It is believed that best time To visit Zhangjiajie it is spring and autumn.

There was not much time left before the park closed, the shuttles stop running at 18.00, and we still need to go down by cable car, so we make the last push towards the pagoda, which bears the name Pavilion of the Son of God (Tianzi Pavilion, Chinese: 天子阁). Here you can also have a snack, buy souvenirs, or even go inside.

Further from the pagoda, a long walking descent into the Suosi Valley begins (remember, we started there at the very beginning?). Of course, we won’t go down it, but will only walk down a couple of hundred meters to capture the final and one of the most important attractions of the park - Imperial Writing Brush Peaks or Yu Bi Feng, Chinese: 御笔峰. These are free-standing sandstone columns surrounded by green mountain peaks. The tops of the more massive peaks smoothly flow into the thinner ones. The name Yubi Feng comes from the brush used by the imperial calligrapher, where the thicker end becomes a thin brush. Legend has it that the stone tassels belonged to that very King Xiang. They say that it was these places that served as the reason for the park to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Well, it's time to return to earth, for this we will head towards He Long Park and take another bus that takes us to top station Tianzi cable car (Chinese: 天子山索道, the cost of which is 67 yuan per person. And finally, Zhangjiajie probably wants to tell its visitors: “You still haven’t realized all my majesty and power? So get it flight on my planet!

Time flew by here unnoticed. Of course, one day is not enough to explore the park completely, but to be honest, you don’t need more days either, especially considering that there are other attractions in the vicinity, but Zhangjiajie Park will definitely be among the top amazing places on the planet that I have seen. Such places are remembered for a lifetime and give rise to inspiration and passion for travel.

Remember the place called Pandora with its fabulous mountains from the movie Avatar by James Cameron? It turns out that it actually exists, and all the sketches for the film were made here, in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (湖南张家界国家森林公园). Of course, there are no floating rocks or unusual waterfalls, alien creatures or unusual animals from You won’t see a movie here either, but these stunning landscapes will be etched in your memory for a long time, and the photographs will amaze your friends and acquaintances.,

Zhangjiajie National Park is located in the Wulingyuan Mountains in southeast China, in Hunan Province. This place is striking in its beauty, but in addition to its luxurious landscapes, Zhangjiajie Park is also a zoo, botanical and geological reserve. The area in which the park is located is famous for its quartzite rocks, the height of which reaches 800 meters, and the most high peaks The Wulingyuan massif reaches a height of more than 3 kilometers. The mountain peaks are covered with dense crowns of trees, many of which are centuries old.

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The national park was opened in 1982. And 10 years later it was included in the List of objects World Heritage UNESCO. The park area is 13,000 square meters. km. This territory is home to over 500 different species of animals, as well as quite rare species of plants. Among them there are such as gingko, pigeon tree, mahogany, and animal world represented by monkeys, birds, salamanders and even rare representatives of the cat family - civets. Sometimes visitors to Zhangjiajie National Park compare a walk through it to viewing an exhibition of traditional Chinese paintings, only all the beauty here can be seen in person.

And at an altitude of more than 1 kilometer above sea level lies the Yellow Lion Village, where representatives of three small nationalities live - Tujia, Bai and Miao, making up 70% local population. Despite the fact that Han culture had a huge influence on their traditions, they managed to preserve their national language, as well as traditional costumes, holidays and even a special architectural style.

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So, after a long 26-hour drive from Guilin to Zhangjiajie, I finally got to the park.

Entrance to the park is paid, you can buy a two-day ticket for 245 yuan and a week pass for 298. Tickets also include internal transportation by bus (yes, the park is large, you can’t get enough of it on foot). As it turned out later, they were not included in the price : elevator rides, escalators and a train that runs around the park. There is a separate fee for them, prices are about 50 yuan one way.

If you are under 24 years old and have a student card with you, there is a significant discount on entry.

Tickets are checked only at the entrances to the park; no one checks tickets in the park itself, so you can easily “live” there for a month with a two-day ticket. But due to relatively high prices In the park itself, you will most likely have to go out to withdraw money or buy provisions.

Accommodation in Zhangjiajie

There are two accommodation options:

  • In the town near the park there are many hotels and guesthouses to suit every budget.
  • In the park itself.

But there is a small nuance. Living in the city and going to the park in the morning, you will have to wait in huge queues every time, especially during summer holidays and Chinese New Year celebrations.
Living in the park itself, you can walk around it from the moment the buses start running in the morning, but the quality of housing there leaves much to be desired.

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I chose accommodation in the park, it was important for me to be there from morning to evening. I stayed in a guesthouse of the Yoth International hostels network (phone 0744-5713568), you can book places through Hostelworld. In order not to get confused, there are 2 of these guesthouses in Zhangjiajie - one in itself park, and the second close to the train station.

This is very convenient, because you can come, check into a guest house near the railway station, from there check if there are free rooms in their branch in the park, and the coolest thing is that you can leave large backpacks or ask them to be delivered to the hostel in the park and then not you will have to carry all your luggage with you. Of course, I found out about all this only a few days later, after dragging all my luggage to the park.

Price:

  • 40 RMB per dorm (multiple beds in a room)
  • 120 yuan for a double room (double room)

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To find a hostel, I recommend going to these guys http://backpacker-ru.livejournal.com/36853.html, they even have a map on their website that they filled with useful information.
The bus drivers don’t understand English; out of four respondents, only 1 understood where I wanted to go, despite the fact that my map was in Chinese, and the hostel was marked with a circle, so it’s better to ask questions to the guides you came across.

Note: The walk to the hostel is very long, about two hours, and you need to overcome great amount steps (600m up). So it's better to pay 50 yuan and take the elevator.

While I was running around the park with a backpack on my shoulders, local residents came up to me and offered to stay with them for the night, so in addition to this hostel, apparently there are other affordable housing options.

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  • The park is crowded during the day...it's better to come early or close to closing
  • Buses run until 7 pm, the roads in the park are not lit at night, walking is not recommended
  • If you come for 2-3 days, use the buses and visit the main observation points
  • If you come for 3+ days, get off the main route and it is quieter and much more beautiful
  • If you're saving money, you'll have to walk a lot

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There were 7 days in Zhangjiajie, a ticket for this period costs 301 yuan. We left for the National Park through the central entrance in the morning (8-9 a.m.) and returned in the evening (4-5 p.m.). There are many routes inside the park that you get to (from central square inside the park) on free buses. You get to a certain place, then - as you wish: on foot or, having been in one place, change to another bus and move on. Inside the park you can also move around on cable cars (2 closed, 1 small - open), on an elevator located in the rock (you can take pictures from it through glass), on foot.

The park is located in the mountains, the weather is often rainy and foggy, so you need appropriate shoes (possibly replaceable ones with you), and raincoats. You can’t seriously eat in the park, so either have snacks (fried potatoes, chestnuts, fish, etc.) or take them with you. Water (drinking) is everywhere, however, it is cheaper to take it with you from the city (village). There are 5 entrances to this “complex” (since the national park is only one of 5 territories). On one of these territories there is a lake, on the other there is a cave (these are separate entrances for a fee). It is better to live in a tourist village that is close to the main entrance. From the city of Zhangjiajie to the entrance to the park you need to take a bus (11 yuan) or a taxi, the travel time is about 40 minutes. Huge opportunities for filming with a camera and/or camera, even if it’s foggy. Worth visiting: cave (Soxiuei Park), Lake Baofen, national. park - repeatedly, on its territory it is necessary to ride all the cable cars, the Bailong elevator, take a short trip on the funicular train (round trip), walk along the Golden Whip Stream along different paths (you can take a rickshaw, about 300 yuan), walk along path with a glass floor: unforgettable, because... there is an abyss under your feet, and rocks all around, and from the city itself by cable car (7 km) climb Tianmen Mountain, where the Heavenly Gate is located, 999 steps lead to it, which must be walked (up/down), then down to the entrance go down by bus along the serpentine road.

The impressions are stunning! It is also necessary to visit the Huanglong Cave (an underground lake on which you can ride a boat, many stalactites, stalagmites, the largest is 19.4 m, everything is illuminated, it looks good in photographs). So, to travel around the park you need to have: a camera and/or camera, shoes (including replacement ones), waterproof clothing, food and drink with you in a backpack (optional), it’s better to live on a tour. village near the entrance to the national park, prepare for the fact that almost no one SPEAKS ENGLISH, signs inside the park are in Chinese and English languages, there are also maps with routes inside the park, but it is advisable to have the skill to understand them, the slightest desire and ability to walk (a lot!), and also a HUGE DESIRE TO SEE ALL THIS! You need to prepare to either study everything in advance (Internet forums, reviews of those who have visited), or take a guide-translator with knowledge of English (at least!), and also, if you can find it, texts in Russian (English) languages ​​with a number of written in Chinese characters denoting a particular place or name, so that you can show what exactly you need.

And one more note: if you don’t like national Chinese food too much, it will be a little difficult, then you can eat in small cafes, where you can show what you specifically want to eat (chicken, rabbit, fish, vegetables), they will quickly prepare it for you , not bad, or eat Chinese fast food, we only found one burger place. But this all applies to living in a village, and not in a city, where there is McDonald’s and, I think, many other restaurants and cafes. Good luck! Go - you won't regret it!

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The sensations you experience while in the mountains of Zhangjiajie National Park or Wulingyuan are indescribable in words and photos. These protected places in the Hunan province of southeastern China need to be seen with your own eyes. Mysterious mountain paths, abysses along the edge of which you walk in search of fantastic landscapes, clouds disappearing from under your feet and rocks surrounded by subtropical forest, the intoxicating air of the Suosi Valley, the magic of Lake Baofen...

You can fly to Zhangjiajie from almost anywhere large city China, you can come by train. It is more convenient to settle in the village of Wulingyuan or in the village at the entrance to Zhangjiajie National Park. Entrance to the park for 3 days costs 245 yuan. The territory of the reserve is huge, it is worth downloading a map in advance and exploring the area, you can buy a map at the entrance to the park, it is worth taking a compass with you, secluded tempting paths can lead to unexpected places. They ply around the park tourist buses, a cable car was built, and even a Baylong elevator with a transparent cabin, which takes you through the rocks to the very top. If you are hungry, you can snack on fried potatoes, fish, chestnuts, and flatbreads, prepared in the old-fashioned way in the fresh air by local residents, and then head out again for more impressions.

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The unusually beautiful flying mountains located on the planet Pandora in the film Avatar are not an invention of the directors. Are located floating mountains in china, being part of Zhangjiajie National Park, and are called Wulingyuan. The rocks bewitch and amaze at first sight, so when going to the Celestial Empire, it’s worth going to Hunan Province for a few days, where the park is located. Excellent conditions for accommodation, food and leisure are created here for visitors. In addition to the mountains, there is the opportunity to see many other natural attractions.

National treasure of China

Zhangjiajie Park is a unique business card a country where a huge number of tourists come every year, the number of which has increased after the release of the film “Avatar”. Touch the unique nature, fauna, listen to many mysterious, mystical stories and legends - that’s what I offer flying mountains in china to all visitors. Some objects on the territory of this protected area are protected by UNESCO, and the park itself is recognized as a national treasure of the Celestial Empire. Its inhabitants are proud of the unusual beauties that will take your breath away, and they say that numerous secrets and riddles are associated with the mountains and rocks. Their emergence and spread are facilitated by incredible landscapes, lush greenery, picturesque rocks, which cause a soaring effect. This unique phenomenon is due to the fact that Mountain peaks go into the sky, getting lost there between the clouds. The rocks are covered with greenery, which complements the feeling of weightlessness.

A little history

The area where the park is located is also known under another name - Yangjiajie, i.e. lands of Yang. According to ancient legends, there was once a war between clans near the mountains. The representative of the Yang Dynasty set up his military camp right at the base of Mount Tianzi. The confrontation lasted for several decades and never ended. Therefore, the descendants of the clan began to gradually develop this territory, moving further and further from the location of the military camp. Archaeologists and scientists have confirmed this legend by constantly finding graves and burial places of members of the Yang clan.

Creation of the park

There is a park where the film “Avatar” was filmed in the northwestern part of the country, not far from the city of the same name. The area is full of wonders and natural attractions. Neighboring Zhangjiajie Park are the equally famous geological parks of Yangjiajie, Tanzishan and Xiuxiyu.

Zhangjiajie is the oldest park in China, created in 1982. Its territory is huge and is almost 13 thousand square kilometers, on which there are mountains, forests, other vegetation, and a huge number of animals. In 1992, it was taken under UNESCO protection as part of Wulingyuan. Nine years later, the park received the status of the Sandstone Peaks National Forest Geopark (by decision of the relevant Chinese ministry). It is also part of the Global Network of Geological Parks protected by UNESCO.

Natural and animal world

Decoration Zhangjiajie Park, China, the place where the films were filmed Avatar" and "Monster Hunt" are Mt. In fact, these are rocky pillar peaks, created from quartz and sandstone, and turned into a real miracle of nature under the influence of erosion and weathering. Total There are more than 3 thousand unusual rocks, and about one thousand have a height of 200 meters. The highest peak is Mount Dupeng, which reaches 1,890 meters into the sky.

The peaks of the rocks are lost high in the clouds, and then abruptly give way to very dense forests. This is the habitat of a huge number of animals, birds, reptiles, and insects. You can also see quite rare relict plants, which include mahogany and gingko.

The climate in the park is humid and warm, although this does not create stifling heat. People who cannot stand cold or very hot weather can feel comfortable here. In the warm season average temperature air temperature is +27 degrees Celsius, and in winter it drops to +4-5.

The entire territory of the park is divided into 6 natural zones, the largest of which are Tianji Mountains, attracting tourists to China. This area is famous for very thick clouds, constant fog and a mysterious atmosphere.

Attractions

You can walk around the park without getting tired, because you never know what awaits around every turn. It’s not only the mountains that take your breath away, but also the richness of the animal world, as well as a large number of monuments.

The Yellow Dragon Cave is created from karst formations, has a height of 140 meters, and is therefore considered one of the largest in the world. It is distinguished by a beautiful interior design of a natural character. The cave contains many unique natural attractions - waterfalls, rivers, pools. All this creates the feeling that you are in the palace of a fairy-tale Dragon.

The Buddhist Temple of Heaven's Gate has been known since the Ming Dynasty, which contributed to the transformation of this place into a center of pilgrimage. The temple occupies a huge area, which is equal to 10 thousand square meters. The temple is located in a cave that dates back to 263 AD. as a result of the breaking off of a huge stone from the Tianmen rock. The length of the cave-temple is 60 meters, the width reaches 57 meters, and the height is 131.5 m. The Chinese call the temple Magic Cave Western Hunan, as the place is imbued with a mysterious and mysterious atmosphere. This is due to the fact that the cave, located at a great height above the ground, seems to be shrouded in clouds, which are very thick above the mountain. Therefore, tourists, entering the cave, feel that they are in heaven, or are somewhere nearby.

It was not by chance that the temple appeared in this place. According to ancient chronicles, the mountain is connected with the sky, therefore it has enormous strength and energy. In addition, it influences people, their destinies, lives, and is capable of doing miracles. In historical documents you can find many facts that various mysterious events and phenomena took place in the cave.

The height of Tianmen Mountain is 1518 m, and is considered the central attraction of the park. All tourists who are not afraid to travel the longest cable car in the world strive to climb to the top. Its length is almost 7.5 kilometers, and it passes through such picturesque panoramas of mountains, mountains, and forests that it will take your breath away. And the closer the cabin gets to the top, the more it seems that you are falling into the arms of the clouds. The mountain is always shrouded in fog and mist, which very rarely clears. From generation to generation, local residents pass on legends that before very important events, water begins to pour from the top.

Next door to Zhajiajie Park is an equally stunning park called Yanqiajie. There are a huge number of amazing and picturesque places, including the Baihur, Longquan valleys, and the Xiangzhi Mountains.

History of the Tianji Mountains

These rocks are worth talking about separately. According to historical records in chronicles and other documents, at the foot of Tianji Mountains, China, in the Middle Ages, farmers rebelled. They were led by a leader named Xiang Dakun, who styled himself the son of heaven. Such an unusual nickname was associated with the ambitions of the peasant, as well as the characteristics of the area where the mountains are located. There are more than two thousand stone pillars here, which, like rods, connect heaven and earth. Average height The rock ranges from 1 thousand meters to 1250 meters. They were formed more than three thousand years ago. One part of the mountains is represented by quartz rocks, and the second by limestone. Despite ancient history, the area has not been studied and is practically unexplored. Once upon a time there were tropical forests, about which remained small areas and trees. Between the mountains there are very ancient caves, rock arches, impenetrable forests where no one has ever been.

Tourist services

You can walk around the park for several days, especially since the entrance ticket is valid for two days. You can buy it for 245 yuan, right at the main entrance to Zhangjiajie National Park in China. To save a little money, you can purchase a weekly pass, and such a ticket is not very expensive - about 300 Chinese yuan. There are significant discounts available for students who present their student ID. The most Better conditions for visitors. In particular, they have a wonderful opportunity to see the mountains from a bird's eye view and then walk around them on the ground. There is an elevator leading to one of the peaks, so you can climb the mountain directly on it.

The park has several tourist routes allowing you to see all the sights. But it’s difficult to do this in 2 days, so guides recommend using the cable car to see all the flying mountains. It is definitely worth walking along the natural bridges that go across the mountains, as well as going down into the valleys of rivers, waterfalls, and visiting caves. Tourists do not have to worry about their own safety: fences are installed everywhere, there are safe stairs for movement, special paths and signs to help you navigate the park.

The price of the entrance ticket includes bus transportation along the routes. Separately, you need to pay for the elevator ride, use of the escalator, elevator, and travel on the tourist train. Travel between attractions free buses, which reach a certain stop. Here you can change to another bus and continue your trip. You can also travel by other means of transport - cable cars (two closed and one open), funicular.

For those who want to see pristine nature, they will have to go deeper into the remote areas of the park. The main attractions are nearby. It won’t take long to get to them - everything is within reach, you just need to buy a ticket and enter the park. In other cases, you need to cover considerable distances, so you need to choose comfortable shoes, clothes for the trip, and put things in backpacks. In addition, you need to go to the deep areas of the park either with a guide or along a pre-designed route so as not to get lost.

It’s worth considering separately organizational issues trips to the floating rocks:

  • Book accommodation in advance, given the many national holidays, which exist in China;
  • Prepare for the fact that a huge number of Chinese come to the Wulingyuan rocks, so it is always crowded, and in some places there is a significant crowd of people;
  • Buy or download a map of the park and surrounding area, purchase a compass, raincoats and raincoats;
  • It is better to start your walks in the morning to see more interesting things. And in the morning there are fewer people than in the afternoon and evening hours. It is dangerous to wander around after seven in the evening, because... The park area is not illuminated.
  • Think about how you can get to Zhangjiajie from the Chinese capital.

You can get to the park from the city of the same name by taxi or bus, which come here regularly. You can enter the protected area through two entrances - the northeastern one, where the Wulingyuan Mountains are located, and through the southern one - Zhangjiajie. You need to start your journey from the first entrance, since there is a glass elevator that takes you up to the tops of the rocks and observation platforms.

Housing and food

Experienced tourists advise staying in two villages - Zhangjiajie or Wulingyuan (the names here are all very original, so it’s worth considering that the park, city and village have the same name). Renting comfortable accommodation here is not a problem; the only negative, and quite significant, is that in the morning there is a queue at the entrance. And you will have to stand in it before entering the park.

You can also live in Zhangjiajie, where there are several types of housing:

  • Guesthouse;
  • Hostel;
  • Hotel.

The quality of the rooms is somewhat lower than in the villages, and walking is only allowed when the buses start running.

A budget accommodation option is to stay with local residents, ready to provide a bed in a room for several people for 40 yuan per day. You can choose the option for single occupancy, but the cost will increase accordingly.

You can eat in restaurants, local cafes, McDonald's. It is worth considering that the cuisine of this province is quite unique - it is based on mushrooms that have medicinal properties, And large quantities spicy seasonings. In addition to traditional Hunan cuisine, you can try dishes from other regions of the country.

There are no restaurants or cafes in the park, but flat cakes, fried potatoes, fish, and chestnuts are sold everywhere. Everything is fresh and prepared in the presence of tourists.

It is better to buy water in the city or in villages, since it is much cheaper here than in the park.

Please note that there is a huge hole in the mountain on the left - the famous “Heavenly Gate”. Having left our things at the Zhangjiajie Dachengshanshui International Hotel, which was a 10-minute walk from the cable car station, we hurried towards new experiences. To be honest, I didn’t expect anything worthwhile from this excursion, since many travelers unanimously claim that Tianmen Mountain is lost against the backdrop of the beauty of Zhangjiajie National Park. The cable car station is located opposite the city bus station, and there is also...ahhh...McDonald's! Where were my eyes when I was preparing for the trip? Why did they miss such important and valuable information? Before traveling to China, I had no idea that the location of this fast food restaurant would excite me so much. But I will write about food a little later. When buying a ticket for the funicular, pay attention to the visiting time, which will appear on the ticket costing 258 yuan. Having arrived there by noon, we were only allowed to start climbing the mountain at 16:00. To all our requests and entreaties “Russo turisto, immoral appearance, tsigel-tsigel ay lyu-lyu” the guards were unshakable. Fortunately, our hotel was nearby, so after parting with Iskra, we had somewhere to rest for a couple of hours. The funicular has its own website http://tianmenshan.com.cn/, where, as Iskra said, you can pre-order tickets for the time you need. Why she didn’t do this then is still a mystery to me.

To my question, “Is there a decent establishment with European cuisine in the city?” Iskra, without blinking an eye, answered that our hotel had such a restaurant, which made me incredibly happy. Finally, I thought. Having quickly checked in, we set off with Sanka to meet such a long-awaited moment. But in one of best hotels For some reason, no one understood us in the city of Zhangjiajie. Having picked up a girl at the reception who spoke some English, I dragged her to the restaurant so that she could explain to the waiters what I wanted from them. Well, the European menu was very decent: hamburger and pizza. All! Apparently, the Chinese believe that we don’t eat anything else. My child, of course, was delighted with this set of dishes. I went into prostration. Only a week of our wanderings around China had passed, and the prospect of another two weeks of such food did not make me happy at all. While we were waiting for our order, the waitress came up to us and began to chirp something in Chinese, thrusting some kind of menu brochure under my nose. Having correctly sent her to my workplace, I plunged into not very cheerful thoughts. After some time, another waitress came up to us and began putting Chinese dishes on the table. The first thought that flashed through my head was related to the set lunch. Apparently, the great desire to feed my child normal food dulled my ability to think. The dishes looked quite appetizing. Having tasted them, I very quickly stuffed them into Sanka, and, having calmed down, thanked the Almighty for giving us the opportunity to eat normally. Imagine my surprise when they brought us a hamburger and pizza. It turned out that a young girl mixed up the orders and brought us someone else's lunch. I won’t tell you what started there. But for some reason it didn't really bother me. At that moment I felt very good, I’ll tell you honestly. I wasn’t going to refuse to pay for what I ate, but they didn’t take anything from me. So there are miracles in the world, and in difficult moments they definitely help us.

It was in such a great mood that we went to ride the longest cable car in the world. The total length of the cable car is 7,455 meters, the height difference is 1,279 meters. After standing in line for two hours, we finally made it to the cable car.



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