Zhangjiajie(张家界), located in the northwest of Hunan Province, China, posseses an amazing scenery treat for the world. Three thousand stone peaks in Wulingyuan scenic area have risen up vertically from the ground and some 8000 rivers snaking their way among those awing mountains. All the tourists came to Zhangjiajie are overwhelmed by the peculiar amazing forest landform and magnificent karst landscape of Wulingyuan. You will feel as if in a fairyland mountains in heaven. The great movie Avatar released in 2010 has made Zhangjiajie a world famous travel destination for tourists seeking“Hallelujah Mountain” traces.
- Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, consists of Huangshizhai, gold whip stream, Yuanjiajie,Tianzi mountain nature reserve and other areas, it is an indispensable scenic site to visit in Zhangjajie.
- Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park is named for its natural wonder of "Tianmen cave". When you visit Tianmen Mountain, you will have to take a 7500-metre-long cable car to the top, en route you can take an incredibly spectacular bird view of the reserve.
- Yuanjiajie Scenic Area is the one that inspired the CGI team of "Hallelujah Mountain" in the movie Avatar.
- Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, has the world's highest and longest glass bridge--Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge. Standing on bridge 400 meters above the ground, it is an act truly test your sense of adventure.
- Wulingyuan Scenic Area, world Natural Heritage Site, world geological parks, national 5A-class tourist area and National Civilized Scenic Area, consists of Zhangjiajie, Suoxi valley, Tianzi Mountain and Yangjiajie. The scenic area here has not been artificially carved or arranged at all. Fantastic lofty peaks, rocks, valleys, caves and its numerous wild lives in the natural forest will make your trip worthwhile.
- Furong Ancient Town,an ancient town with over 2000 years, combines natural scenery beauty and Tujia ethnic folk culture attractions. Tujia people account for more than 80% of the total population here.
(Zhangjiajie tourist map, Click map to enlarge)
Visa policy in Zhangjiajie
Zhangjiajie does not have any visa-free policy at present. Therefore, foreigner visitors visiting Zhangjiajie will be required to obtain a Chinese visa. Learn more aboutLearn more about China visa application knowledge and China Entry and Exit Tips.
What to pack for Zhangjiajie?
Zhangjiajie scenic area temperature is always about is about 5-10 degrees Celsius lower than urban area in Zhangjiajie city. Spring and Autumn, mountain temperature is lower than the city, if you come in early summer, you still need to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants. Others may including: Mountaineering sticks, umbrellas, disposable raincoats, waterproof shoes, shoe covers(for Zhangjiajie GrandCanyon Glass Bridge), sunscreen, mosquito spray, sunglasses and skid resisting sporty shoes, etc.
Be aware of that there are three large groups of WILD MONKEYS in the scenic area, please Do Not feed them or play with them. They can be aggressive and dangerous if they are offended or so.
Most Popular Zhangjiajie Tour
4 Days Zhangjiajie Highlight Tour
Tianmen Mountain, Tianzi Mountain, Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, Grand Canyon Glass Bridge
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Do I need to buy some Chinese currency before arrive Zhangjiajie?
We recommend you to get some Chinese currency in your country first or mostly recommed to exchange enough amount of Chinese cash in entry city like Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong.
Choose a quality travel agency!
Zhangjaijie is a city where you do need to join a travel agency to help you survive.
- Language barrier can be a problem here on top of everything else. Local population is a mixture of Han, Tujia, Miao and other ethnic group, mandarin is not widely used especially among those ethnic culture travel site though they can manage a bit to communicate with Chinese travellers. But, for English speakers, language will become a problem.
- Getting around in Zhangjiajie won't be easy to handle for language barriers plus many protencial travel traps. Without well arrangement from travel agency and professional tour guide , you might find yourself immediately surrounded by many taxi drivers or non-licensed guides right after you get out of airport/train/bus station, all trying to sell you their so-called ”discounted tours” or “low-price” services.
Generally speaking, Zhangjiajie is a relatively less costly destination in China compare to Beijing or Shanghai. As the case in many other scenic areas, the cost within Zhangjiajie natural reserve and Wulingyuan national park is always higher than those outside the scenic spot.
- Top-end everything: If you stay in 5 stars hotels located in the scenic area and take cable cars up to all the sites and taxi ride to everywhere, 1800 to 2500 Yuan or more per day (260-362$/ 197-273£/ 225-312€).
- Economy: But for clean and economy 3 stars chain hotels relatively within walking distance to the scenic areas and eat in local restaurants，you can get by on 400-500 Yuan a day (62-72$/ 49-55£/ 56-62€).
- Budget: Travellers on budget stay in hostels and eat basic food can easily survive on around 200 Yuan a day (29$/ 22£/ 25€).(Rates on 19th,Oct,2018)
There are rarely or simply none flights fly directly to Zhangjiajie from either USA or UK etc, the common routes are most international flights will make a stopover in Beijing International Airport , Shanghai Pudong International Airport or Hong Kong International Airport etc. Hence we suggest you could arange a trip in those interesting entry cities first and spend a few days there, then book flight ticket from Beijing to Zhangjiajie. On c-trip there are 2 flights fly to Zhangjiajie from Beijing every day. Learn more about How Do I Get to Zhangjiajie.
- When you are booking a discounted flight ticket, please make sure to check that you have enough luggage allowance attached to your ticket. Sometimes, cheap tickets don’t come with any allowance at all. And if that is your case, you can always purchase some luggage allowance on their official website in advance, avoiding being charged three times more at check-in counter at airport.
Zhangjaijie is suitable to visits all the year around with different views to fill your memory with astonishing beauties. The best period is between April and October. Learn more detail about the Best time to visit Zhangjiajie please click here.
- Notice: Be sure to avoid travel to Zhangjiajie during National holiday, Spring Festival and May holiday.
Generally speaking, 4-5 days is good enough to see Zhangjiajie.
- Day 1 Zhangjiajie National Forest Park : Huangshi Village + Golden Whip Stream;
- Day 2 Tianzi Mountain Area + Yuanjiajie Scenic Area;
- Day 3 Tianmen Mountain in the morning then travel to Furong Ancient Town and spend a night there;
- Day 4 In the morning enjoy the peaceful town and travel back to Zhangjiajie before your departure;
- Other additional trip like travel to Fenghuang Ancient Town will need another one or two days.
Panoramic View of Zhangjiajie & Fenghuang
5 Days Zhangjiajie & Fenghuang Tour
Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang
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You can check Zhangjiajie downtown layout and its tour sites locations in these Tourist map produced by Top China Travel both above and below. Normally, the areas we recommend travellers to stay in Zhangjiajie are:
- Zhangjiajie downtown area : convenient transportation to both railway station and airport, plus its near to Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park;
- Wulingyuan Ticket Office area : convenient to purchase ticket to entry the scenic site and close to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, equipment with all range restaurants and top hotel to budget hostels;
- Zhangjiajie National Park Gate Area : convenient to entry the scenic site and ferry buses to travel to nearby sites.
- Learn more detail about where to stay in Zhangjiajie please click here.
Zhangjiajie hasn't installed subway system yet. For tourists in, getting around here is mainly by taking taxi rides, especially if you are planning to visit Furong ancient town or Fenghuang Ancient town. A car rental trip to the above sites is quite common among both Chinese and foreigner tourists in Zhangjiajie. Usually your hotel can sort thus trips for you or like we suggested in the first place, join a local travel agency and this is where you get your money best paid back.
(Zhangjiajie city map, click map to enlarge)
How to Get to Zhangjiajie Downtown from Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport?
- By Airport Shuttle Bus: Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport shuttle bus will take you to downtown area of Zhangjiajie within 20 minutes. It is very convenient and the cheapest option heading downtown.
- By City Bus: No. 4 (operating between 08:00AM – 18:00PM, the station is about 100 meters from the exit of airport) to downtown Zhangjiajie within 30 minutes;
- By Taxi: A taxi ride from Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport to downtown will take around 15 minutes and the cost is around 30 RMB.
- You can also contact us at sales@topchinatravel.com to book a taxi ride to your hotel or vice versa.
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