Zhangjiajie National Forest Park: Ultimate Visitor Guide (Avatar Mountains + Tips)

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is worth the visit, but was also the stop that required the most planning of my entire trip.

Still, it was unlike anything I’ve seen in China: sandstone pillars that rise out of a forest and look like they belong on a different planet. It’s also famously used as one of the references for Pandora in Avatar.

This guide covers everything you need to know about visiting — what to see, how the buses and zones work, navigating rainy days, and the practical things that took me a few lessons to figure out.

After reading this, you’ll be better prepared than I was and can spend more time to enjoy the park.

If you’re adding Tianmen Mountain to your trip, make sure to read my Tianmen Mountain guide next.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Checklist:

▢ Book your Zhangjiajie 4-day park pass online (recommended)

▢ Join a guided tour to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

▢ Reserve your train ticket to Zhangjiajie ahead of time

▢ Top-rated hotels in Zhangjiajie: Booking.com | Trip.com

▢ Top-rated hotels in Wulingyuan: Booking.com | Trip.com

▢ Book your Grand Canyon with Glass Bridge ticket (day trip)

Basic Information You Need to Know First

• Zhangjiajie City and Wulingyuan are two different places. Zhangjiajie is the main city where the airport and high-speed rail station are. The national forest park is actually in Wulingyuan, a separate town about 40 minutes away by taxi.
• The park is large and has multiple zones. Two days is enough to cover the highlights well: one day entering via the East Gate and a second day via the South Gate.
• The standard ticket is valid for four days, though you don’t have to do all days.
• Tianmen Mountain is a completely separate attraction. It’s located in Zhangjiajie city center, not in Wulingyuan, and requires a separate ticket. It’s best known for the 999-step staircase leading up to Tianmen Cave (Heaven’s Gate).
• The Grand Canyon with the Glass Bridge is also separate. These are in a different scenic area from the national forest park and require separate tickets.
• Avoid visiting on a weekend if you can to avoid too much crowding.
• You won’t actually do much hiking — you’ll be taking mostly buses and cable cars.

How Many Days in Zhangjiajie?

If you have 3-5 days and are visiting Tianmen Mountain as well, here’s how I recommend splitting it:

• 2 full days exploring Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
• 1 day exploring Tianmen Mountain + 72 Wonder Tower at night
• 1 optional day trip, either to the Grand Canyon + Glass Bridge or to Furong Ancient Town + Fenghuang Ancient Town
• 1 optional buffer day in case of rainy days

Full itinerary:

Day 1 — Arrive, stay overnight in Zhangjiajie

Day 2 — Explore Tianmen Mountain, leave luggage at hotel or luggage storage at Tianmen Mountain entrance, take taxi to Wulingyuan hotel

Day 3 — Explore park via East Gate entrance

Day 4 — Explore park via South Gate entrance

Day 5 — Optional: day trip to Grand Canyon + Glass Bridge or to Furong Ancient Town & Fenghuang Ancient Town

You can rearrange each day depending on the weather (more in the Navigating Rainy Days section).

➡️ Read my Tianmen Mountain guide next.

Where to Stay

This is the most common question asked. There’s really no right answer.

If you’re planning to visit the National Forest Park AND Tianmen Mountain, consider staying in both cities — one night in Zhangjiajie where Tianmen Mountain is, and two or three nights in Wulingyuan where the park is.

Reasons to stay in just Wulingyuan:

• Closer to the national park — you don’t have to wake up too early to make the journey from Zhangjiajie City to Wulingyuan.
• Zhangjiajie City might be noisier and busier aka you’ll likely hear planes flying over.
• Downtown Wulingyuan is more quaint and picturesque.

Reasons to stay in Zhangjiajie City:

• The main area is just a 10-minute ride from the airport, and a short ride to the high-speed railway station.
• Your hotel is likely within walking distance to the entrance of Tianmen Mountain.
• Closer to 72 Wonder Tower, which is a popular visit at night.

How I did both:

I arrived on a Sunday evening (only flight option), so I stayed one night here in Zhangjiajie (for only $17 USD) and planned to visit Tianmen Mountain the next day (and leave my luggage at the hotel), then go to my next hotel in Wulingyuan in the evening.

The weather the next day was a bit rainy and I was told by my hotel to skip it as I might not see anything.

So after checking out I took a taxi to my next hotel and just explored Wulingyuan, and went to the park the following two days. I’m glad I added a buffer day just in case this happened.

📍 You want to find a hotel near the East Gate, where the main town of Wulingyuan is. There’s much more restaurants and shops near the East Gate compared to the other gates.

Here’s where I stayed in Wulingyuan for $24 USD per night, which was about a 25-minute walk to the East Gate of the park, or a quick taxi ride:

🏨 Best hotels in Zhangjiajie: Booking.com | Trip.com (what I use for China)

🏨 Best hotels in Wulingyuan: Booking.com | Trip.com

How to Get to Zhangjiajie

Zhangjiajie is in Hunan Province in south-central China, about 1,200km (745 miles) from Shanghai.

By Flight: Flying is the fastest option, though it really depends where you’re traveling from.

My first stop was Shanghai, then 3 days in Suzhou, a day trip in Wuxi, and a 1.5-hour flight from there to Zhangjiajie.

Trip.com was the only third-party offering flights from the airline Air Travel out of Wuxi ( booking directly on their website wasn’t foreigner-friendly).

By High-Speed Train All high-speed trains arrive at Zhangjiajie West Railway Station.

Zhangjiajie West Railway Station is about 8.5 km (5 miles) from the city center and 23 km (14 miles) from Wulingyuan. A taxi to Wulingyuan (where the park is) takes about 30-40 minutes.

🚂 Book your train ticket early on Trip.com

Best Time to Visit

Spring (April–May) and Autumn (October–early November) are generally known to be the best times.

The weather is mild, the park isn’t at peak capacity (it was still mildly busy when I went).

Avoid these travel periods (and weekends in general):

• Spring Festival / Chinese New Year: February 16–23
• Qingming Festival: April 4–6
• Labor Day Golden Week: May 1–5
• School Summer Holidays: July–August | Peak domestic family travel season.
• Mid-Autumn Festival: September 25–27
• National Day Golden Week: October 1–7

How to Navigate Rainy Days & Forecasts

The rainy season runs from May to August. However, I went in the third week of April and the forecast was all rain and kept changing.

In the end, I only had some light sprinkle hours and overcast days mixed in with sunny afternoons, even though the forecast showed more rain.

Rain isn’t necessarily a reason to avoid — fog rising between the sandstone pillars makes the scenery more dramatic.

But heavy rain can reduce visibility significantly, especially at Tianmen Mountain. For the actual park, a rainy day would still be worth it.

My main tips:

• Check with your hotel — they have access to cameras to see visibility at the park and at Tianmen Mountain.
• If you want to avoid overcast skies, aim for early morning when the park opens or the afternoon when clouds tend to clear and the sun comes out (though crowds are usually heavier in the afternoon).
• If one day is expected to be rainier, start with the South Gate first, which is what I did. Most of its attractions are closer to the ground, whereas the East Gate attractions are more elevated. Save the sunniest day for Tianmen Mountain where it really counts.

Getting Around Zhangjiajie and Wulingyuan

Again, Zhangjiajie is the city where you’ll land either by plane or bullet train, and Wulingyuan is the small town closer to the park.

From Zhangjiajie to Wulingyuan (and vice versa)

• Bus — Take a bus from Zhangjiajie Central Bus Station to Wulingyuan. The journey takes about 40–50 minutes and cost ¥13 (~$2 USD). The bus drops you at Wulingyuan Bus Station, which is about a 10-15 minute walk from the East Gate. (Confirm with your hotel first for most updated information.)
• Taxi / Didi — A ride costs around ¥80 ($12 USD) from downtown Zhangjiajie to downtown Wulingyuan. Taxi is easier if you have luggage with you.

Getting around Wulingyuan and to the park:

• Taxi — Didi taxis in Wulingyuan are plenty. It cost ¥13 ($2 USD) for an 8-minute ride to the East Gate of the park. The South Gate is farther and costs ¥85 ($12.50 USD) for a 40-minute ride.
• Hotel shuttle — if you’re staying in Wulingyuan, many hotels offer free shuttle rides to the main East Gate. Check with your hotel when booking.
• Walk — if you’re staying close to the East Gate in Wulingyuan, you may be able to walk directly. For my two days at the park, I took one Didi and one free ride from my hotel. On the way back I walked about 25 minutes, since downtown Wulingyuan is worth walking through:

Park Overview: The Main Sections

Before diving into the day-by-day, here’s a quick orientation. Your hotel will likely have a copy of a map for you and be able to answer any questions.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park mainly comprises of four scenic areas: Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve, Yangjiajie Scenic Area, Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, and Huangshizhai. Most visitors add Golden Whip Stream and 10 Mile Gallery as a fifth zone.

The park is large but the internal Eco-Bus system connects everything — you don’t need to hike between zones.

The general itinerary is:

• Day 1 (East Gate): Bailong Elevator → Yuanjiajie Avatar Mountains → Yangjiajie → Tianzi Mountain
• Day 2 (South Gate): Huangshizhai → Golden Whip Stream → 10 Mile Gallery → Tianzi Mountain

Since my day 1 was expected to be more overcast, I did the South Gate first, then East Gate on the 2nd day. Most people enter through the East Gate first.

Zhangjiajie Tickets: What to Buy

This is where it gets a bit complicated — you can either buy a full package, or a base ticket to the park and then separate tickets for rides and attractions inside, since those are all optional add-ons.

You can either buy a ticket:

• On sites like Trip.com (recommended)
• Through your hotel (they’ll book everything for you)
• At the entrance (not recommended for busy seasons, plus you might have to wait for a later time slot).

I’ve read that you’ll save more money if you book through your hotel, but I can’t confirm if that’s true or not.

A standard ticket cost $35 USD and includes:

• Entrance to the park for 4 days
• Unlimited rides on the Eco-Bus shuttle system to get around the park

🎫 Buy a standard ticket on Trip.com.

What’s NOT included in a standard ticket:

• Bailong Elevator
• Cable cars

If you do not take the elevator or cable cars, you’ll spend more time doing intense hiking and taking buses.

Recommended:

Buy the full package on Trip.com for $78 USD that includes the standard ticket, Bailong Elevator ride, and unlimited cable car rides.

Choose the East Gate Line B, which is the most common route:

There’s also a VIP option to fast-track the lines for the Bailong Elevator — I didn’t do this and waited 25 minutes in line. If you’re going on a weekend or peak season, I’d recommend doing this option to save time.

🎫 Book your Zhangjiajie park tickets on Trip.com

Choosing a Time Slot

When you buy your ticket, you have to choose a time slot and selected gate (East or South).

NOTE: This is only for your first entry on your first day.

Try not to book it too last minute (like I did), as the earlier time slots get greyed out the closer you book.

Your first entry must be at the selected gate and time slot — BUT if you miss your time slot on your first entry, talk to staff there and they’ll adjust your time entry (quite common).

I was late by maybe ~10 minutes and had to do this.

After that, you can enter through any gate freely on the other days you visit.

🎫 Book your Zhangjiajie park tickets on Trip.com

What to Pack

• Comfortable walking shoes with grip — the paths are well-maintained but some sections can be slippery when wet.
• Rain jacket, umbrella or light poncho — weather changes quickly; there are also vendors selling rain coats, shoe covers, and umbrellas at the park entrance if you forget.
• Snacks — no need; there are food stalls throughout the park (pay with Alipay app).
• Portable charger and tissue paper — just in case.

I didn’t use the bathrooms within the park at all on both days, so I can’t note on their accessibility or cleanliness.

Before You Go: Entry & Ticket Tips

A few things worth knowing before your first day:

• Your ticket is linked to your passport — upon your first entry after a passport check, you’ll scan your face and it will be logged into the system. The face scan will now be used for multiple checkpoints throughout the park.
• If your passport doesn’t scan (i.e. you arrive few minutes past registered time), go to the ticket booth and have a staff member re-register you manually, then fall back in the main line to scan again.
• Most tour groups seem to arrive around 10am then around 1pm — plan accordingly if you want a quieter start.

Day 1: East Gate: Bailong Elevator, Avatar Mountains & Tianzi Mountain

Most people start at the East Gate for day 1 and B Route. The initial entrance will look like this:

First Stop: Getting to the Bailong Elevator

When you arrive, you’ll queue for Line B. This is where you’ll get your passport and face scanned. If you missed your time slot, go to a staff member and they’ll update the time slot.

Follow the signs for the lines going to the Bailong Elevator.

🚌 Hop on the Eco-Bus — get off when you see the elevator signs, which is after the Golden Whip stop. Most people will get off here.

The English announcements are on low volume, so make sure to pay attention or ask the bus driver. The bus ride takes about 25 minutes.

When you get off the bus, you’ll go up a long set of stairs where you’ll also see some wild monkeys.

After scanning your face at the checkpoint, you wait in another line for the elevator itself.

The VIP line moves faster — opt for it if you’re arriving later in the day. I waited about 25 minutes in the regular line.

The elevator itself is very quick. The views are partially obstructed and the windows are a bit blurry from the mist outside, but the experience of ascending a 326-meter (1,070 ft) cliff is still worth it. Try to get a spot up front.

After the Elevator

At the top there isn’t much beyond food stalls. I got some quick potatoes here for breakfast before walking towards the bus area.

There are no clear signs for where to go next — follow the crowd to the bus area.

🚌 You’ll now hop on another bus to get to the main highlight, the “Avatar Mountains.”

This bus doesn’t make stop announcements, but stops at Avatar Mountains.

Avatar Mountains

The bus then stops at a mid-sized food court — walk through it and follow the arrows toward the starting platform.

There will be a few platforms to explore and take photos of the stone pillars, aka Avatar Mountains.

Follow the signs going to Yuanjiajie and Enchanting Stop next for the main viewing platforms of the Avatar Hallelujah mountains.

The Avatar Mountains are surreal to see in person, especially with the slow-moving mist circling it.

First Bridge Under Heaven

The next stop to walk to will be the “First Bridge Under Heaven,” and the most crowded part of the area. You think older folks wouldn’t walk all the way up. Impressively, they do!

The First Bridge Under Heaven is a natural stone arch, carved over millions of years by wind and water erosion.

Walk the bridge loop covered in red ribbons placed by visitors.

After you finish the loop, walk towards the First Bridge of the World parking lot area.

You’ll walk past a foodcourt area to get there (photo below).

This is where you’ll take the bus to the next stop, Yangjiajie.

Yangjiajie Cable Car

🚌 Line up here for the buses going to Yangjiajie.

The bus attendant will call out the stop and the bus will announce it in English: “Next stop is Yangjiajie.” It’s quite a bumpy ride.

Once at Yangjiajie, there are two routes — one toward Tianzi Mountain and other toward the cable car.

If you booked the ticket option with unlimited cable car rides, take the uphill walk to the cable car.

The Yangjiajie cable car takes you to the West Entrance/Exit.

If you’re not planning to leave yet, take a round-trip cable car ride — once going to the West Gate and once coming back. Just fall back in line after exiting the first cable car ride.

Tip: sit on the side facing down for a better view on the first ride, then switch for the return. The views are great and worth taking the cable car twice.

There’s also the option to do One Step to Heaven Hike here — a very long hike that I’ve read wasn’t worth it, so I skipped it.

You then go back down to the buses where you were dropped off.

Tianzi Mountain

Tianzi Mountain sits at 1,262 meters (4,140 ft) above sea level in the northwestern part of the park. You’ll get more views of the Avatar cliffs, though it was quite misty when I visited.

🚌 Here you’ll hop on small, pale cream bus to Tianzi Mountain. The bus area looks like this:

It’s bit of a shaky bus ride. The bus makes one stop — don’t get off there, no one does.

They don’t announce the Tianzi sightseeing platform, so use Amap to confirm you’re getting closer, but the last stop is your destination.

The bus stops at a bigger food hall with lots of seating areas.

I’ve read not to attempt the huge hike at Tianzi Mountain as it’s too much.

Look for the smaller hike past the toilets and down the stairs. From here you can explore all of the small lookout points.

You’ll see more of the pillars here too:

Tianzi Mountain Cable Car

Once you’ve explored the viewing platforms, you’ll eventually arrive at a food hall (with a McDonald’s).

Keep walking up past this and towards the bus area:

The bus will take you to the Tianzi Mountain cable car.

Expect a long line for the cable car — I went around 5:30pm and waited around 30 minutes. Get a window seat on the cable car if you can.

You’ll get great views of the stone pillars up close:

Getting Out of the Park

🚌 After you get off the cable car, you’ll take one last bus that will take you to the East Gate exit.

There’s only one line — follow the crowd to the bus area.

At 6pm the lines were long and people rush to cut to get on the buses. You just have to go for it or you’ll be waiting forever.

➡️ Sit on the right side for the best views. The ride is about 17 minutes.

When you arrive at the East Gate, there will be quite a bit of taxis, tour buses, and traffic.

I just walked about 25 minutes to my hotel and explored the downtown, which gets nicely lit up in the evening:

Day 2: South Gate, Golden Whip Stream & 10 Mile Gallery

Like I mentioned before, I actually did the South Gate on day 1 since it was expected to be overcast and the next day was expected to be sunnier. It did sprinkle for maybe an hour.

Getting There

I took a Didi taxi from my hotel in Wulingyuan — about 40 minutes. The total cost on Alipay was 80 yuan ($12 USD total).

After you enter, you’ll walk through a short path. This is where you’ll start to see some monkeys and smaller versions of the “Avatar Mountains.”

There’s also a small food court and tables to have breakfast. I bought a filling cup of pan-fried potatoes. You pay through Alipay.

Huangshizhai Cable Car

This is where I messed up — I walked straight to the Golden Whip Stream, when my first stop should have been the Huangshizhai Cable Car and Huangshi Village.

So make sure to:

🚌 Stop at the Big Oxygen Square and look for the buses going to the Huangshizhai cable car.

There are different hikes and lookouts in this section where you’ll see more of the Avatar stone pillars.

Take the cable car back, then the bus back to Big Oxygen Square, where you’ll now visit the Golden Whip Stream.

I love cable car views, and I regret taking the route incorrectly. 🥲

Golden Whip Stream

The Golden Whip Stream takes about 2 hours to walk. The path is flat, shaded, and easy to walk.

The trail follows a slow-moving stream through a narrow valley with the sandstone walls on both sides.

Along the way you’ll pass the Golden Whip Rock, a 380-meter (1,246 ft) pillar that shoots straight up out of the forest and gives the stream its name.

You’ll also walk by small bridge walkways and more wild monkeys (make sure to keep any food out of sight and don’t engage! I saw one trying to grab at a tourist).

This was my favorite part of the day while listening to some of favorite songs on my Airpods.

10 Mile Gallery

At the end of the Golden Whip Stream, you’ll reach another large square:

Head towards the south-east area where the purple Eco-Buses are. There should be a sign for the 10 Mile Gallery.

🚌 Take the bus to the 10 Mile Gallery — it’s the very first stop.

You can walk or take the small train through it for 38 yuan ($5.50 USD). I did the walk first (20-25 minutes). You’ll see more of the stone pillars.

The path leads toward a small zoo area, which looked very sad and I do not recommend.

There’s also shops and food at the end, plus a large boulder view.

Then you take the same walk back or take the small train. I took the train this time. The train is only worth taking going toward (not back) because the view is blocked by the window on the return ride.

In all honesty, if you’re limited on time, the 10 Mile Gallery is skippable.

Getting Out of the Park

🚌 You’ll now look for the buses going to the East Gate, or “Dong-men.”

The East Gate is the entrance from day 1 and is closer to downtown so you don’t have to take another 40-minute taxi from the South Gate.

It will look like this where you’ll fall in line:

Buses announce stops in English. Sit on the right side for views.

Technically, if it’s still early, once you reach the East Gate, you can take the another bus inside to reach more parts of the park.

If you still have more time on your trip, use up the remaining two days of your ticket to revisit some sites or spots you missed.

Navigation Tips

Getting around the park isn’t as intuitive as it looks. Here’s what helped:

• Don’t be afraid to ask where things are — there are some staff stationed, though you may need to communicate through Google Translator or Papago.
• Use Google Translate’s text feature to ask questions, for example: “Where is the bus to the east gate?”
• Keep Amap open throughout the day to track which stop you’re approaching — buses don’t always announce in English.
• Have a travel guide open to follow along with (like this one 😉)

What About the Grand Canyon + Other Day Trips?

There are several side trips you can take, but they are all separate from Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.

Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon + Glass Bridge

The Glass Bridge sits inside Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon scenic area, suspended 300 metres (980 ft) above the canyon floor with fully transparent glass panels that you can walk on.

Budget 3–5 hours for the full canyon experience, or 40 minutes if you only want to walk the bridge.

It’s not easily combined with a park or Tianmen Mountain day. The Grand Canyon is about 40 minutes from the East Gate and opens until 3:30–4:00pm, so it works best as a separate morning trip.

The combined Grand Canyon + Glass Bridge ticket costs ¥178 (~$24 USD), there’s no standalone glass bridge ticket.

🎫 Book your Grand Canyon with Glass Bridge ticket on Trip.com

Furong Ancient Town & Fenghuang Ancient Town

These two ancient towns can be combined into one trip since they sit along the same route: Zhangjiajie to the north, Furong in the middle, and Fenghuang to the south.

Furong is a cliffside town known for its wooden houses with a waterfall, and the culture of the local Tujia and Miao ethnic groups.

Fenghuang is larger and better for an overnight stay, with riverside houses and lantern-lit streets.

The most common way to do both is to take the high-speed train from Zhangjiajie West Station to Furong (~25–30 minutes), spend a few hours, then continue to Fenghuang (~35–45 minutes further).

If you have a whole day for both towns, you can head back to Zhangjiajie in the evening, or stay overnight in Fenghuang.

🚂 Book your train tickets early on Trip.com

Is Zhangjiajie Worth Visiting?

Yes — if you can fit Zhangjiajie National Park into your itinerary, it’s one of the grandest nature sites you’ll visit in China.

The Avatar comparison isn’t overblown. The sandstone pillars are surreal to see in real life.

However, set your expectations: getting through and around the park is not as intuitive as it can be, and there will be crowds from tour groups, even in lower seasons.

Two days covers the highlights well. If you only have one day, prioritize the East Gate with the Bailong Elevator and Yuanjiajie Avatar Mountains.

🎫 Book your Zhangjiajie National Forest Park ticket.

🎥 Watch my Zhangjiajie vlog here:

More China Posts

If you’re adding Tianmen Mountain to your Zhangjiajie trip, read my Tianmen Mountain guide next.

Save this post and have it open for your next trip to Zhangjiajie. 🌏

Book Before Your Trip to Zhangjiajie:

📶 China eSIM card — eSIM I used that includes access to apps like Google, Instagram, etc.

🏨 Best hotels in Zhangjiajie: Booking.com | Trip.com (what I use for China)

🏨 Best hotels in Wulingyuan: Booking.com | Trip.com

🎫 Book your Zhangjiajie 4-day park pass

🚂 Book your train ticket to Zhangjiajie on Trip.com