Experience
Wulingyuan scienic area has 4 spots to visit- Tianzi Mountain, Yangjiajie Scenic Area, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve.
We visited Tianzi Mountain and Yangjiajie Scenic Area. Both were located in the same general area so had a common entry point and tickets. Your passport is essential for buying the tickets and as you go through the entry turnstiles you are fingerprinted too. This I assume is to ensure the ticket is not shared amongst people as they are valid for 3 days.
Once you pass through the turnstiles you board minibuses which take to the different locations. Tianzi Mountain meant a bus going up while Yangjiajie was the base of the mountains.
Bes are very frequent and the lines move at a reasonable pace so soon we were seated in an over full bus ready to begin our 30 min drive up.
Tianzi Mountain(also known as the Avatar Mountains)*
To address the obvious, Tianzi Mountain gained international fame after the release of the movie” Avatar”, some of which is set in the Tianzi mountains but whereas the Nabis used mythical creatures as transport, we had to use a cable car.
The bus deposited us at to the cable car’s lower station and after a 7 minute ride UP, the real fun began.
At this point let me again stress that without a guide you will be LOST and miss a lot of the scenic locations.
Over the next couple of hours our guide expertly corralled us through the teeming crowds to all the viewing platforms making sure we didn’t miss anything at all. She showed us the best angles and even took photos for us.
My local Avatar! Magnificent Mountains
We then got back on a bus to go to the Yuanjiajie scenic area not too far away. Again magnificent views all around but the highlight was the Bridge Under Heaven. This is a natural stone bridge of over 25m connecting 2 mountains at a height of 357m and it looked really scary! But of course one needs to face ones fears so we crossed over and climbed the stairs to their highest point before returning to our patient guide. As with most things the bridge looked more frightening from afar than when we were on it, mainly because we couldn’t see the empty space beneath us!!
View of the Bridge The Highest Point The Pond of Longevity
Needless to say the panoramas atop the mountain were stunning and unlike anything we had ever seen. The weathered quartz sandstone peaks formed a unique landscape and every view was like a picture postcard.
To see all this however required much walking up and down slopes and stairs so beware those who aren’t able to do this. There are several resting places with decent toilets and food stalls but you will be tired at the end of it.
Just as the cable car had brought us up, the way down was using the Bailong Elevator. This is a glass elevator built onto the side of a huge cliff and at 326 m high it is claimed to be the highest and heaviest outdoor elevator in the world. The Guinness Book of World Records records it as the world’s tallest outdoor lift.
Bailong Elevator pictured from the base
It was amazing, just amazing, how this elevator was built at this height and how they cut through the mountain to reach the bottom. We positioned ourselves in the que to ensure we got a place next to the glass wall and were rewarded with awesome mountain views for a few seconds before we descended into the mountain shaft to reach the base.
From here the bus took us back to where we had begun the day.
Recommended visit duration- half day
The Glass Bridge
The Zhangjiajie glass bottom bridge is the longest and tallest glass bottomed bridge in the world. Tickets are only available online to Chinese nationals so you have to book through an agency. Also book well ahead as only 600 people are allowed on the bridge per hour. For me the thought of walking on glass way above a canyon was scary enough, but the thought of 600 people doing it at the same time was petrifying!
As expected the lines to enter are serpentine but do move along and once you get your shoe covers on it’s time to hit the bridge! Initially I was hesitant to step on the glass panels but it got a little easier the further I walked. If you have a fear of heights though, I would avoid this attraction!
As with most places we found that the crowds thinned out the further we walked- and despite so many people on the bridge we did manage to appreciate its attraction and even get some good photos.
The Glass Bridge " Freefall" on the bridge
Recommended visit duration- 1hr
The Golden Whip Brooke *
We went back to the Wuligyuan area to visit what we had postponed the day before – the Golden Whip Brook which is also called The Grand Canyon of Golden Whip Brook and is a part of the Yangjiajie Scenic area. The Golden Whip Brook is a crystal clear stream around 5,700 meters long, winding along the valley floor. There is a walkway running along it for tourists to enjoy and I can honestly say that we spent the most peaceful, relaxing 2 hours of our vacation strolling alongside it. Cooler weather, nature all around, the sound of water and chirping of birds – it was ideal! The best part……. almost no tourists!
Serene Babbling Brook
The old and new Refreshing cold stream water Lucky coins of wealth
My Obsession with Bridges
You can do a shorter walk if you want, and we did see some people being carried in howdahs for short excursions, so it is something people of all abilities and mobility’s can experience.
Recommended visit duration- 2-3 hrs
Tianmen Mountain *
One of the highlights of our trip, Tianmen Mountain left us amazed.
Let me take you on our guided tour.
The best way to get to the mountains is from the city via cable car and after a very long wait queuing, we finally got into a cabin. This ride is the longest in the world and takes about 30 minutes to cover 7 kilometers! The last part of the cable way is very steep, going up at 37 degrees over sheer cliffs to one of the mountain peaks. (Definitely not for the faint hearted!) The scenery along the way, once you get used to how high you are and how much higher you’re going, is beautiful on a clear day starting with fields and streams just below and quickly changing to mountains near and far.
Cable car station in Zhangjiajie City
Once you reach the top you head to the cliff hanging walkway and a fair amount of the ensuing distance is on this precarious ledge which is at a height of 1400m. The views, however, are so wonderful that you’ll soon forget to be afraid.
A few of the Walkways/ Bridges we crossed
Holding on tight but what a view!
Eventually you get to a clearing where there is even an actual garden and for those of us who wished to brave the glass skywalk the path separated. Down some steep steps, we soon reached the ticket booth and went on to collect our shoe covers. The Skywalk or Walk of Faith is not as long as I’d imagined but just as scary. I thought the glass bridge had cured me of any fear but I was wrong! Looking down I could see the 99 bend road way below with what looked like miniature buses moving along it and I must confess there were a few butterflies in my stomach! Still the photo I’d been planning had to be taken and so heart in hand I lay face down spread-eagled on the glass while the hubby was tasked with taking a photo from over me- my nod to skydiving! After a few goofier photos we left the walkway and joined up with our guide back at the garden.
Gripping the Skywalk Rail Stairs off the Skywalk
Now we needed to head to the escalators to go down to the base of Heavens Door. Another feat of engineering- 7 flights of extra-long escalator built inside the mountain. Admittedly after the first 3 levels it gets a bit boring but it a means to an end and surly beats climbing up!!
1/ 7 of the super long escalators
At the bottom a bit more walking till we were standing at the lowest point of Heavens Door. A beautiful natural phenomenon, it is best viewed from afar but its scale was understandable only by standing below. Although I had hoped for clouds to come through as they often do, the clear day I had wished for didn’t allow this. Guess I can’t have everything!
Heaven's Door as seen from Cable Car At the base of Heaven's Door
Now was the big choice. Walk down the famed 999 steps and take the bus along the 99 bend road to go back or return to the cable car for the trip down. My heart wanted so badly to do the former but one look down the steps and I started feeling dizzy. They were really steep and I felt I might fall going down. My hubby was very keen and went down a bit for a photo but came back to give me company (so sweet). He was also very keen on the bus down but again I had read how fast they went and I didn’t want to throw up along the way from carsickness.
The 999 Steps Down/Up Ariel View of the 99 Bend Road
This sadly meant we had to go back up the escalators, and retrace our steps back to the cable car station and all before it closed for the day. It was like pressing rewind at a higher speed! Luckily we made it just in time and as most people only do 1 journey by cable car we even had to pay extra for our trip back. It was however a very relaxing trip down and we even made friends with our fellow travelers!
Truly an unparalleled day of adventure.
Recommended visit duration- half a day
The Yellow Dragon Cave *
I had never even heard of this but we had spotted it on our way back from the Tianzi Mountain and on googling it, thought we should pay it a visit if possible. Our last day was kept free to relax as our flight was in the evening but……off to the cave we were happy to go! (Is it obvious we don’t like to sit around in hotels while on holiday??!!)
We rented the same car and driver to take us there and back and we had paid our earlier guide to by us e- tickets which the driver had on his phone. (The cave didn’t require a guide we were told.) Once he swiped us in we were on our own.
Just Follow the Signs Beautiful Walk to the Cave Waterwheels along the Walk
We reached the cave entrance and asked the ladies there how the system worked but…….no English. We should have known by now! We stepped inside with no idea what to do or expect but certain that there would be many other tourists- all we had to do was just follow them!
Entrance to the Cave
The tour route inside the cave we had read is 3,200 meters long, including more than 800 meters of water route. After walking through a few chambers with a variety of stalactites, stone columns and stalagmites we reached the underground river. After getting in line we boarded small boats for the next phase of exploration.
It was truly unreal sailing along the underground river and passing through huge caverns filled with centuries of nature’s handiwork- humbling actually.
Boat Charging Station Setting Sail Underground
When we reached the point we had to disembark, all I saw was unending flights of stairs up and down and all around- this was going to be hard on my knees. Basically it’s pretty much a one-way route- difficult (except in one area) to get lost. As expected tonnes of steps up and down but there are so many beautiful formations to see around each bend it is worth it. There’s even an underground waterfall 30 m high!
Steps and more steps Stalactites and stalagmites
At one point there come 2 roads to choose from with one marked exit to cave- a badly worded signage as it goes back into the cave instead of out. After grumbling about poor signages for a while (we were too tired to lose our way) eventually more people came along and we followed them out of the cave, exiting from the same place we entered- the tour was in a loose loop form.
So glad we visited this cave and the only 2 negatives were the lack of signages in English and the tacky colored lights throughout the cave which are simply awful. Maybe they appeal to the Chinese who seem to have a fascination with colored lights (Xian plaza) but they totally spoilt the natural beauty for me.
Recommended visit duration- 2-3hrs+
Eat
Local food here was great especially the vegetables, but I can’t really name any restaurants or dishes as we ate where our guide took us. No restaurant names in English, no English menus and no English spoken! The chilli sauce offered with our meals, however, was fantastic! Super spicy. We picked up a packet at the airport and wished we had bought loads more….
Great Local Restaurant with yummy food
Another item we loved and bought to bring back home was a spicy fish snack packet our guide introduced us to. Vacuum packed in tiny pouches, they taste great and are perfect for a quick snack. They also have tofu versions which are equally delicious.
Spicy fish/tofu Snack packs
Recommendations
You will be LOST without a guide. Cannot stress the use of a guide.Check the weather reports- the cave can be seen on cloudy days but clear days are best for the mountains esp. Tianmen as the long cable car ride would be scary (or fun depending on your perspective) in rain or thunderstorms and not offer any decent views.If you have vertigo or fear of heights, you will be challenged all day so keep that in mind when deciding where to go.Know your comfort level- there is much walking and climbing. The 999 steps are especially steep and narrow and slippery in rain.Start your days early as the crowds are enormous as the day goes by
Impressions
Wow this was something never experienced before. The natural beauty was outstanding bu.t equally amazing was the infrastructure put in to make all this accessible to people. The miles of cable cars, pathways built through mountains, levels of escalators, elevators built into mountains, bus systems to carry tourists etc, etc, etc were mindboggling. The thousands of tourists that visit every day were efficiently and systematically passed through the system and it was something to be experienced and most definitely applauded.
On the negative side this was the smallest city we travelled to and so no surprise that no one spoke English- including most staff in the big hotels. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza and the Best Western Plus, being the best hotels in this city, but even here there was hardly any English spoken. It was also strange that with temperatures reaching 36’ neither hotel used air conditioning in the rooms and it was suffocating and hot. On enquiry we were told that ac is only switched on in the rooms when summer is officially declared in all hotels in Zhangjiajie- we were offered a fan instead. Apparently Chinese people don’t feel hot.
All in all, it was obvious that the city caters only to Chinese tourists and foreigners are an anomaly. If, however, you are brave, you will be rewarded with experiences and memories of a lifetime.
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