- Visit Chengdu – Home to the Giant Pandas
- Visit Chengdu – The Majestic Leshan Giant Buddha
- Visit Chengdu – Top 3 attractions in Chengdu
- Visit Guilin – Reed Flute Cave
- Visit Guilin – Plan Li River Cruise
- Day trip From Shanghai – Zhujiajiao Water Town
- Money Can buy Happiness at Shanghai Bund and Nanjing Road
- Visit Shanghai – Yuyuan Garden and Jade Buddha Temple
- Shanghai Travel : Top 5 Attractions in Shanghai
- Visit Zhangjiajie – How to Visit Tianmen Mountain
- Explore Zhangjiajie – How to Visit Baofeng Lake
- Visit Zhangjiajie – Avatar Mountains, Bailong Elevator, Golden Whip Stream
- Visit The Great Wall of China – Greatest Feat in human History
- Top 10 Must do things in Beijing – Travel China
- Travel China – Top 5 Attractions in China
Take only memories, leave only footprints.Chief Seattle
After a wonderful first day visiting the Tianmen Mountain and Baofeng Lake we were all set and ready to visit the famous Zhangjiajie National Park. Lovingly known as the “Avatar Mountains” – made up of towering sandstone pillars midst the flowing clouds and tranquil streams turned out to be one of the best national parks we have ever visited. Visit Zhangjiajie and explore the Avatar Mountains, Bailong Elevator, Golden Whip Stream and much more.
We opted to go with a guide to visit the national park as its quite huge and private vehicles aren’t allowed inside, so knowing where exactly to go and how to go is a must. For the guide we used – Click here.
It was another damp day with a slight drizzle to start with and our guide Linda met us at our hotel lobby. After the checkout formalities, we head straight towards Wulingyuan – to the entrance of Zhangjiajie national forest. The drizzle had slightly increased by now so we chose to buy an umbrella to save our camera equipment. Zhangjiajie weather is quite unpredictable but its best advised to carry rain jackets, poncho’s or umbrellas.
We were whisked through security and taken to the bus port where we boarded one of the Hybrid – Green buses which are the only ones allowed to ply inside the national park. A 40 mins journey in one of these and we were at the Yuanjiajie Scenic Area. This is a scenic landscape which speaks for itself and has been the inspiration behind the Hollywood blockbuster “Avatar”.
Read our Top Attractions in China – Click here.
We chose to take the Bailong Elevator to the top of the peak. The Bailong Elevator has set three Guinness world Records – World’s tallest full-exposure outdoor elevator, world’s tallest double-deck sightseeing elevator and world’s fastest passenger traffic elevator with biggest carrying capacity. It took us just 1.5 mins to reach the top. There are quite few viewing platforms at the top and I believe words won’t make much of justice to this simply mesmerizing views.
Low lying clouds midst the towering pillars is a sight to behold and it really takes quite some time to register everything in. It’s truly a paradise on earth. These were officially renamed as the “Hallelujah Mountains” aptly based on the movie Avatar – A Pillar between Heaven and Earth. A lot of memories of the movie Avatar come flying back and wish I had one of those blue dragons to swoosh past this landscape –what an amazing ride would that be! 
We boarded the bus again and moved further ahead to another such scenic spot which was less crowded and had all the time for ourselves here. The rain was no longer an issue as we were simply lost in the scenery.
Travelling China can be daunting at times. So please keep my travel tips for China handy – Click here.
We continue walking and then took a bus for a 25 mins ride to the Tianzi Mountain. Known as the “Monarch for the Peak forest” – these high lying peaks were shrouded in heavy dense fog with very less visibility so photography was out of question. Surprisingly there is a McDonalds at this remote place at the top of the mountain – couldn’t ask for more.
A quick walk around and we then took a cable car down from the Tianzi mountain which gave us some of the best views of this awesome landscape.
We then boarded a bus to the famous Golden Whip Stream. Known to be one of the most beautiful valleys in the world and one of the most poetic stream – The Golden whip stream flows midst the peaks and exotic trees to create a beautiful and tranquil ecological environment. We decided to walk along the stream for an hour and though the heaven has opened, it was one of the most romantic walks we had done.
The stream was truly a wonderland – A paradise in its own rights. It was sad to board the bus back to the national park gates. Though the weather wasn’t what we wished for, the scenery made up for it. Zhangjiajie is a true hidden gem – still largely unexplored and also not commercialized. Would love to visit this place someday again and hopefully the weather god is by my side that day. But for now with a heavy heart – Good Bye till we meet again. Beijing – Here we come.
If you have any questions around this please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you at the very earliest.
This is Aldrin and my partner Amoli. We bring you "Earths Pilgrim" - a unique insight into our travel escapades while leaving life in a cubicle. If you are looking for some inspiration to break the shackles of a regular life, then you are the right place. Read more about us- Click here.