On the evening of April 5th at 11 o'clock, the plane departed from Guangzhou to Zhangjiajie, and after work, it transferred to the subway with a crowd of people to go to the airport.

The anxiety before traveling has become less and less, and more and more is the joy of looking forward to the unknown journey.

It rained in Zhangjiajie during the day, and after getting off the plane, we (especially myself in shorts) trembled with cold.

The airport is very close to Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area. The original plan was to go to Tianmen Mountain on the first day, but the taxi driver told us that Tianmen Mountain has traffic restrictions and tickets need to be booked one day in advance (students who planned to go need to flip through their books and highlight the key points).

We easily accepted the proposal to visit a travel agency when our plans were disrupted. He took us to a nearby travel agency, and we asked about their itinerary and prices. We thought it was good and signed up.

The shop assistant told us that the tour guide would contact us around 8 o'clock the next day and kindly dropped us off at the hotel.

I previously booked the Bull Butler Inn online, but the staff neglected to confirm the order, resulting in the inability to arrange a room. After making a few phone calls, he arranged for us to settle in at the nearby Butterfly Love Flower Inn (I heard it's an internet celebrity inn). The architectural style of the Bai ethnic group, with antique decoration.

At 3am, I can finally go to sleep.

Travel itinerary

Day 1: Tianzishan - Helong Park - Yuanjiazhaizi - Yuanjiajie

The next morning, the usual heavy rain during the Qingming Festival seemed to be a tribute from heaven to the deceased.

7: We woke up at 30, but due to weather conditions, the tour group driver didn't come to pick us up until 8:30. Taking advantage of this opportunity, we bought raincoats, shoe covers, and an umbrella next to the inn.

This trip was full of pitfalls, but fortunately, if we didn't join the group, it would be almost impossible for us to go out on such a rainy day, and we would waste at least half a day in vain.

It's about an hour's drive to Wulingyuan National Scenic Spot, and the tour guide on the bus begins to collect the transportation fees of the scenic spot. We selected 680 per person, and in addition to the transportation fees for the attractions, we also added three more attractions: Yuanjiazhaizi, Address Museum, and Dreamy Zhangjiajie (it turns out that these three attractions are really not worth visiting).

The ticket inspection hall of the scenic spot is crowded with people, and the voices of various tour guides are heard one after another.

The glass of the cableway up the mountain was shrouded in fog, and nothing could be seen in the vast expanse of white.

After getting off the cableway, the visibility on the mountain was within 5 meters, and the tour guide took us to Helong Park.

Due to the Qingming Festival, flowers were placed in front of the He Long statue, and the tour guide led us to bow to the hero with a sense of ceremony.

Afterwards, when I went to two nearby scenic spots, I could only see a thick fog, like entering a fairyland.

After lunch, I went to Yuanjiazhaizi to introduce the culture of the Tu ethnic group, including archery games and a local specialty sales area.

We lost our tour guide after buying Gegen beans, and after wandering around, we came out to wait for the gathering.

Encountering a golden monkey holding a child while eating on the wooden railing at the mountaintop, with a deep abyss behind it that makes people tremble with fear. When I went, it was being watched by a group of tourists, with children passing cookies to feed it.

In the afternoon, the fog gradually dissipated and the rain gradually stopped.

I went to see the Born First Bridge, Hallelujah Mountain (the filming location of Avatar), and the Haunted Tower.

Each mountain in Zhangjiajie forms its own unique vein. When spring comes, all eyes are green.

We waited in line for half an hour to take the Bailong elevator, which was accessible from both sides. The scene was very chaotic at one point, and we had to wait for three elevators to squeeze in.

The runtime is over 1 minute, and it only takes about 30 seconds to see the outside scenery.

After getting off the elevator, looking from outside, the elevator towers into the clouds, and one cannot help but marvel at the greatness of human engineering.

After dinner, I went to watch the Dreamy Zhangjiajie performance. The arrangement quality was average and I don't recommend watching it. Probably higher than the performance standards of rural tourism...

Day 2: Jinbian Creek - Shili Gallery - Geological Museum - Grand Canyon

We booked an inn online in advance and did not stay at the accommodation arranged by the tour group. The next morning, the tour guide took everyone to a shopping spot, and we stayed a little further away and were spared.

I got up at 7:30 and went out to walk around Wulingyuan National Scenic Spot County. In the early morning, there is a slight sunshine, and the mountains in the distance are layered and undulating. The air is fresh, and everything is peaceful.

Gather at the entrance of the scenic area at around 10 o'clock, and the next day's itinerary will be at the foot of the mountain.

I walked several hundred meters along the Golden Whip Creek, and the scenery along the way was very beautiful.

Afterwards, I went to the Geological Museum where the most valuable 50000 yuan special effects short film, a 5D cross-border love movie aimed at telling the history of Zhangjiajie's changes, was quite good.

The white train at the Ten Mile Gallery, accompanied by green scenery along the way, creates a visual experience of Japanese movies.

The electronic explanation introduced the old man picking herbs, three sisters and a family of three people along the way. The vivid description made the static mountain fresh.

After getting off the car, we went to the monkey park, but due to time constraints, we only took a few steps inside. Three monkeys were locked in a cage, and I couldn't bear to see their clear and sorrowful eyes. I came out and asked the tour guide, saying that these were the monkeys who had made mistakes and would be released later.

After a long wait of one hour at the shopping point, the car finally arrived to take us to the Grand Canyon.

It was already past 4 o'clock when we arrived at the Grand Canyon, and the glass bridge was severely restricted in flow due to load-bearing issues. After queuing for about an hour, we finally stepped on it. One side of the bridge deck is made of glass, while the other side is made of non transparent metal material. Perhaps considering the psychological resilience of tourists.

I am a bit disappointed that the glass bridge is not entirely made of glass, and I cannot bring a DSLR. After taking a few photos with my phone, I will return to the original path.

After returning home, I found the innkeeper and got tickets for the charming Xiangxi culture. The program showcases Xiangxi culture from multiple perspectives and is worth watching.

The only program I watch crying on is actually 'Chasing the Corpse in Xiangxi'... Of course not scared to tears, the plot is very touching.

Day 3: Tianmen Mountain - Changsha

Get up at 8 o'clock in the morning, go to Wulingyuan National Scenic Spot Passenger Station and take a bus to Tianmen Mountain. The journey takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes. If you are in a hurry, it is recommended to call Didi or a taxi. Rare sunny weather, basking in the sunshine in the car, my mood also becomes clear. Arriving at Tianmen Mountain around 10:30, I chose the B line, took a car up the mountain, and took a cableway down the mountain.

The circular mountain bus is considered a major feature of Tianmen Mountain. The driver sped up the mountain layer by layer. When two cars meet, if the road surface is uneven and the body tilts towards the abyss, passengers by the window will cause a commotion. The young people were laughing loudly, and the scene was not exciting.

The ladder on the mountainside has 999 steps. The steps are steep, climbing up all the way. During my menstrual period, I felt a bit dizzy halfway through, so I quickly went to the rest spot on the left and crouched down to rest for a while.

When climbing to the end of the ladder, looking back at the steep steps behind me, filled with pride, I couldn't help but feel a little scared.

Afterwards, it was called the mountain top escalator to the top of the mountain, and after transferring three sections indoors, it finally arrived at the top of the mountain.

The scenery along the glass walkway is limitless.

The right side of the glass walkway is close to the edge of the cliff, and the left side is the abyss, which is only a few tens of meters long. The ground near the abyss is made of glass, while the other side is made of non transparent metal.

Walking through the crowd without feeling scared.

After walking along the glass walkway, prepare to take the cableway down the mountain. At the peak of the tour group's descent, the cableway was crowded with people, mixed among a group of tour guides, telling the staff to catch the high-speed train and finally get a cableway ticket.

After queuing for over an hour, I finally got on the cableway down the mountain. It runs for about 30 minutes and is known as the longest cableway in Asia.

The cableway will bounce and accelerate at every node it passes through, and I feel a little scared at this time. Along the way, the mountain scenery is in full view. From towering mountain peaks, to towering mountain ranges, to farmland and households at the foot of the mountains.

It was already 2 o'clock when we went down the mountain. The bus from Zhangjiajie to Changsha takes about 5 hours and the journey is bumpy. The bus rested at the service station for 20 minutes in the middle, but still couldn't catch the high-speed train back to Guangzhou.

Zhangjiajie is far away from Changsha by car, and taking the bus for too long is very tiring. If economically feasible, it is recommended to fly back and forth.

I stayed by the high-speed railway station for one night, got up at 6am the next morning, and took a car back to Guangzhou. Along the way, the mountains and rivers accompanied me, and the spring scenery was full of vitality.

Accommodation options

On the first day, I stayed at the Butterfly Love Flower Inn near the airport. The beautiful owner's wife was very nice and the interior decoration was very distinctive. There are many pictures on this website that I forgot to take, so I won't move them~

In the next two days, I stayed at the Shanwaishan Inn in Wulingyuan National Scenic Spot. The owner was very kind. I asked him to buy the ticket for Charming Xiangxi, which was very affordable.

Both of them have a starting price of 200+and a high cost performance ratio.

Delicious cuisine

We recommended the private dishes of Wulingyuan National Scenic Spot Scenic Area. We went there two nights at that time.

Recommend three dishes: rock ear stewed chicken, stone pot fish, and Tujia three pot. The taste of chicken soup is very good, and I still miss it.

The spicy and crispy bamboo shoots I bought during the group tour are also very delicious.

Afterword

1. Tickets to Tianmen Mountain need to be reserved one day in advance, remember!!!

2. If you want to have fun, try not to join a group. The front desk of each inn is posted with a map of Zhangjiajie's scenic area, and consulting with the inn owner can also provide a good travel experience.

3. You can ask the innkeeper to help book tickets, sometimes it's more cost-effective than booking online yourself.

4. The performance of 'Tianmen Fox Fairy' every night at Tianmen Mountain seems to be quite good, but unfortunately I didn't see it this time. Let's use it as a reason to come next time.