Don't follow a group when visiting Zhangjiajie! Lesson of blood.

I visited Zhangjiajie twice in the summer of 2015 and the Qingming Festival in 2019. The first time I was taken to the ditch with the group to death. The second time was for free travel. Let's write down the guide for free travel for reference. The older you get, the lazier you are. The 2019 strategy is now almost 2021 before you can calm down and write it.

Zhangjiajie is in western Hunan. The karst landform is very complex. The more complex the mountains, the more peculiar the mountains, and the more peculiar the people will like the place. Zhangjiajie was originally named "Dayong City". In 1994, it was officially renamed "Zhangjiajie City" due to the continuous in-depth development of Zhangjiajie Forest Park. This is also one of the few cities in China whose name is getting better and better.

Many of the exterior scenes of the 1986 version of "Journey to the West" were taken to learn scriptures in Zhangjiajie Forest Park, especially the front line of Jinbian River. Later,"Avatar" was filmed on the "Nantian Yizhu" Mountain. As a result, the local government also changed the name of the mountain to "Hallelujah" Mountain, which is getting worse and worse.

Zhangjiajie has convenient transportation, with airports, railways and high-speed rail to Changsha. Generally speaking, there are two 5A scenic spots in Zhangjiajie: Tianmenshan National Forest Park and Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. These two attractions are characterized by pure natural scenery. The ticket prices are expensive but very good value. It is quite stressful to play for 3 days, because tickets to Zhangjiajie Forest Park are valid for 4 days, and you can enter and exit freely. There are many attractions inside. The scenery is beautiful. If you have enough time, you should not miss every attraction. In addition, the ancient city of Fenghuang is not far from here. There are direct trains. However, in recent years, Phoenix has ruined its reputation, so let's not talk about it for the time being.

DAY 1 Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park

Tianmen Mountain was known as Yunmeng Mountain in ancient times, 8 kilometers away from the Urban area. It was named after the natural wonder Tianmen Cave. The main peak was 1,518.6 meters. In 2006, the Russian Su-30 aerobatic flight attempted to challenge crossing Tianmen Cave, and finally flew over the entrance of Tianmen Cave for safety reasons. In 2011, Americans flew through Tianmen Cave in wingsuits, which suddenly made Tianmen Mountain popular. You can see Tianmen Cave surrounded by clouds and mist in the urban area of Zhangjiajie.

The way to climb Tianmen Mountain is also a unique one in China. Take the cableway from the entrance of the railway station directly to the top of the mountain. It is divided into two lines A/B. Line A is: large cableway up the mountain-escalator down the mountain-express cableway down the mountain; Line B is express cableway up the mountain-escalator up the mountain-large cableway down the mountain. Generally speaking, we choose Line A, because the big cableway entrance of Line A is at the entrance of Zhangjiajie Railway Station (not Zhangjiajie West Railway Station). Generally, when you come out of the train station, you can store your luggage at the cableway station, and you can travel lightly. Vehicles going down the mountain will eventually send tourists here to pick up their luggage, which is more convenient. In addition, there are 999 steps in Tianmen Cave. The A route is for the lower steps, and the B route is designed to go up the steps retrograde, which is a very tiring section.

It is strongly recommended to leave early in the morning. You often have to queue up during the spring, summer and autumn peak seasons, otherwise you won't be able to finish the rounds. I went there twice by taking the railway K2285. I bought a sleeper and arrived at Zhangjiajie Railway Station at 9:19 a.m.. I came out to have some breakfast. After storing my luggage on the cableway, I could go to Tianmen Mountain.

Tickets for Line A + the cost of getting on and off the cableway and vehicles are 278 yuan/person. The total length of the cableway is 7.4 kilometers, and the level difference between the upper and lower levels is 1277 meters. It takes 30 minutes to get up. It is the longest cableway in the world. It has crossed several mountains along the way, and the scenery is beautiful. Some sections in the middle are completely floating in the air. If there is a strong wind, it can tilt the box, which is thrilling and exciting, so this 278 is not a loss.

In April, it is still very cold on the mountains, so you need to wear thicker clothes, but in summer, you need to prepare umbrellas. The weather here changes rapidly, and heavy rains come at random. Let's take a scenic tour map first.

After the cableway under the A line, go in the direction of "West Line ~ Fairy Seeking Wonderland" on the left side, so that you won't turn back. Along the way to find the fairy wonderland is a gentle plank road, which is actually an artificial suspended cement road, standing on top of a cliff.

The scenery along the way can be described as "a glance at all the mountains and small". It is strange, dangerous and beautiful. The sea of clouds churning around me is like being in a fairyland.

Walking along the plank road for about 500 meters, you will reach the "Glass Plank Road" where Internet celebrities check in. In fact, it is to turn the cement in the middle of the plank road into transparent glass. Because I walked it last time, I didn't go again this time. I need to pay 10 yuan. Wear a shoe cover and go up. If you don't, there will be a normal road next to you to continue moving forward. In addition, a new plank road has now been opened above Tianmen Cave on the east line. The effect is similar to this one. Don't go for those who are timid and afraid of heights!

Steal a picture to show a close-up view of the glass plank road.

Next is the 1600-meter-long Ghost Valley Plank Road. On the way, there will be a glass corridor hanging outside the plank road, making it thrilling. There is also the Tianmen Mountain Cable Bridge, which hangs above the abyss and is swaying when walking. The gap in the wooden board bridge is deep and the bottom is very exciting. The scenery on both sides can not help but admire the amazing craftsmanship of nature.

After crossing the suspension bridge, the road is less thrilling and exciting. There is a short climbing path, which is a resting platform for tourists. Here, you can eat instant noodles and other foods to replenish your energy. There is a fork in the road, one is towards Tianmen Cave on the east line, and the other is from Tianmen Mountain Temple on the mountain. After visiting Tianmen Mountain Temple, you have to turn back before you can continue moving forward.

From the rest point to Tianmen Cave is a plank road of about 2000 meters. On one side is a cliff. While enjoying the scenery, you will reach the top of Tianmen Cave. There is a fork road to choose from here. Normally, it is a gentle road to Tianmen Cave. The other road is in the direction of Yuquanyuan and Yuhu Peak. Yuhu Peak is the highest point of Tianmen Mountain and can overlook the entire scenic area and the urban area of Zhangjiajie. However, if you want to go to Yuhu Peak, you still have to return here the same way and then walk in the direction of Tianmen Cave. We took our children and chose to go directly to Tianmen Cave. What you can see in this direction is the back of Tianmen Cave, with the route design and crowd on the other side of the cave entrance. There is also a glass plank road to experience.

Directly above Tianmen Cave is a resting platform, which overlooks the beautiful scenery of Zhangjiajie City and the sharp turn of Route 99 of Tianmen Mountain Panshan Highway.

Just now I mentioned that there is a fork road to Yuhu Peak. The peak of the mountain in this photo is Yuhu Peak. However, if you go there to play, you still have to return the same way. When I first came to Tianmen Mountain in 2015, there was a sudden rainstorm on the mountain, which became soaked. The way was shrouded in clouds and clouds, and nothing could be seen in the distant scenery. However, when I happened to be standing on this platform, the rain stopped and the clouds were blown away. Yuhu Peak suddenly appeared in front of me like the sky was falling. I shivered with fear, which made me unforgettable for my life.

Why is it that Tianmen Mountain tickets are not a loss? In addition to tickets + cableway + bus to take down the 99th bend down the mountain, it also includes a mountain elevator. I am not mistaken. On the side of Tianmen Cave, the mountain has been chucked out and the escalator like that in a large shopping mall is implanted inside. It has 12 sections, 897 meters long, and a vertical take-off and landing height of 340 meters, saving a lot of physical strength. When you get out of the elevator, you will enter Tianmen Cave.

The next step is to go out of the hole, walk down, and walk to the bus and change into a platform. There are 999 steps here. This step is relatively steep. People taking Line B have to climb these 999 steps. Thinking about the difficulty makes your legs soft.

Looking back at Tianmen Cave while going down the mountain, during the rainy season, air flows on both sides of the cave inside and outside. You can see the wonders of the cave entrance smoking clouds and blowing smoke. It is amazing, as if it is a staircase to a fairyland.

After resting here, you can take a bus down the mountain. The master driver will send everyone back to the cableway station at the entrance of the train station again. When you retrieve your luggage there, you can eat nearby. The entire tour takes more than 5 hours. There is nothing interesting in the urban area of Zhangjiajie. It is just a Tusi City, which is a man-made attraction. I have visited it once in 15 years. I suggest that you return to the urban area again after visiting Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. If you have time before returning, visit that Tusi City.

The next target is Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. The bus point is between the railway station and Tianmenshan Cableway Station. On the west side, these transportation points are very reasonable and there is basically no need to walk much and it is easy to find.

The way to Zhangjiajie Forest Park is the terminal of "Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan Bus Station", remember! Basically, the train runs every 10 minutes and it takes an hour. Try to get on the train and leave before 5 o'clock, otherwise it will be dark when we reach Wulingyuan.

The place to stay is near the entrance of Wulingyuan Gate in Zhangjiajie Forest Park. Because the ticket to Zhangjiajie is very expensive, 220 yuan, and you can play for 4 days. However, the food and living conditions in the scenic area are poor and very expensive, so all accommodation is outside. Wulingyuan is a supporting infrastructure renovated to meet the needs of Zhangjiajie Forest Park for food, accommodation. The place is very large and there are many hotels and restaurants. Generally, the standard room is around 200 yuan. There are good folk customs. Breakfast and dinner are all over the street.

I lived right at the gate of the scenic spot. The dinner nearby was not expensive. I could find a restaurant or read the score in meituan. Cooking three pots and fried bacon were local specialties. Book tickets for the next day, so that you won't waste a day of use.

DAY 2 Tour Planning and Instructions (Zhangjiajie National Forest Park)

Senling Park in Zhangjiajie is not just as big as it is. It is so big that it is scary to death. Tickets are not set blindly for four days. The scenic spots are divided into several major parts: Tianzi Mountain, Yangjiajie, Yuanjiajie, Huangshizhai, Shili Gallery, and Jinbianxi.

I regard the scenic area as two major parts, the part below the mountain and the part on the mountain. There are buses passing through all points at the foot of the mountain for free, and buses picking up people from all points on the mountain. However, note that it is not free to go from the mountain to the mountain or from the mountain to the foot of the mountain.(Walking is free but it will kill you). Let me explain one by one:

① In the picture below, you can see that the entrance to Wulingyuan is at the foot of "Tianzi Mountain". There is a cableway up and down the mountain;

② In the middle of the map, there is a "Bailong Elevator" at the intersection of the blue river, allowing you to go up and down the mountain;

③ There is a cableway in the Yangjiajie Scenic Area in the upper left corner of the map that connects to and from Wulong Village. It does not connect to other places and belongs to the cableway inside the small scenic spot;

④ There is a cableway in Huangshizhai, the lower left corner of the map. This cableway is just for the convenience of walking in Huangshizhai Scenic Area and belongs to the cableway inside the small scenic spot.

The yellow line in the picture is the road at the foot of the mountain, and the green line in the picture is the road on the mountain. The buses on the mountain and at the foot of the mountain are not connected to each other... It seems that the cars on the mountain went up dozens of kilometers from the Tianzi Mountain Ticket Station.

So here's the most important thing. The Tianzishan Cableway (72 yuan for one way)+ Bailong Elevator (65 yuan for one way) mentioned just now is charged. It is used on the mountain and at the foot of the mountain, and you can pay for it once. The Yangjiajie cableway is 76 yuan one way, and the Huangshizhai cableway is 62 yuan one way. If the planning is not good, it will cost a lot of money. Look at the picture below.

In addition, there are 4 roads that can be walked up and down the mountain, each way takes more than 2 hours. Look at the picture below.

My design plan is the first day (see the picture below): ① Enter the Wulingyuan Ticket Station in the morning →② Take the free bus to the Tianzishan Cableway Station →③ Take the cableway to Tianzishan to have fun →④ Take the free bus at Helong Park and get off at Daguan Terrace (It takes up to 5 minutes to walk to Daguan Terrace and turn back. The sky countryside inside is a vegetable field on a cliff. It is not worth wasting too much energy and requires a round trip.) → ④ Take photos here and turn around and get on the bus again → ④ Yangjiajie, this is very big, you can consider getting up and down the cableway. I chose to give up. If I wanted to visit this attraction, I would finally return to this main road → ③ Take a car to the No. 1 Bridge in the world, which belongs to Yuanjiajie Scenic Area. Just walk one road forward, Hallelujah Mountain is also the core attraction of the entire Zhangjiajie → Go straight ahead and walk to the Bailong Elevator. There are mountain roads here that you can walk down the mountain for about 2 hours, and take the elevator for 4 minutes → Getting off the elevator is around the four doors at the foot of the mountain. You can rest and then take the bus to Shili Gallery → Visit Shili Gallery. If you can't walk, there is a small train to take inside →? After walking to the end of the Shili Gallery, we walked out the same way, took a bus to the Wulingyuan Gate, and returned to the hotel to rest.

This is the first day of the trip. I have already walked 25000 steps without going to Yangjiajie. It is very tiring. Another option here is to go to Yangjiajie and place the Shili Gallery in the morning of the next day. In this way, the plan can also be completed in one day, and there is no need to buy a cableway or elevator to go up the next day.

The next day: Take your luggage, go in at the Wulingyuan Gate, take a bus to Shuihuan Simen and get off. This is the end of Jinbian Creek. I walked along the stream to another gate in the entire scenic area, the gate of the Forest Park, and then took a bus back to Zhangjiajie City to return home, giving up Huangshi Village. Walking down 6 kilometers, like Yuanjiajie, it is the core attraction of Zhangjiajie.

DAY 2 Tianzishan, Yuanjiajie, Shili Gallery

The design and planning of the route have been explained just now, so I will send out specific attractions and photos for explanation. This is the gate of Wulingyuan.

Take the cableway up the mountain at the foot of Tianzi Mountain.

Tianzi Mountain is 1262 meters above sea level, with strange rocks and dangerous peaks, like pillars, towers, and bamboo shoots. The low ones are tens of meters and the high ones are hundreds of meters, with various carvings. The view on the mountain is wide, allowing you to overlook the foot of the mountain and look into the distance.

The main attraction of Tianzi Mountain is Helong Park. Marshal He Long was a founding father of the People's Republic of China. He was born in a peasant family in Hongjiaguan, Sangzhi County, west of Tianzi Mountain. From the beginning of the Salt Bureau with two kitchen knives, he started with the Nanchang Uprising, the 25,000-mile Long March, and the Anti-Japanese War. He has made outstanding achievements and experienced vicissitudes. There are countless stories and legends about the Marshal's hometown. The Tianzi Mountain area was once the place where generals He Long, Ren Bishi, Xiao Ke, Wang Zhen and other fought guerrillas. Once, He Long was surrounded by a militia group when the gongs and drums collapsed. The local people were in a hurry and wrapped He Long in a mat to avoid being killed. This story is still circulating in this area today.

The time we went this time was Qingming Festival. In front of the monument of General He Long, many people dedicated flowers to commemorate the Marshal's great achievements. I also had the honor to bow and observe in silence with the people.

There is also a man-made Tianzi Mountain Observation Tower.

After coming out of Helong Park, I took the bus to the next stop. I directly skipped Dagantai and Yangjiajie to reach the first bridge in the world.

The two peaks are connected by a corridor to form a natural bridge hole. They usually smoke clouds and puff out mist, and the momentum is spectacular. The bridge deck is about two meters wide, more than 20 meters long, and an absolute height of 350 meters. The pine trees are tall and straight on the bridge, and ancient vines hang from the bridge, making it unfathomable under the bridge. You can't feel anything when walking on the bridge, but looking back and looking at the road you just walked will still be shocking. This is a unique scenery in Zhangjiajie and a miracle formed naturally.

Crossing the Tiansheng Bridge and looking into the distance, the mountain peak seems to have been flattened with a knife. The stone peaks stand one by one, making it spectacular, and the cliffs are lush with trees. This is a living specimen of the karst landform.

Walking along the trail leads to the Hallelujah Mountains, but I still like its original name,"Nantian Pillar". The mountain peak in the distance looks like the mountain god in the gourd boy saving his grandfather. "Nantian Yizhu" is one of the "Three Thousand Extraordinary Peaks" in Zhangjiajie. It has an altitude of 1074 meters and a vertical height of about 150 meters. The vegetation on the top is lush, and the peak body is unique in shape. It is straight up and down, and has the potential to hold the sky. Therefore, it is also known as Qiankun Pillar.

There are statues of Avatar here that you can take photos with, but there are too many people to squeeze in front of them.

Next is the slow downhill trail, leading to the Bailong elevator. There is a fork in the middle where you can walk down the mountain. The location you reach is the same as the elevator exit. The scenery along the way makes people linger and forget the fatigue during the journey.

This Bailong Elevator is very impressive, with a vertical height difference of 335 meters and a running height of 326 meters. It is included in the Guinness Book of Records with the honor of "tallest outdoor elevator". The completion of the Bailong Ladder achieves the goal of "living at the top of the mountain and living at the bottom of the mountain". It has pushed peerless scenery such as Yuanjiajie, Jinbian River, World's First Bridge, and Chizai Terrace from behind the scenes to the front desk, solving the traffic bottleneck problem that has plagued the scenic spot for many years. Practice has proved that building the Bailong Ladder is still very important. Climbing down without this would really be exhausting.

The location where you get off the elevator is called "Water Around Four Gates", which is the core of transportation in the entire Zhangjiajie Scenic Area. It connects various scenic spots. All buses at the foot of the mountain gather here and depart in different directions. The elevator connects all buses on the mountain.

This is also a treasure land of feng shui and rich in water resources. The Jinbian River flows here and is picturesque. There is also the tomb of Zhang Liang, the Marquis of the Han Dynasty. It is said that Zhang Liang finally died in Huangshi Village. People chose the Fengshui Land of Simen, a treasure land of water and water, to be buried deeply. After a short rest, we took a bus here to the next stop,"Shili Gallery".

Shili Gallery is located in Suoxiyu Scenic Area, at the foot of Tianzi Mountain. It is the essence of Zhangjiajie. It is about five kilometers long, with lush forests on both sides and fragrant wild flowers. The strange peaks and rocks are in various shapes, like a huge landscape painting, hanging on the cliff of thousands of feet, making the beautiful natural wonders melt into the ink and painting. The most beautiful time is still on rainy days, and the feelings are deep and misty, like a fairyland.

We really couldn't walk any longer, so we took a small train to tour back and forth. Although there was no rain during this tour, the colorful scenery is still fresh in people's memory.

I also found the scenery I photographed in the rain and fog five years ago.

Each mountain peak here has its own name. Longevity Star welcomes guests, fairies worship Guanyin, Conch Peak, and Janus God require your imagination ~ I can distinguish the Sannu Peak in the picture below.

This should look like the "Baozifeng" where a family of three nestled together

In short, whether it is sunny or rainy, Shili Gallery can be regarded as the most beautiful and charming mountain spectacle in Zhangjiajie.

After the tour, return to the bus stop the same way, take the bus back to the Wulingyuan Gate, and go outside to have a good meal. After taking a break, we came to the urban area of Wulingyuan and visited Xibu Street, where there are many bars, leisure and shopping venues.

DAY 3 Jinbianxi

The only destination for today's tour is Jinbian River. It is a 5-kilometer journey from downstream to upstream, from the gate of the Forest Park back to the city. We have to carry our luggage and our children all the way. Jinbianxi is a golden tourist area in Zhangjiajie, with a total length of 5700 meters. The stream originates from Tudiya. From the Zhangjiajie Forest Farm site to the water circle four gates, it twists and turns, and it is extremely quiet. It moves with the mountains and passes through the mountains. Between the mountains, it stretches among the singing of birds and flowers. This is the location of Journey to the West. The entire journey is a plank road or stone road along the stream. amidst the singing of birds and flowers, you can listen to the sound of the gurgling stream.

Enter the gate from Wulingyuan, take a bus to Shuihuan Simen and get off, walk along the river, and you will begin to enter the Jinbianxi Scenic Area.

Ordinary tour group tourists turn their heads back when they reach the location of Jinbian Rock. In fact, the real beautiful scenery begins here.

If you go further, you have to be careful of monkeys. The monkeys here are really rough. There is a bag of shrimp strips in the side pocket of our backpack. The monkeys on the other side of the river saw it and jumped from the tree. Come down, waded across the river more than 20 meters wide, jumped on me and pulled the shrimp strips out of the bag, and then waded across the river and onto the tree to eat. Sometimes if you are not careful, a few monkeys will surround you, block your way or follow you, stretching out their hands and shouting for food. We fed the monkeys a lot of snacks along the way.

But the scenery here is really beautiful. In April, everything has just begun to sprout. Walking among the streams is like being in the original cradle of life.

When I first came here in 2015, I came in through the gate of the Forest Park. The tour group I followed at that time only arranged to see the 500-meter turnback of Yangjiajie, Nantian Yizhu, Jinbianxi, and the 500-meter turnback of Shili Gallery, and then I took them to the scenic area. I went shopping outside, so I still recommend traveling freely.

Walking to the end of Jinbian Creek is another gate of Zhangjiajie Forest Park. There is a bus back to the city right away. The terminal station is Zhangjiajie Railway Station. This also indicates that the end of this journey has arrived. Although Yangjiajie and Huangshi Village did not go this time, leaving behind some regrets, they sincerely said that they would like to come again in the future and would come again. The above-mentioned planned route is the experience summed up from two trips. If you have enough time, it would be most beautiful to stay in this scenic spot for three days. Take a walk and rest, take a look at the scenery, and return your body and mind to nature.