Top 10 Things to Do in Zhangjiajie

Zhangjiajie is a natural stunner - not wonder it boasts China’s most spectacular mountains. But what to do and see in Zhangjiajie? Zhangjiajie is home to several of the most beautiful national forest parks in China. It also features some of the world’s most thrilling sky walks. The landscape here is rare on earth, making it one of the UNESCO World Natural Heritages. If you’re looking for adventures or soft adventures in China, Zhangjiajie is ideal for hiking, biking and even wingsuit flying. Do your interests lie in minority cultures? West Hunan’s several mountain tribes offer travelers a different lifestyle to experience. Below we list the top 10 things to do in Zhangjiajie to explore one of the most beautiful places in China. 

1. Discover the Heaven’s Door & Glass Skywalk on Tianmen Mountain

If you are planning a Zhangjiajie city tour and looking for the best things to do in Zhangjiajie city, don’t miss Tianmen Mountain. After taking an about 30-minute cable car ride (7.2km) up to the Tianmen Mountain, one can’t fail to take in the gorgeous mountain view. Tianmen Cave - the world’s highest natural cave on the Mountain is just like a gate to the heaven (Hence the name of Heaven’s Gate or Tianmen Gate). For years, it has attracted the pilots and wingsuit skydivers to fly through the cave. 

There are more to explore: the scary Guigu Plank Road on the cliff with a glass walkway to have an unobscured view of the abyss, the century-old Tianmen Temple and the stupefying 99-bends mountain highway.Tianmen Mountain also offers some of the best hiking trails in Zhangjiajie. 

2. Admire the Avatar Mountain Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

China’s first national forest park, it is considered an abode of immortals and boasts some of the most beautiful mountains in China. The entrance ticket is valid for four days, so what to do in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park? Explore the most of the park by visiting the Yellow Stone Stronghold (Huangshizhai), Yuanjiajie scenic area, and hike among the mountains in the mist and clouds. 

One of the fun things to do in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is to take Bailong Elevator (world’s highest outdoor elevator) to get to the top of Yuanjiajie in 1 minutes and 30 seconds. Then walk around the Yuanjiajie scenic area for 'Avatar Hallelujah Mountain', and ‘Word’s No.1 Bridge’, both are masterpieces of nature's uncanny workmanship. Take the cable car down the Zhangjiajie mountains to the valley and hike on Golden Whip Stream for fresh air and having fun with the wild monkeys. 

3. Marvel at the Forest Peaks on Tianzi Mountain

One of the four main scenic areas of Wulingyuan National Park in Zhangjiajie, it is the best site to see Zhangjiajie’s classic sandstone peaks. Here is a vast stretch of virgin forest home to many exotic flowers, trees and rare wild animals. The must-sees include Aerial Field, Helong Park, Immortal Bridge, Royal Pen Peak and Fairy Scattered Flowers. Moreover, travelers should not miss its other highlights such as the cloud sea, the sunrise and winter snow.

4. Hike Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon

Seeking for more thing to do in Zhangjiajie? The Grand Canyon of Zhangjiajie is a serene and ‘wild’ corner of China. Legend has it that many rotten shipboards used to come out of the spring. The local people do not know where the rotten boards came from, so this place was named “Rotten Ship Gorge”. It is also called “Chaospring Gorge”, which refers to the two stone walls in the gorge, where numerous streams and springs flow all over the gorge.

Its beautiful landscape consists of lush forests, breathtaking cliffs, ancient caves, colorful ponds and a clean river. It has been a hidden gem for explorers and lovers of great outdoor, where they can enjoy exciting adventures such as hiking, boating, and challenging the world’s highest, longest glass bridge - Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge.

5. Experience the Thrill of Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge

Located in Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge has a vertical height of about 300 meters and a total length of 430 meters, which is the world's first cable-stayed alpine canyon glass bridge. It is definitely one of the cool things to do in Zhangjiajie.

Through 99 pieces of transparent glass, you can look down and see the cliffs, streams and forests under your feet. On sunny days, the glass reflects as if “suspended in the air”, while on cloudy days, it is like walking on clouds. 

There is a bungee jumping platform in the center of the bridge, with a height of 260 meters, which is one of the highest commercial bungee jumps in the world.

6. Explore the Yellow Dragon Cave

Apart from admiring the sandstone peaks and mountains, there are more things to do in Zhangjiajie. A magic cave of typical karst formation, Yellow Dragon Cave is one of the best and biggest of its kind in China and beyond. Inside it is a spectacular world of various stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars and rock formations created by carbonate deposition and Illuminated by colored lighting.

Huanglong Cave was officially opened to the public in 1984, with a total area of 100,000 square meters, a length of 7.5 kilometers, a vertical height of 140 meters, and a total of four levels. It is praised by Chinese and foreign cave experts as the “all-round champion” of the world's caves.

7. Take a Baofeng Lake Boat Ride

Baofeng Lake is a part of the World Natural Heritage Site, the World Geopark and the Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan National Park. An important scenic attraction of Suxiyu Nature Reserve, Baofeng Lake is hidden half way up the mountain and embraced by forest peaks. Boating on the lake is recommended to all, especially families with kids and senior travelers. You can immerse yourself in the pristine and intoxicating atmosphere, while listening to the Tujia folk music, the legends and love stories.

8. Watch the Zhangjiajie Fox Fairy Show

What to do in zhangjiajie at night? The Zhangjiajie Fox Fairy Show is the best choice. It is the first "Fox Fairy" themed live show in the world, planned by the team of Zhang Yimou (General Director of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony) and lasts about 70 minutes. With Tianmen Mountain natural canyon landscape as the background, the super-large water stage is more than 2,000 square meters.

Adapted from the classic story of “Liaozhai Zhiyi”, the show tells the story of the three lifetimes of the white fox who has practiced for thousands of years and the mortal scholar. The show is presented by more than 200 actors and professional dancers playing 60 "spirit foxes". It incorporates mystical cultural elements such as Tujia crying marriage and corpse driving, as well as high-tech sound and light effects.

9. Appreciate the Diaoliaolou Dwellings at Fenghuang Ancient Town

The ancient town of Fenghuang is composed of 28 ethnic groups including the Miao, Han and Tujia, and is a typical area where ethnic minorities live in compact communities. It has perfectly preserved the architectural layout of the Ming and Qing dynasties and integrated the cultures of the Tujia and Miao ethnic groups, thus being hailed as a living fossil of ethnic customs in western Hunan. The wooden stilt houses are built along both banks of the Tuo River, resembling a "Chinese landscape painting".

The ancient complex includes the Hongqiao Wind and Rain Building, which was reconstructed from an ancient bridge in the Ming Dynasty, the century-old Xiong Xiling's former residence, and the Yang Family Ancestral Hall, which was the residence of a Miao general in the Qing Dynasty, and boasts the most complete preserved Tujia Theater.

Don't miss the local Xiangxi flavor food, such as blood poop duck, ginger candy, preserved meat co-steaming and so on.

10. Unveil the Furong Ancient Town Hung on Waterfall

It is known as the thousand-year-old ancient town hanging on the waterfall. It preserves a well-preserved ancient architectural complex of the Tujia Wang Village (consisting of stilt houses), and is a living fossil of the Tusi culture in Hunan. The Youshui River waterfall cascades down the cliff, creating a spectacular "Waterfall Ancient Town", which is especially beautiful during the nights when illuminated by lights.  

• Location: Yongshun County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan Province; About 170km from Zhangjiajie city
• Ticket: RMB108 
• Opening hours: 7:30-23:00
• Time needed: 1 day
• How to get there: It takes 5 hours by car from Changsha and 2 hours from Zhangjiajie.

How to Plan Your Zhangjiajie Tour

A fantastic mix of natural wonders, mountainous landscapes, glass skywalks, and and minority culture traditions, Zhangjiajie is an ideal destination for a 3 to 7 days tour. Below are one curated Zhangjiajie tour itineraries:

• Day 1: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and Tianzii Mountain: Yuanjiajie, Avatar Mountain, No.1 Bridge
• Day 2: Tianmen Mountain and Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon: Tianmen Cave, Glass-bottom walk, Zhangjaijie Glass Bridge
• Day 3: Golden Whip Stream and Huangshizhai
• Day 4: Fenghuang Ancient Town

Nearby Zhangjiajie, sights and attractions your should not miss include several minority villages (e.g. Dehang Miao Village), Southern China Great Wall, the Red Stone Forest, Aizhai Bridge, etc.