A Guide to Exploring Zhangjiajie National Park’s Avatar Mountains

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You’ve probably seen pictures of Zhangjiajie National Park before, but you might just not know it yet. For many, it has become known as the place where the “Avatar mountains” are, due to the fact that the Chinese national park featured prominently in the movie Avatar. Unfortunately, in real life, the mountains here don’t fly in the sky but that doesn’t mean that they don’t look just as impressive as they did in the movie.

For those looking to check out the “Avatar mountains”, here are the best places for your visit.

What Are the Avatar Mountains?

Zhangjiajie is more than just a set of mountains from the movie Avatar, there is a reason why it became China’s first national forest park.  The Zhangjiajie National Park is located in the Chinese province of Hunan. Despite being surrounded by other national parks, Zhangjiajie on its own is huge, so it’s easy to spend several days here if you want to see everything.

Depending on what type of traveller you are, you have several options. There’s the forest hiking trails (which obviously involve a lot of walking), and then there are the easier cable car rides to the top of the park’s mountains. It’s highly recommended that you do both. When in doubt, it’s good to ask a travel advisor for some extra tips.

What to Check Out in Zhangjiajie National Park

As Zhangjiajie is so big, there’s a lot of different things to do here, and all of it is somewhat spread out. While there are convenient tourist maps located in the park, and many guides who can help you, you might just want to organize what you’re going to do before you arrive. To help you out, here is a list of some of the park’s best attractions on offer (and one which is sadly no longer available).

While the list below contains most of the park’s main attractions, there are a lot of “hidden” hiking routes. Make sure to look online for insider tips and you’ll be sure to have a unique and breathtaking journey.

Mount Tianzi

Mount Tianzi is one of the park’s highest peaks, at 1,262.5 meters. It’s located in the northeastern area of the park and is easily accessible by taking a shuttle bus from the Zhangjiajie central bus station for just CNY 15 /person. It’s possible to head to the top of the mountain, but if you decide to take the cable car, expect to pay CNY 72 /person for each way.

Many people start their exploration of Zhangjiajie from this point due to its convenient location in relation to Zhangjiajie’s bus station. Moreover, it’s just a quick jump over to another of the park’s most famous mountains: The Tianmen Mountain.

Tianmen Mountain

One of the main reasons why people come to visit the Zhangjiajie “Avatar mountains”: the view from Tianmen mountain and its cable car. This imposing mountain (with a hole in it) is often seen as one of the centerpieces to the incredible landscapes here.

Tianmen Mountain is home to the longest cable cars in the world (there’s a lot of “longest” and “biggest” here!). It is a total of 7,455 meters long and if you take a trip along the cable car, you’ll be rewarded with some of the best views you could imagine of the Zhangjiajie National Park. It’s definitely recommended, just make sure that you go on a clear day and during summer.

Coiling Dragon Cliff

Take it to the next level with the Tianmen Mountain Glass Skywalk, also known as the Coiling Dragon Cliff. At over 1,400 meters above ground, more than a few people have struggled to make it across. If you’re scared of heights and thinking of challenging your fears here, don’t let anyone accompanying you take their mobile, unless you want to end up on YouTube.

The Coiling Dragon Cliff is included in the price of admission to Tianmen mountain and is one of the ‘Avatar Mountains’ highlights.

Yuanjiajie

Located at the opposite end of the park from Mount Tianzi, you’ll find Yuanjiajie. Here you’ll also have some pretty incredible views. The reason Yuanjiajie is unique is that a lot of the mountains in the area are roughly the same. This means great views and incredible photo ops! Plus, it’s home to the incredible Bailong Elevator.

Bailong Elevator

Zhangjiajie National Park seems to be all about making the biggest and longest things in the world, they’ve even put together the longest outdoor elevator in the world. Located in the middle of the park, this engineering feat is 326 meters high and runs along the side of a huge cliff. You’ll be able to get some pretty incredible views as you ascend upwards, and it’s probably not as scary for those with a fear of heights as the glass skywalk.

If you want to take the Bailong Elevator, it will cost you CNY 72/person for a one-way trip.

Golden Whip Stream Trail

Next to Yuanjiajie, one of the park’s most famous walks – the Golden Whip Stream Trail – can be found. This hiking route runs alongside a fast-flowing stream, which is an incredible point from which to take pictures. It’s really busy during the peak season though. If possible, try to visit during spring or summer. Because this is the park’s wet season, the water level is usually higher, and so the stream more impressive.

Access to the area is free along with any ticket to the Zhangjiajie National Park.

Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge

At a length of 430 meters, and a height of 300 meters, the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge is the ‘longest and highest glass bridge in the world’. Unfortunately, the bridge has been closed indefinitely. While it seemed safe after they let people test it with a sledgehammer, it seems they underestimated the number of visitors per day. No news has been posted on when it will open again, but keep your eyes peeled just in case. You can still view the bridge from the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, but you can’t walk over it. We’ve put it here just in case.

How Much Will It Cost?

Unless otherwise stated, everything in Zhangjiajie National Park is included in the entrance fee of CNY 248. This ticket will be valid for two days. If you want to take the cable cars, they are generally around CNY 72 /person. Tianmen Mountain will cost you an extra CNY 258, but this includes the cable car and attractions there (Including the Coiling Dragon Cliff).

Have You Ever Been to Zhangjiajie National Park, Home to the Avatar Mountains?