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Travel archive — originally published February 2015. This was our day exploring the extraordinary sandstone pillars of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan, on a trip when independent travel in China involved plenty of guesswork, minivans, language barriers and bus-station confusion. We were navigating with photographs and gestures rather than the translation apps, mobile payments and ride-hailing tools we rely on today.
It feels a world away from our return to China in 2025. Faster rail links into Zhangjiajie West, DiDi, Alipay and WeChat make the journey easier to organise now. And although the spectacular cliffs, Tianmen Mountain and Bailong Elevator were already attracting visitors, the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge did not open until 2016, after this article was first published. Our original day out captures an earlier chapter of tourism in Hunan.
The fares, gates, transport arrangements and routes described below are historical details from our journey, not current travel advice. For planning a visit today, the Wulingyuan visitor guide explains modern park entrances and transport options, while the Hunan tourism department provides background on the protected sandstone landscape. For the wider trip, see our Changsha-to-Zhangjiajie travel archive, and for another old-town detour, Fenghuang (Phoenix Ancient City).
Our Journey into the Avatar Mountains Begins
We based ourselves in Zhangjiajie City before making the roughly 30-kilometre journey towards Wulingyuan and the sandstone pillars of the national forest park. The place names could be confusing — Zhangjiajie, Wulingyuan and the Avatar Mountains seemed to crop up everywhere — but we decided to explore independently, using the local buses for a one-day visit.
Our Minivan to Zhangjiajie National Park
At Zhangjiajie’s central bus station, the buses to the park were really more like minivans. We didn’t buy tickets in advance: the conductor came around to collect our fares during the journey. We had no reliable translation app, so we showed people photographs of where we wanted to go and hoped they understood. It worked. After roughly an hour, and a fare of 12 yuan per person, we arrived at Wulingyuan. For an idea of the older transport system we were navigating, see our long-distance travel memories from China.
Finding the Wulingyuan Entrance
We eventually got off our minivan near the Wulingyuan Southeast Gate, just after a roundabout beside a small park. With our usual mixture of guesswork and confidence, we crossed back towards the park and followed the road for roughly a kilometre until the pagoda-like entrance and ticket offices appeared. On the way back, we caught another minivan from the opposite side of the road. Those landmarks were useful to us then, although the transport arrangements may be very different today.
Up and Down the Bailong Elevator
From the park entrance, we used the shuttle transport to reach the Bailong Elevator. We chose the spectacular lift for the journey up, paying 72 yuan each way at the time. Unfortunately, the cable car was closed during our visit, so we ended up retracing the mountain route and returning by the very same elevator. Paying again felt like a waste, especially when we’d already seen the view. There was a lengthy walking alternative, but we were lazy.
Exploring the Avatar Mountains on Foot
We probably saw the bare minimum of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park on our single-day outing. At the top, we followed paths past macaque monkeys, dramatic natural bridges and astonishing viewpoints over the sandstone pillars. Almost every turn offered another extraordinary photograph. Shuttle minivans connected different areas of the mountain, but we still felt rushed. Looking back, I’d have loved another day or even a night in the area. We left with the feeling that we’d barely scratched the surface. The old accommodation reference remains here for historical interest: our hotel search.
Tourist Crowds Among the Mountains
Despite visiting in low season, we spent much of the day speeding up or slowing down to avoid tour groups crowding the viewpoints. The famous Avatar association was everywhere, along with souvenir stalls, photo booths and the usual tourist paraphernalia. There were moments of quiet among the mountain paths, but commercial tourism was already firmly established. And yes, there was even a McDonald’s.
I’ve always wanted to go there, it looks amazing! Great photos.
Thanks Lies. It’s well worth the trek and there’s other attractions in the Hunan area as well which makes it more worth while.
Went there this past month – definitely a must-see (especially if you’re in China). I found that not many people there spoke English. My mandarin skills might have been able to get me around, but I relied a lot on my Chinese-speaking cousin to help me out.