Highlight: The unbelievable Fanjingshan in Guizhou Province and the incredible Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province are not far away,Both Mount Fanjing and Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area were inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Day 1 Zhangjiajie Arrival
Welcome to Zhangjiajie! Upon your arrival, our local tour guide will meet you with a sign on which says your name at the arrival hall in the airport or train station. Then our guide and driver will transfer you directly to your hotel in Wulingyuan downtown in Zhangjiajie by our comfortable private car (non-smoking), and the guide will help you check in. The rest of today is on your own to explore this fabulous city in China.
Kick off your day with an early breakfast, then head to the UNESCO World Heritage site - Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. You will visit Ten-mile Gallery, Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain which is the Core Scenic Area of the national park.
Begin your adventure at the Ten-mile Gallery, where sightseeing trams glide past stunning formations like The God of Longevity Welcoming Guests, the Old Herb Picker, and the Three Sisters Peaks. This leisurely journey leads you through a captivating valley filled with storytelling landscapes. To fully immerse yourself in the experience, you’ll take a tram in and stroll back out, soaking in the beauty along the way.
Your next destination is Yuanjiajie. Begin your exploration on the Bailong Elevator, the world’s fastest and tallest outdoor lift, which ascends from the valley floor to the peak in just 1.5 minutes, providing a stunning bird’s-eye view of the remarkable landscape. Once you arrive at Yuanjiajie, immerse yourself in the area's natural beauty, renowned for its towering sandstone columns. Hike through this enchanting terrain, often shrouded in mist, and discover the inspiration behind the floating Hallelujah Mountains from the film Avatar. At the Ecstasy Terrace, soak in breathtaking vistas of hundreds of distinctive stone peaks. Finally, explore the natural wonder of The First Bridge, a striking stone bridge connecting two peaks with a 5-meter platform, showcasing a rare geological marvel.
After exploring Yuanjiajie, hop on a sightseeing bus to Tianzi Mountain. At Helong Park, you'll discover one of the area's finest viewing decks, providing close-up views of the majestic and unique Yubi Peak, and find the romantic Fairy Flowers among the hundreds of bizarre sandstone peaks. If you have the energy, you can venture a bit deeper to the Warrior Training Horse where dozens of unusual peaks stand tall, among which one peak resembles a proud steed with its mane held high, while next to it, a rock looks like a warrior holding the reins of a horse. End your visit at Tianzi Mountain with an exhilarating ride on the Cable Car, descending through a landscape of sandstone pillars that seem to rush past your window.
Following this thrilling tour, your guide and driver will take you to Zhangjiajie’s downtown area for hotel check-in.
After breakfast, prepare for an exhilarating day. Begin with a 40-minute drive to the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, where you'll experience a mix of adrenaline and serenity. Step onto the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, a marvel of engineering and the world's longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge. Spanning 430 meters and suspended 400 meters above the valley floor, it offers a breathtaking view that makes you feel like you're walking on air. After conquering your fears, walk a distance to the Lookout Deck, take a moment to appreciate the panoramic view of the area.
Next, descend into the valley on foot or via transportation facilities (kindly share your preferences with your tour guide, as services like elevators, slide ways, and zip lines may come with extra fees). At the lush valley, explore Rainbow Square, Momo Cave, and Shenquan Lake, where you can enjoy the cool shade of the forest, a tranquil boating experience on the emerald lakes, and the vibrant colors of the local flora. The valley tour features some gentle paths, with the entire walk taking approximately 1.5 to 2 hours.
After lunch, make your way to the Yellow Dragon Cave, a geological masterpiece located about 20 kilometers away. This cave, acclaimed by UNESCO experts as one of the world's most beautiful, offers a unique blend of natural beauty and geological wonders. One of the highlights of the Yellow Dragon Cave is the boat tour through its water cave section. As you glide gently through the subterranean waterways, you'll be surrounded by the soothing sounds of trickling water and the sight of glistening stalactites reflecting off the water's surface. After getting off the boat, a climb of hundreds of steps and a walk of some distance will lead you to the cave's famous Dragon Palace, where the stalactites create a scene straight out of a fairy tale. The entire exploration of the boat experience and karst caves takes about 1.5~2 hours.
After breakfast, your guide and driver will collect you from your hotel to embark on an exhilarating journey to Tianmen Mountain, a must-see attraction in Zhangjiajie, renowned for its record-breaking single-track circular alpine cableway and the awe-inspiring natural phenomenon, Tianmen Cave.
You'll begin by taking the Tianmen Mountain Cableway, which ascends from downtown Zhangjiajie to the top of the mountain, over 1,400 meters above sea level. This approximately 7,455-meter-long cableway is currently the longest of its kind globally, offering a breathtaking view of the meandering Tongtian Avenue (Avenue toward Heaven) as seen from the transparent carriage.
The first part of your journey will be along the West Line Visiting Route (Looking for a Wonderland), which leads you through the mountain’s peak area. En route, you’ll be surrounded by natural marvels and thrilling experiences. The Guigu Cliffside Path awaits your adventurous spirit. At the end of the West Line, you’ll find the Tianmen Mountain Temple, which dates back to the Tang Dynasty and is situated atop the mountain.
After visiting the temple, you have the option to continue exploring the East Line (Jasper Terrace in The Green Field), hiking towards Yuhu Peak, and passing through South Overlooking Tianmen Cave, Immortal Source, Yu Hu Peak and Happy Grove, etc. Alternatively, you can take a refreshing forest sightseeing cable car (requires an extra fee of 25/pp for a single run) up to the Yunmeng Fairy Summit, the best vantage point on Tianmen Mountain, then walk down to the Turbulent Water at Tianmen (Upper Station of Transmountain Escalator).
Next, you’ll take the Transmountain Escalator from the peak down to Tianmen Cave to witness the colossal natural opening in the mountain. This cave, formed by natural compression and collapse, measures 131.5 meters in height, 57 meters in width, and 60 meters in depth, making it an extraordinary geological wonder. Afterwards, you’ll walk down the extremely steep 999 steps (Stairway to Heaven), with an incline of up to 45°. Finally, you will take the Tianmen Mountain Express Cableway down to the mountain gate parking lot, then transfer to a shuttle bus back to the Tianmen Mountain Tourist Center, where your tour guide and driver will be waiting for you. Then drive about 200km (about 3.5 hours) to Fenghuang Ancient Town, China's most beautiful ancient town. When night falls, every old house lights up and the whole atmosphere becomes festive, colorful and amazing. Take a relaxing walk and appreciate the fabulous night view of this ancient town.
In this morning, you’ll have a nice tour in Fenghuang Ancient Town. With over 300 years’ history, it is located on the western edge of Hunan Province and next to Guizhou Province. Praised as the most beautiful tiny town in China, it sets an example of what villages were like before the start of modernization. In the town dozens of lanes are paved with stones that run between the wooden houses built on stilts. Generations of local people have stepped on the lanes and worn them down bit by bit.
Fenghuang Ancient Town offers a totally different day views which would really bring you back to ancient time. Have a slow walk and feel the calmness and zen of this beautiful place. Take a small boat ride on the Tuojiang River passing through the most essence part of the old town (from Beimen Pier to Longevity Palace) to imagine what life was going in the past. Visit Former Residence of Shen Congwen to listen to the beautifully novel of “Border Town” which is Shen Congwen's masterpiece for its brilliant portrayal of Chinese rural life before the Communist Revolution. Enjoy more memorable time to have a look at the landmark of the ancient town - Rainbow Bridge and explore East Gate Tower, Wanming Pagoda, etc.
In the afternoon, drive to Jiangkou County, which is conveniently located at the foot area of Fanjingshan
Day 6 Fanjingshan Exploration - Jiangkou (B, L)
After breakfast, your guide and driver will meet you at your hotel. Then, you will be driven to the entrance of Fanjingshan to discover this world well-known fantastic holy mountain along the popular south route.
Enter the mountain and take a sightseeing bus to Yu’ao Station and continue to take the cable car there to catch a bird’s eye view of the dense emerald forest of Mount Fanjing. Now, start your hiking from the Forest Hiking Road to witness the famous Mushroom Stone. It is the landmark of Fanjingshan and draws people’s follow by its unbelievable image of the bigger top quadrate putting off center on the smaller quadrate bottom, which forms like a mushroom vividly and seems easy to fall. However, for one million years, it just stands so still there after centuries of rain, snow, wind and sunburn. Remember to take a standard photo of tourists with it!
Then, continue to hike to the Old Golden Summit and walk up to its peak. With an elevation of 2,494 meters, it is the best observation deck to appreciate the panorama of Fanjingshan. Also, from the summit, you will see the iconic Red Clouds Golden Summit clearly from a distance. Then, walk down gradually to admire the natural scenery along the way to visit the sacred Buddhist attractions including Wanming Cave, Buddha Worshipping Stage, Monk Pagoda, Pudu Square, etc. You will not miss the Cheng En Temple that was built first from the Ming Dynasty and one of the four royal temples at Fanjingshan. Walk in the major temple with solemn scarlet walls and dark tiles, worship among the about 10 halls, and imagine the rising and falling and recovery of Fanjingshan’s Buddhist status in the past hundreds of years.
Here, take your challenge to hike along the narrow, steep and rough steps with iron chain up to Red Clouds Golden Summit that shows particularly often on Fanjingshan photographs. This thumb-like peak is a world rare miracle erecting about 100 meters high from the flatter mountain bed millions of years ago and is separated with two peaks and a gorge by natural wearing and with a bridge linked between. After reaching the top, visit the appealing Temple of Buddha, the bridge and Maitreya Temple in sequence to feel walking from present to the future in Buddhist belief. While witnessing the hard-to-believe difficulty of building houses on such a steep crest, stand on the peak to command the panoramic view of Fanjingshan and enjoy the feeling of being in the “space in the sky”. (Note: You can choose to go up or not considering your physical condition at that time. Just tell your needs to the guide.)
After the physical consuming hiking, walk by Jingxin Pool and go to see Wanbao Rock. You will truly believe Fanjingshan was in fact a part of ocean in the remote 1.4 million years ago by the strong proof of the cobbles, shells, paleontological fossils, and so on left within the shale rock there.
After the fantastic sightseeing, drive to Jiangkou County for accommodation.
Day 7 Fanjingshan/Tongren Departure (B)
Today is free for you to transfer to next destination.
Why should visitors put Fanjingshan and Zhangjiajie in one trip?
The unbelievable Fanjingshan in Guizhou Province and the incredible Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province are not far away, about 220 kilometers in between with about 5 hours’ transfer. Both Mount Fanjing and Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area were inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites for superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty, amazing and precious plants and animals and especially Fanjingshan is an outstanding example representing major stages of Earth’s history.
Fanjingshan and Zhangjiajie both belong to Wuling mountain ranges with different geologic structures and formations. Fanjingshan is the main and highest peak in the Wuling Mountain range with three erecting peaks standing peculiarly and majestically on the mountain area - Red Golden Summit, Old Golden Summit and Phoenix Golden Summit. While, there are more than 3000 quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks settled in Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan Scenic Area and many over 200 meters in height, along with many ravines and gorges with attractive streams, pools, lakes, rivers and waterfalls.
More beyond your imagination is Fanjingshan is one of the Five Sacred Buddhist Mountains in China and the Bodhimanda of the Maitreya Buddha with profound Buddhist history over 1300 years. However, Zhangjiajie is exciting outdoor paradise with thrilling experience, like challenge yourselves to walk through Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, immerse into the real world of Avatar...
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS TOUR
Take a trip to the most remarkable place on earth and be awed by the incredible rocks - layers and layers piled into bizarre shapes and catch the fantastic chance to have some photos with the Mushroom Stone.
Take the train running from Fanjingshan to Zhangjiajie with about 5-hours’ ride - right now it is the best way to transfer between the two amazing destinations with different experiences and feelings. Enjoy worry free journey all the way!
Spare no effort to climb up the Red Golden Summit and Old Golden Summit to have panoramic view of the gorgeous natural scenery on the top and visit the noted Temple of the Buddha and Maitreya Temple in the sky.
Explore Hallelujah Mountain to fulfill your Avatar dream in real and have an appreciation of numerous narrow sandstone pillars and peaks in different sizes and shapes standing erectly in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.
Take a challenge to enjoy a thrilling walk on the transparent glass bridge over Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon which is the longest and highest glass bridge in the world. Are your ready to try?
Get a new refreshing with the most pleasant leisure hike along the pristine water at the fascinating Golden Whip Stream with idyllic vegetation view deep in the lush valley.
Price details (per person in USD)
| Person(s) |
Economy |
Standard |
Deluxe |
Single Room Supplement |
| 1person |
$ |
$ |
$ |
None |
Price includes:
1.The service fee of apply the permission of visiting Welfare Institution.
2.Transfers between airports, hotels,Child Welfare Institutions and scenic spots while sightseeing by airconditioned coach with a driver.
3.Private English speaking guide for the whole trip.
4.Entrance tickets,Elevator,cablecars'fee.
5.The prices above are based two persons sharing one standard room with daily breakfast.
6..The above private escorted tour is customized for you, your family or your friends
exclusively. No other travelers will join in your group.
7..Luggage Transfers:
Between airports/Child Welfare Institutions/railway stations/hotels.
8.Service Charge & Government Taxes.
9.Insurance
The insurance is China Life Tourist Accident/Casualty Insurance.
10.Arrangements:
The tour cost includes planning, handling, operational and communication charges.
11.All credit card processing fees.
Price excludes:
1.Tips for your tour guide and driver.
2.The prices above are based two persons sharing one standard room. If one person prefers to stay in one room, the single room supplement must be paid.
3.Meals are not included in the quotation(we charge 8USD/PAX/MEAL if the meals are included in the itinerary).
4.Personal Expenses.
5.Any items not specified in the plan.
Remarks:
1.All rates are subject to reconfirmation from our trip advisors when an actual booking is being made.
2.All tours & transfers are all based in English Speaking local guides. For other languages,please contact our trip advisors for new quotations.
3.Prices are based on the current exchange rate and are subject to change without prior
notice. For the most up to date prices, please contact with the sales.
4.Warm notice for you: Please send your passports,Register Certificates' information to us since we need to apply the permission of visiting Welfare Institution and book the entrance tickets,etc..
5.The price shall increase at the duration of super high season,such as 1May-3 May, 1 Oct-7 Oct and Chinese New Spring Festival.
