DAY 1 - ZHANGJIAJIE ARRIVAL

Upon arrival at the airport you will be met by a guide and transferred to the hotel in Wulingyuan area. 

DAY 2 - ZHANGJIAJIE 

You will need to get up early for today’s trip where you will be transferred to the main entrance of Zhangjiajie (about 30km/20miles from the hotel). You will start off by visiting the Yellow Stone Village (which reaches 1048 metres in height), from which you will be able to discover the first treasure of Zhangjiajie and one of the most famous in the region - The Five Fingers Peak.

Don’t be put off the by the crowds which may greet you upon arrival. It is possible to find areas of the park which are hidden away from the megaphones, the red-capped groups of local tourists posing for endless photos in strange stances whilst always holding their hand in the ‘V for victory’ shape, which is not just particular to the Chinese but all across Asia and something which you should see as humorous.

As the local tourists don’t tend to spend too long at each spot you will quickly be able to admire in peace the phenomenal spectacular of the largest concentration of karst rock formations in the world. The peaks shoot up from the thick vegetation which covers around 90% of the park like sword blades. A few waterfalls and limestone caves here and there really finish off this picturesque scene as clouds roll in to give the impression that the mountain peaks are floating in the air. Even though the weather can be a little more unpredictable in the winter months, the dusting of snow on the mountain peaks only adds to the park’s natural beauty.

Keen gardeners will be in their element, with a few thousand different species to be found in the park alone including the extremely rare lobster flower (literal translation) which changes colour several times a day.

Lunch will be in a restaurant near the main entrance which serves a number of local specialities. Hunan makes up one of the 8 main types of Chinese cuisine: Xiangcai or chilli is often the base to most dishes, so make sure that you make it well known if you do not like your food hot. It is said that the locals love spicy food so much that when they travel, no matter where they go or what they eat, their food has to be accompanied by chillies that are spicy enough to have come directly from the fires of hell!

Your day will continue with a stroll along the Golden Whip Stream, giving you another angle from which you can view the amazing karst peaks. From here they appear to shoot up into the sky like giant natural skyscrapers. Adored by the Chinese, the peaks have been given a number of different poetic names, including the tallest which stands at 400 metres and is known as the Magical Eagle Protecting the Whip.

The water in the stream is clear, the air pure and the site very well maintained. It is a real treat for those who have been stuck in China’s megacities for the first leg of their tour. The wildlife in the park is extremely varied and you may be lucky enough to spot a panther, a bear or a pangolin (an anteater like mammal) all of which inhabit the 350km2 national park. You may even stumble upon groups of monkeys which some (misadvised or well-intentioned) tourists like to feed, but we urge you to not follow their counterproductive example and leave the animals well alone!

You walk will last around 2 hours and will end at the Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve, from where you will be able to take either a tourist tram or go on foot to the Ten Mile Gallery.

You will head back to Wulingyuan where you will spend the night.

DAY 3 - ZHANGJIAJIE 

Today you will head for one of the most famous attractions in the park and the one that attracts the most tourists – The Son of Heaven Mountain (Tianzishan). You will ascend the mountain by cable-car and at the top you will be able to enjoy views of Warrior Taming Horse Rock and the Western Sea which are two of the most stunning mountain formations in the whole park and are really a pleasure to see.

After visiting the Son of Heaven Mountain you will continue on to a spot that is far less visited and can be a little difficult to find because the well surfaced paths soon disappear and the trail leads through heavy forest (don’t worry – your local tour guide knows the way and will help you through this section) arriving at the viewing point known as One Step To Heaven. Unlike the name suggests this isn’t actually just one step to heaven, but more of a metal staircase which leads to a metal viewing platform. From here you can admire 360 degree views of the surrounding peaks, a certainly unforgettable moment but one which is not accessible to all. The viewing platform isn’t recommended for those who suffer from vertigo and we suggest that for this trip you wear sturdy shoes.

The incredible mixture and variety of treatments which makes up what we know as Chinese medicine is fascinating and almost endless, but two of the most famous, and which are still very popular today, are acupuncture and pharmacotherapy. The medicinal plants in this region are very well known and you will see a number of small stands selling a variety of traditional types of medication such as ginseng root, small flasks of snake venom and a number of other types of Chinese medicine. You will get the chance to meet with a local ‘doctor’ and your guide will give you an insight into this ancient Chinese ritual.

The Corridor in the Sky is another fantastic view point that you will pass by on the walk back from the One Step to Heaven scenic spot. This tranquil spot is a perfect place to take part in a spot of self-contemplation, and enjoy a well-deserved picnic lunch which we will have here, depending on the weather.

The west part of the Hunan province is well known for having been, like its neighbouring provinces of Guangdong and Hubei, rife with bandits. This region is home to numerous caves that gave refuge to local criminals, as opposed to other parts of China where they were normally used for religious purposes. We will take you to an old wooden house on the mountain top which belonged to a legendary bandit who made this region his home. Today visitors to the house can dress up in bandit costumes and pose for photographs.

Your day will end on a high point with a trip to the scenic spot at the Tianbo Mansions which are reached by a suspended wooden footbridge. It’s from here that you get the strongest impression yet of being on the top of a mountain peak. You will descend from the top by taking the Bailong Panoramic Elevator which offers stunning views over the entire National Park.

You will be transferred back to the town of Zhangjiajie, which is close by to Day 4’s last stop.

DAY 4 - ZHANGJIAJIE - TIANMENSHAN DEPARTURE 

An early morning rise will be followed by a trip to another major attraction in the region: Heavenly Door Mountain orTianmenshan which we will ascend by way of cable-car. The mountain is still a part of the Wulingyuan national park but it is of a different type to the scenery we have already seen. Unlike the other mountains, Tianmenshan is not really a peak, but rather a whole collection of karst formations that altogether are much more imposing. The journey up to the top lasts around 20 minutes and the views from the cable-car are spectacular. The surrounding rock formations are truly stunning and the mountain itself is almost like a natural cathedral. The top of the formation is over 1500 metres and dominates the whole of this region.

Afterwards you will take a stroll through Guigu Plank road along the well sign posted path which includes a section of around 60 metres that has been turned into a glass bottomed walkway! The walk is at the top of an 800 metre sheer drop off the edge of a cliff and you will be provided with a pair of “special shoes” which are distributed to visitors, especially those who come in a pair of high heels (you'll find it's so common to see some ladies wearing high heel shoes climbing mountains here......).

You will spot an endless number of red ribbons tied to the branches of nearby trees on which visitors write famous proverbs, declarations of their undying love and other good luck messages. The belief is that because they are so high up and close to the sky, their messages to the Gods will have a better chance of getting there.

Tianmenshan attracts a growing number of visitors who come in search of an adrenaline rush in the form of extreme sports. Famous visitors include the French ‘Spiderman’ Alain Robert, who in 2007 climbed 200 metres up a sheer cliff face, and the American base- jumper Jeb Corliss, who in October 2011 took part in the world’s first Wingsuit Championship, jumping from the highest point of 800 metres. More recently, French ‘Rollerman’ Jean-Yves Blondeau took on the endless bends, hurtling down from the top of Tianmenshan at more than 100 km per hour.

There're so much you can explore in Tianmen Mountain, it takes 5 hours to cover it.

Finish the pleasant Avatar world trip!