Tianmen Mountain & Grand Canyon Glass Bridge Day Tour Zhangjiajie

Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon

The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon lies in Cili County, roughly 40 minutes by road from Wulingyuan and about an hour from the city. It is a deep, narrow gorge of limestone cliffs, waterfalls and dense forest, with a walking route that descends to the canyon floor and follows a green stream past caves and pools. A boat crosses the small lake near the exit.

On this tour the canyon is more than a bridge: the ticket includes a choice of activities, such as glass sightseeing elevators, a zip line, two long slides, a virtual-reality cinema and the lake boat ride. Our guide helps you pick the ones that suit your group, from adrenaline to gentle. The best time to visit the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon is in the morning, which is exactly when the tour arrives.

Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge

Opened in 2016, the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge spans about 430 metres between two cliff tops and hangs roughly 300 metres above the gorge. When it opened it set records as the longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge of its kind. The deck is built from triple-layered glass panels, and visitors wear shoe covers to keep it clear.

Crossing takes ten to twenty minutes depending on how many photos you stop for. Is the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge scary? The first steps can be, but the panels are thick and the railings high, and most visitors relax after a few metres. Large bags and selfie sticks usually go into lockers before you enter, and our guide shows you where.

Tianmen Mountain cable car and the 99-bend road

Tianmen Mountain rises right beside Zhangjiajie city to about 1,518 metres. Its cable car system is one of the longest passenger cableways in the world, and from the cabins you look straight down on Heaven-Linking Avenue, a road of 99 hairpin bends cut into the slope. During 2026 parts of the long city cable car have been closed for upgrades, and visitors also use shuttle buses and the express cableway from the mountain gate.

How do you get up Tianmen Mountain? With this tour you do not need to work it out: the ticket covers the round-trip cable car and our guide takes whichever route is open on the day. Expect around three to four hours on the mountain in total.

Tianmen Cave, Heaven's Gate

Tianmen Cave is the reason the mountain is famous: a natural arch about 131 metres high and 57 metres wide that pierces the ridge, so that clouds drift through it and the sky shows on the other side. It is reached by a stairway of 999 steps, a symbolic number in Chinese culture, or by a series of escalators built inside the mountain.

Standing beneath the arch is one of the most striking moments in Zhangjiajie, especially when mist pours through the opening. Our guide explains the legends linked to the cave and finds the best angle for your photos. The escalators between the cave and the summit are included, so even travellers who prefer not to climb the stairs reach the top.

Tianmen Mountain summit and glass skywalk

At the summit, a network of plank paths hugs the cliff edges, with stretches of glass flooring that let you look hundreds of metres down the rock face. Shoe covers for the glass sections are included in this tour. Viewpoints look over Zhangjiajie city and the ridges of western Hunan, and a Buddhist temple stands in the forest at the top of the mountain.

Is Tianmen Mountain worth visiting after the Forest Park? Yes: its scenery is completely different, a single high massif with sheer walls instead of a forest of pillars. Our guide manages the timing so you have time on the cliff paths before the cable car down, and the vehicle then returns you to your hotel at around 18:30.