Zhangjiajie 2-Day Mini-Group Tour with Glass Bridge & Tianmen

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and Yuanjiajie

Founded in 1982 as China's first national forest park, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is the heart of the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, listed by UNESCO in 1992. Thousands of quartz-sandstone pillars rise from the forest, many topped with pine trees and wrapped in mist on cool mornings. Yuanjiajie is the most famous section: a cliff-top trail leads to the Pillar of the Southern Sky, the Enchanting Terrace and the First Bridge Under Heaven, a natural stone arch linking two peaks.

Is Zhangjiajie worth visiting? For landscapes like these, few places on earth compare, and the first day of this tour is built around them. Our guide takes the shortcut to the best viewpoints before the crowds arrive and explains how water and frost carved the pillars over millions of years. Plan on around two hours of easy trail walking at Yuanjiajie.

Bailong Elevator

The Bailong (Hundred Dragons) Elevator is built into the face of a cliff at the edge of Yuanjiajie. It climbs about 326 metres, part of it through a shaft cut inside the rock and part in glass cabins outside it, and the ride takes well under two minutes. It is the most direct way up from the Golden Whip Stream valley to the plateau and saves a long climb on foot.

The view from the glass is the reason to stand by the window: the valley floor drops away and the peak forest appears at eye level. Queues can be long at holiday times, which is why the mini group starts early and our guide manages the tickets. The elevator ride up is included on both the mini-group and private versions of this tour.

Yangjiajie and Tianzi Mountain

A park shuttle bus takes you on to Yangjiajie, a quieter area whose rows of pine-covered sandstone walls are known as the Natural Great Wall. From there the route reaches Tianzi Mountain, the highest part of the park at about 1,260 metres. Its viewpoints look over the Imperial Brush Peaks, a cluster of thin pillars said to resemble upturned writing brushes, and the West Sea stone forest below.

Tianzi Mountain is the best place in the park to see a sea of clouds, especially after rain. The day ends with the Tianzi Mountain cable car down to the valley, a ride of a few minutes past the pillars at close range, then our driver takes you back to your hotel. Lunch is at your own pace on the mountain; snacks from your hotel are a good idea.

Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge

On day two you drive to the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, about 40 minutes from Wulingyuan. The Glass Bridge, opened in 2016, stretches roughly 430 metres between two cliffs and hangs about 300 metres above the canyon floor. Its deck is made of layered glass panels, so you see straight down into the forested gorge as you cross. Shoe covers are given out at the entrance and large bags must be stored.

Most visitors spend around an hour on and around the bridge. If you are wondering whether the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge is worth visiting, the answer is yes for anyone comfortable with heights: the views of the canyon walls and waterfalls are superb. Anyone who prefers to keep both feet on solid rock can wait at the cliff-top viewpoint while the rest of the group crosses.

Tianmen Mountain and Heaven's Gate

In the afternoon the tour continues to Tianmen Mountain, a 1,518-metre summit right beside Zhangjiajie city. Cable cars and shuttle buses climb past the 99-bend Heaven-Linking Avenue, a road that zigzags up the slope, to Tianmen Cave, a natural arch about 131 metres high and 57 metres wide. You can climb the 999 steps to the arch or use the escalators built inside the mountain.

At the top, cliffside walkways, including stretches with glass floors, circle the summit with views over the city and the ridges of western Hunan. How long does Tianmen Mountain take? Allow three to four hours, which this tour plans for. Cable car routes change during maintenance work, and our guide always uses the route open on the day.