Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

The national forest park is very nice it is unique in its kind. I really recommend it if you want to see nice nature. But before going there you should plan your itinerary to save time and see most of the park. I recommend taking the cable car if you only take one day to visit the park, but all tickets are for 4 days. You have buses inside that bring you everywhere but you can also walk. The negative part is that all the Paths are delimited which means you can’t really explore new places or get lost in the park.

Yes, the park is extremely busy (at some sections, not everywhere), but it's oh so beautiful. We were staying inside the park so could enjoy the busy sections quietly in the early morning. Then go to quieter sections after the tour groups arrive. We spent three days at the park, which was perfect as we got to experience both sunny and rainy days. Favourite view: cock pecking platform, where few tourists go to (4th picture).

Zhangjiajie national forest park is an amazing place! You have these peaks made of limestone rock that just jut out of the ground going straight up to form majestic shafts of rugged beauty! I believe it's this place that helped inspire the world of Avatar the movie. This place is just breathtaking!

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, part of the Wulingyuan scenic area is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is the magical place where the paintings that adorn the walls of my childhood home came alive. I had wondered how could mountains sprout out of the ground as depicted by the artist be real. Here the pictures taken on a rainy and misty day speaks for itself, spellbound by its extraordinary beauty- illusive as these mountains could be completely shrouded by mist or its beauty completely erased by strong sunshine. I was fortunate to stay longer than the usual tourist for this perfect shot. Here you can find the world’s tallest escalator or lift that takes you down from the mountain tops to ground level in less than a minute. Or enjoy the walk along the river that works its way at the foothills of the mountains. Here you will meet and greet people from all walks of life. A Chinese family had bought a fresh root vegetable and offered us a piece each. When I took the first bite it was the same root that my mother grew at home thousands of miles away. A young barista at the station made me a latte and chatted as if we were long lost friends. A German professor and his wife has got lost and asked for the way to the escalator. We met him again in the mountains 3 more times. A young couple and us shared the same cable car to get to the mountains and in the confines of the small space pleasantries were exchanged and each told stories about visits to the ancient towns. A once in a lifetime experience.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park features a dramatic landscape with towering stunning sandstone pillars , misty mountains and hidden valleys. Lots of walking, from the challenging hikes on the Golden Whip Stream to more relaxed cable car and Bailong Sky elevator ride. This Park was full with visitors, thus navigating through the crowd for photography can be challenging, Every popular view points are taken up by their local photographers too. Despite dealing with crowds, I must say the views of these iconic floating which inspired the making of Movie Avatar are amazing. Simply unforgettable views making it a must see for the fans of the film.

Words and photos are too poor to describe breathtaking views in the park. We visited on 7-8 th of July 2025. First day arrived to Wulingyuan gate at 12pm, bought entrance and unlimited cable cars tickets onsite. Route to Tianzi, roughly 45 min line to cable car. Then 2 shuttle buses 30 min to Yuanjiajie scenic area, Avatar mountain, various viewing platforms and other sights. Then bus to south gate, cable car and long walk through the park to taxi area. Day 2 arrived at 14 with hope for no line for Bailong, and we were lucky - walked straight in. In july path between Hallelujah mountain and Bailong was closed, so to ride elevator you have to take shuttle bus from entrance, elevator up and down and bus back to entrance ( Wulingyuan). I heard about crowds and lines for each shuttle bus and attraction in the morning, so we chose to come in afternoon. Less crowded, no lines for buses, you can easily take pictures alone. Honestly unlimited rides are not a must, to make it worth it we took Yuangjiajie cable car 3 times 😅

Absolutely spectacular scenery and wonders of nature. This place has been exposed to the world by genius design of the extraordinary infrastructure that made it possible to access this place. The whole GEOPARK is beautifully managed and provides great facilities.

The natural beauty of this park is terrific, but our experience at the bailong lift was hot, muggy, and so crowded we could barely see anything worth standing in line for. We had clearer views from elsewhere in the park. Ticketing is confusing and overpriced compared to other global natural parks. When I tried to get on the bus to exit the park, the face ID scanner did not work. One of the park personnel was rude with me, yelling "GO" without taking a moment to understand that the machine was not working. There are many beautiful parks in the world where I have not been yelled at, or stood in non air conditioned lines. We paid $140 USD for full tickets to the park, where other national parks (without this kind of crowd) have charged me less than $20 for nicer walks. This park is beautiful but it is not ready for global tourism.