How To See The Best Of Zhangjiajie Forest Park

Where To Stay

Before we get into the itinerary, the first decision you need to make is where to base yourself.

Here are the options:

• Zhangjiajie Town — This is the main town with the airport and train station. Even though it has the same name as the park, it’s located 30 kilometers south of it. I decided to stay here because I also wanted to visit Tianmen Mountain, and the cable car for that is located in the middle of town. I can recommend Hotel California as a great place to stay. The owner is super helpful.
• Wulingyuan Town — This is a small town right outside the east entrance of the forest park. It has plenty of hotels and restaurants, so you can stay here if you want to be right outside the park for easy access.
• Zhangjiajie National Forest Park — There’s one hotel directly inside the park and it’s called YOLO Resort. Staying here can be advantageous if you want to beat the crowds and also watch the sunrise and sunset after hours. Next time, I think I’ll do that.
  
  

 By Taxi

This is an easy option and it’s not very expensive compared to western prices. Taxis are widely available in town, but you might want to make a booking the night before.

If you’re staying in Wulingyuan town, you can book a transfer from the airport here. Otherwise, if you’re staying in Zhangjiajie town, you can book a taxi to the park through your hotel, which is what I did.

You can also use a combination of bus and taxi. In other words, you can take a taxi to the park in the morning, and then go back to town with a bus in the evening.

That’s what I did, because I wanted to get an early start and didn’t want to risk missing the first bus of the morning, but also wanted to save some money getting back to town.

Another nice platform with 360 degree views

About This 2-Day Itinerary

Here’s a summary of my recommended route for the Zhangjiajie forest park:

• Day 1 — Yuanjiajie + Tianzi Mountain
• Day 2 — Golden Whip Stream + Huangshi + Old House Area

Areas Of The Park Explained

There are 5 main areas of the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.

In this itinerary, we’ll visit all of these areas at least briefly

• Yuanjiajie (袁家界) — Extremely popular area with a lot of great sights, including the world’s tallest outdoor elevator and the ‘Hallelujah Mountain’ from Avatar.