Explore Xiangxi | Zhangjiajie + Fenghuang Ancient Town 5-Day 4-Night Highlights Tour

Welcome to Zhangjiajie. Our driver will greet you at the airport/train station exit and take you to your hotel for check-in and rest. After that, you are free to arrange your time as you wish — you can rest at the hotel to relieve the fatigue of travel, or take a stroll around the neighborhood. Suggested ways to arrive 1. By plane: Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport (DYG) has many direct international routes, such as Malaysia (4h55m), South Korea (3h35m), etc., as well as many direct domestic routes, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, etc. Transportation is extremely convenient. 2. By train: Zhangjiajie's rail connections are also well developed. You can take the high-speed rail to Zhangjiajie from cities such as Changsha (2-4h), Fenghuang Ancient Town (1h), Beijing (11h), Shanghai (9h), Guilin (7h), and Guangzhou (13h15m).

Today you will have a full day to explore Wulingyuan Scenic Area. First, you will visit China's first national forest park - [Zhangjiajie National Forest Park]. Take the scenic area mini-train through scenery resembling traditional Chinese ink paintings and enjoy the truly beautiful views of Ten-Mile Gallery. It is recommended to take the mini-train directly to the terminal, then walk back slowly while enjoying the scenery along the way. Afterward, continue by scenic shuttle bus to the Bailong Elevator, known as the "World's No. 1 Elevator." This elevator once broke the Guinness World Record for the highest outdoor elevator and is also the fastest and heaviest outdoor sightseeing elevator. It takes only 66 seconds to smoothly transport you from the foot of the mountain to the top, letting you experience the thrill and excitement of rising from a deep valley to the clouds in an instant. After reaching the mountaintop platform, you can take in the magnificent mountain scenery around you. Then hike into the real-life Pandora world - Yuanjiajie, which is a filming location for the movie "Avatar" and the real-life location of Hallelujah Mountain (originally named South Heaven Pillar). Here, you can walk along the trails and visit major attractions such as Mihun Terrace and the Back Garden in sequence. You can also immerse yourself in the fantastical peaks of Zhangjiajie as you walk, and gain a deeper understanding of Zhangjiajie's geological and landform features during your visit. Afterward, take the scenic shuttle bus to visit [Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve], known as the "King of Peak Forests." Here you will hike to Helong Park to visit the bronze statues of Marshal Helong and his warhorse, and enjoy the magnificent scenery of towering peaks from the nearby viewing platform. Then head to Dianjiang Terrace to overlook the spectacular scenery of the West Sea Peak Forest and feel the awe-inspiring view of numerous peaks standing like soldiers in formation. After the tour, return to the hotel to rest.

After breakfast, you will head to [Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon], hailed as "one of the most beautiful canyons in the world," and experience the world's longest and highest fully transparent glass bridge—the Yuntian Du Glass Bridge. This is the world's first cable-stayed glass suspension bridge with large-variable spatial cables, about 375 meters long and paved with 99 panes of fully transparent glass. From afar, the glass bridge is as thin as a cicada's wing, "invisible" amid the mountains, waters, and sky. The bridge deck is about 300 meters above the canyon floor. Walking on the bridge, you can take in the magnificent scenery of the entire grand canyon and look down at the deep canyon below—extremely thrilling and exciting. Afterward, head to [Baofeng Lake], whose surface is like a mirror. Baofeng Lake sits surrounded by mountains, its water emerald and clear, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and surrounding peaks, like an exquisite ink-wash painting. You can take an antique-style pleasure boat through the mountains and waters, immersively enjoying the beauty of the surrounding lake and mountain scenery and savoring leisurely, peaceful moments.

This morning, you will visit the Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park. Tianmen Mountain is about 8 kilometers from the center of Zhangjiajie. It is the most sacred mountain in western Hunan and a mountain suitable for visitors of all ages. You will take a cable car directly to the summit (about 30 minutes), and from the cable car you can take in the panoramic views of the 99-bend winding mountain road and the magnificent surrounding mountain scenery. After reaching the summit, you will begin two exciting cliffside walkway hikes. First, visit the fully transparent glass skywalk, 1.6 meters wide and 60 meters long. Walking on it feels like strolling above the clouds, with majestic mountain scenery beside you and a bottomless deep valley below, making it very thrilling. Afterward, walk the 1,600-meter Guigu Plank Road. The entire walkway clings to the cliffs like a giant dragon, and as you walk you can overlook the surrounding mountains, making the experience both thrilling and spectacular. Then visit Tianmen Temple, one of only five Buddhist temples in the world that preserves Buddha relics, and you can also go to the Yunmeng Immortal Summit, the highest point in Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area, where you can overlook the surrounding panorama. Then take the escalator to Tianmen Cave, the most unmissable attraction in Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area and the world's highest natural mountain-piercing cave. After sightseeing, you can choose to walk down the steep 999 steps or take the elevator directly to the cable car station, then ride the cable car down the mountain. Then travel by car (about 3.5 hours) or high-speed rail (1 hour) to Fenghuang Ancient Town. (Transfer note: If the group size is small, we may arrange for the guide to accompany everyone on the high-speed rail between Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang Ancient Town.) Fenghuang Ancient Town is one of the most beautiful ancient towns in China, famous for its simple ancient town appearance, diverse folk culture, and beautiful scenery. The ancient town nestles against the mountains and beside the water, with the Tuo River flowing through it. The bluestone streets in the town, the stilted houses by the Tuo River, the many ancient buildings, and the strong Miao ethnic flavor together create a unique western Hunan charm. After arriving at the ancient town, you can take a boat along the Tuo River and enjoy the scenery along the banks in an immersive way. When night falls, the ancient town's night view is also superb. You can stroll through the ancient town and admire the brightly lit night scenery, look for and taste local specialty snacks, or experience the town's distinctive bars.

This morning, you can follow your guide to explore in depth 【Fenghuang Ancient Town】, which is internationally renowned thanks to the famous literary work Border Town. You can visit the Former Residence of Shen Congwen, a famous Chinese writer and the author of Border Town. The residence preserves original manuscripts and other personal belongings. Strolling through it, you can gain a deeper understanding of the story between this literary master and the ancient town, and you can also admire the simple and elegant courtyard-style residential architecture of southern China. Afterwards, you can head to the nearby East Gate Ancient City Tower, where you can stand atop the tower and overlook the ancient town and the panoramic view of the Tuo River. Finally, the iconic attraction of Fenghuang Ancient Town — Hongqiao Bridge — is not to be missed. Built over the Tuo River, Hongqiao Bridge is the best spot for photographing the reflections of the densely packed stilted houses on both banks in the water. In addition, on both sides of Hongqiao Bridge there are various teahouses and shops selling local specialty handicrafts. You can browse around and look at the exquisite goods with strong local characteristics, and you can also watch local Miao silversmiths and batik artisans at work on site. After the tour, this wonderful and interesting small-group tour of Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang Ancient Town will come to an end. Our driver will take you back to Zhangjiajie's airport or train station for your next destination.