Avatar is one of my favorite sci-fi movies and I’m sure most of us can agree that the graphics are amazing. With that being said, what if I told you James Cameron’s inspiration for the floating mountains of Avatar is a real place? Zhangjiajie National Forest, also known as the Avatar mountains or Hallelujah mountains, is indeed a real, picture perfect, amazing place which can be seen in China. Located in the Hunan province this national park is like none I have ever witnessed before. I highly recommend everyone make time to visit this amazing place when traveling in China. Now, I will say The Avatar Mountains is not located in a major city and at times can be a little harder to navigate but don’t fear; I have included all the things I learned on my visit to help make yours a little easier!

How to get there…

The Hunan providence of China is located south of Beijing and Xian. The closest city to get to first is Zhangjiajie which is about 40 minutes from the Avatar Mountains. There are a few different options on getting here including flying, train, and bus. I personally flew from Xian as there was no direct train routes from here. My flight was just over an hour and cost less than $50usd. Once you arrive in Zhangjiajie you still have about 40minutes by bus to get to the national park itself depending on which area you are heading to. The most popular area for people to stay is Wulingyuan. There are several hotel options here as well as the main entrance to the Avatar Mountains There are direct buses from Zhangjiajie to Wulingyuan which costs 14 yuan one way. The bus station in Zhangjiajie is located by the train station, a taxi ride would be easiest to get to here from the airport. 

While Wulingyuan is the most popular there are several entrances to the park. I personally stayed near the Yuangjiajie entrance outside of Zhonghu. To get here I again went to the bus station and took the bus to Tianshenmen entrance, stopping at Zhonghu. My hostel picked me up in town and took me a few miles to where I was staying. I stayed within 10 minutes walk from the Yuangjiajie entrance and had beautiful Mountain View’s from my room. If interested more on this check out my where to stay below!

Getting into the park…

The cost of entry as of when I went in April of 2019 was 258yuan ($38usd). This includes entrance for 4 days and buses within the park. Make sure you keep your card as this is how you will re-enter the park each day. You can use this card at any entrance and as many times as you want within the 4 days. Once inside the park there are free buses that can take you from parking lot to parking lot. Note that if you are going to take cable cars or the elevator these are all extra per ride and not included in your entrance fee. Most are about 72yuan ($11usd) each way. 

Routes to take… 

I apologize now for the scribbles, my clear map got a little soaked…so here is the best map to realistically show where things are located with approximate times. All of the maps I looked at online were not even close to how the park looked. On the far left you will see the Yangjiajie entrance which is where I stayed. Next, on the right is Wulingyuan which is probably the most accessible and touristy. The numbers are approximate times, for the stair routes these are times calculating going up not down. I will say I thought some of the times were very accurate while others were not; for example, the golden whip stream estimated 2 hours and I walked it in just over 1 hour.

Day 1:

I was fortunate as the hostel I stayed at helped me plan each day and the best route to do so. With three days to explore I still managed to see most of the attractions. I split up my days by sections of the mountain. The first day I did the more middle and western region. Starting at Yangjiajie cable car up and walking around Hallelujah mountain peak. I then hiked over to Tianbo mansion (this was amazing as the fog was setting in) and down the Bali stairway. I did this in about 5 hours. If you stay in Wulingyuan the quickest way to the middle section would be by taking Baoling elevator. Remember each route you choose with cable cars and elevators is extra money! Most all the routes have nearby stairs some of which are much harder than others. I, for example, walked down the Bali stairs which were amazing and took about an hour. Going up this would be 2-3 hours though so plan your time accordingly if wanting to avoid cable cars. 

Day 2:

The second day I went to the north area of the park. I took the bus from Zhonghu to Tianshenmen cable way and went up to the monastery and back down the East cable car. Again if staying in Wulingyuan the east cable car station would be closest to get up to this area of the park. This side of the park did not take me that long and if prepared for a full 8 hour day could be done with the Hallelujah mountain section. I personally went out of the park to Baofeng lake for an hour as this was something I wanted to see as well. 

Day 3:

Finally, my last day I did the south section. Again entering through the Yangjiajie entrance and then took a bus to the monastery, hike down, and another bus to the next cable car station. I was going to walk down these stairs but the guy at my hostel said they were quite steep and as I had my full luggage pack with me I did not feel up to this. From here I went down another parking lot to walk the Golden Whip Stream back. The signs estimate the walk along the stream to be 3 hours total, my map estimate 2 hours, I however did it in just over 1 hour. I do walk quickly but stopped for several photo opportunities. After finishing this beautiful walk along the stream I was able to catch the bus back to Wulingyuan. I walked a couple blocks to the Wulingyuan bus station and rode back to Zhangjiajie at this point. 

Other things to see nearby…

Now there are several other big attractions nearby which are not located within the park itself and cost extra however are worth mentioning especially if you are spending more time in the area. There is the big glass bridge and caves outside of Wulingyuan which you can easily catch a bus to as these are major attractions. Baofeng lake is one I chose to see but in all honestly would have skipped it if I knew what it was like. (Pay 92yuan plus additional bus fee, ride to small lake and ride boat for 30 min then ride bus back). Lastly the other main attraction that you have also probably seen in several photos is Tianmen mountain. This is located outside Zhangjiajie and consists of the stairway to heaven, 99 turn road, longest cable car in the world and much much more. See below for more on Tianmen mountain. 

Where to stay…

I spent my first night in Zhangjiajie as I flew in at 11 at night from Xian. I stayed at Lovely Roof Inn which was perfect for what I was needing. For 92yuan ($13usd) a night I got a private room and bathroom near the bus and train station as well as being right across from Tianmen cable car station. I spent my last night in Zhangjiajie here as well and was very pleased. They spoke some English and helped write out instructions in Chinese for me to show to locals to help me get to my next hostel near the park. 

The couple nights I stayed near the national park at Mini Park Inn. This is outside Zhonghu and within 10 min walk to the Yangjiajie entrance to the park. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay! They picked me up from the bus stop in town (will pick up from Zhangjiajie for extra if book ahead) and were the perfect family owned place to stay. With a beautiful Mountain View and access to the park this is exactly what I was looking for. The son speaks very good english as well even though this is outside the city. For meals, you can order breakfast and dinner which the mother prepares for you at 35yuan ($5usd) a piece. I had a private room with balcony for about $22usd a night. If looking at booking this location be careful they also have a Mini Inn located in Zhangjiajie so make sure you book the correct one. 

When to go…

I decided to visit in the spring, early April, which was absolutely perfect. This area is very popular among Chinese tourists so if you go during holidays or summer expect very large crowds. Even when I was there I saw plenty of Chinese tour groups who pushed their way around. At this time the scenery was lush green and there were several flowers and trees in bloom. With that being said be prepared for rain as this is very common in the spring. My first two days it rained which brings in a lot of fog. The fog to me was great for photography and amazing to witness move through the mountains; however, if it’s too foggy visibility will be limited. Another great time to visit is the fall. Again the crowds will be lower and weather more mild. 

Tips when visiting the Avatar Mountains

• Pack snacks even though you will be able to find food on top
• Be aware of the monkeys they will for sure try to steal your food if not your phone or camera
• Get ready to climb stairs
• Plan at least 3 days to really get to see the park
• Have good shoes for walking as well as the potentially slick surfaces if it’s raining

Looking at spending some more time in China? Check out my top things to see and do in Beijing.