5 Days Fanjingshan Zhangjiajie Incredible Mountain Tour
Spectacular Landform, Peaks, Forest Parks in Wuling Mountain Ranges
Spectacular Landform, Peaks, Forest Parks in Wuling Mountain Ranges
Why should visitors put Fanjingshan and Zhangjiajie in one trip?
The unbelievable Fanjingshan in Guizhou Province and the incredible Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province are not far away, about 220 kilometers in between with about 5 hours’ transfer. Both Mount Fanjing and Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area were inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites for superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty, amazing and precious plants and animals and especially Fanjingshan is an outstanding example representing major stages of Earth’s history.
Fanjingshan and Zhangjiajie both belong to Wuling mountain ranges with different geologic structures and formations. Fanjingshan is the main and highest peak in the Wuling Mountain range with three erecting peaks standing peculiarly and majestically on the mountain area - Red Golden Summit, Old Golden Summit and Phoenix Golden Summit. While, there are more than 3000 quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks settled in Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan Scenic Area and many over 200 meters in height, along with many ravines and gorges with attractive streams, pools, lakes, rivers and waterfalls.
More beyond your imagination is Fanjingshan is one of the Five Sacred Buddhist Mountains in China and the Bodhimanda of the Maitreya Buddha with profound Buddhist history over 1300 years. However, Zhangjiajie is exciting outdoor paradise with thrilling experience, like challenge yourselves to walk through Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, immerse into the real world of Avatar...
Alternative Plan: Since Zhangjiajie has relatively convenient transportation than Fanjingshan, part of travelers may visit Zhangjiajie first and then head to Fanjingshan. If you are interested in this plan, you can take our 7 Days Zhangjiajie Fenghuang Fanjingshan Tour. Feel free to to select.
Day 1 Fanjingshan Arrival
Pick up in Tongren - Transfer to Fanjingshan
Welcome to Tongren! Upon your arrival, your local guide and driver will meet you at the arrival hall in the airport / train station. And then escort you directly to your hotel around Fanjingshan (about 1.5 hours) and help you check in. The rest of the day is on your own to explore the surrounding part of the sacred beautiful mountain. Have a nice sleep to prepare for the hiking exploration of Mount Fanjing on the next day!
Arrival Ideas: Visitors heading for Tongren can take a flight from domestic cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Guilin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Kunming, Xiamen, etc. Besides, you can get to Tongren South Railway Station by bullet trains from Guiyang (1.5-2hrs), Kaili (1hr), Huaihua (1-2hrs), Chongqing (6.5hrs), Changsha (2-2.5hrs), Chengdu (5hrs), Guangzhou (5hrs), etc. or to Tongren Railway Station by overnight trains from Chengdu (11-11.5hrs), Guangzhou (14.3hrs), Changsha (13hrs), etc. Please feel free to contact us for the arrival info from your destination to Tongren.
Fantastic Aerial View of Fanjingshan
Day 2 Fanjingshan (B, L)
Fanjingshan Sightseeing Bus - Cable Car - Mushroom Stone - Old Golden Summit - Red Clouds Golden Summit - Chengen Temple - Transfer back to Tongren
Good morning! After breakfast, your guide and driver will meet you at your hotel. Then, you will be driven not far to the entrance of Fanjingshan to discover this world well-known fantastic holy mountain along the popular south route for about 7 hours.
Fanjingshan National Nature Preserve was listed as the UNESCO World Natural Heritage in 2018 with the peculiar conspicuous mountains formation in sea of karst retained from the remote era 65-2 million years ago and praised as the No.5 Buddhist Mountain in China for being the place of enlightenment of Buddha Maitreya.
Enter the mountain and take a sightseeing bus for about 20 minutes to Yu’ao Station and continue to take the cable car there to catch a bird’s eye view of the dense emerald forest of Mount Fanjing during another 20 minutes in the air. Now, start your hiking from the Forest Hiking Road with 45 minutes up to witness the famous Mushroom Stone. It is the landmark of Fanjingshan and draws people’s follow by its unbelievable image of the bigger top quadrate putting off center on the smaller quadrate bottom, which forms like a mushroom vividly and seems easy to fall. However, for one million years, it just stands so still there after centuries of rain, snow, wind and sunburn. Remember to take a standard photo of tourists with it!
Then, continue to hike for about 30 minutes to the Old Golden Summit and walk up to its peak. With an elevation of 2,494 meters, it is the best observation deck to appreciate the panorama of Fanjingshan with layers of forest of strange shaped stones, rolling verdant mountain range, and vegetation forest in light and dark green. Also, from the summit, you will see the iconic Red Clouds Golden Summit clearly from a distance.
Then, walk down gradually to admire the natural scenery along the way to visit the sacred Buddhist attractions including Wanming Cave, Buddha Worshipping Stage, Monk Pagoda, Pudu Square, etc. You will not miss the Cheng En Temple that was built first from the Ming Dynasty and one of the four royal temples at Fanjingshan. Walk in the major temple with solemn scarlet walls and dark tiles, worship among the about 10 halls, and imagine the rising and falling and recovery of Fanjingshan’s Buddhist status in the past hundreds of years.
Here, take your challenge to hike along the narrow, steep and rough steps with iron chain up to Red Clouds Golden Summit that shows particularly often on Fanjingshan photographs. This thumb-like peak is a world rare miracle erecting about 100 meters high from the flatter mountain bed millions of years ago and is separated with two peaks and a gorge by natural wearing and with a bridge linked between. After reaching the top, visit the appealing Temple of Buddha, the bridge and Maitreya Temple in sequence to feel walking from present to the future in Buddhist belief. While witnessing the hard-to-believe difficulty of building houses on such a steep crest, stand on the peak to command the panoramic view of Fanjingshan and enjoy the feeling of being in the “space in the sky”. (Note: You can choose to go up or not considering your physical condition at that time. Just tell your needs to the guide.)
After the physical consuming hiking, walk by Jingxin Pool and go to see Wanbao Rock. You will truly believe Fanjingshan was in fact a part of ocean in the remote 1.4 million years ago by the strong proof of the cobbles, shells, paleontological fossils, and so on left within the shale rock there.
After the amazing sightseeing hiking exploration, take the cable car and sightseeing bus down to exit Fanjingshan Scenic Area. You will be driven to Tongren City for accommodation. Have a good sleep!
Day 3 Tongren & Train to Zhangjiajie (B)
Take a Train to Zhangjiajie from Tongren & Transfer to Wulingyuan for Accommodation
On this day, you are free until be escorted to Tongren Railway Station for your train to Zhangjiajie (about 5 hours). Upon arrival at Zhangjiajie Railway Station, the local guide and driver will transfer you directly to your hotel in Wulingyuan downtown in Zhangjiajie by our comfortable private car (non-smoking), and the guide will help you check in. The rest of today is on your own to explore this fabulous city in China.
Evening Idea: Xibu Street at Wulingyuan downtown is popular for a leisure walk. You can stroll at the Tujia ethnic flavored shopping pedestrian street to taste local snacks, find interesting artifacts and enjoy the beautiful night view with colorful lights.
Day 4 Zhangjiajie National Forest Park - Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge (B, L)
Huangshi Village - Golden Whip Stream - Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge - Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon
Today, after breakfast, you will be met by our guide and driver and then driven to start your exciting visit to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. You will first take the cable car up to Huangshi Village to appreciate the wide forest park on its peaks. The village site has an altitude of 1080 meters, which is praised for its similar charm of pillar forest of Colorado in the USA. Enjoying the flat the wide visual environment, it is so far the largest natural viewing deck for visitors for a perfect admiration of its various rising stones and hills. Enjoy your fresh walk to visit the top famous sights including Star Picking Stand, Five Finger Peak, and so on, and find those looking like a book box, bridge piers, nestling couple, etc. from a distance. Take cable car to get down.
Later, change your angle to explore the famous Golden Whip Stream deep in the valley. This totally 7.5 kilometers long brook is one of the most beautiful places in the whole forest park area. You’ll explore the essential part. Take an inspiring roam along the whispering pristine water on the paved path to immerse into tranquil wonderland with fresh air, colorful blooming flowers in different seasons, lush vegetation, etc. and be prepared to encounter with some wild monkeys.
After that, take a sightseeing bus to exit the park and be driven to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon for about 40 minutes. Now, its your bold moment to take the challenge and walk on the transparent Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge to feel like walking on the clouds, which is the world longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge so far in the whole universe, with total length of 430 meters and height of 400 meters above the deep valley. After the thrilling moment, take the elevators and enjoy the Nuokeli Slideway to the valley bottom for a cooling down and please your both eyes with the fascinating natural sceneries of the lush forest, emerald lake, various vegetation, etc. at the popular Rainbow Square, Momo Cave, the Holy Spring Lake, etc.
After the visiting, be driven for another 40 minutes back to your hotel in Wulingyuan. Have a good sleep!
Day 5 Yuanjiajie - Tianzi Mountain & Zhangjiajie Departure (B, L)
Bailong Elevator - Yuanjiajie (Avatar Mountain) - Tianzi Mountain - Flight / Train off Zhangjiajie
On this day, after breakfast, visit Wulingyuan to get more highlights. First take a sightseeing bus to experience Bailong Elevator, the fastest elevator and also the tallest outdoor elevator in the world. Enjoy the 1.5 minutes to be shot from the valley bottom up to the pillar peak. And then, hike amongst the multiple erupting stone columns at Yuanjiajie Scenic Area and open the mysterious “Pandora World”. During the exciting hike, get a good preparation to have an enviable look at the South Sky Pillar of around 150 meters high, the authentic prototype inspiring the “Avatar Hallelujah Mountain”; enjoy the best scenery at Enchanting Platform with tens and hundreds of beautiful stone peaks similar to a lot of nutritious bamboo shoots towering from the ground; also, closely watch the peculiar First Bridge of the World that is naturally made with an only 5-meter long stone platform linking the two peaks together to form the rare world wonder.
Then, take the sightseeing bus to visit Tianzi Mountain. Walk to He Long Park there, which is the best viewing deck to admire very closely the incredible and magnificent view of odd stone peaks standing one after another. Most appealing pictures of the four wonders of Tianzi Mountain are photographed there, including the mists and clouds, moonlight, rays of sunshine and winter snow. Also, step a little further to Tianzi Pavilion nearby to enjoy the marvelous view and terrific sightseeing of the Xihai Peak Forest from another angle of view. After that, take the cool Tianzi Mountain Cable Car down with groups of rockery hills passing by outside your glass window, and then take the sightseeing bus to exit Wulingyuan Park.
After the exciting scenic visit, our guide and driver will escort you to Zhangjiajie airport or train station to catch your flight/train to your next destination or home. Service ends!
1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 6.85. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.
Hi Mr Wang,
Thanks! I had a weekend away to Xi’an, China to celebrate my birthday. It was an exciting weekend and it was certainly something off the beaten trail for most of my friends. The itinerary you have suggested provided good coverage of the city’s rich history. From the fascinating Terracotta Army to the City Walls to the sacred Mount Hua, to the Muslim Quarter to the Drum & Bell Towers, there’s an interesting story from every historical era in Xi’an. I managed to hike up Mount Hua from North Peak to West Peak, but I didn’t get to do the dangerous plank walk as it was closed.
The hotel Eastern House was very accessible too with food places within steps and its proximity to the Drum Tower is a plus. The room was very clean and comfortable.
At this point, I have to quickly mention our amazing tour guide Betty Jiao Yan who was assigned to us as part of our private tour package. She made our time feel so very special and I wonder if Xi'an would have been as awesome without her. She had such a positive and caring nature and when we had to say goodbye, we felt very sad. It was strange to miss a guide after only knowing her for 5 days! Luckily we still keep in touch on WeChat. Our driver Mr Ma was very polite, punctual and accommodating, making our travel a pleasant experience
Anne
Hi Jack,
Thanks. The Harbin and Snow Town trip was excellent and very enjoyable. We are now in Japan skiing, and will send our feedback upon our return on 31st Jan.
Best wishes
Leong
Hi Rita,
From my end, everything is remarkable! Jane is amazing! She really make us feel welcome.
All the hotels were amazing too! My parents also very impressed.
I will definitely reaching out again, next time when I visit China. There’s many more places I want to visit.
Best regards,
Jefry
Dear Rita,
We are home. Thanks for arranging this nice trip. Everything worked out nicely except the smoking room problem in Chengde.
Thanks again.
John
Hi Rita,
In response to your enquiries, we had a wonderful experience with the tour arrangements in both Guilin and Yangshuo. Both the tour guide and driver were very professional and handled the arrangements well.
I am surely recommending any friends or relatives who are interested in travelling to China in future to use China Discovery. Also, will be looking at other destinations for ourselves too.
Thanks once again for the wonderful experience.
Kwan
We are one of the few China travel agencies who have kept active and received lots of feedbacks and reviews during pandemic years
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The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.
If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.
Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.
We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.
The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.
There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.
All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!
Fantastic Aerial View of Fanjingshan -
Tongren Fenghuang Airport
Bizarre Fanjingshan Mushroom Stone - Jessica's Group from Malaysia
Red Clouds Golden Summit View from Old Golden Summit - Jessica's Group from Malaysia
Panorama of Sacred Cheng En Temple
Red Clouds Golden Summit at Fanjingshan
Fanjingshan Temple Built on the Crest
Challenging Steep Steps Up to Red Clouds Golden Summit
Snow Scenery of Wanbao Rock
Huangshi Village Taken by Our Client Keena from USA in September 2020
Keena from USA - Golden Whip Stream
Luliia from Russia - Wild Monkeys of Golden Whip Stream
Susa's Group from Germany - Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon
Allan's Family from Canada - Bailong Elevator
Millicent's group from USA - Hallelujah Mountain at Yuanjiajie
Chona from Philippines - Tianzi Mountain Cable Car, Zhangjiajie
Guiyang / Anshun / Kaili / Fanjingshan
Zhangjiajie / Fenghuang / Fanjingshan
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