8 Days Jiuzhaigou Zhangjiajie Tour with Panda Visit
Breathtaking Fairyland & Avatar World
Breathtaking Fairyland & Avatar World
China's diversity cannot be appreciated in a single tour, but China's natural essence can be experienced in one go. Want an unbelievable nature-savoring trip? Just go Jiuzhaigou and Zhangjiajie – symbols of two distinct natural wonders of China.
This 8 days tour with elaborately-arranged itinerary takes you to admire the best parts of Jiuzhaigou and Zhangjiajie. Starting from Chengdu, you also get an opportunity to have a close encounter with Giant Pandas before a nonstop flight to Jiuzhaigou and a full day’s once-in-a-lifetime journey in Jiuzhaigou Valley. The crystal alpine lakes, rushing waterfalls and multi-colored leaves in the valley undoubtedly throw you in an otherworldly fairyland. Leaving Jiuzhaigou, you will get another superb experience among the highly-soaring Avatar floating Mountains in Zhangjiajie. Of course, it’s impossible to limit Zhangjiajie’s charm to mere mountains – you won’t miss the largest glass bridge, the jaw-dropping sky walk, steep mountain steps, etc.
Day 1 Chengdu Arrival
Chengdu Airport or Train Station Pick-up
Welcome to Chengdu, the hometown of the Giant Panda. Your local guide will meet you at the airport/train station and then escort you to your hotel in a private vehicle. The rest of today is yours to relax in the panda city on your own.
Arrival Ideas: Chengdu is only about 2~3 hours flying from the majority of big cities in China, such as Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shanghai, etc. You can also get to Chengdu by high speed trains from Xian (4hrs), Chongqing (1hrs), Guilin (6hrs), Kunming (6hrs), etc.
Our tour guide picked up guests at Chengdu East Railway Station
Day 2 Chengdu - Jiuzhaigou (B)
Today's highlights: Giant Panda Base
This morning you will make a stirring visit to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding which is not only the most important panda scientific research center, but also dwelling home for more than 100 Giant Pandas. Walk at leisure through the bamboo framed paths, and closely observe giant pandas of different ages eating bamboos, playing with each other, tumbling, climbing trees, etc. Be sure to not miss the chance to visit the most adorable panda babies in the nursery rooms and panda kindergartens. There is also a very informative Panda Museum for you to learn more scientific facts about Giant Pandas.
Leaving cute Giant Pandas, our tour guide will escort you to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to catch your flight(about 1 hour) to Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport. Upon your arrival the airport, the local guide will meet you at Jiuhuang Airport and escort you to your hotel.
Day 3 Jiuzhaigou (B)
Today's highlights: beautiful lakes and rushing waterfalls in Jiuzhaigou Valley
Today, get up early, and throw yourself into the fairyland Jiuzhaigou Valley which is well-known not only as a national park, but also a UNESCO World Heritage. Having been hidden as a mysterious and never been bothered by outsider until been found in the middle of 20th century, all the forests, lakes, waterfalls, landforms in the national park still remains the wild original looks. It gets its name from having Nine Tibetan Fortified Villages in the region.
Jiuzhaigou is known for having the most beautiful waterscape in China which is hidden in three beautiful valleys - Rize Valley, Shuzheng Valley and Zechawa Valley. It presents various color patterns of white, blue, green, turquoise and emerald in different season. According to the statistics, there are 114 lakes, 47 springs, 17 groups of waterfalls, 11 rapids and 5 tufa shoals within three valleys. Regular travel route is to visit the Shuzheng Valley after entering the park, next go to Zechawang Valley on the west, and last tour the Rize Valley.
Day 4 Huanglong - Chengdu (B)
Today's highlight: Huanglong National Park
After breakfast, the guide will meet you at hotel and escort you to visit Huanglong National Park.
Famous for incredible calcified scenery, Huanglong is a 7.5 kilometers long, 1.5 kilometers wide gentle-slope valley on the Xuebao Peak (Xuebao Snow Mountain). Vast yellow travertine landforms exist in the valley, and look like a yellow dragon. This is how the valley gained the name as Huanglong (Yellow Dragon). The travertine scenery was created by the thousands years of geological evolution, including glacial revolution, terrane movement, chemical reaction, climate changing, etc. It covers a total length of 3.6 kilometers. At the top(3990m) of the valley lies the best highlight - Five-Color Ponds consisting of 693 ponds of different sizes, shapes, colors, just looking like beautiful emeralds.
To save your energy and time, you will take a quick and convenient cable car directly to the top, and then walk down the valley to enjoy the scenery. After about 4-hour sightseeing in Huanglong National Park, you will drive about two hours to Jiuzhaigou. Stay overnight in Jiuzhaigou.
After sightseeing, you will be escorted to Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport to have another 1 hour's flight back to Chengdu.
High Altitude Tips: since the attractions of Huanglong National Park are located more than 3,000 meters above the sea level, travelers should prepare well for the high altitude sickness. Keep a good healthy condition before your tour and rest well especially the first night of arrival. When walking in the valley, don’t go too rush. If you feel hard to breathe, you can stop in the tourist service center to rest and get oxygen supply.
Day 5 Chengdu - Zhangjiajie (B)
Transfer from Chengdu to Zhangjiajie by Flight
After breakfast, your guide and driver will escort you Chengdu Shuangliu Airport for your flight to Zhangjiajie City (about 1.5 hour usually). After your arrival, your local tour guide will meet you with a sign on which says your name at the arrival hall in the airport or train station. Then our 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.
(Please note: As there is only a few flights from Chengdu to Zhangjiajie for a week, if there are no tickets available, you may change your transfer into via places like Changsha, Guangzhou, Nanjing, etc. according practical situation. Please know detailed option arrangement from our travel expert when booking the tour!)
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 6 Zhangjiajie National Forest Park - Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge (B)
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.
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 back to your hotel in Wulingyuan. Have a good sleep!
Day 7 Yuanjiajie - Tianzi Mountain (B)
Bailong Elevator - Avatar Mountain - Yuanjiajie - Tianzi Mountain
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 tour, your guide and driver will escort you to Zhangjiajie downtown area to check in your hotel.
Optional evening Activities: Enjoy your night to watch the popular Tianmen Fox Fairy Show at the foot of Tianmen Mountain, which is an excellent large-scaled musical drama performance with real landscape being the background and stage telling the touching story. Performance time: 20:15-21:50.
Day 8 Tianmen Mountain National Park & Zhangjiajie Departure (B)
Tianmen Cable Car - Tianmen Temple - Glass Skywalk - Ghost Valley Plank Road - Tianmen Cave - Avenue toward Heaven - Flight / Train off Zhangjiajie
After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. On this day, you will make a great trip to Tianmen Mountain, another magnificent national forest park in Zhangjiajie City.
First transfer to take the Tianmen Mountain Cable Car and ascend from Zhangjiajie downtown up to the peak of Tianmen Mountain of over 1,400 meters above the sea. Travel by the about 7,455 meters long cableway that is so far the longest one among the whole world and have a shocking look at the wandering Avenue toward Heaven from the glass. Then, take the Forest Sightseeing Cable Car to visit Tianmen Temple originated from Tang Dynasty on the mountain peak, which is one of the only world 5 Buddhist temples preserving the Buddha body relics. Walk around the temple cluster to appreciate the featured Qing Dynasty styled Buddhist structure with verdant forest surrounding by.
And then, hold your breath to take two scary walks on the cliff path circling the mountain body. One is the 60-meter long and 1.6-meter wide Glass Skywalk with transparent glass material 1430 meters above the bottomless valley, which makes you feel walking in the air in sunny days and fairyland in misty and cloudy days, while another must be the 1600-meter long Ghost-Valley Plank Road hanging on the cliff. Just step on and test!
After that, take the escalator from the peak down to Tianmen Cave to see the giant hole on the mountain. Formed by natural pressing and collapsing into 131.5 meters high, 57 meters wide and 60 meters deep, this cave is really a rare wonder of the world. Next, walk downstairs along the super steep 999-steps with the highest inclination up to 45°, which is the only access to Tianmen Cave from the foot of the mountain for a lot of prayers worshiping there. Lastly, walk several minutes to take a cable car to descend the mountain.
Travel tips: For safety reasons, the Ghost-Valley Plank Road and Tianmen Cave may be closed in winter if there are heavy snows, freezing weather or regular maintenance. Your travel consultant and tour guide will adjust your itinerary accordingly.
After the exciting scenic and adventurous 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
"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.
Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.
Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!
After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.
Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.
We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.
Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.
Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.
Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!
Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!
Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.
Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!
In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!
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!
Our tour guide picked up guests at Chengdu East Railway Station
Get Close with Cute Giant Pandas
Chubby Giant Panda at Chengdu Panda Base
Nuorilang Waterfall
Beautiful Long Lake in Summer (November)
Jiuzhaigou in autumn - world of colors
Huanglong Five-Color Ponds
Huanglong National Park Landscape
Zhangjiajie City View
Xibu Street Night View
Huangshi Village Taken by Our Client Keena from USA in September 2020
Keena from USA - Golden Whip Stream
Mr. Pasquale from Italy - Zhangjiajie Grand Cayon Glass Bridge
Allan's Family from Canada - Bailong Elevator
Millicent's group from USA - Hallelujah Mountain at Yuanjiajie
Chona from Philippines - Tianzi Mountain, Zhangjiajie
Allan's Family from Canada - Cable Car to Tianmen Mountain
Keena from USA - Zigzag Road in Tianmen Mountain
Mona from Germany - Tianmen Cave of Tianmen Mountain
Ronit from Israel - Glass Skywalk, Tianmen Mountain
Chengdu can be reached easily by flight or high speed train from many big cities of China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Xian, Chongqing, etc. Besides, there are also frequent international or regional flights from San Francisco, Singapore, Melbourne, Kathmandu, Paris, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc. and some non-scheduled flights from Sydney, Dubai, Frankfurt, Madrid and Moscow to Chengdu.
It is suitable to visit Chengdu, Jiunzhaigou and Zhangjiajie at any time in a year, but the best traveling seasons are (March ~ May) Spring and Autumn (September ~ November) when the temperature is most mild and comfortable. If you want to see the colorful world of Jiuzhaigou Valley, travel in October and November. Winter is a good time to avoid crowds and many places Jiuzhaigou and Zhangjiajie will be covered by snow which is awesome for a photography tour.
For spring and autumn, light sweaters, long shirts and long pants are suggested for Chengdu and Zhangjiajie trip. In summer, shirts and shorts are enough, besides, it is advised to prepare light coats for lower temperature in early morning and at night. In winter, it is a little cold, and down jackets, sweaters, warm pants and socks, scarves, gloves, etc. are better to keep warm. Remember to wear comfortable shoes or sneakers, because you will have a lot of steps to walk around those natural scenic spots. Besides, bring sunblock, sunglasses and hat to protect your skin and eyes. Becuase of the large temperature difference between day and night of Jiuzhaigou and Zhangjiajie, you need to keep warm in early morning and night.
In Chengdu, there are lots of different kinds of hotels ranging from international brands to boutique style and providing you easeful stay. First-timers are strongly suggested to accommodate in the downtown area with most convenient transportation, shopping malls and great restaurants.
Jiuzhaigou offers some choices of hotels from economy 3-star hotels to top luxury 5-star international brand hotels as well, such as Sheraton Jiuzhai Resort, Intercontinental Resort Jiuzhai Paradise, etc. As Jiuzhaigou Valley is about 1 hour's drive from Jiuzhaigou County and there is no hotel within the scenic area, the best place to stay in Jiuzhaigou is the hotels near Jiuzhaigou Alley entrance.
During your Zhangjiajie tour, you can stay in Wulingyuan Town, Zhangjiajie downtown area or Zhangjiajie downtown area. For your several days discovering Wulingyuan Scenic Area, we suggest you arrange the hotel at Wulingyuan Town, which needs only 10 minutes to Wujiayu Ticket Station and 20 minutes to Forest Park Ticket Station by car.
Wulingyuan Scenic Area include four parts: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (Huangshi Village and Golden Whip Stream), Yuanjiajie, Tianzi Mountain and Yangjiajie. Travelers usually spend about two days exploring this vast area - one day to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, and the other day to Yuanjiajie & Tianzi Mountain.
To travel further with thrilling experience, many travelers would like to spend one more day to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon with Glass Bridge; and if you want to travel in a relaxing way, you can only go and challenge Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge over the Grand Canyon, and take an enjoyable visit to Baofeng Lake with boat experience passing through the incredible peaks or explore Yellow Dragon Cave underground.
Besides the Wulingyuan exploration, many travelers choose to spend one day in Zhangjiajie downtown area for a visit to Tianmen Mountain. To sum up, Zhangjiajie is a great destination well worth your time for 3 to 5 days visiting. You can combine some of them based on your likes, or tell us your needs to us and our travel consultants are glad to help you design your Zhangjiajie trip.
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