I just got back from Zhangjiajie, and I'm still buzzing from the experience.
Known for its "three thousand strange peaks and eight hundred beautiful waters," Zhangjiajie is like a magical and beautiful landscape painting 🖼️, stretching freely between heaven and earth. Every peak forest and every stream tells of nature's breathtaking artistry. March is the perfect time to visit Zhangjiajie, with pleasant weather and vibrant surroundings. Start your journey here and encounter the purest beauty of spring. Below is a super detailed travel guide for Zhangjiajie in March 📖.
🚗 Transportation Guide
- Airplane ✈️: Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport is very close to the city center and has flights to and from major cities. After getting off the plane, you can take the airport bus or a taxi to the city center, which takes about 30 minutes.
- Train/High-speed Rail 🚄: Zhangjiajie has two railway stations: Zhangjiajie Railway Station and Zhangjiajie West Railway Station. It's very convenient to get to the city center from Zhangjiajie Railway Station, with multiple bus routes available. Zhangjiajie West Railway Station is a high-speed rail station, and transportation is also very convenient. You can take a bus or a taxi to the city center.
- Local Transportation 🚌: There are many bus routes in Zhangjiajie that can take you to various scenic spots. If you want more freedom and convenience, you can also choose to take a taxi or rent an electric scooter 🛵 to experience the city's vibrant atmosphere.
🏞️ Must-See Attractions
1. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park 🌳
- Tickets: CNY 228/person.
- Opening hours: 7:00 - 18:00.
- Features: This is the core scenic area of Zhangjiajie, with unique peaks, deep canyons, streams, and waterfalls. Every step is a scene, as if you have stepped into a fairyland. The Hallelujah Mountain in Yuanjiajie, shrouded in clouds and mist, looks like it's floating in the air, dreamlike and ethereal. The Golden Whip Stream winds down along the mountain peaks, with crystal-clear water and lush trees along the banks, like a green ribbon.
2. Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park 🌁
- Tickets: CNY 278/person (including cable car, shuttle bus, etc.).
- Opening hours: 8:00 - 16:30.
- Features: It has the world's longest high-altitude passenger cableway. Sitting on the cable car, you can overlook the magnificent scenery of Zhangjiajie. Tianmen Cave is a landmark attraction of Tianmen Mountain. The huge cave cuts through the mountain and is extremely spectacular. There is also a thrilling glass walkway. Walking on it, with a bottomless abyss beneath your feet, is both frightening and exhilarating.
3. Grand Canyon Glass Bridge Scenic Area 🌉
- Tickets: Grand Canyon ticket + Glass Bridge ticket CNY 219/person.
- Opening hours: 8:00 - 17:00.
- Features: The glass bridge spans the Grand Canyon and is several hundred meters long. Walking on the transparent glass bridge, you feel like you're suspended above the canyon, with the beautiful scenery of the canyon beneath your feet. The Grand Canyon has numerous waterfalls, deep canyons, and fresh air, making it a natural oxygen bar.
4. Huanglong Cave 🕳️
- Tickets: CNY 103/person.
- Opening hours: 8:00 - 17:30.
- Features: This is a huge underground cave system. The cave is filled with various peculiar karst landscapes such as stalagmites, stone pillars, and stalactites. Under the colorful lights, it looks like a magical underground palace. Take a boat tour of the underground river and experience the mysterious atmosphere.
5. Baofeng Lake 💧
- Tickets: CNY 96/person.
- Opening hours: 8:00 - 17:00.
- Features: Known as a "classic world lake," Baofeng Lake has emerald green water and is surrounded by mountains and unique peaks. Take a boat tour to enjoy the beautiful scenery and listen to the Tujia folk songs, experiencing the rich ethnic customs.
6. Tianzi Mountain Scenic Area 🌄
- Tickets: Included in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park ticket.
- Opening hours: 7:00 - 18:00.
- Features: Known as the "King of Peak Forests," the mountain peaks here have unique shapes, and the clouds and mist change unpredictably. From the Tianzi Pavilion, you can overlook the beautiful scenery of the entire Tianzi Mountain. The continuous peak forests appear and disappear in the clouds and mist, like a traditional Chinese ink painting.
7. Yangjiajie Scenic Area 🗻
- Tickets: Included in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park ticket.
- Opening hours: 7:00 - 18:00.
- Features: Known for its "strangeness, danger, beauty, tranquility, and wildness," the Wulong Village in the scenic area is strategically located and was once a bandit stronghold, full of mystery. The stone forest spectacle of Tianbo Mansion is even more amazing. Standing on the viewing platform, you can see layers of stone peaks, majestic and imposing.
🍲 What to Eat
- Sanxia Guo 🥘: This is a Zhangjiajie specialty. It's a stew of bacon, pork tripe, beef tripe, lamb tripe, pig's feet, or pig's head meat with radish, cabbage, and other ingredients. It has a rich, spicy, and delicious flavor.
- Rock Ear Mushroom Stewed Chicken 🍗: Rock ear mushrooms grow on cliffs and are stewed with chicken. The soup is delicious and nutritious.
- Tujia Mixed Dishes 🥗: Made by stir-frying a variety of ingredients, including shredded meat, bean sprouts, vermicelli, and cabbage. It has a rich taste and is a very popular home-style dish.
- Lei Cha 🍵: Tea leaves, peanuts, sesame seeds, and other ingredients are ground into a paste, then brewed with boiling water. It has a fragrant taste and is refreshing. While enjoying the delicious food, you might as well have a bowl of Lei Cha to experience the unique Tujia culture.
- Cold Noodles 🥗: Zhangjiajie's cold noodles are smooth and refreshing, served with chili oil, vinegar, minced garlic, and other seasonings. They are sour, spicy, and appetizing, and are a very popular snack, especially suitable for hot weather.
🏠 Where to Stay
- City Center 🏙️: There are various accommodation options, and transportation and shopping are very convenient. You can choose hotels or guesthouses in the city center, with prices ranging from budget-friendly to luxurious. You can also visit the pedestrian streets in the city center at night and enjoy various cuisines.
- Near Scenic Areas 🌳: If you want more convenient access to the scenic areas, you can choose to stay in guesthouses or hotels near the entrance of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. This can save you time traveling to and from the scenic areas every day, and you can also enter the scenic areas early in the morning to avoid peak crowds. However, accommodation near the scenic areas is relatively expensive, so it's best to book in advance.
Zhangjiajie in March is full of vitality. Whether it's the stunning natural scenery or the unique food culture, it's all worth exploring. Pack your bags and take a spontaneous trip 🧳!
I visited on June 29, 2014. Golden Whip Stream adds a touch of vibrant energy to Zhangjiajie Forest Park. This gurgling stream originates deep within the scenic area and winds its way out from the secluded valley amidst the clouds. Golden Whip Stream is far from a monotonous stream. Strolling along its banks, breathing in the fresh air, gazing at the majestic mountains, and hearing the chirping of birds and monkeys, one feels incredibly refreshed. If you're lucky, you might even spot macaques drinking and playing in the stream.
I had never heard of Zhangjiajie Golden Whip Stream before, but I was stunned by its beauty. The total length is 7.5 kilometers. Because I was with the elderly, I had to use a sliding pole for the second half of the trip. The stream is clear and transparent, with many ups and downs. Small fish swim in the water, and it is clear and drinkable. The Golden Whip Stream runs through the mountains and valleys. Thousands of peaks stand on both sides, reaching the sky, with lush trees and thick shade. The scenery is so secluded that I dare not stay for long. There are many unique attractions along the route, such as Golden Whip Rock, Eagle Whip Guarding, Wenxing Rock, Zicao Pond, Qianli Xianghui, Tiaoyu Pond, etc. There are many more. The melodious singing of the Tujia girl is long-lasting. If it weren't for my wife and daughter, I might have had wild thoughts.
The lush and green Jinbian Creek has a flat path. In the canyon, it is quiet and peaceful, and you can occasionally see monkeys. These monkeys are not too wild, adding a lively atmosphere to the scenic area. There is also a place in the canyon that was filmed in Journey to the West. It is highly recommended to come here to play.
Zhangjiajie's Jinwhip Creek is one of the earliest scenic spots developed in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. It is a total length of 7.5 kilometers and is named for Jinwhip Rock. There is a trail along Jinwhip Creek that can be walked up the mountain all the time. Because Jinwhip Creek is at the bottom of the canyon, it will be very hot in summer, and it will be cooler to go up the mountain.
Enter from the gate of Zhangjiajie Forest Park, and walk about 300 meters forward to the entrance of Golden Whip Stream. The first place we went to was Golden Whip Stream, from which we can walk all the way to Yuanjiajie on the Bailong Ladder. Golden Whip Stream is named after the Golden Whip Rock on the bank of the stream. It is 5.7 kilometers long and takes about 2 hours to tour. This is the mountain tour line of Zhangjiajie, and it is recommended to visit it before going up the mountain. Golden Whip Stream is the location for the filming of the 1986 version of "Journey to the West". The whole canyon is winding and quiet, moving with the mountain, and Golden Whip Stream flows all the way under your feet, which is very cool during the walk. This is also a place where wild monkeys in Zhangjiajie often appear. You can see these cute elves all the way, but these monkeys are relatively not fierce and will not steal tourists' things. Looking up at the peaks and forests from here is also unique, and it is a place that must not be missed. There are numerous scenic spots in Jinbian Creek, among which Jinbian Rock, Shenying Protecting the Whip, Wenxing Rock, Zicaotan, Qianli Xianghui and Tiaoyutan are the most unique. Jinbian Creek is 7.5 kilometers long and the general tour time is about 2.5 to 3 hours. The Jinbian Creek is the most beautiful area in Wulingyuan, with fresh flowers and plants, birds singing, and people walking along the clear stream in Jinbian Creek are like being in a painting. The ticket for the forest park is 248 yuan, valid for 3 days, and is valid for Suoxiyu and Tianzi Mountain. Due to the large area of the scenic area, many beautiful scenic spots are remote. If you have limited physical strength, it is not recommended to visit all the attractions.
Golden Whip Stream is one of the earliest developed scenic spots in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. It originates from Tudiya in Zhangjiajie, winds from south to north, follows the mountain, meanders between peaks and valleys, and finally converges with Longwei Stream, Yuanyang Stream and Kuangdong Stream at Shuiraosimen. "Three thousand strange peaks and eight hundred beautiful waters", Jinbian Creek brings out the mountains and waters of Zhangjiajie to the fullest, and has the reputation of "flowing continuously during a thousand years of drought and turquoise water during ten thousand years of continuous rain"; the famous writer Mr. Shen Congwen praised it as "the girl of Zhangjiajie", and the famous painter Mr. Wu Guanzhong, the promoter of Zhangjiajie at that time, once praised it as "a fairy-tale world". The main tourist attractions of Jinbian Creek are: Guimen Rock, Guanyin Delivering a Child, Zhu Bajie Carrying His Wife on His Back, Drunken Arhat, Condor Protecting the Whip, Jinbian Rock, Huaguo Mountain, Water Curtain Cave, Splitting the Mountain to Save Mother, Candle Peak, Longevity Spring, Wenxing Rock, Zicaotan, Thousand-mile Meeting, Nanmuping, Camel Peak, and Water Circling Four Gates.