Guide: This national park inspired the ‘Avatar’ Hallelujah Mountains

Have you seen James Cameron’s Avatar? The movie’s setting was inspired by Zhangjiajie’s unique rock formations that seem to float on air. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park was catapulted into the spotlight with the release of the movie in 2009.

Zhangjiajie City is situated in Hunan Province; it features a variety of terrains: upland regions, mountains, karst formations, and plains. However, the main draw is the park where visitors can see the inspiration for Avatar.

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China recognized Zhangjiajie National Forest Park as its first national forest park in 1982. It is part of the bigger Wulingyuan Scenic Area, which UNESCO deemed a World Heritage Site in 1992. The most recognizable feature of the park is the pillar-like rock formations. It resembles karst, but the terrain doesn’t have any underlying limestones and wasn’t formed by chemical dissolution, which are important features of limestone karst.

All photos by Joshua Berida

 

Suggested Itinerary

You can visit Tianmen Mountain first before exploring Zhangjiajie National Park. Explore the different parts of the former within 5 to 6 hours. The mountain provides you with stunning bird’s eye views of the surrounding mountains and the town below.

Walk on the cliffside paths to get a good view of the different parts of the mountain. There is also a temple that has a small park in it where you can rest and relax after spending a few hours walking. There are also short glass walkways which only cost RMB 5 to enter. Seeing through the path you’re walking on is novel and exciting, it feels like you’re walking on the clouds.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park has different sections; you can explore each part over 3 to 4 days. If you’re pace is fast and you start early in the day (at around 8 am), you’ll be able to cover two parts in one day. You have to account for travel time because there are different entrances for each part. These may take time to reach, approximately 30 minutes to more than an hour, depending on where you’re coming from.

Zhangjiajie City is around an hour from Wulingyuan Scenic Area and the entrance to the National Park by public bus, travel time is shorter if you hire a private car to take you. The Wulingyuan area is one of the most popular and has some of the best rock formations in the park. If you are pressed for time, just choose that part of the park to explore.

From the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park entrance, you can visit the actual area that inspired Avatar‘s Pandora. It takes around two hours, if you walk up, to reach different viewpoints of the towering rock formations and the mountains. Another noteworthy section is the part where you can ride the lift up to a viewing point. The ride up costs RMB 72 and will take you to a spectacular viewing point of a group of pillar-like rock formations. A walk around this part will take you to other platforms where you can see more rock formations and walk on a natural bridge.

If you want to reduce time spent traveling from one entrance to the next, choose accommodations in Wulingyuan town. From there, you can just walk to the entrance. There are buses inside that take you to different parts of the park, and they are included in the price of the ticket.

How to Get to Zhangjiajie

• By air

Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport is the entry point for those flying into town. There are flights to and from Zhangjiajie from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi’an and other cities. If you don’t have much time flying in is your best option. To save money, book flights months or weeks in advance.

• By land

If you have time and want to experience land travel in China, taking the bus or train is the way to go. Zhangjiajie Railway Station is your likely stop if you arrive by train. Some of the cities that have a direct train to Zhangjiajie are Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi’an. I took the train from Guilin, but had to transfer in Liuzhou before reaching Zhangjiajie. If you travel by train, book your tickets a day or so in advance so that you get the sleeping berth instead of a hard seat. It will make a difference on how comfortable the trip will be, as it takes around 12 hours one way.

How much will you need?

Your biggest expense while exploring Zhangjiajie will be for transportation and admission tickets. The price of the ticket for Zhangjiajie National Park (where you can see the Avatar mountains) is RMB 248. The ticket is valid for 4 days, and if you want to explore the different sections of the park at a leisurely pace, you’ll need all 4 days. If you want to take the cable cars or elevator going up, which will save you time and energy, it will cost you approximately RMB 72.

The entrance fee for Tianmen Mountain is RMB 261, and it’s valid only for the day you bought it. It includes transportation going up and down the mountain. You have the option to take the cable car up and the bus down, and vice versa, or take the bus up and down the mountain. Regardless of the option you take, the price of the ticket is still the same.

If you’re on a budget, you’ll spend approximately P2000 per day, which will include lodging, food, transportation, and entrance tickets.

What to wear

In spring, you can wear light clothing, but still bring a jacket, just in case it rains. When it rains, the temperature drops, especially once you get higher up the park. On clear days and during the summer, it can get really hot, which means you can wear shirts and even shorts. You’ll mostly walk on paved walkways and stairs; you don’t even need to wear hiking shoes to explore the park, wearing rubber shoes are fine. Take note that some tourists wore jeans and dresses during their tour around the mountains.

Best Time to Visit

The best times to visit the park is from late spring to autumn – spring and summer provide warm and cool weather and the possibility of seeing the sea of clouds wrapped around the towering rock formations because of occasional rain. Autumn gives a different look to the park because of the changing hues of the plants and trees. Exploring the park during winter isn’t recommended, but if you want to see the mountains covered in snow, this season is a good time to go. However, prepare for the cold days and nights while in town and in the park.

 – Rappler.com

Joshua Berida is a full time writer, part-time wanderer with insatiable wanderlust. He plans his next trip during a current one. He plans on exploring the Philippines and beyond. Read about his adventures on thewanderingjuan.net