See the stone pillars of Zhangjiajie, and plan around the crowds

What the experience is

In the north-west of Hunan province, a plateau of quartz sandstone has been cut by water and frost into thousands of separate pillars, many over 200 metres high, with pine trees growing from their tops and sides. Mist fills the gorges between them. Zhangjiajie became China’s first national forest park in 1982, and the wider area, Wulingyuan, has been a World Heritage site since 1992. Since the film Avatar drew on the landscape for its floating mountains, it has also been one of the busiest parks in the country.

The park is large, and a visit is a matter of order and timing. Yuanjiajie is the plateau from which the most famous pillars are seen. It is reached by the Bailong Elevator, a glass lift built on to the face of a cliff in 2002, 326 metres high, and it is one of the most crowded parts of the park. Tianzi Mountain is a higher viewpoint over a wide field of pillars, reached by cable car, and best at sunrise and after rain. The Golden Whip Stream is a level path along the floor of a gorge, with the pillars overhead; it is a calmer walk than the viewpoints, and many visitors skip it.

Planning around the crowds

The park cannot be seen alone at the busy times, but timing helps. Enter the park when it opens, go up to Yuanjiajie first or late in the afternoon, and walk the Golden Whip Stream in the middle of the day. Staying in Wulingyuan town, at the eastern gate, saves the morning queue. The national holiday weeks in early May and early October and the school holidays of July and August are the busiest.

When to go

April, May, September and October are usually the best months. In light mist the pillars look as they do in Chinese paintings; in heavy cloud little can be seen, so allow a spare day.

Good to know

Three days are useful: two for the park and one for Tianmen Mountain, a separate peak on the edge of Zhangjiajie city, and the glass bridge across the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, opened in 2016. Zhangjiajie has an airport and high-speed trains. Ticket rules, lift queues and the state of the paths should be checked before travelling.

Why OKYTO recommends it

The landscape is unusual, and with planning it can be seen with fewer people than the default route.