PreeChina · Route Guide
6 stops within 51 km of Tianmen Mountain. A sample itinerary that PreeChina can turn into a private, custom or tailor-made tour.
At a Glance
Price
Per person, in US dollars. The price covers the guide, the ground service, and the transport, meals and tickets in the itinerary, and it falls as the group grows. What a price includes and leaves out.
| Travelers | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day trip | USD 305 | USD 220 | USD 185 | USD 175 | USD 160 | USD 155 | USD 145 | USD 135 |
Premium hotels and first-class rail raise the price: the selectors on Private Tours show by how much. The final price is confirmed in writing before anything is booked.
Why This Route
The Tianmen Cave on the summit is a karst tunnel through the mountain. A mountain road with 99 continuous bends and a long cable car lead up from town. The cliffside glass walkway and the 999 steps up to the cave mouth are the main draws, and the cave is a common venue for wingsuit flights and stunt shows.
Tianmen Mountain lies 9 km from central Zhangjiajie in a straight line. This route stays within 51 km of it. The stops are Zhangjiajie Tujia Folk Garden (Tusi City) Folk Performances, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Interior Trails (Jinbian Stream – Yuanjiajie – Tianzishan), Wulingyuan Scenic Area, Zhangjiajie "Charming Xiangxi", Laosicheng Tusi Site.
The Zhangjiajie city guide covers the city itself.
Itinerary
Tianmen Mountain (天门山森林公园). The Tianmen Cave on the summit is a karst tunnel through the mountain.Start here.
Zhangjiajie Tujia Folk Garden (Tusi City) Folk Performances (张家界土家风情园（土司城）民俗演艺). A 809-acre Tujia chieftain (土司) complex built around a wooden stilt building billed as the world's tallest and largest: 48m, 9 levels, no nails, the "Southern Forbidden City" (九重天世袭堂).10 km from the previous stop, 10 km from Tianmen Mountain, straight line
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Interior Trails (Jinbian Stream – Yuanjiajie – Tianzishan) (张家界森林公园内部徒步线（金鞭溪—袁家界—天子山—杨家界—老屋场/十里画廊）). The sandstone pillar forests that inspired Avatar, the area in this database that foreign visitors recognise first.25 km from the previous stop, 35 km from Tianmen Mountain, straight line
Wulingyuan Scenic Area (武陵源风景名胜区). More than 3,000 quartz-sandstone pillars rise straight from the ground, and cloud fills the valley floors all year.3.0 km from the previous stop, 36 km from Tianmen Mountain, straight line
Zhangjiajie "Charming Xiangxi" (张家界《魅力湘西》). Counted among the longest-running ethnic tourism shows in China (24+ years running, 10,000+ performances), with artistic direction by Feng Xiaogang and music by Liu Huan/Lao Zai.7.1 km from the previous stop, 35 km from Tianmen Mountain, straight line
Laosicheng Tusi Site (土司遗址·老司城遗址). The Peng family ruled here as hereditary native chieftains for over 800 years, from the Five Dynasties to the early Qing.68 km from the previous stop, 50 km from Tianmen Mountain, straight line
Stops run from Tianmen Mountain outward, each next stop being the closest one left. We do not list clock times here: your private itinerary sets the pace, the order and the start time with you.
Map
The gold marker is Tianmen Mountain. Numbers follow the route order. We do not draw a line because it would not follow roads.
Stop by Stop
Start of the route
The Tianmen Cave on the summit is a karst tunnel through the mountain. A mountain road with 99 continuous bends and a long cable car lead up from town.
10 km from Tianmen Mountain, straight line
A 809-acre Tujia chieftain (土司) complex built around a wooden stilt building billed as the world's tallest and largest: 48m, 9 levels, no nails, the "Southern Forbidden City" (九重天世袭堂). The complex also hosts Tima sacred song (梯玛神歌) performances and traditional Tujia craft demonstrations.
35 km from Tianmen Mountain, straight line
The sandstone pillar forests that inspired Avatar, the area in this database that foreign visitors recognise first.
36 km from Tianmen Mountain, straight line
More than 3,000 quartz-sandstone pillars rise straight from the ground, and cloud fills the valley floors all year. After the 2010 release of Avatar, officials renamed the Southern Sky Column as Hallelujah Mountain, a typical case of film-location debate and place-name marketing.
35 km from Tianmen Mountain, straight line
Counted among the longest-running ethnic tourism shows in China (24+ years running, 10,000+ performances), with artistic direction by Feng Xiaogang and music by Liu Huan/Lao Zai.
50 km from Tianmen Mountain, straight line
The Peng family ruled here as hereditary native chieftains for over 800 years, from the Five Dynasties to the early Qing. The site has an office area, a residential area, a burial area and an ancestral hall.
Distances
| # | Stop | Type | From Tianmen Mountain | From previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tianmen Mountain | Forest Park | - | - |
| 2 | Zhangjiajie Tujia Folk Garden (Tusi City) Folk Performances | Live Show | 10 km | 10 km |
| 3 | Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Interior Trails (Jinbian Stream – Yuanjiajie – Tianzishan) | Hike | 35 km | 25 km |
| 4 | Wulingyuan Scenic Area | UNESCO Site | 36 km | 3.0 km |
| 5 | Zhangjiajie "Charming Xiangxi" | Live Show | 35 km | 7.1 km |
| 6 | Laosicheng Tusi Site | UNESCO Site | 50 km | 68 km |
Straight-line distances. Road distances are longer.
Getting There
| From | Straight line | We plan it as | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhangjiajie | 9 km | 1 day | City guide |
| Changsha | 257 km | 2 days | City guide |
Straight-line distances from the city centre. Road and rail distances are longer. Your private itinerary sets the pace and the order with you.
Independent Travel
Arranging these 6 stops yourself keeps the budget lower. It also means booking each one and the transfers between them. Compare a private tour with independent travel, or ask PreeChina to plan it.
Custom Tour
This route is a starting point: 1 day and 6 stops. PreeChina plans it as a private, tailor-made trip and changes the stops, the days and the pace to your group.
Questions
Tianmen Mountain lies 9 km from central Zhangjiajie in a straight line. The road distance is longer.
The stops on this route, with straight-line distances from Tianmen Mountain, are Zhangjiajie Tujia Folk Garden (Tusi City) Folk Performances (10 km), Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Interior Trails (Jinbian Stream – Yuanjiajie – Tianzishan) (35 km), Wulingyuan Scenic Area (36 km), Zhangjiajie "Charming Xiangxi" (35 km), Laosicheng Tusi Site (50 km).
Zhangjiajie Tujia Folk Garden (Tusi City) Folk Performances, at 10.3 km in a straight line.
We plan it as 1 day. Your private itinerary sets the pace and the order with you.
Anyone who wants a slow day. The route links 6 stops, so each visit is short. Tell PreeChina which stops matter most and the others can go.
Plan More
Explore More
This route is in Hunan. The province page lists its city guides, themes, museums and other routes.
Related
Tell us when you arrive in Zhangjiajie, who is travelling and how much time you have. We build the route around your group.
