Traveling around Hunan, one of our favorite Chinese provinces, is a journey we will never forget. There are many articles about China, its huge cities, and booming economy, but very little information about how beautiful the countryside is. And the countryside in Hunan is in a league of its own.
Hunan is home to the country’s most spectacular natural site, Zhangjiajie. Yes, we’re talking about the iconic place from the movie Avatar. The imposing Tianmen Mountain is equally stunning. And let’s not forget the ancient towns and villages, Hunan has several.
Since the introduction of the high-speed train, tourist numbers have been growing sharply. It is now fairly easy to reach the province and travel around it. However, it might soon become too crowded. So, visit now to fully enjoy this outstanding place.
Visit the Fenghuang Ancient Town
The Fenghuang Ancient Town is located in a remote mountain area between the central plain and the South West. City walls, curvy cobbled streets and over 200 ancient houses showcase its 300 years of long history. The Tuojiang River divides the city and can be crossed through several bridges and stone paths. Green hills surround the city. We climbed some of them and enjoyed spectacular views.  Â
We would explore Fenghuang’s narrow streets during the day and be back in our Wang Jiang Reclusive Boutique Inn for a killer sunset. Then back to the city for a nightly walk. Well, the city was actually under our feet. All we had to do was to take a few steps down the street and we were there. Be sure to get the heritage ticket that gives access to several ancient houses, the beautiful Hong (Rainbow) Bridge, and even a short boat trip ride.
Fenghuang has two fascinating things: architecture and its people. Everyone is having a great time. It seemed to us that tourists come from far away, so they were as delighted as we were to meet each other. No communication but loads of laughs!
Most restaurants keep animals in cages on the street: dogs, cats, ducks, geese, rabbits, birds, fish, and some very unhappy frogs. Apparently some are endangered species. You can order everything from the menu. Other places offer stinky tofu, a smell hard to forget.
Just like in Lijiang and Yangshuo, locals rent traditional costumes and spend hours posing in front of photographers and taking selfies. At night many cafés become discotheques with incredibly loud music and vivid colors.
One night a bunch of kids standing in line were laughing and reciting words in English. One day we met a girl. She was turning 18 and asked us to take a picture with her. In exchange she gave us two postcards. Weren’t we supposed to be the ones giving presents?Â
Explore the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
Planning our visit to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park was a delicate task. Actually, getting from Fenghuang to Zhangjiajie was the easiest part. We were not sure of where exactly to enter the park and accommodation options nearby were not clear. The whole area was hard to grasp.
The Whispering Mountains Boutique Hotel claimed to be located just outside of one of the entrances so we took a risk and stayed there. It was one of the most memorable experiences ever. Perched over a hill next to a small river and directly overlooking mountain peaks, it was magical at night. There were blackouts so we were able to enjoy out of this world stars up in the terrace.
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is probably the most beautiful natural sight we have ever seen. The park includes thousands of tall pillar-like formations that are the result of physical erosion (limestone karst from chemical erosion). The park is 4810 ha (11900 acres) big with roads under and over mountains, three cable cars, a super fast elevator and a zip-line train.
Our hotel receptionist was brilliant. She gave us a map and explained different possible routes. Time inside the park is of essence since it closes early and you might get locked in. We were only 10 minutes from the western gate so we entered the park on foot and were among the few tourists to take the park bus. The park is extremely popular and overcrowded but we were very lucky and walked in opposite direction to the masses.
The first day we took a couple of cable cars, walked down the mountain, next to the river and met many monkeys and funny Chinese. We even took the famous Bailong Elevator. Thousands of people queuing to go down and we went up entirely on our own!
The second day we went up the hill, crossed the famous bridge with the scenery from Avatar and enjoyed views over Tianzi Mountain. One more fantastic perk of our hotel: we walked all day long through the park exiting to the pretty town of Wullingyuan, while they sent our baggage directly to Zhangjiajie City where we spent our last night.
Climb the Tianmen Mountain
When you travel for months sometimes you need a break spending a day or two doing nothing. In Wulingyuan Town we booked chic Yoba Boutique Hotel where we spent an evening watching the sunset from its spectacular roof terrace.
We discovered a couple of delicious bakeries and walked by the river soaking up the atmosphere with gorgeous mountains all around. Then we took the local bus to Zhangjiajie City where we stayed in the Waterpark Hotel only to find out its water park was closed. What a scam!
The main reason we spent a day in Zhangjiajie City was to visit nearby Tianmen Mountain. We were still overwhelmed by Zhangjiajie National Forest Park so we didn’t expect much. Holy cow, what a place!
We took the cable car from the city and spent hours walking over the mountain. Super long alleys hang off cliffs, some made of glass. It was so much fun watching tourists scared and unable to move. We took hundreds of pictures with so many people and even managed to escape the heavy rain.
To go back we took long escalators down to the famous Tianmen cave (natural arch). From there we had to break our knees going down endless staircases to take the bus back to the city.
Hunan is like this huge amusement park nature took thousands of years to create. The Chinese built the perfect lovely towns, cable cars, bridges, elevators and roads to enjoy it. Hunan is too good to be true! Â Â Â
How to Get from Fenghuang to Zhangjiajie and Tianmen
Getting from Fenghuang to Zhangjiajie is fairly easy. There are frequent fast trains connecting the two places in about one hour. They depart from the station called Fenghuang Gucheng and arrive at Zhangjiajie West. You can buy train tickets here.
From Zhangjiajie West, you need to take a taxi to Zhangjiajie city or to Wulingyuan. The cable car station for Tianmen Mountain is 1.2 miles (2 km) south of Zhangjiajie city center.
To travel from Zhangjiajie City to Wulingyuan, you can take any of the numerous buses that leave from the bus station near the cable car station. Alternatively, you can hire a taxi or join an organized tour.
