Zhangjiajie Travel Diary: Five-day Tour of the Avatar Mountains in China
I had a great time traveling from South Korea to Zhangjiajie this time. Many scenic spots in Zhangjiajie will offer discounted ticket prices in 2025. To develop the tourism industry, Zhangjiajie has issued many preferential policies for foreign tourists. Therefore, it is particularly cost-effective to travel to Zhangjiajie this year! I'd like to share my itinerary. If you read this carefully, you can save 50% on the price!
Click here for a detailed itinerary.
1. Cost Guide
My friend and I are a total of five people. We didn't consider a travel agency and wanted to travel independently. We planned to spend five days. After looking up many travel guides, we found that it would cost 920,000 Korean won in total.
My friend recommended a travel planner named Kai, who helped us plan the itinerary, book hotels, scenic spot tickets and air tickets. A total of 200,000 Korean won was saved! Kai is a local tour guide in Zhangjiajie. He was very patient and accompanied us on our trip. "Recommended!"
This is Kai's WhatsApp +86 15116386043
Email: zhangjiajiekai@outlook.com
Day 1: Tianmen Mountain - Tianmen Mountain Steps
Taking the 7,455-meter cable car, it feels like soaring in a Chinese ink-wash painting. As a Korean accustomed to urban life in South Korea, I was stunned by the "ninety-nine bends" that coiled like a dragon beneath my feet.
Glass walkway? It's simply amazing! My friend held onto the cliff tightly, while I laughed nervously — until a sudden downpour came and Tianmen Mountain turned into a waterfall cascading down from the clouds. What an unforgettable experience!
· Culture Shock: The "three-pot" dinner (bacon, rice rolls, and chili oil) challenged my spiciness level! The frozen kudzu root powder became my savior.
Day 2: Yuanjiajie - Pandora's Real Twin Sister
The Bailong Elevator — a 326-meter-tall glass rocket traversing the cliff — made my eyes widen. In the Avatar Hallelujah Mountains, the misty quartzite columns perfectly reflect the scenes from the movie. I'm even a little looking forward to the Icaran riders speeding past on Mountain 24.
Our tour guide Kai (a local Tujia tour guide) took us to visit hidden scenic spots far from the crowds.
· Tip: The monkeys here are really "masters of stealing" — they actually pulled open my backpack and stole a banana!
· Local Encounter: Drinking wild tea with a farmer near the "Sky Farm" — the story of the mountain god he told feels like being in a fantasy novel.
Day 3: Jinbian Stream - Forest Bath Therapy
Walking along the 7-kilometer-long moss-covered path of Jinbian Stream, I understood why Chinese poets revere nature. The emerald green pool water reflects the 200-meter-high sandstone tower entwined with vines.
The little rock frogs are singing beside the "Scholar's Bookcase" rock — Nina jokes that they can recite 36 ancient poems.
Take the open-air train through the Ten-Mile Gallery. Along the way, you can see the peaks named "Three Sisters" and "Herb Picking Mountain", which are like a living painting.
· Environmental Protection Win: My water bottle is filled with mountain spring water (saving 30 yuan compared to bottled water!) It tastes purer than that of the Swiss Alps.
Day 4: Huanglong Cave - Underground Palace
The 19.2-meter-long "Sea Needle" stalagmite in Huanglong Cave took 200,000 years to form — for a history enthusiast accustomed to South Korea's several-thousand-year history, this is truly breathtaking.
Boating on the underground river, the rainbow-like scene is like frozen fireworks. The rock ear chicken soup for lunch (wild mushrooms picked from the cliff) was extremely delicious.
Final Thoughts
I communicated with Kai for a week. His attitude was very good. We talked a lot and only then did we realize that the local tour guide's plan was better than our travel guide! A lot of money and time have been saved. When visiting Zhangjiajie, people often ask him for help with planning and booking. It saves money and effort, and you can have a great time and make friends.
There's no need to spend energy studying travel guides and experiences. Many of them are plagiarized. It's recommended to directly ask a familiar local tour guide for a free guide. Every time I go on a trip, it saves both money and energy.
Personally, I think the cost performance is very high and it's a great deal. And we had a very free and enjoyable time. I'm extremely grateful to Kai, the tour guide, for planning the itinerary for us throughout. My friend and I had a great time! So I want to give Kai a little advertisement.
Share kai's whatsApp: +8615116386043
Kai 's email address: zhangjiajiekai@outlook.com
Kai's wechat ID: s1025566476
