Zhangjiajie Travel Guide

 Facts
Phone Code: 0744
Postal Code: 427000
Area: 9,653 square kilometers (3,727 square miles)
Population: 1,671,020 (2010 statistics)
Nationality: Tujia, Bai,  Miao

Location: Zhangjiajie City is at the northwest of Hunan Province, near Shimen, Taoyuan, Yuanling, Hefeng and Xuan’en counties. Longitude: between 109°40′E and 111°20′E; latitude: between 28°52′to 29°48′N.

 Physical Features: The city lies at the east of Wuling Mountains, mountainous terrain, especially Karst formation, covers 40% of the region. The Li River and Lou River flow through the city. The rivers cut deep gorges up streams.

 History: Zhangjiajie was settled by early primitive humans. The city founded China’s first national forest park in 1982, and in 1994 the city renamed itself after the famous attraction Zhangjiajie. In 1999 and 2006, the world famous fancy flyers flew stunt through the cave in the Tianmen Mountain. And Hollywood film Avatar could have borrowed scenes from Zhangjiajie.

 Attractions: Wulingyuan Scenic Area which consists of the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Suoxi Valley, Tianzi Mountain and Yangjiajie natural reserves should not be missed. The scenic area offers grotesque peaks, verdant plants and limpid lakes and streams. Furthermore, there are Yuanjiajie, Huangshizhai, Jinbian Stream and Wulei Mountain. The most famous karst caves are Jiutian, Yellow Dragon and Dragon King. Also, the famous Phoenix Town is not far.

 Transportation: 
 Air: Domestic flights from 20 cities to Zhangjiajie are available. The airport is only 5 km away from the city center. A shuttle bus gets to the airport from the Zhangjiajie Airport Hotel. The bus fare is CNY 5 per person.
 Train: Visitors can get to the city from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Changsha, Nannning, Guiyang and Yichang by train.   

 Bus: There are coach services from many cities to Zhangjiajie. The Zhangjiajie Bus Station also operates buses to the attractions sites, such as Wulingyuan and the Phoenix Town. The buses to Wulingyuan depart every 10 minutes. The bus fare is CNY 10 per person and it lasts 45 minutes. The bus to the Phoenix Town departs at 08:30 and 14:30 each day. Visitors can also take a bus to Jizhou (leaves hourly) and then transfer to the bus to the Phoenix Town (leaves every 10 minutes).
 Public Bus: Public Buses No. 1 to 10 running within the city. Bus No. 4 shuttles between the airport and the Zhangjiajie Long-distance Bus Station. Visitors can take the bus No. 10 which circles the city and stops at many attraction sites. For visitors arriving by train, you can take bus No. 5 or 6 from the railway station to the city; and bus No. 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 to the city from the long-distance bus station if you arrive by coaches.
 Taxi: The medium sized city is inexpensive for taxi travels. The fare from the airport to the city is CNY 15 – 20 in day time and around CNY 30 at night. It costs about CNY 100 to get to the Wulingyuan Scenic Area from city by taxi.

 Weather: Zhangjiajie offers humid monsoon climate with a mild winter and summer. The average annual temperature is 16.6°C (61.88°F). The rainy season comes in July. The road in the scenic area will be slippery with fogs, but you can enjoy the best scenery of Zhangjiajie 1 – 2 hours after rain. The best time to visit the city is between April and October.

 Dining and Shopping 
There are many snack stalls selling roast meat and vegetables, such as beef, mutton, chicken, pork, dried tofu, pickles, egg plant and potatoes. Local favourites include stewed chicken and duck with mushroom, mud fish and tofu, fish with vinegar and fried bacon with carrot and tofu.

Zhangjiajie Wine, wild mushroom, tu-chung and kiwifruit are local products. The handcraft products of the Tujia people make good souvenirs.