6 Days Cyberpunk Chongqing & Avatar Zhangjiajie

Today, be ready to experience the old-style of Chongqing, and lace up your comfortable walking shoes to challenge the city’s hilly landscapes. After breakfast, your private guide will wait for you at your hotel lobby and start today’s itinerary with Danzishi Old Street, where Chongqing’s port-era history echoes, packed with a hundred-year-old Chinese memorial archway and Western-style villas and churches. Stepping into it, you’ll be immediately surprised with the winding and continuous staircases, with a total drop of 80 meters (262 ft.), dividing it into the upper and lowers parts. Also, an observation deck offers a panoramic view of the beautiful city scenery, encompassing two rivers, bridges, and high-rise buildings.

★ Marvel at the City’s Fantastical Through-building Train Station  

Next, we’ll head to Liziba Light Rail Station to witness the city’s iconic train drama, where the train winds through the 11-story building, unique even worldwide. To capture the stunning photos of the train passing through, choosing the right viewing spot and angle is crucial. Your guide will accompany you to the viewing platform right below the train station, offering a panoramic view without any obstructions. Prepare your wide-angle lens for a low-angle shot and freeze this breathtaking moment when the train pulls in. Besides the crowded viewing platform, a cafe near Exit A of the station is also an ideal place. Sit on a window seat on the third floor, and leisurely wait for the train to pass by, framing the shot through the window to create artistic and photogenic images.

Leaving the magic train station behind, we’ll then go to the Mountain City Alley, experiencing the city’s typical mountainous geography. The 1,748-meter-long (5,735-foot) historical alley along the winding south bank of the Yangtze River offers ancient city walls, the former site of the French Charity Church, and cliff-side plank roads, as well as old local residences, and book stores. Afterward, escape the bustling city and breathe the fresh air at E’ling Park, located high on the hill top, and take in sweeping views over the Jialing River to the peninsula and beyond from the tower inside. Finish the day at Ci Qi Kou Ancient Town, which once served as the north gateway of Chongqing thanks to its port mainly distributing ceramic products. Follow the guide to appreciate the traditional architecture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911 AD), like the stilted buildings, lining the cobblestone street, and check out the region’s port history at a small museum. You might also taste the delicious snacks at your own expense, such as handmade crispy fried dough twists, tender and smooth tofu pudding served with red oil chili, and sticky rice cake. After that, your guide and the driver will escort you back to your hotel. 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, wave goodbye to Chongqing and leave for Zhangjiajie, famed for pillar-like peaks appearing in the “Avatar World”, and yes, the film is actually inspired by these stunning landscapes. After breakfast, your guide and the driver will escort you to the train station for a 2-hour high-speed train journey. After arrival, a local guide with a driver will meet you and accompany you to the hotel, which is situated near the entrance of Zhangjiajie’s core scenic area. After the hotel check-in, rest for a while, and start your Zhangjiajie adventure with the guide. 

★ Walk in the Air? Experience the World’s Highest Glass Bridge

Have you ever dreamed of walking above a bottomless deep gorge, with only transparent glass beneath your feet, and towering peaks and strange rocks shrouded in mist before you? Today, feel the thrill truly and let the wind whistle past your ears in the air. Your private guide will accompany you to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, where an awe-inspiring architectural marvel, the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, hides. Stretching about 430 meters (1,411 ft.) long, the breathtaking bridge spans between two cliffs with a height of 300 meters (984 ft.), which once broke the world record of the world’s longest yet highest glass bridge, though it now only saves the latter title. Too daring to step on it? Don’t worry, though the sheer drop below is clearly visible, stepping on it feels like walking on flat ground, and you can even jump and take pictures. If lucky, you may also encounter brave guys bungee jumping under the glass bridge, and join the audience to cheer them on. If you are an adrenaline junkie, it is also possible to try it at your own expense. 

After the visit, you can choose to go back to the hotel; if you are energetic enough, walk downhill steps to lower to the gorge with the guide, to take in the natural views straight out of a fantasy novel. The further you go, the greener the water becomes, coupled with dams and streams. Finish the trip, and the guide and the driver will accompany you back to the hotel. 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today, let Zhangjiajie’s most stunning highlights find you. After breakfast, the guide will accompany you to the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, and enter the east entrance, where we’ll take a scenic area’s shuttle bus to the first sight, Bailong Elevator.

★   “Fly” to Zhangjiajie’s Top by the World’s Highest Outdoor Elevator in 1 Min 28 Secs!

Made of fully transparent glass, the globe’s highest outdoor elevator, built along the steep cliff, features a vertical height of 335 meters (1,100 ft.). With three double-decker sightseeing elevators operating in parallel and separately, the system is capable of transferring visitors from the valley ground to the top within 1.5 minutes, with each accommodating at most 64 people at a time. Try to grab a front position by the window, and you can revel in the beauty of a group of 48 peaks that soar up majestically, resembling a group of powerful soldiers, presenting a magnificent and imposing scene, and hence the name ‘Gathering of Divine Soldiers’.

After getting out of the elevator, stop at the observation deck for a while and head to the central core of the park, Yuanjaijie Scenic Area, famous for being the film location of the “Avatar”, mainly the prototypes of the floating mountains in the film. Standing in front of the Hallelujah Mountain, the most representative peak among thousands of sandstone pillars, which soars with a lush green top and drops approximately 150 meters (492 ft.), you’ll feel like traveling back to the “Pandora World”. Apart from that, you’ll also be smitten by the luscious landscapes, overlooking hundreds of pillar-like quartz sandstone peaks; when shrouded in mist, it is even more like a fairyland. The First Bridge, a natural stone bridge which spans about 20 meters (66 ft.) between two cliffs, high up to 350 meters (1,150 ft.), with towering pines standing and ancient vines hanging from its sides, is no less spectacular than any other sights.Later, hop on the shuttle bus to Yangjiajie Scenic Area. Unlike the separate, isolated pillar-like peaks in Yuanjiajie, the peaks here are immense, continuous, wall-like mountains formed by quartzite piling up layer by layer. The cracks in the middle of the peak walls have not yet completely broken them apart. As a result, you can see the famous Natural Great Wall. After that, head to the last stop, Tianzi Mountain, where you can enjoy the postcard-like panoramic view of karst stone forests shrouded in mists, including square-shaped and pillar-like peaks, which look like brushes or poetic petals. In the end, you’ll take a cable car down the hill, taking in the epic views along the 2,000-meter (6,560-foot) long cable way in about 10 minutes. Afterward, your guide and the driver will escort you back to your hotel.

➤ Visit Tips:
1.    Make sure to wear comfortable hiking shoes, a sun hat, a thin coat, and a raincoat for unpredictable weather in the mountains. 
2.    Hold onto the handrails of the shuttle bus of the park and prepare some motion sickness medicine when traveling on the winding mountainous roads, as well as mosquito repellent and band-aids.
3.    Bring some snacks to replenish energy, though there are some eateries, stores, and restaurants near the Tianzi Mountain, including the McDonald’s, which might be a bit pricier than in the urban area.  
4.    You may encounter a lot of monkeys during the visit. Please do not feed them or interact with them, and hide all your food well.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, your private guide and the driver will escort you to Tianmen Mountain, another famous forest park in Zhangjiajie. Its biggest draw includes China’s longest cableway, of about 7,455 meters (4.63 mi) long, taking about 30 minutes for a single trip, which we’ve specially arranged for you. During the super-long cable car ride, enjoy remarkable sweeping views of the spectacular mountains covered with lush green vegetation, overlooking tight hairpin bends that cut through winding mountainous roads, and scattered villages, which is breathtaking, especially when the mist and clouds roll in.

After arrival at the top of the mountain, the guide will accompany you to the thrilling Glass Skywalk. This 60-meter-long (200-foot) and 1.6-meter-wide (5-foot) walkway, constructed on a cliff, hanging more than 1,400 meters above sea level, allows you to feel the magnificence of nature in awe through the transparent tempered glass. Later, we’ll take the 7-level escalator running inside the mountain to admire the Tianmen Cave up close. This natural karst cave is formed approximately 200 million years ago, measuring 131.5 meters high (431 ft.), 57 meters wide (187 ft.), and 60 meters deep (197 ft.). It resembles a gateway to heaven, offering a scene of ethereal beauty when shrouded in mist. If lucky enough, you might see athletes practice wingsuit flying or kitesurfing to navigate the cave at high speeds. Afterward, we’ll take a cable car downhill. Bid farewell to Zhangjiajie, and your private guide and the driver will then escort you to Fenghuang Ancient Town. En route, stop by the Furong Ancient Town, which has similar clusters of stilt houses to Fenghuang, but it’s much smaller, meanwhile less crowded and bustling, becoming a popular stopover thanks to its location backing onto a cascading waterfall. Continue a 1.5-hour car journey to Fenghuang Ancient Town, one of the most beautiful towns in China, and also the birthplace of some influential Chinese modern writers and painters like Shen Congwen, whose works add more cultural and historical charm to it. With the Tuojiang River meandering through the town, it is now an atmospheric tangle of flagstone alleys, stone bridges, riverside wooden stilted architecture, historical residences and museums, along with the vibrant Miao and Tujia ethnic cultures. After hotel check-in, enjoy the soul-stirring night views at Nanhua Bridge as thousands of lights are illuminated on both banks, offering a dazzling, dreamlike spectacle, with the ancient pagoda and stilted houses reflected in the water, on which small boats gently glide by.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, the guide will accompany you to dive deep into Fenghuang Ancient Town. At dawn, the sun climbs over the mountaintop, and the mist over the Tuo River still cloaks the river and its banks. Get up early to beat the crowds while the quiet town has not yet been fully awake. Follow the guide to stroll along the stone-paved path lined with residences with white walls and black tiles, and come to the North Gate pier, where you’ll board a small boat to better take in the town from another perspective, during which observe the stilted houses on both banks slowly recede into the distance, and the textures of the wooden buildings are even clearer than at night. 

After the 15-minute cruise, we’ll continue to explore two iconic bridges spanning the Tuojiang River on foot. The first one is Jumping Rock Bridge, where two rows of square rocks of different heights are arranged alternately so that people have to jump across the river step by step, hence the name. Next is the 600-year-old Rainbow Bridge, built with red sandstone, featuring a wooden structure standing atop. Walk across the beautiful bridge over the emerald green waters, and a red-walled palace with three arched gates will draw your eye. That is the Palace of Longevity, originally built as a guide hall for merchants, and it now holds a small museum displaying the paintings of a famous Chinese artist, Huang Yongyu. Adjacent to its left is the seven-story hexagonal Wanming Pagoda, standing by the Tuo River, whose elegant shape and the azure sky are reflected in the water, creating beautiful scenes like a Chinese ink painting. 

Your 6-day Chongqing and Zhangjiajie tour will come to an end here! Then your guide and the driver will convoy you to Zhangjiajie airport or train station for your homeward journey! Please secure your flight or train departing in the late afternoon to avoid any delays. Wish you a nice trip!
 
Meals: Western buffet breakfast