1 Day Golden Whip Stream Hiking Tour: Essence of Zhangjiajie

► This is a guided tour by eco-friendly public transport. If you need a private car, feel free to contact our travel consultants to arrange it for you.

The Wulingyuan Scenic Area is very large, including Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve, Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve, and Yangjiajie. A thorough visit to every scenic spots may take more than 5 days. For those who are very time-constrained and only have one day, we highly recommend you not to miss Golden Whip Stream, which is the essence of the whole Zhangjiajie and Wulingyuan. This 1 day hike is your best choice.

► Route: Forest Park Ticket Office (Entry) → Yellow Stone Stronghold → Golden Whip Stream → Wulingyuan Ticket Office (Exit) → Performance: Charming Xiangxi (optional)
► Time: 10 to 12 hours
► Hiking Distance: 25 km (15.5 mi)
► Hiking Difficulty: ★ Easy

Our guide will pick you up from your own-booked hotel in Wulingyuan Town at the appointed time. The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (Wulingyuan Scenic Area) has 5 entrances and exits, which often confuses visitors. Our guide will accompany you to take a taxi to the right entrance at the Forest Park Ticket Office to start today’s trip.

After entering, follow the guide to walk less than 10 minutes to the Oxygen Bar Square, where you’ll see the Yellow Stone Stronghold (Huangshizhai), a 1,080 meters’ high peak on your left. On your right is a road to Sparrowhawk Village (Yaozizhai), while the road in the middle leads to the Golden Whip Stream which will be visited this afternoon.

From here, you can hike up the mountain for 1.5 to 2 hours to reach the Yellow Stone Stronghold, which has the largest viewing platform in the park. The mountain path looks easy to climb but a little physically demanding. The Big Rock House (Dayanwu) marks one third of the whole way up, and it takes at least 1.5 hours to completely the hike to the top. This trail is the territory of the wild monkeys. If you are physically strong and want to get close to the animals, you can hike up. Otherwise you can take the cable car at your own expense to go up and down the mountain.

On top of the Yellow Stone Stronghold, there is a 3-km-long ring touring route which requires 2 hours’ walking to see the highlights.
► Features: Stone peaks forest, sea of clouds, primitive fir forest…
► Major Scenic Spots: Heavenly Book Treasure Box, South Heaven Pillar, Natural Fresco, Star-picking Platform, Black Fir Forest, Heavenly Bridge Piers, Mandarin Duck Spring…

On top of the Yellow Stone Stronghold, there is a restaurant offering fast food. Have lunch there, or you can prepare some snacks in advance for your post-climb energy supply.

It takes 1 to 1.5 hours to get down the mountain by the original route and return to the Oxygen Bar Square.

Now it’s time to hike with our guide to explore the most beautiful route in Zhangjiajie and Wulingyuan Scenic Area - Golden Whip Stream. Also known as the Golden Whip Canyon, it presents visitors with a picturesque but constantly changing landscape along the way. The canyon can only be visited on foot, but almost all the roads are smooth. Hiking is generally easy, and requires less in physical strength.

► Length of Golden Whip Stream: 7.5 km (4.7 mi)
► Hiking Time: 2.5 to 3 hours
► Highlights along Golden Whip Stream (downstream hiking route):
Golden Whip Rock → shooting location of Journey to the West → Eagle Guardian Peak → Wenxing Rock → Zicao Pool → Jumping Fish Pool → Shuirao Simen

During the hike, our experienced guide, who goes there more than 30 times a year, will share local anecdotes along the way and point out secret photo spots for you. Our Golden Whip Stream hike will end at a flat shoal at Shuirao Simen, which is near the lower station of the Bailong Elevator.

Follow the guide to take the shuttle bus from Shuirao Simen to Wulingyuan (Wujiayu) Ticket Office to exit.

► Tips:
1. It is not recommended to hike from Shuirao Simen to the exit, as the road is less scenic and takes nearly 3 hours to walk. If you hike, you will miss the last shuttle bus at 19:00.
2. There are many restaurants near the exit, which are good choices for dinner.

“Charming Xiangxi” is one of the most popular shows in Zhangjiajie, featuring local music, dance, and folk culture of western Hunan. There are three shows a day.
► Time: 18:00, 19:30, 21:00
► Duration: 80 minutes
► Ticket Price: CNY 228-308

It’s up to you to see the show or not. If you are not interested in it, our guide will accompany you back to the hotel by taxi after we leave the scenic area. If you want to watch the show, you can tell our travel consultant or guide in advance to help you book good seats. Our guide will show you the way to the theater and you can walk there after dinner. After enjoying the show, walk or take a taxi by yourself back to your hotel depending on the distance.