Luoyang Departure: Zhangjiajie, Tianzi Mountain and Baofeng Lake, 5 Days 4 Nights

We leave Luoyang Longmen in the morning, change at Zhengzhou East, and reach Zhangjiajie West in the afternoon. Forty minutes by road to Wulingyuan. In the evening we walk Xibu street and find a table for sandixia, a dry pot of cured pork, tripe and radish kept warm over a low flame.

Attraction introduction: Wulingyuan town sits against the east gate of the scenic area, close enough to walk to the ticket station. Xibu is a street built in recent years for local produce and snacks. The name sandixia comes from an old poor man's dish of offcuts stewed in one pot, and now nearly every kitchen serves its own version.

Tips: The train ride is long, so bring a book or download something in advance. Guests generally find Xibu only comes alive after nine. In practice tonight has no sights and we go back to sleep right after eating.

We enter at the Forest Park gate and walk Golden Whip Stream first. The water runs on your left, the path is level, and cliffs press in on both sides until only a strip of sky shows. Seven kilometres to Shuirao Simen, with a few crossings on stepping stones. Lunch, then the Bailong elevator up to Yuanjiajie, a lookout over the Qiankun Pillar, and a short walk to the First Bridge Under Heaven. Down by shuttle in the evening.

Attraction introduction: Golden Whip Stream is the flattest route in Wulingyuan, following the water with little climb, two or three hours at an easy pace. Yuanjiajie sits on top of the pillars, and the Qiankun Pillar stands free in the gorge on all four sides. The First Bridge is a natural slab of stone spanning two peaks.

Tips: The flagstones hold moisture all year, so wear soles with grip. Guests generally find the macaques go for plastic bags, so keep food inside your pack. In practice today covers a fair distance; soak your feet afterwards.

A shuttle up to Tianzi Mountain in the morning, first He Long Park, then the West Sea stone forest. Yubi Peak is a rank of columns standing out of the valley floor, and when cloud pours up from below the tips float on it like reeds in water. In the afternoon we come down via Wolong Ridge, or take the cable car if knees object. Back in Wulingyuan by evening.

Attraction introduction: The mountain is named after Xiang Dakun, a Tujia leader who called himself king here. This is the densest concentration of pillars in Wulingyuan, counted in the thousands, with old growth forest on the valley floor that vanishes entirely once cloud rises. The cable car climbs more than three hundred metres to the ridge.

Tips: The ridge runs four or five degrees cooler than the town and the wind is strong, so bring a jacket. Guests generally find cloud sits best on the morning after a rainy day. In practice, if it rained yesterday we move this day to a six o'clock start.

Morning at Baofeng Lake. The water lies high among the peaks and a boat takes you in while the boatwoman sings a few lines of mountain song. It is still enough to hold whole reflections, broken only as the boat passes. Lunch back in town, then a free afternoon: add Huanglong Cave if you like, or stay in and rest.

Attraction introduction: Baofeng is a dammed lake in a high gorge, narrow, walled by cliffs. Because the water sits inside the mountains the wind rarely reaches it, which is why reflections are so complete. At the far end a waterfall drops off the rim, loud enough in high water to drown out conversation on the boat.

Tips: There is no shade on the boat, so bring a hat in fine weather. Guests generally find the quiet stays with them longer than the view. In practice the loop takes forty minutes and the rest of the day is yours.

We leave Wulingyuan for Zhangjiajie West in the morning, a little over an hour on the road, then the train home via Zhengzhou East, arriving at night. If you are up early, eat a bowl of rice noodles near the hotel; it beats station food.

Attraction introduction: Zhangjiajie West is where the Qianzhangchang and Zhangjihuai lines meet, and the station building borrows the stilted-house form of the region, with deep eaves and open galleries. This is Tujia country, and the mountain songs and brocade weaving are still alive.

Tips: Return departures are few, so book early. Guests generally find an hour of margin at the station is the safe choice. In practice we work backwards from the train time and never race the clock.