Luoyang to Zhangjiajie, Yuanjiajie and Tianmen Mountain 6 Days 5 Nights

A morning start from Luoyang with one change brings you into the city by evening. Leave the bags at the hotel and walk a stretch of the Lishui riverbank, where the new town lights fall on the water. Dinner is sanxiaguo, a single pot of intestine, tripe and radish, and the chilli can be dialled back.

Attraction introduction: Zhangjiajie was once called Dayong and sits in northwestern Hunan, with the Lishui running through the centre. The city itself is low, and the edge of the Wuling range begins just to the north, with the core scenic area some thirty kilometres into the hills.

Tips: The first day is arrival only. Guests generally find a transfer day eats half a day in stations, and a night in the city beats pushing on to the gate. In practice Tianmen Mountain comes next morning, and its cable car station is inside the city, which saves a double run.

Enter at the booked slot and let the cable car lift you straight out of the streets, rooftops first and then cliff faces. On top, walk the glass path on the west side, loop round the Guigu walkway, and ride the escalators down through the mountain to Tianmen Cave. Several hundred steps drop away below the arch for anyone who wants them.

Attraction introduction: Tianmen Mountain stands south of the city, its main summit above 1,500 metres, and the cave is a natural window punched through the cliff more than 130 metres high. The glass and Guigu walkways are pinned to the rock face, and a series of escalators links the summit with the cave mouth.

Tips: The top runs several degrees colder than the streets and the wind is constant, so bring a jacket. Guests generally find the glass walkway queue longer than expected, and clearing it before the cave works better. In practice the entry slot is booked for the morning, so the mountain is already behind us when the tour groups arrive after lunch.

Enter at the Forest Park gate and follow Golden Whip Stream east, the water on your right and sheer peaks on both banks. Shuirao Simen comes after about two hours on flat ground under continuous shade. In the afternoon a shuttle reaches Ten Mile Gallery, where a small train runs the valley floor and the Herb Gatherer rock stands off to the left.

Attraction introduction: Golden Whip Stream is the gentlest stretch of the core area, running over five kilometres and named for the Golden Whip rock beside it. Shuirao Simen is the meeting point of four streams. Ten Mile Gallery is a valley with the peaks lined up on either side and a narrow gauge train along the bottom.

Tips: Monkeys along the stream go for plastic bags, so keep snacks out of sight. Guests generally find the walking itself easy and the stops for photographs the real cost in time. In practice this day comes first, so the scale of the pillars is understood before going up high for the panorama.

A shuttle to the foot of the Bailong lift, then a vertical climb of more than three hundred metres in well under a minute. Yuanjiajie begins at the top, with the Qiankun Pillar standing to your right, wider at the crown than at the base, the shape that inspired the floating mountains on film. Yangjiajie follows in the afternoon, where the Wulong stronghold steps are steep and the Tianbo lookout faces a wall of rock.

Attraction introduction: Yuanjiajie lies in the north of the national forest park at around a thousand metres, the densest cluster of pillars in the area. The Qiankun Pillar rises about 150 metres, vegetated on top and pinched below. Yangjiajie is known for rock walls, and the cliffs near Tianbo are close to vertical.

Tips: Yuanjiajie is backlit in the morning and photographs go flat, while afternoon light gives the ridges shape. Guests generally find the first lifts queue briefly and the wait passes forty minutes after ten. In practice we take the earliest shuttle to the lift and clear the busiest section before the crowds build.

Shuttle to the Tianzi cable car and ride up into Helong Park. The Imperial Brush peaks line up straight ahead, and they are at their best when cloud rolls up out of the valley. In the afternoon walk across to Tianzi Pavilion, ride down, and spend what is left of the day on Xibu Street.

Attraction introduction: Tianzi Mountain takes its name from a Ming era Tujia leader who styled himself a heavenly son, and it is among the higher parts of Wulingyuan at about 1,200 metres. The Imperial Brush is a row of pillars with pines on the crowns. Helong Park holds a bronze of the marshal and is one of the few human made stops in the area.

Tips: The ridge is windy and hands stiffen after a while on the platform, so gloves earn their place. Guests generally find the Imperial Brush only clears when the cloud lifts, and ten minutes of waiting is normal. In practice half a day is held in reserve, ready to swap here if a rain front breaks overnight.

No sightseeing this morning. Sleep in, eat, and pack. The drive from Wulingyuan to the city takes about an hour, with a stop for local produce where berry tea and cured pork find their way into bags. An early afternoon train and one change put you back in Luoyang by night.

Attraction introduction: The road out of Wulingyuan runs through orchards and tea slopes. Berry tea here is made from a local vine whose dried leaves carry a white bloom. Zhangjiajie Hehua airport sits south of the city, close to the Tianmen cable car station.

Tips: Do not cut the last day fine, because mountain roads slow down in rain. Guests generally find two hours from Wulingyuan to the station is the safe margin. In practice the booking is for an afternoon departure, which leaves time for a bowl of rice noodles on Xibu Street before leaving.