With Avatar 2 slated release date still a moving target (last heard it was December 2021), now is as good a time as any to share my take on the ‘Hallelujah Mountains’. Zhangjiajie became one of my holiday destinations after James Cameron’s Avatar hit local theatres in 2009. With sequels planned till 2027, this will boost visitor numbers to Zhangjiajie, indefinitely.
Visited July 2012
Located in Hunan province, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is simply huge, occupying 480 thousand square metres with numerous scenic spots, such as the Yellow Stone Stronghold (Huangshizhai), Yaozizhai, Yuanjiajie and the Golden Whip Stream.
July is not only the hottest month, but also the wettest. Add the school holidays to the equation, and you can expect local tourists by the bus loads. It took 2 hours of jostling, scrambling for buses and a never ending queue to get onto the Bai Long elevator for a ride that lasts all of 2 minutes (one minute and 32 seconds since a speed upgrade in 2015). Rising to a height of 326m, the first half of the lift shaft is embedded inside the mountain wall.
I managed to capture the 2nd half of the ride on video as the scene unfolded before me, through the glass face of the world’s tallest outdoor elevator.
Avatar Country to a T
Our next stop Yuanjiaje, was like stepping into another world – Pandora, home of the Na’vi. This was the highlight of my day. The unique formations were exactly as depicted by James Cameron and his team.
Notable geographic features of the park are the pillar-like formations
James Cameron may have gotten his inspiration for the Hallelujah Mountains from here, but he also left something behind.
Another attraction is the natural bridge that links two peaks. Crafted by the hand of nature, the World No.1 Bridge is 4m wide and 50m long. This sky bridge is solid and very safe to walk on, with daily foot-traffic in the thousands.
Natural bridge that connects two pillar-like mountains 
View across World Bridge No. 1 to other side
Taking a circuitous route, our final stop was HeLong Park (40 minutes by internal bus). This was the only occasion it rained throughout our entire trip. The price of raincoats went up to RMB10, compared to RMB3 at the foot of the mountain when we arrived in the morning.
Pretty dull and totally miss-able, except that HeLong Park is en route to the cable station for the ride down. With the sun out, the cable car ride down presented an alternative view and was the closest we could get to the mysterious peaks.
If you have only one day at Zhangjiajie, make sure to include Yuanjiaje and Bai long elevator ride. Personally, I found Tian Men Shan more interesting and scenic. Both Zhangjiajie and Wulingyuan have a charm of their own, and deserve a visit. Similarly, if you’ve been to Huangshan, you still should visit here and vice versa. Apart from its unique sights, Huangshan also offers a more challenging walk, but that’s another story 😉
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