张家界市

Why this place

Zhangjiajie is the sandstone pillar landscape that became the model for the floating mountains in Avatar — thousands of slender quartz pillars rising out of forest, often with cloud between them. It is one of the most extraordinary landscapes in China, and it is also busy because everyone knows it now.

What to see

• Yuanjiajie and the Hallelujah Mountain, the most famous pillar, with the glass elevator
• Tianzi Mountain — the other side, regarded by many as better, with the sea-of-cloud views
• Jinbian Stream (Gold Whip Stream) — a 7km walk along a valley between the pillars at the mountain's foot
• Tianmen Mountain, with the glass skywalk and the 99-bend road up to the heaven gate arch
• Baofeng Lake and the Tujia villages of the surrounding valleys

What to eat

• Tujia food: cured pork with smoked bacon, sour fish and the local glutinous rice
• Zhangjiajie is known for its 'sanxiaguo' — a local dry-pot dish

How to plan

Three days: Tianzi one, Yuanjiajie one, Jinbian Stream plus the lake one. Add Tianmen Mountain as a separate half-day.

Best time

April–May and September–November; winter is beautiful and much emptier; summer is hot and crowded

Practical tips

• Stay inside the park at one of the village guesthouses and you avoid the daily queues at the gates
• The park is huge and the shuttle-and-cable network is confusing — plan the day in advance and allow more time than you think