China
The rock pillars that inspired the floating mountains of Avatar, then a river city over thirteen hundred years old
China
A journey through Hunan province, far from Beijing and Xi'an: Zhangjiajie, a forest of over three thousand sandstone and quartzite pillars that inspired the floating mountains of the film Avatar, explored from glass walkways suspended over the void, then Fenghuang, a river city over thirteen centuries old whose wooden stilt houses still line the Tuo River, largely spared the mass tourism affecting other ancient Chinese towns.
When
April to May | Sept to Nov
Price
From 2 600€ excl. flights
(based on 2 people sharing)
How long
6 nights
Ideal length
Days 1-2
The first chapter unfolds at Zhangjiajie, China's first national forest park created in 1982, which gathers over three thousand sandstone and quartzite pillars sculpted by millions of years of erosion. One of the most iconic pillars, renamed "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain" after James Cameron's film that drew inspiration from it for its floating mountains, is best seen from a glass bridge suspended over three hundred metres above the gorges.
Day 1
The world's highest glass bridge
A crossing of the Zhangjiajie glass bridge, suspended over three hundred metres above a gorge, then a hike along the Tianzi Mountain ridges to admire the forest of rock pillars.
Day 2
The Bailong elevator and the glass canyon
An ascent aboard the Bailong Elevator, the world's tallest outdoor lift carved into the cliff face itself, then a walk on the suspended walkways of the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon.
Days 1-2
The road to Fenghuang, whose name means "phoenix" and whose history stretches back over thirteen hundred years, a river city founded during the Ming and Qing dynasties along the Tuo River. The wooden stilt houses, covered bridges, and still-intact stone ramparts give the town a preserved atmosphere, partly due to its historical isolation in the Hunan mountains that long kept it off the main tourist routes.
Day 1
The stilt houses of the Tuo River
A boat ride on the Tuo River at sunset, discovering the wooden stilt houses suspended above the water, then dinner at a traditional floating restaurant.
Day 2
The ramparts and Fenghuang's old town
A walk along the Ming-dynasty stone ramparts, then an exploration of the old town's cobbled lanes, among silver-craft workshops and traditional Miao and Tujia houses.
Other trips built in the same spirit — more to draw inspiration from.
7 nightsBeijing to Xi'an
The Great Wall snaking along the ridgelines, then the terracotta army of a first emperor
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