Zhangjiajie 2025
It took just over seven hours by train from Guilin to Zhangjiajie, a city in the north-west of the Chinese province of Hunan. First on the programme was a day trip to Zhangjiajie National Park. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is known for its towering sandstone pillars, lush forests and surreal landscapes that served as inspiration for the world of Pandora in the film "Avatar". We took the panoramic cable car up to the Tianzi Mountains and continued by shuttle bus to Yuanjiajie. We then hiked through the geopark before taking the lift back down. Then we went back to the city.
The second day was followed by a hike along the Golden Whip Creek and an excursion to the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon with a glass-bottom bridge over the gorge.
The third day began with a 20-minute cable car ride that starts in the centre of the city and leads up to Tianmen Mountain. This was followed by a walk on the mountain plank road along the cliffs to the Heaven's Gate Cave and 999 steps leading us back down. We were then taken back to the airport and flew back to Shanghai. There we spent another two and a half days on our own, which we had already reported on in the first part of our travelogue.
Conclusion of our first trip to China: if you had asked us two years ago, our answer would probably have been an uncomprehending "you can go on holiday in China?". In hindsight, it has to be said that we knew very little about China and much of it was either completely outdated or simply wrong. So the old saying "Travel broadens the mind" proves true once again. And the flights for next year have already been booked.
