How to escape the crowds and find calm in the charming Avatar Mountains

Escaping from busy everyday life and seeking inner peace and tranquility in the charming Avatar Mountains is an exciting and beneficial experience for many people. Located in a remote and beautiful area, the Avatar Mountains are a haven for those seeking tranquility and seclusion. This charming place gives visitors the opportunity to restore their inner balance and explore the picturesque nature.

What are the Avatar Mountains

The first 3D film, Avatar, was released in cinemas around the world in 2009, showcasing the amazing world of Pandora, which includes many floating mountains and unknown creatures with magical powers. Hence, the film caused a sensation around the world and also aroused people's curiosity about the Avatar Mountains. Returning to reality, those mountains are not floating, but the original prototype that inspired the film's director James Cameron to design the Avatar Mountains can be found in Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan National Forest Park in China, and will also impress you with the amazing ability of these mountains. Create nature on these magnificent peaks. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, Wolingyuan National Forest Park, Wolingyuan National Forest Park is China's first national forest park, with more than 3,000 quartzite sandstone columns and scenic peaks. Before James visited there to get inspiration for the film, he had already become famous. But after the film is screened, many other groups of international people go to the park to see the Avatar Mountains every year.

Which one is Mount Hallelujah "Pandora"?

Of all the floating mountains in Avatar, it should be the most impressive "Mount Hallelujah", which rarely disappears on the column. In Zhangjiajie Forest Park, the "South Pillar of the Sky" in the Yuanjiajie Scenic Area is the prototype of the most famous floating mountain of Avatar. Towering vertically up to 3,544 feet, this rock column is covered with lush foliage on its top and part of the body, with a large stone part exposed in the air to let you see its carved layers that are inherently sharp. Moreover, the bottom of the mountain is much narrower than the main top, which is rare in the world. To capitalize on the film's popularity, the park administrator changed the name of the mountain to "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain" in 2010 to allow visitors to know James' inspiring story and help them find the true prototype of that stunning mountain in the film.

Where can I take pictures of Mount Hallelujah?

Right in front of Mount Avatar Hallelujah is a viewing platform for the perfect sightseeing of the mountain star. You can see the mountain pillar rising high from the deep valley and surrounded by many other stone mountains. Besides, there is a statue of the flying blue dragon in "Avatar", which you can take a picture of on Instagram (for free).

Where are the Avatar Mountains and how to get to them

The Avatar Mountains are thousands of towering mountain columns in the Yuanjiege Scenic Area of Wolingyuan National Forest Park in Wolingyuan District, Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province in southern China.

• Arrival in Zhangjiajie:

Here Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport serves domestic flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Changcha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Kunming, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Qingdao, etc., and international flights from Bangkok, Osaka etc. Besides, you can reach Zhangjiajie by train. So far, you can reach Zhangjiajie West Railway Station by express trains from Changsha (2.5-3.5 hours), or to Zhangjiajie Railway Station by regular trains from Yichang (4.5-5 hours), Tongren (about 7 hours), Wuhan (10 hours). hour), Xi'an (15 hours), Shanghai (20 hours), Beijing (23 hours), etc.

• Access to Wolingyuan Forest National Park:

The park is located about 35 kilometers from Zhangjiajie city center. You can take a local taxi to get there from the city center, Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport and Zhangjiajie Railway Station, which usually takes about 50-60 minutes. Moreover, there are many buses from Zhangjiajie Central Bus Station in the city center to Wulingyuan Bus Station at the foot of the forest park which takes about 50 minutes (35 km). You can take the bus to Wulingyuan and walk to Wujiayu Ticket Station to enter Zhangjiajie Forest Park for 15-20 minutes (1.2 km).

How to plan your trip to the Avatar Mountains

Since Wulingyuan National Forest Park is so large and there are many hiking routes, many people arrange two days in the scenic forest park area to see the Avatar Mountains.

• First day:

Enter Zhangjiajie National Forest Park for a cable car ride to Huangxi Village, then explore the beautiful tranquil landscape along Golden Whip Brook with beautiful views of the green natural waters. Stay in Wulingyuan City tonight.

• Day Two:

Enter the park again from Forest Park Ticket Station and then visit Yuanjiajie to ride the Bailong elevator and explore the famous mountain pillar scene and the famous "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain". Then take the sightseeing bus to Tianzi Mountain. Then you can transfer to Zhangjiajie airport or train station to leave.

• Third day:

Visit the Yellow Dragon Cave and admire the 10,000 stalagmites and stalactites with colorful lights. Then move to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon to experience walking on the tallest and highest glass bridge in the world. Stay in downtown Zhangjiajie tonight.

• Fourth day:

Take Asia's longest cable car to discover Tianmen Mountain and experience the thrilling glass walkway, 99 turns towards the sky. After the visit, transfer to Zhangjiajie Airport or train station to leave.