Adventure into the Ancient World - Zhangjiajie National Park

There is old saying in China, "How could a man be considered old even at 100 if he has not been to Zhangjiajie".  Also, known to be the inspiration of the mega-blockbuster 3D movie, Avatar, the region truly seem to belong to another world or planet.

Zhangjiajie is one-of-a-kind national forest park located in northern Hunan Province of China.  It is one of several national parks within the Wulingyuan Scenic Area which is one of the largest park system in the world at 153.3 square miles.  You should plan to stay 4-5 days if you want to explore the parks in its full glory.

The pillar-like geographic formation throughout the park that is so unique and provides surreal view for the visitors.  In 2004, Zhangjiajie Geopark was was registered as a UNESCO Global Geopark.

Back in 2011, China has construct the world's scariest and probably the highest walkway off of the cliff at 4,000ft above the ground (4,700ft above sea level).  It's definitely not for faint-hearted tourists as the path is made out of glass for both the bottom and side.  You will feel like you are really walking in the sky.

Unlike some of the largest national parks in the U.S., Chinese government has really taken many extra steps to allow the tourists to get closer into the center of this magnificent mountains.  Various parts of the mountains are accessible via cable cars, vehicles, stairs, hiking trails, elevators and bridges.

Beside the mountains, there are plenty of other attractions in the area such as Phoenix Ancient City, Huangshi Village, Charming Xiangxi Teatre and Zhangjiajie Zixia Temple (pictured below)

Traveling to the mountains is surprisingly not as difficult as you might think. Transportation in and around Zhangjiajie is very convenient. with highways and smaller roads extending in all directions. Newly built roads connect the city center to a number of scenic areas, making travel by car very convenient.

Furthermore, train routes connect all the way to Guangzhou, Beijing, Zhanjiang, Changsha and Wuxi. The newly expanded Zhangjiajie Lotus Airport has seen about 20 different airlines with routes to Beijing, Guangzhou, Zhanjiang, Changsha, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau, and Thailand.

Check out more photos at this travel blog site