Tianmen Mountain - Symbol and Spirit of Zhangjiajie
Tianmen Mountain Information
Referred to as the "Soul of Zhangjiajie",Tianmen Mountain is the second national forest park in Zhangjiajie after Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. It is not only the symbol and soul of Zhangjiajie, but also the most beautiful flower garden in the sky with breathtaking scenery.
Type: National Forest Park, Caves & Caverns, Nature & Parks
Best Seasons: Spring / Autumn
Popular Activities: mountain hiking, photography
Recommended Visiting Time: about 5 hours
Open Hours: Apr – Oct: 08:00~16:30 / Nov – Mar: 08:30 – 16:00
Tickets: 258 Yuan/person
▶Including the cableway, sightseing bus,the ticket is valid for one day；
▶Excluding the Tianmen Mountain Peak Forest Sightseeing Cable Car: 25 yuan/person one way;the lower part of escalator Tianmen Cave: 32 Yuan/person
Address: Located in south of Zhangjiajie, 8 kilometers from downtown area,Yongding District, Zhangjiajie, Hunan,China
Why visit Tianmen Mountain
It is listed as one of the 50 worthwhile visiting places for foreign travelers. In Tianmen Mountain, there are several featured activities for you to experience, like Tianmen Mountain cableway, Glass skywalk, Avenue toward Heaven, Tianmen Cave (Closest Earth Landmark to God), and Cliff-hanging walkway.
1) Tianmen Cave: a natural water-eroded cave with the highest elevation in the world.
2) Tianmen Mountain Cable way: as the cable car goes up with the steep cable it's beautiful to shout and have the happiest moments;
3) Glass skywalk: from the 3-km glass walk, you can actually see down through glass as you walk feels spectacular and scary;
4) Cliff-hanging walkway:
Transfer to Tianmen Mountain
Our private tour package includes transferring to and sending off Tianmen Mountain that travelers can enjoy worry free transfer service all the way. If you are independent travelers, you can take bus or taxi from downtown area, railway station and airport to get to Tianmen Mountain.
From Zhangjiajie Downtown: take bus no.4, 5, 10 to reach Tianmen Mountain Cableway Station (Lower Station); it takes about 10 minutes.
From Zhangjiajie Airport: take bus no.6, 5, 4 to get off Tiammen Mountain Cableway Station (Lower Station). If by taxi, it costs about 30 Yuan.
From Zhangjiajie Railway Station: takes bus no. 6, 5 to reach Tianmen Mountain Cableway Station (Lower Station). If by taxi, it costs about 10 Yuan.
Main Sights
Tianmen Dongkai Scenic Area (天门洞开)
It is located in the middle and upper part of Tianmen Mountain with an altitude of 1300m. This scenic area includes Tianmen Cave (Heavenly Gate Cave), Ladder to the Heaven, Tianmen Mountain Cableway, Tongtian Avenue (Avenue toward Heaven), etc.
Mixian Qijing Scenic Area (觅仙奇境)
It is located in the west of Tianmen Mountain. This area is the birthplace of Reclusion Culture and Immortal Culture. The sights mainly include Seek Son Cave, Viewing Guigu Cave, Cliff-Hanging Walkway, Glass Skywalk, Lingxiao Platform, etc.
Biye Yaotai Scenic Area (碧野瑶台)
This area has completed primitive forest. It has more than 20 spots including Divine Spring, Overlook Heavenly Gate, Cherry Bay, etc.
Tianjie Foguo Scenic Area (天界佛国)
This scenic area is the center of Buddhist culture, located in the south of Tianmen Mountain. The most typical sight is Tianmen Mountain Temple.
Things to do
Experience the Longest Cableway in the World
From: Tianmen Cableway Lower Station; to: Tianmen Cableway Upper Station (Cableway is also available for getting down from upper to lower station.)
Tianmen Mountain Cableway is the longest one-way recycling passenger cableway in the world, with a length of 7455 meters and a height gap of 1279 meters.
This longest cableway car takes travelers from the atmosphere of modern Zhangjiajie city directly to the primitive park in the air. During the 40 minutes’ journey of the cableway, the landscape changes a lot, making travelers experience a miraculous feeling of flying angels in the sky as well as of being blended into a long grand painting of landscape. Overlooking from the cableway, you can see the 99 turns toward the heaven.
Avenue toward Heaven with 99 Turns
Tongtian Avenue, also called Avenue toward Heaven, has 99 turns symbolizing that heaven has nine palaces. It is the wonder of highway in world. The road is with a length of 10.77 kilometers, with its elevation rising from 200 meters to 1300 meters. Traveling through Tongtian Avenue by sightseeing bus, travelers can reach directly Tianmen Cave within 25 minutes.
Note: the ride is full of sharp turns along the vertical cliffs. For those who easily occur carsickness, please take some carsick medicine or choose not to go by bus. And You can view it from the cableway instead.
Experience the Cliff-Hanging Walkway
The Cliff-Hanging Walkway is about 1600m, with an altitude of 1400m. It starts from Yihong Pass to Little Tianmen Gate. This cliff-hanging walkway is very thrilling. It seems that you are walking by the cliff and in the air. The breathtaking Glass Skywalk is part of the Cliff-Hanging Walkway, about 60 meters long. There is a glass platform for travelers taking beautiful photos. If you like, you can stand on the glass platform to enjoy breathtaking scenery. At the end of the Cliff-Hanging Walkway, travelers can walk through the 160-meter Hanging Bridge.
Breathtaking Glass Skywalk
The glass skywalk is 60 meters long and 1.6 meters wide, with the highest elevation of 1430m. It is a part of Cliff-hanging walking, and is the highest section. Travelers should put on shoe cover to pass through the glass skywalk. The walk is challenging, giving a thrilling feeling like walking in the sky.And then gain an unforgettable lifetime experience.
Note: It will not be so thrilling during foggy days. And it will be closed during the rainy, icy and snowy days. You are advised to check the weather forecast before going Tianmen Mountain if you want to get the best experience of the glass walkway.
Travel through Tianmen Cave
Tianmen Cave is the natural water-eroded cave, with the highest elevation in the world. It runs south-northward with a height of 131.5 meters, a width of 57 meters and a depth of 60 meters. Tianmen Cave rises above the ground and closes to the sky with a lofty and towering posture. It is much like a door to the heaven. In 1999, the masters of international stunt flying piloted the planes to fly through Tianmen Cave.
Travelers should walk 999 steep and narrow steps to climb the “Ladder to the Heaven” and reach Tianmen Cave and enjoy fantastic scenery from above.
Note: the Tongtian Avenue and Tianmen Cave may close during the frozen days in the winter time. For the detailed news, please contact our professional travel consultants beforehand for more weather and transportation information.
Recommended Visiting Route
Route One (less walk, energy and time saving)
Take the 7455-meter cableway to get up Tianmen Mountain; Arrive at Tianmen Mountain cable station (Upper) and choose west route to travel through Mixian Qijing Scenic Area and experience Cliff-Hanging Walkway and Glass Skywalk, visit Tianmen Temple; Take Tianmen Mountain Peak Forest Sightseeing Cable Car from Cherry Bay to Yunmeng Xianding; reach upper escalator Tianmen Mountain to get down Tianmen Cave and visit the door to heaven; get down from Tianmen Cave to the parking lot and take sightseeing bus to experience 99 turns via Tongtian Avenue. (Note: If you don’t want to go 99 turns on bus, travelers can go up from Tianmen Cave by escalator and take cableway to get down.)
Route Two (in-depth hiking route)
Take the 7455-meter cableway to get up Tianmen Mountain; arrive at the upper cable station and choose the west route to visit Mixian Qijing Scenic Area and experience Cliff-Hanging Walkway and Glass Skywalk; visit Tianjie Foguo scenic area to Tianmen Temple; hike on the east route to travel through the primitive forest in Biye Yaotai Scenic Area and visit many sights along the way; get down from upper escalator to Tianmen Cave; visit Tianmen Cave and walk 999 steps to Tianmen Cave parking lot to take sightseeing bus to get down Tianmen Mountain by wandering through Tongtian Avenue with 99 turns. (Note: If you don’t want to go 99 turns on bus, travelers can go up from Tianmen Cave by escalator and take cableway to get down.)
Useful Travel Tips
1. Wheather
In different seasons, Tianmen Mountain has different scenery. In spring, it is still a little bit cold with heavy fog,and you can see many flowers in blossom when taking cableway to pass through the farm field. In summer, Tianmen Mountain is a good place to escape the sunshine.In autumn, the temperature is moderate and the scenery is fantastic. Some trees turn yellow and red, and Tianmen Mountain becomes a colourful world . While in winter, Tianmen Mountain sometimes snows and then becomes the icy world,so it's very cold in winter. To avoid the coldness, highly recommended to visit Tianmen Mountain during the period from April to October.
2. What to Pack
Be sure to bring boots or shoes with good soles
Take some commonly used medicines for emergencies.
Take an umbrella or raincoat for the weather may change during one day.
Wear a pair of sunglasses to prevent the ultraviolet ray.
3. Evening Show
Tianmen Fox Fairy is the real-scene musical drama with the Tianmen Mountain and its deep valleys as the stage background. The show tells a romantic love story between a fox fairy and an ordinary woodman making a living by chopping woods. Combining the local music, the indigenous life style and ancient love story, with the marvelous valley as background, this show will add more fun more your Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain trip.
Time: 20:30-21:50 every evening during March to December of the year (If it rains, you will be given a raincoat for free. In cold days of winter, you can rent warm cotton-padded clothes.)
Place: Tianmenshan Canyon Theater
