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7 Most Instagrammable Spots in Zhangjiajie, China's Avatar Mountains
The sandstone pillar forest that inspired Avatar's floating mountains, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is one of the most photogenic landscapes in China.
Aug 14, 2026 · BigTravel.in
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan province holds the sandstone pillar landscape that inspired the floating mountains of Avatar, over three thousand narrow peaks rising straight out of dense forest. Here are seven spots worth building a visit around, each with a direct map link.
1. The sandstone pillar forest from Yuanjiajie
The viewpoint that inspired the floating mountains in Avatar, a cluster of thin sandstone pillars rising straight out of dense forest, best seen in early morning mist when the peaks appear to float above the treeline.
2. The Bailong Elevator
The world's tallest outdoor glass elevator, cut into the cliff face itself and rising over 300 metres in under two minutes, a genuinely dramatic way to reach the upper viewpoints without the multi-hour hike.
3. Tianmen Mountain's glass skywalk
A transparent walkway clinging to a sheer cliff face over a thousand metres up, not for anyone with a fear of heights, but one of the most-shared single frames to come out of Hunan province.
4. Avatar Hallelujah Mountain
The single pillar Yuanjiajie's viewing platform is named after, officially renamed in the film's honour and now marked with its own signage, worth seeking out specifically rather than just photographing the general pillar forest.
5. The Grand Canyon Glass Bridge
A separate glass-bottomed bridge strung across a deep gorge in the wider Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon area, longer and less crowded than Tianmen's skywalk, with a bungee jump option for anyone wanting more than a photo.
6. Golden Whip Stream
A gentle valley-floor walking trail running beside a clear stream between towering pillars on both sides, the easiest way in the park to get a genuine sense of scale without any climbing or elevators involved.
7. Tianzi Mountain at sunrise
A cable car ride up to a cluster of viewpoints looking back over the entire pillar forest, considered by many repeat visitors the single best sunrise spot in the park, before the day's tour groups arrive.
Traveller tips
- Base in Zhangjiajie village or Wulingyuan rather than Zhangjiajie city, both sit far closer to the park entrances.
- Arrive at opening time; the pillar-forest viewpoints get genuinely crowded with domestic tour groups by mid-morning.
- The park is large enough that most visitors need two full days to see both the Yuanjiajie pillar area and Tianmen Mountain separately.
- Cable car and elevator queues can run long on weekends and Chinese public holidays; check the current holiday calendar before booking dates.
Where this is
Zhangjiajie, Hunan, China