Getting there
Zhangjiajie City has its own small airport. There are direct scheduled flights from Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong, though these are not all daily. The city also has a railway station with direct links to Hunan's capital, Changsha, and the Hubei city of Yichang, close to the Three Gorges Dam.
The Xiangdian International Hotel is a pleasant four-star close to the southerly gate to Zhangjiajie Forest Park. The transparent domed ceiling of the restaurant offers fabulous views of the peaks. (www.xiangdianhotel.com.cn; 0744 571 2999; doubles from 420 yuan, $55)
The 248 yuan ($32) entrance ticket makes Zhangjiajie the most expensive scenic reserve in China. The price includes two days' access to the park and free rides on the internal shuttle buses. A one-way ride on either of the cable cars or elevator costs approximately 50 yuan ($6.5). Entrance to the Huanglong cave is a further 80 yuan ($10).
Hunanese food is famously spicy and the majority of dishes are flavored with an exotic palette of spices, peppers and pastes. Simple family-run restaurants are clustered around the villages that lie beside each entrance to the park.
The guides who lead the scores of tour groups have normally begun their search for evening sustenance by 5pm. Those aching for a private moment with the mountains should linger inside the park until dusk when the groups have gone.
(China Daily 05/31/2007 page19)
