Sandstone pillars
Over three thousand.
xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · chensiyuan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · Wei Zhou at English Wikipedia — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Carlos Adampol Galindo from DF, México — CC BY-SA 2.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · lienyuan lee — CC BY 3.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0
China's first national forest park, declared in 1982 and part of the Wulingyuan area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, where more than three thousand quartz-sandstone pillars rise, many of them over 200 m tall. The pillars were shaped over millions of years by water, frost and wind, and trees crown their tops so they look like islands floating in the mist; they inspired the floating mountains of the 2009 film «Avatar», and one pillar now carries the film's name. The park holds many areas and trails, the best known being the Golden Whip Stream on the valley floor, the Yuanjiajie plateau with its famous pillars, the Huangshizhai viewpoint and Tianzi Mountain, linked by park buses, cable cars and the glass Bailong Elevator. Tickets are about CNY 240, valid for four consecutive days and including park buses, while cable cars and the lift cost extra, per visitor guides; you need your passport to book and enter. Allow at least two days, and avoid national holidays, when crowds are intense.
Over three thousand.
In the mist.
Through the valleys.
Wulingyuan District, north of Zhangjiajie city
At least two; the ticket is valid for four consecutive days at about CNY 240 with park buses, per visitor guides.
