“Tianmen Mountain is one of the most astonishing mountains I’ve seen so far, famously known for its stairway to the heaven’s door, 99 bends, cliff hanging walkway, glass skywalk, love bridge, Tongtian avenue and lastly one of the longest cableways in the world.”
Oh, who would not be amazed with the Tianmen Mountain? Have you ever seen a stairway to heaven in real life? Then, you have to visit Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie China. Seeing this famous heaven’s door mountain up close is just mind-blowing. The setting is literally like a stairway to heaven. For me, it was probably the highlights of my visit to Zhangjiajie. The 30 minutes cable car journey going to the top of the mountain was just awesome. The mountain peaks and the city view were spectacular. The whole journey was perfect as the national park offers a lot of attraction that would satisfy your eyes and inner being. It is probably one of the places that I would highly recommend visiting once in your life.
About the Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie
Tianmen Mountain, known as the Heaven’s Door Mountain, is located within the Tianmen National Park south of Zhangjiajie City, in the northwestern part of Hunan province in China. The mountain has a height of about 1,519 meters (4,983 feet) above sea level. This iconic archway was carved by the natural forces over millions of years. It is considered to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in China. The mountain is accessible by cable car with a 30-minute ride. However, if you like to take the bus via tongtian Avenue, you may do as you like or go hiking, but be ready for an exhausting journey.
Why was Tianmen cave called as the Heavens Door/Gate?
The cave was known as the heaven’s door due to its natural Gateway formation set in the middle at the top of the mountain. It holds a great cultural significance in Chinese history and folklore. The locals believed that the cave served as a passage to a higher realm, a gateway linking the mortal world and the heavens.
By the way, the stare way also adds to the vibes, like it’s literally a stairway to heaven.
How many steps does the stare of Tianmen Cave?
From the Cave square, people walk for about 999 steps in order to reach the Tianmen Cave.
I am glad that our tour guide chooses the route going down, as this step is exhausting. Once you reach below, you will find the whole setting like stairway to heaven.
How long is the Cable Car in Tianmen Mountain?
Also known as the Tianmen Shan cable car, it is considered as one of the longest cable cars in the World. It has a total length of around 7455 meters and an ascent of 1279 meters. This is probably one of the most fascinating experiences I had here in Zhangjiajie, just seeing the spectacular view of the mountains during the 30-minute journey is mind-blowing.
What are the other things to see in Tianmen Mountain?
Sky Glass Walk
Love Bridge
Aside from the Tianmen Cave, famously known as the heaven’s door, Tianmen Mountain also features the Sky Glass Walk, a long escalator journey, the Love Bridge and the Tongtian Avenue. All of these are beautiful and amazing.
How to get to the Tianmen Mountain?
Tongtian Avenue
Fortunately, Tianmen Mountain is just 6 kilometers away from the Zhangjiajie Central City and accessible by cableway with a 30-minute ride. Otherwise, you can take a taxi or bus from the bottom of the mountain, going up to the cave’s parking lot.
Joining a Group Tour: In my case, since I booked a package tour from Manila, everything was already arranged from Day 1 up to Day 5. The route destination we had started with the Skywalk glass, Love Bridge, followed by an escalator, and walking down the stairs to heaven’s door. At the bottom, you will see the Tongtian Avenue, and lastly, a cable car again down to the outdoor Fox Lady show theater area.
Other Option: For convenience, you can also opt to join a group tour offered on the Klook or Get Your Guide websites.
My Experience
When I booked the 5-Day Tour to Zhangjiajie, the Tianmen Mountain was actually an optional part of the tour, as the main highlights was the Avatar Mountain. But then, after reading a lot of blogs and watching videos, I am sure that this mountain should not be missed in Zhangjiajie. Fortunately, from the day we arrived in Zhangjiajie, China, our local tour guide told us in the bus that we should include Tianmen Mountain in the tour, hence, we paid an additional 60 USD in order for us to visit this site. For me, there was no second thought because I knew it would be an amazing journey.
So, for our third day, after visiting some shops and taking our lunch, we started the journey at the cableway station. As we arrived at the cable car station, we noticed that the line had an overwhelming number of visitors; it was mid-September and, it seems, almost holiday season. We observed that, generally, local tourists were in groups. I was also surprised to see that most of them were a group of local senior citizens. How astonishing is it? It’s great to see that older people in China are enjoying themselves and have the opportunity to reach the top of the mountain despite their age. Truly, age is just a number, we have to be limitless!
Experiencing the cableway is probably one of my most memorable journeys in Zhangjiajie. The scenery during the ride is mind-blowing, and the Mountain View is spectacular. And by the way, it also gives a thrill, as the cableway has a greater degree of inclination going up. I was amazed at how this cable structure was built and connected on each peak. It is really a recommendable ride.
After reaching the top, we did a little trekking before reaching the skywalk glass. After that, we crossed the love bridge and took some photos. The next journey was the long escalator journey going down, until we reach the Tianmen Cave also known as the Heaven’s Door.
Tianmen Cave looks like a setting of stairway to heaven, hence, called the Heaven’s Door when looking from below. It was one of the most incredible natural caves I’ve seen, with a beautiful setting of nature. It gives you a sense of accomplishment once you reach this cave. Moreover, as you wander below the cave, you will see the amazing and bizarre Tongtian Avenue, with its mountain cliffs, lush valleys and dense forest.
Our journey ends with another cable car ride going down a different route. Towards the end, we saw the location of the Fox Lady show outdoor theater. Overall, my experience with my Tianmen Mountain Tour is 10/10.
When is the best time to visit the Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie?
Autumn, from September to October, is probably one of the best times to visit Tianmen Mountain. During this time, the weather is cool and enjoyable. However, please take note of the National Holiday from October 1–7 to avoid crowds during your visit.
Summer is also a good season in Zhangjiajie from June to August; however, please note that it is also the most popular month for tourists and locals’ flocks in the city; hence, expect a packed tourist during your visit.
For a mysterious and magical vibe, visit during the winter, from December to February. Another advantage is that the crowd is less during this season.
If you are curious, I visited this amazing place in September. So, all of these pictures you’ve seen in this blog are capture in this month. The weather is perfect, it was slightly cool, sunny and the sky is clear.
Where to stay?
There are several hotels and resorts available in Zhangjiajei from standard, medium up to luxury experiences. Plan ahead and reserve a hotel near the location of your specific destination. You can check booking.com or agoda.com for available hotel accommodations on your chosen dates. Otherwise, you can also check Airbnb if you are a group and would like to minimize your cost. If you are a solo traveler, a hostel option is available.
As for me, since I joined a group tour, all hotels are arranged by the tour agency. I don’t have any complaints about it because all the hotels we stayed in were between 4-to-5-star hotels, and it is really nice and comfortable.
Budget for Traveling in Tianmen Mountain
In our case, our group paid 60 USD each for this tour only as an additional to our Zhangjiajie tour.
For DIY (do it your own), consider the below prices of tickets in Zhangjiajie: Book only on the official websites or travel platforms.
- Tianmen Mountain Cable Car- 243 CNY
- Tianmen Mountain Glass Skywalk- 5 CNY
- Tianmen Cave Escalator- 32 CNY
Note that our lunch and dinner are already included in our group tour package.
If you would like to know more about my journey in Zhangjiajie, Please read also my article for the amazing places to visit in Zhangjiajie on my 5-day itinerary from the Philippines.
Travel Guide & Tips
Here are some guides and tips you should consider when visiting to the Tianmen Mountain of Zhangjiajie.
- Don’t forget to bring your Passport as it is required during inspection.
- It is advised to book a ticket in advance. A valid ID like the passport is required for both booking the ticket and entering the scenic site.
- All visitors are required to wear shoe cover provided on the site for the sky glass walk.
- Wear comfortable shoes. High heels and metal spike are not allowed in the glass bridge.
- Do not run and jump on the bridge as well as stand against the rail.
- Note that the cable car going up can take up to 8 people, while going down in different route is 25 people.
- Do not forget to bring power bank in case of phone low battery during your travel.
- Be a responsible traveler and keep each destination in Zhangjiajie clean.
- Take only memories, leave only footprints.
Essential things to bring.
- Money in Cash (RMB/Chinese Yuan)
- Bring Snacks, Water and drinks and keep it in your bag whenever you’re travelling for emergency.
- Sunscreen for summer season
- Sun glass
- Cap for head sun protection
- Jacket applicable for winter or summer
- Power bank, otherwise, bring USB cables, most tour buses have USB for charging.
- comfortable shoes
So, have you been to the Tianmen Mountain of Zhangjiajie? Please share your thoughts, I would like to know your experience.
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