The “Avatar” Mountains (The movie Avatar was shot here) – 2 day tour

It took me a while to write this blog. The story behind it is that it took us several attempts (3) to visit the park in its entirety. One reason was the weather, one day it was so foggy and rainy, we literally saw nothing but mist. The other day, we “got lost” due to the lack of a english and comprehensive map. Looking back, it was a great adventure, but at the time it was a little frustrating. In order to save you that experience, I will summarize the 3 days and lay out how an optimal visit could look like (you should probably spend 2 days).

The first day we went more or less blindly into the park. We took the entrance near our hotel (west gate). The entrance procedure back then was complicated with all kind of health checks and health code APPs (its now standard and more easy) but back then it was a little confusing for everyone.

First tip: Try to get a to-scale map from somewhere, in english language. We got totally 3 different maps on 3 different days (and locations) and none of them was nearly to scale. Alternatively, research the locations you want to go and mark them in Apple Maps or any other APP. There is probably also a Chinese APP for the park, but we could not figure it out.

I am sorry if we cannot describe the locations more clearly, but as explained earlier, we did not have a decent map and navigated more or less by compass.

The scenic spots have all special names, but i cannot remember them (this is what happens if you write a blog of a travel 3 months ago.)

Along the way (as usual, Chinese people love taking pictures) there are some spots where you can get some traditional cloth and take pictures with it.

One of the spots was a “natural bridge” on which a kind of a temple had been build.

In the park there are a large number of monkeys, that can get quite aggressive if you bother them too much (see further below). These here are the more friendly ones.

The path goes on for a few kilometers downhill and you end up in the valley and eventually at the south gate.

The way to the south gate is again not very clear, but we managed to find it by asking some people. If you want to go back to the west gate, you have to take several buses and a 20 minute uphill hike. Be aware that the park closes 17:00, so plan enough time ahead or exit on the south gate.

If you take bus northward instead of eastward from the mountain cable car station at the west gate, you will end up near a place called Tianzi Mountain Sightseeing platform. From there on, there is again a long downhill hike 1-2 hours to a huge lake (near the east gate).

Tip: You can also get there from the north gate (Tianzi Mountain Gate).

The path was really slippery, so pay attention in case it is wet.

After arriving at the lake, you have to take a bus to the central area of the park. There you find a very big mall / hotel in the middle of the mountains. It was really a weird sight, however practical with a lot of shops and restaurants to fuel up.

Near the “mall” were also many more agressive monkeys, a pack of them (3-4) even attacked us. After shouting at them loudly, they took off though. Seemed like a bunch of teenage monkeys trying to prove themselves 😉

After another bus trip, you will get to an elevator which takes you back on top of the mountains, where you can go back to the west gate cable car mountain station to descend.

To summarize, the best way to enjoy the park would most likely be like this.

Day 1: Enter through South Gate, cover the area there, go up the elevator and exit through west gate.

Day 2: Enter through north gate, take bus to Tianzi Mountain, hike down to the lake and hike to the east gate.