7 Days Hunan Discovery Tour from Changsha from Diverse Hunan

All places you are going to visit are the best places in Hunan: Changsha, Zhangjiajie & Fenghuang Ancient Town. During the short 7 days, you’ll explore all the cultural highlights in Changsha, take a deep breath in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, and experience the local culture in Fenghuang. You’ll surely can get what you want.

Highlights of this tour

• Enjoy the splendid Avatar landscape in the Zhangjiajie National Park;
• Have a leisure time at the most beautiful ancient town in China – Fenghuang;
• Visit the great leader Chairman Mao Zedong’s hometown.

• Day 1 Changsha Arrival

  Welcome to Changsha! Upon arrival, be greeted by our tour guide in the airport or train station who is holding a sign on which says your name. A comfortable vehicle (non-smoking) with experienced driver will transfer you directly to your hotel in Changsha city. Your guide will help you check in. The rest of today is on your own to explore this city.

  Day 2 Changsha (B, L)

  On this day, you’ll explore the three must-sees in Changsha: Mount Yuelu, Yuelu Academy (on Mount Yuelu), and Orange Island Park.
  Yuelu Academy: It is one of the four major academies in ancient China, which situated at the foot of Yuelu Mountain. First built in 976, during the early Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), it is the “one-thousand-year-old-academy”. You could appreciate the humanities and social science and studies of Chinese ancient civilization of Hunan University, as well as Huxiang culture.

  Orange Island Park, also Juzizhou, is is a place with the scenery of “snow on the river”, one of the eight sceneries of ancient Xiaoxiang. When Mao Zedong was standing at Juzizhou, he threw such a question to the vast sky—”asking the vast land, who will determine the ups and downs”. He changed the process of Chinese history and showed special preference to Juzizhou.

  Day 3 Changsha – Shaoshan – Zhangjiajie (B, L)

  After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. Today, you’ll be transferred to Shaoshan – the hometown of Chairman Mao (China’s leader from 1949 until his death in 1976), about 76km from Changsha City.

  In the village of Shao Shan Chong, the “Great Helmsman” spent his early years. First, you’ll pay a visit to Dripping Water Cave. About 3 km northwest of the village, it is a very popular destination where, legend has it, Mao pondered over the Cultural Revolution in 1966. Later, head to Former Residence of Mao Zedong. The house is very common farmhouse built with mud bricks and tiles, exhibiting Mao Zedong’s family photos, daily house utensils, and materials displaying Mao Zedong’s engagement in the revolutionary activities…here, you could get very close to the great man. Then, followed a trip to Mao Ancestral Temple where exhibits there include 100 pieces of Mao Zedong’s manuscripts and 72 items of Mao’s personal belongings.

  After the tour in Shaoshan, transfer about 4 and a half hours to Zhangjiajie. Stay overnight in Zhangjiajie City.

  Day 4 Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (B)

  After breakfast, you’ll visit the most beautiful scenic spots in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. First, you’ll take the cable car to Huangshi Village which is 1080m above the sea level. It is the biggest sightseeing platform to view the spectacular scenery in the national park. A saying goes “He who does not reach Huangshi Village does not pay a true visit to Zhangjiajie.” Later, explore the famous Golden Whip Brook which covers a distance of 7.5 km, winding across mountains and valleys. It is famous for its pristine water, its verdant mountains, its steep cliffs and its serene valley. As a veritable “paradise” for plants, its pathways are adorned by an abundance of flowers, trees, and grasses.

  About Zhangjiajie National Forest Park:

  Located 32 kilometers from Zhangjiajie city, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park was the first national forest park in China, listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. It is also famous for the inspiration for the movie AVATAR, the Hallelujah Mountain. The park is known for its odd-shaped peaks and rocks, exquisite forests, tranquil water, beautiful canyons, limestone caves and breathtaking views. Different scenery presents in different seasons. In spring, all flowers on mountains blossom and mountains are luxuriantly green. In summer, the forests flourish and are strongly fragrant. In autumn, the mountain slowly turns yellow and red with a sense of poetry at this time. In winter, travelers can marvel at the evergreen trees among the snowy landscape.

  Day 5 Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve (B)

  On this day, you’ll first take Bailong elevator up to Yuanjiajie, which is situated in the north of Zhangjiajie National Park. This scenic area is world famous as the mountains here inspired the floating mountains in the Hollywood movie Avatar. The peaks in Yuanjiajie are nearly at the same height, which makes it a mountain platform great for enjoying sweeping vistas.

  Next, take a sightseeing bus to Tianzi Mountain, where you can have a stunning view of the peaks rising one after another. Atop of the mountain offers a full extent of the whole scenic area, which is magnificent and spectacular. There are four wonders in Tianzi Mountain: the Sea of Clouds, the Radiance of the Moonlight, Rays of Sunshine and the Snow in winter.

  After the exciting tour, you’ll return back via the same route (first by sightseeing bus then Bailong elevator).

  Day 6 Zhangjiajie – Fenghuang (B)

  After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. The only stop in Zhangjiajie today is Yellow Dragon Cave in Suoxiyu Nature Reserve. Yellow Dragon Cave, also Huanglong Cave, is the underground-lost palace which praised as the most beautiful cave in the world by UNESCO Experts. With an area of 100,000 square meters, length of 7.6 kilometers, height of 140 meters, two underground rivers, four waterfalls, 13 caverns and 10,000 stalagmites and stalactites, it is a huge limestone cave. The Magic Needle and Chair of Dragon King are famous sights in the cave.

  After the tour, your guide and driver will escort you to Fenghuang Ancient Town with 4-hours’ drive. Appreciate the fabulous night view of this ancient town.

  Day 7 Fenghuang – Zhangjiajie Departure (B, L)

  Today, you’ll have a nice tour in Fenghuang Ancient Town. It is located on the western edge of Hunan Province and next to Guizhou. Praised as the most beautiful tiny city in China, it sets an example of what villages were like before the start of modernization. In the town dozens of lanes are paved with stones that run between the wooden houses built on stilts. Generations of local people have stepped on the lanes and worn them down bit by bit. Highlights of your today’s tour will be Phoenix River rafting, The Former Residence of Shen Congwen, and the East Gate Tower etc.

  In the afternoon, drive back to Zhangjiajie city and escort you to airport or train station to your next destination or back home.