Zhangjiajie / Tianmen Mountain Cableway

#November Destinations 2025 Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain Cableway: A Rainbow Bridge Through the Clouds The Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain Cableway is a sightseeing transportation system that connects Zhangjiajie city center directly to the summit of Tianmen Mountain. It is one of the most core and iconic experiences within the Tianmen Mountain scenic area. More than just transportation, it's an astonishingly long, dramatically elevated, and breathtaking aerial journey, hailed as the "World's Longest High-Altitude Passenger Cableway" and "Rainbow Cable Dragon Soaring," an indispensable classic experience for visiting Tianmen Mountain. 📍Core Features and Experiences 1. A World-Class Engineering Feat · Length and Elevation: The cableway is approximately 7455 meters long, with a one-way travel time of about 28 minutes. Starting from the city center (City Garden at an altitude of approximately 200 meters), it ascends directly to the summit of Tianmen Mountain (approximately 1518 meters above sea level), a vertical drop of 1279 meters, resembling a ladder piercing the clouds. • Advanced Technology: Utilizing world-leading cableway technology, it boasts a powerful capacity of transporting 1000 people per hour in one direction, with spacious and stable cabins. 2. A Moving Aerial Viewpoint • Unique Perspective: The cableway winds its way through cities, fields, canyons, forests, and cliffs, offering a superb perspective of Zhangjiajie's landscape from the air—an unparalleled view from ground-based tours. • Panoramic Vision: From the cableway, you can clearly see Tianmen Cave, overlook the 99 bends of the "Tongtian Avenue" that resembles a giant dragon coiling around the mountain, and the continuous karst plateau peaks, offering an incredibly rich and layered landscape. • Ever-Changing Weather: The cableway weaves through clouds and mist, sometimes bathed in sunshine, sometimes shrouded in a sea of ​​clouds, providing an experience akin to "riding the clouds," full of poetic and dreamlike beauty. 3. A Key Hub for Exploring Tianmen Mountain • Starting Point for Main Routes: The vast majority of tourists (choosing Route A or B) will use the cableway as their primary mode of transportation to and from the mountain. Route A involves taking the cable car up the mountain and then taking the road (or eco-friendly bus) down; Route B is the opposite. * The key to saving time and effort: The cable car goes directly to the summit, shortening the arduous mountain journey that would normally take several hours to half an hour, greatly improving the efficiency and comfort of the tour, allowing tourists to concentrate their precious time and energy on the essential attractions at the top. 📍Practical Riding Information * Starting Point and End Point: * Lower Station: Tianmen Mountain Cableway Company, located in Zhangjiajie City (adjacent to the train station and airport, convenient transportation). * Upper Station: Near Yunmeng Xianding, directly at the summit of Tianmen Mountain. * Ticketing Information: * The cable car fee is included in the Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park entrance ticket (package ticket), no separate ticket is required. The package ticket is divided into three routes: A, B, and C (Route A: Cable car up/road down; Route B: Road up/cable car down; Route C: Road up/road down, excluding the main cable car). * Advance booking with real-name registration is mandatory, especially during peak season. You must select a specific entry time slot (morning/afternoon). It is strongly recommended to purchase tickets in advance through official channels (WeChat mini-program, website, etc.). * Riding Process: 1. Arrive at the lower cable car station according to your reserved time slot and enter the gate by presenting your ID card and ticket. 2. Queue to board (queue time may be long during peak season). 3. Enter the enclosed gondola that accommodates 8 people and ascend smoothly. * Best Experience Suggestions: 1. Route Selection: Route A (cable car up, road down) is the most popular choice, offering a complete experience of the cable car's vertical drop from the city to the mountaintop. The morning light is also more suitable for photography from the cable car. 2. Timing Selection: Try to choose the earliest time slot in the early morning to avoid crowds, reduce queues, and increase your chances of seeing the morning sea of ​​clouds. 3. Cabin Seating: If possible, choose a window seat facing the mountain (right side when going uphill, left side when going downhill) for the best view and to photograph Tianmen Cave and Tongtian Avenue. 4. Weather Preparation: Cable car operation may be suspended due to strong winds, thunderstorms, or other severe weather. Please check the weather forecast before your trip. While foggy weather may affect the view, traveling through the clouds has its own unique charm. Safety Precautions: Do not crowd or shake inside the cabin. Fasten your seatbelt (if applicable) at all times and follow the instructions of the staff. The Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain Cableway is an extraordinary experience that elevates transportation to a core scenic attraction. It is not only a "sky road" to the sacred mountain but also an "aerial cinema" that encapsulates the essence of Zhangjiajie's landforms. This 28-minute journey takes you from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to a celestial paradise, with dramatic changes in perspective that deliver continuous breathtaking views. It can be said that a trip to Tianmen Mountain is incomplete without riding this cable car. It perfectly illustrates how modern engineering wisdom allows humanity to approach and appreciate the wonders of nature in an elegant and awe-inspiring way.