Tianmen Mountain and Glass Walkway
Zhangjiajie, Hunan
A separate mountain from the national forest park, Tianmen is notable for a natural cave arch punched through the rock at 1,300 metres, a sheer-sided cliff road with 99 hairpin bends, and a 60-metre glass-bottom walkway bolted to the cliff face at the summit.
Pourquoi visiter Tianmen Mountain and Glass Walkway ?
The cableway up Tianmen is the world's longest passenger ropeway — a 7.5-kilometre ride over gorges and through cloud. The glass-bottom walkway is one of the more disorienting experiences China offers: the transparent floor section reveals a sheer 1,400-metre drop, and walking it requires a different kind of courage than hiking. The natural cave arch (Tianmen Cave) is wide enough to fly a helicopter through, which Chinese aerobatics teams have done as a stunt.
Comment en profiter
The standard route goes: cable car up, minibus through the 99-turn cliff road down, or the reverse — the road down from the cave gives better views if the weather is clear. The glass walkway is near the cable car summit station. Factor in at least four hours for the full circuit including queue times.
Astuce
Bring a jacket regardless of the season — the summit is several degrees colder than the city below. Plastic bags are provided for shoes on the glass walkway; anti-slip socks are sold at the entrance and worth buying.