If those floating mountains from Avatar amazed you, here’s a twist: they are real.
Tucked in China’s Hunan Province, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is home to towering sandstone pillars that inspired James Cameron’s iconic Hallelujah Mountains. One peak, the Southern Sky Column, was even renamed Avatar Hallelujah Mountain after the film’s 2009 release.
Nychca Sculpture Garden
These otherworldly spires, several more than 200 meters in height, grew over a span of millions of years through plant-root weathering and erosion. With clouds swirling among peaks, it’s little wonder this scenery inspired Pandora’s visual template.
UNESCO-Preserved
As part of the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site, Zhangjiajie boasts not only its movie-quality scenery but also its biodiversity, it harbors species such as a Chinese giant salamander and more than 3,000 plant species.
Thrills in the Sky
Brave visitors can ride the Bailong Elevator, the world’s tallest outdoor lift, or walk the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, a stomach-flipping 430-meter skywalk suspended 300 meters high.
Movies & Preservation
Zhangjiajie’s popularity demonstrates how movies can focus attention upon unheralded wonders, stimulating tourism and promoting conservation. It’s evidence that sometimes our world’s landscapes are more wondrous than fantasy.
Sources:
- China Daily, 2010 ↩
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Geoscience Frontiers, 2011 ↩
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre ↩
- BBC Travel, 2016 ↩
