Located within the Tianmen National Park in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province in northwest China, Tianmen Road is considered one of the most dangerous roads in the world. The road is 7 miles of twists and turns, with 99 hairpin bends of hell leading to the top of the mountain where the famous Tianmen cave is located, also known as the Gate of Heaven.
The road has a steep climb that rises from 200 to 1,300 meters high and is regularly crossed by several tour buses that collect visitors at the foot of the mountain and drive them up to the top of the cave. The ride takes about 20 minutes, which is more than enough time for travelers to feel the excitement of the surrounding landscape, and let the unsettling fear of falling into the void properly sink in.
At the top, there’s a heaven gate, a natural rock arch that was believed to be the link between the gods and the mortal world—awaits. There are also 999 stairs, called Tianan stairs (also known as Tianti, or the Celestial Reaching Ladder), to climb before you reach the peak, where Heaven’s Gate—a natural rock arch that was believed to be the link between the gods awaits. And there are no platforms for stopping. Due to the high elevation of the mountain, the daytime is longer than the night hours and the temperature on the mountains is about 10 degrees centigrade lower than the Zhangjiajie city, the sunrise on the mountain is 30 minutes earlier and the sunset is 45 minutes later than it is in the city areas.
The scenery is extremely beautiful but taking your eyes off the road for a second may take you to the actual heaven. If the road is a little too scary for you, there is an alternative. You can take the cable car straight from the city – which they claim is the longest cableway in the world with a distance of 7,455 meters and a height gap of 1,279 meters (4,196 ft) with an unusual gradient of 37 degrees. It’s an absolutely ‘must see’ scenic area.
The main featured scenic spots are centralized in the north part of Zhangjiajie City – Wulingyuan Scenic Area which became China‘s first National Forest Park in 1983. Tourists can take the Tianmen Mountain Cableway from Zhangjiajie Railway Station to enjoy the beautiful scenery and get a bird’s eye view of the road.
According to the Internet
