Journey to the Filming Locations of the Movie ‘Avatar’

Everyone probably remembers the movie about creatures with blue skin and long tails, featuring flying half-dragons and strange nature. We are, of course, talking about ‘Avatar’. The original film was released in 2009, and the second part in 2022. We’ve found the filming locations for both parts and today we’ll tell you which cities you can visit them in.

Main Filming Locations of the Movie ‘Avatar’

The national park in China where ‘Avatar’ was filmed, or more precisely, part of its mountain landscapes, is called Zhangjiajie (the historic Wulingyuan area). The park is recognized as a botanical and geological reserve, as well as a gathering point for all fans of James Cameron’s film.

The numerous pillar-peaks of Zhangjiajie are composed of sandstone and quartz. The tallest such pillar was formerly called ‘Southern Sky Column’, but after the film’s success, it was renamed Avatar Hallelujah Mountain. However, the creators were inspired by more than just this geographical feature.

The main setting in the film is the planet Pandora, where people from Earth arrive. Another place that served as a prototype for Pandora is the Huangshan mountain range. The floating mountains from the film were drawn directly from here. After the filming of ‘Avatar’, this place became even more popular, although tours were organized here even before for those wishing to gaze at the local beauties and experience the healing power of the hot springs near Purple Cloud Peak.

Hunan — Embodiment of the ‘Avatar’ Universe

Zhangjiajie National Park is located in the Chinese province of Hunan. Most of this territory is occupied by mountains and hills, which stretch across the valleys of the Yangtze and Xiangjiang rivers. Also a highlight of this place is Dongting Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in China.

The largest mountain ranges in Hunan province are Luoxiao Mountains, Xuefeng Mountains, Wuling Mountains, and Nanling Mountains. Many rare animals and birds (such as Père David’s deer and golden pheasants) live here, and a huge number of coniferous, laurel, and other tree species grow.

We have now described not only the features of Hunan province but also the universe from the movie ‘Avatar’ — the planet Pandora. On Pandora, human consciousness is transferred into the blue bodies of the local inhabitants. The special effects designers were inspired precisely by the flora and landscape of Hunan province.

How to Get to Hunan

The capital of China’s Hunan province is Changsha, and it also hosts the only airport in the area. You can find convenient flight options with layovers in Beijing, Qingdao, or Shanghai. The minimum flight time is 12 hours, but you can spend more than a day traveling — it depends on the layover duration. For example, you can take flight tickets to Shanghai, make a transfer, and after a day, you’ll be in the very place where ‘Avatar’ was filmed.

As soon as you land at Changsha airport, find transportation to the city: buses No. 75 and No. 114, or you can order a taxi. The distance to the namesake capital is only 25 km, and you can get there in an hour. From Changsha to Zhangjiajie, the car journey will take only four hours.

Huangshan: Yellow Mountains

The production designer of ‘Avatar’ admitted that the appearance of the film’s floating mountains was mainly inspired by the Huangshan mountain range in Anhui province. This place is famous for its rocks and pine trees. Many poets and artists of China praised them.

The name Yellow Mountains was given to this area by the poet Li Bai back in the 8th century. The highest mountain peaks bear even more poetic names: Lotus Peak, Bright Summit, and Celestial Capital Peak.

You can climb to the very top of the mountain range either on foot along paths carved into the rocks in three to four hours, or by cable car. The route usually includes an ascent to the top and a stop there at sunset or sunrise — there are several hotels on the peaks for your convenience. And here you can also taste national Chinese food.

How to Get to Huangshan

One of the places where ‘Avatar’ was filmed in China is Huangshan. Unfortunately, you cannot get to Huangshan by direct flight. The nearest airport is in Shanghai, which can be reached with a layover in Beijing or Guangzhou. There are even direct flights available, with a flight time of just over nine hours.

From Shanghai to Huangshan, you can travel by train (12 hours) or by bus (9–10 hours). You can also fly directly from Guangzhou to Tunxi Airport, which is closest to the Yellow Mountains. The flight time is two hours, and from Tunxi to Huangshan is only seven kilometers. You can get from the airport by buses No. 18 and No. 19, as well as by taxi.

Wulingyuan Plateau

The quartzite rock pillars of Zhangjiajie Park would not be so impressive if they were not the center of the Wulingyuan Plateau. Wulingyuan is considered a historical area and a nature reserve. Here you can choose one of several routes through mountains, reservoirs, and forests to see where ‘Avatar’ was filmed.

Shandao Valley — one of the least popular destinations on the plateau — is located in the western part of Wulingyuan. The route through the valley takes a whole day, but there are almost no tourists here. Therefore, it is in this part that the quiet, grand majesty of Wulingyuan is best revealed. Along this route, you will pass by Black Dragon Village — a place with wooden and stone houses on a mountaintop. Where else can you see something like this?

How to Get to Wulingyuan

Given that Zhangjiajie is part of the Wulingyuan area, everything described above also applies here. But, in addition to the option of traveling through the provincial capital Changsha, there is another, more direct route — straight to Wulingyuan.

With two or three layovers, you can get directly to Zhangjiajie. First to the city of the same name, and then to the reserve itself. The flight takes about a day, although it depends on the number and duration of layovers.

Once you arrive at Zhangjiajie airport, take a shuttle bus to the city — it’s only seven kilometers. Settle into a hotel and from there, head to Wulingyuan — the journey from the city center will take about an hour.

For inspiration, let’s head to China — to see all the places where ‘Avatar’ was filmed!