Hostel Atop the Mighty Green Pillars in Zhangjiajie

6 hours, 3 buses, 2 hikes, 1 train ride and 1 long gondola ride to reach Yuanjiajie Zhongtian International Youth Hostel. If you’ve ever seen the film Avatar about blue people who live amongst towering green columns, I have great news: that place is real! (Though not the floating island bit). It’s Zhangjiajie National Park in northern Hunan province in China, and my favourite place in the world. The hostel, however, was not easy to get to.

Most people stay at hostels or hotels outside of the park and commute inside once they’ve bought a pass. We decided to spend our days and nights right smack in the middle of the beauty until we found ourselves sweating with days worth of food and clothes on our backs trying to find our elusive hostel, situated none other than on one of the wider set cliffs/forested mountains.

It was worth the effort because once we reached the final stage: a terrifying gondola ride with thousand meter drops, we were awe struck by our surroundings. Colossal pillars soaring up and downward creating a symphony of sublime orgasm. This wasn’t the usual snow capped mountain peak but an anomaly amongst nature’s evolutionary formations.

Unfortunately most of the tourist area is developed. Nature exploited, its beauty a price tag for greedy eyes and the evidence was around us when we reached the top. KFC wrappers littered on forest trails, hungry vendors selling nuts and grilled chicken feet and a couple lavish hotels. Fortunately, when you look at a map of the park, this bastardised section encompasses only 5% (maybe less) of the park. The rest is either untouched or unreachable by ordinary tourist passage as all 243+ peaks are UNESCO protected.

My friends and I skipped past the tour buses and whirlpool rounds of commercialism and opted for a final walk to our hostel, almost missing it as its grey exterior blended in with the trees and darkness descending. Inside, it was a crowded spectacle. A common area with friendly Chinese tourists drinking beer or cooking meat at their hot pots. We lucked out with a private room but the stench of mould was unavoidable. I considered how long this building had been standing in the subtropical forest without any renovations, but it didn’t matter- we were in paradise.

Hot showers and WiFi were included and I was by no means surprised. Chinese businesses seem to have a knack for getting internet running in some obscure places (one of the pillars reached by a sketchy suspension bridge had WiFi going for developing traveler photos). Some other hostel luxuries were: 24 hour reception with bus arrangements (for getting down), bicycle rental, bag storage, laundry and air conditioning.

The weather is temperate so bring a jacket, though light rain creates a mist that appears otherworldly when moving between the karst pinnacles, shaped by thousands of years of erosion. If you’re sightseeing, hitch a ride from a bus driving right past the hostel in the early morning (ask the receptionist for direct times) or walk thirty minutes to the famous natural bridge where Avatar was filmed. Although, this I highly don't recommend as the tourism is so overwrought that we waited in ques while hiking, sometimes standing in line behind women in high heels sporting selfie sticks and blase attitudes. Instead, pick a random route and start hiking down, then up and so on. Grab a map from the hostel desk to avoid getting lost and inquire about potential time frames for hiking certain routes.

There’s also the option of taking the short 10-minute walk to a staggering look-out point from the hostel. Located directly across from the populated tourist zone, you’ll enjoy silence and the profound presence of these mighty giants. Because the hostel is located in the heart of an internationally-acclaimed heritage park, surrounded by steep cliffs 1000+ metres high, you’re constantly exposed to this surreal landscape.

So relax there and enjoy living and breathing in a true wonder of the world, cause it’s a long way down.