The construction of the Avenue toward Heaven with 99 Turns in Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park started in 1998. It took 7 years to build with the cost of more than 100 million Chinese yuan. It was completed and came into use in May 2005. The winding mountain road starts from the mountain base and ends at the Cave Square on the mountainside, spanning a total length of 10.77 kilometers with 99 sharp turns. It has an altitude of roughly 1,100 meters above the sea level. Looked like a jade belt around the mountain, the Avenue to Heaven of Tianmen Mountain is a wonder and it is known as one of "the top ten dangerous road of the world".
☝ The Widing Road with 99 Bends to Overlook from Tianmen Mountain Cable Car
There are five ways including 3 routes and 2 lines to go up and down the Tianmen Mountain. However, visitors have to choose between the two lines to be able to experience the Avenue to Heaven with 99 Bends. For line 1, visitors take cable car from the downtown to the mountaintop and then take the sightseeing shuttle bus from the Cave Square to go downhill through the Avenue to Heaven with 99 bends. For Line 2, visitors take the sightseeing bus from the mountain base that is close to the entrance to go uphill through the Avenue to Heaven with 99 Bends and then take the cable car from the mountaintop to go downhill to the downtown.
☝ The Avenue to Heaven with 99 Turns in Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain
Even though both lines can fulfill your dream of riding on the famous winding road with 99 turns, they have slight difference indeed.
When the weather is good, visitors choosing line 1 to go downhill have the opportunity to overlook the splendid curves formed by the overlapping of upward spirals of the 99 turns of the road . By choosing line 2 to go uphill, visitors feel both nervous and excited when the bus is running really fast on the outer side of the road that is very close to the cliff edge.
As an old Chinese saying goes, "experts come from the ordinary people". The sightseeing bus drivers in Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park are ordinary people who have really excellent driving skill. Since the turns of the Avenue toward Heaven are too sharp, visitors in the bus can see the 180-degree U-turns coming one after another throughout the journey. However, even though these drivers drive the bus on the winding road really fast, the ride itself is nice and smooth. It is said that each of these drivers normally drive more than 200 kilometers and pass more than 2,000 sharp turns per day. Their superb skills have won countless praises from visitors both domestically and internationally.
☝ A Close Up Photo to Tianmen Mountain 99-Bend Road
Visitors who are bold and enthusiastic enough are recommended to choose line 2 and take the sightseeing bus uphill via the outer lane of the mountain road with 99 turns and sit on the right side of the bus. Since the outer lane is close to the cliff with the abyss right beneath their feet, children would get super excited and shout out while adults would become too scared to speak out while traveling in the fast-moving bus, especially when they are accidentally looking out the window.
The bus journey on the Avenue toward Heaven with 99 Turns really scares a lot of people. Timid travelers are advised to sit in the driver's row or sit as close to the front as possible to reduce anxiety.
☝ Tianmen Mountain 99-Bend Road
In addition, please do not eat food while you are on the moving bus as doing so may cause other travelers who suffer from car sickness vomit. For those who have motion sickness, please take the medicine beforehand.
