China

In April & May of 2026 I took 11-day tour of China, starting in Beijing and finishing in Shanghai. The first stop was the imperial grandeur of Beijing’s Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Great Wall and Temple of Heaven. Second stop was Xi’an to marvel at the Terracotta Army and cycle atop ancient city walls. The reason for me taking this tour was the third stop: Zhangjiajie’s dramatic peaks, with its glass bridges, skywalks and misty forest trails, famously inspiring the film Avatar. Fourth stop was to soak up the energy of Shanghai, from tranquil Yu Garden to the historic Bund, and cruise the Huangpu River for skyline views.

I saw a documentary on Zhangjiajie and decided immediately I had to add it to my bucket list. You may be already familiar with these mountains as Zhangjiajie is the place where the famous “Avatar” movie was filmed. Yes, that’s the same place, the same mountains and yes, they are real and no, it’s not magic!