Looks like thrill and China go hand in hand. They have the world’s longest suspension glass-bottom bridge in Lianzhou, an exhilarating 250-meter-high exploration deck on the world’s highest horizontal skyscraper, the world’s largest and scariest swing, and also the world’s fastest driverless bullet train. Joining the exciting experiences is another speedy attraction towering more than 300 meters and known as the world’s highest outdoor lift. The Bailong Elevator stretches along the stone pillars that inspired the floating mountains in the movie ‘Avatar’. The lift is located in the Zhangjiajie National Park in the China’s Hunan Province and can transport visitors to the top of a 1,070-foot-tall cliff from its foot in less than two minutes, making it incredibly fast. Thinking of ditching the lift to enjoy the views from the top? The alternative is a painfully brave three-hour climb up on foot. The Bailong Sky Lift is quickly regaining its popularity as around 8,000 tourists take the lift every day as opposed to the 14,000 tourists who wanted to reach new heights in pre-pandemic days. The towering structure contains three separate glass elevators, each of which can carry up to 50 people at a time who can’t get enough of the sweeping views across Zhangjiajie’s renowned sandstone pillars, thought by some to be the inspiration for the ‘floating mountains’ in Avatar.
This amazing Bailong Elevator in Hunan, China is officially recognized as the tallest outdoor lift in the world by Guinness World Records. Qiao Ke, who traveled to the lift with his family says, “One of the main reasons we came is that the site inspired Avatar. The film really made an impression on us. And it really is beautiful here.” The ride costs $19 USD (129 Yuan) for a return ticket.
