3 Days Mount Emei Classic Walking Tour with Moderate Pace
Classic Hiking from Wannian Temple to Golden Summit
Classic Hiking from Wannian Temple to Golden Summit
Staying one night on the mountain to create one-of-a-kind Mount Emei memory!
Starting from Chengdu, this tour is recommended for those who are looking for a moderately paced hiking. Start two days' hiking the most important monastery of Mount Emei – Wannian Temple, then hike upwards to the top of the Mountain to enjoy beautiful Golden Summit with one night staying at Leidongping where the hotels are comfortable while prices are lower than Golden Summit. Apart from some old and peaceful Buddhist temples, you also have chance to experience the diversity of Mount Emei’s nature existence. A side trip to Leshan Giant Buddha, UNESCO World Heritage Site, is also covered on Day 1.
Day 1 Chengdu - Leshan Giant Buddha - Emeishan (L)
Today's highlights: Chengdu Panda Base, Leshan Giant Buddha
This morning you will make a stirring visit to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding which is not only the most important panda scientific research center, but also dwelling home for more than 100 Giant Pandas. Walk at leisure through the bamboo framed paths, and closely observe giant pandas of different ages eating bamboos, playing with each other, tumbling, climbing trees, etc. Don't miss the chance to visit the most adorable panda cubs in the panda kindergartens. If you are lucky, you may be able to see the precious panda babies in the nursery rooms.
Leaving the panda center, you will drive about 2 hours from Chengdu to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site - Leshan Giant Buddha which is the largest and tallest stone-carved statue of Buddha in the world. It was carved during AD713~803 on a mountain rock cliff by the river, with its head reaching to the mountain top and its feet standing next to the river. The total height is 71m; while the head is 14.7m high and 10m wide, ear is 7meters high, 28 meters between knees and insteps. Its insteps can hold over a hundred people. You may be wondering why such a giant Buddha was built? It is said to have been built to calm the turbulent waters that plagued passing boats and killed many people each year in ancient time. On the right cliff of the Giant Buddha, there is a plank road built along with the Giant Buddha. From the top to foot, the plank road has nine turns, thus it is called Nine Bends Plank Road. The widest part of the road is 1.45m and the narrowest part is only 0.6m, and there are 217 stone steps in total. You will walk down to the feet of the Giant Buddha for a closer view.
After the Giant Buddha visit, drive about 45mins to Emeishan City to check in your hotel. Have a good rest for tomorrow’s Mount Emei hiking.
Optional night activity: watch a fantastic performance show which is a combo of Emei Kung Fu, acrobatics, Sichuan opera, mask-changing, etc.during 19:30~21:00.
Look up at Leshan Giant Buddha from its foot stage
Day 2 Mount Emei Hiking (B)
Today's highlights: hiking from Wannian Temple to Leidongping
Hiking Sections of today: Wanniansi Temple – Leidongping (22km/about 7~9 hours)
Get up early to have breakfast and pack well, then go to Emeishan Tourist Center to take an eco-bus to Wannian Temple Parking Lot (30mins). You will start hiking from the parking lot, towards Wanniansi Temple. Visit the Buddhist halls, towers, beautiful gardens for about 1 hour. Then you need to set out for the long hiking to Leidongping. First, hike about 12km from Wannian Temple to Jiuling Hill. On route, you will meet three other old and peaceful Buddhist temples with little monks - Xixin Temple, Chu Dian and Huayan Temple. Jiuling Hill is the jointing place where you will join other travelers who come from another way from Qingyin Pavilion. Keep hiking 2.5 km to see the Xixiangchi Temple. Take the last hiking of today to the final destination Leidongping where you will stay the night.
Day 3 Mount Emei Hiking - Chengdu (B)
Today's highlights: Sunrise, hiking from Leidongping to Golden Summit
Hiking Sections of today: Leidongping - Golden Summit (7.5km/about 1.5~2 hours)
Today’s hike can be completed in a half day so that you can use the rest time to transfer back to Chengdu or to catch a high speed train/flight leaving. If you want to see the sunrise from the Golden Summit, you have to get up around 4 o'clock to start hiking, or take the earliest cable car(usually 5AM) up to Golden Summit. If the sunrise is not your desire, you don’t have to start hiking that early.
This hiking from Leidongping to Golden Summit is about 7.5km long. The first part, from Leidongping to Jieyin Pavilion, is easy without many ups and downs. The hardest part comes after Jieyin Hall. Some sections are very steep. One has to walk carefully and slowly. However, don’t worry too much as all steps are well-paved. After getting to Taizi Ping, the paths get flat with little uprising, leading you to Golden Summit along beautiful wild forest. The Golden Summit (altitude:3,077m) is absolutely the highlight of every Emei Tour. Once you reach the top of the mountain, you will be amazed by the awe-inspiring view of Huazang Temple, which is the first temple established on Mount Emei whose history can be traced back to the 1st century CE. There is the highest golden Buddha Statue of Puxian in the world, casting in copper and plated in Gold. Also, you will indulge in panoramic view of Mount Emei and surrounding.
After spending some time wandering around the Golden Summit, take a cable car down to Jieyin Pavilion, then walk about 1.5km (20 mins) to Leidongping to catch an eco-bus to the tourist center. The rest time is to transfer back to Chengdu or to catch your flight/train to next destination. Your Mount Emei hiking adventure ends.
Optional visit to Wanfoding (Ten Thousands Buddha Peak): Wanfoding (3099m), the highest peak in Mount Emei, is currently reopening to tourists who are less 60 years old, but it is only open during 07:00~14:00, and the largest allowed capacity is only 2000 tourists per day. If you want to visit Wanfoding and time allows, please discuss with your tour guide. It usually takes about 2~3 hours to visit Wanfoding.
1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD USD 1=RMB 6.85. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.
Hi Mr Wang,
Thanks! I had a weekend away to Xi’an, China to celebrate my birthday. It was an exciting weekend and it was certainly something off the beaten trail for most of my friends. The itinerary you have suggested provided good coverage of the city’s rich history. From the fascinating Terracotta Army to the City Walls to the sacred Mount Hua, to the Muslim Quarter to the Drum & Bell Towers, there’s an interesting story from every historical era in Xi’an. I managed to hike up Mount Hua from North Peak to West Peak, but I didn’t get to do the dangerous plank walk as it was closed.
The hotel Eastern House was very accessible too with food places within steps and its proximity to the Drum Tower is a plus. The room was very clean and comfortable.
At this point, I have to quickly mention our amazing tour guide Betty Jiao Yan who was assigned to us as part of our private tour package. She made our time feel so very special and I wonder if Xi'an would have been as awesome without her. She had such a positive and caring nature and when we had to say goodbye, we felt very sad. It was strange to miss a guide after only knowing her for 5 days! Luckily we still keep in touch on WeChat. Our driver Mr Ma was very polite, punctual and accommodating, making our travel a pleasant experience
Anne
Hi Jack,
Thanks. The Harbin and Snow Town trip was excellent and very enjoyable. We are now in Japan skiing, and will send our feedback upon our return on 31st Jan.
Best wishes
Leong
Hi Rita,
From my end, everything is remarkable! Jane is amazing! She really make us feel welcome.
All the hotels were amazing too! My parents also very impressed.
I will definitely reaching out again, next time when I visit China. There’s many more places I want to visit.
Best regards,
Jefry
Dear Rita,
We are home. Thanks for arranging this nice trip. Everything worked out nicely except the smoking room problem in Chengde.
Thanks again.
John
Hi Rita,
In response to your enquiries, we had a wonderful experience with the tour arrangements in both Guilin and Yangshuo. Both the tour guide and driver were very professional and handled the arrangements well.
I am surely recommending any friends or relatives who are interested in travelling to China in future to use China Discovery. Also, will be looking at other destinations for ourselves too.
Thanks once again for the wonderful experience.
Kwan
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There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.
All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!
Look up at Leshan Giant Buddha from its foot stage
Cute Pandas Living in Their Natural Environment
Xixiangchi Monastery (Elephant Bathing Pool)
Wannian Temple is the most important Buddhist temple of Mount Emei
The multi-faced golden statue (48m) of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva at Golden Summit
Magnificent Mount Emei Sunrise
Based in Chengdu (only 2hrs driving from Mount Emei) with more than 1360 good reviews on Tripadvisor, we always master the first-hand travel information of Mount Emei, Leshan Giant Buddha and other beautiful places in Chengdu region. We know what is the best way to do a Buddhist tour, hiking or other themed Mount Emei tours; Our private tour packages assure you the highest standards with great flexibility, comfort and personalized arrangement. You will your personal travel consultant, professional tour guide and a private vehicle which only serve for your party - nobody else. All-inclusive tour package to let you enjoy the best of Mount Emei as well as Leshan Giant Buddha, Chengdu, Jiuzhaigou, Daocheng Yading, Mount Siguniang, etc.
Mount Emei is located about 140km south from Chengdu downtown, approximately 2 hours’ driving or 1 hour’s high speed train. You are suggested to get there with China Discovery’s comfortable and efficient private transfers so that you can focus 100% on enjoy sightseeing. If you want to experience high speed train, we can also arrange for you.
A Mount Emei tour usually starts from Chengdu (about 2hrs’ driving or 1 hour’s high speed train), and includes a visit to nearby Leshan Giant Buddha. You can visit Mount Emei in 1 day (only exploring the Golden Summit area), in 2 days (hiking and spend a night on the mountain for sunrise and sunset), or in 3 days for an in-depth hiking. Eco-bus and cable cars are available to save time and energy.
Travelers usually stay a night in Emeishan city or Baoguo Temple area at the foot of the mountain for the arrival night. You don’t have to stay one more night in Emeishan city or on the mountain for extra nights if you only take the classic day tour. If you want to take the classic hike to Golden Summit, you need to stay a night on the mountain, usually at Leidongping or Golden Summit where there are some hotels offer rooms, but not as good as you’ll get in the city. If you want to take the longer hiking of 3 days, you need to stay an extra night at a temple on the mountain.
Mount Emei is available for traveling all year around. There are different things to explore in different seasons, such as floras in spring, waterfalls in summer, red leaves in autumn and snow in winter. The best two periods are April to June and September to November when the weather is more enjoyable and there are less crowds. If you go to visit Mount Emei in winters when the scenery is also very stunning, you need to walk very carefully as the steps are slippery with frozen ice.
Hiking from the foot to the summit of Mount Emei takes at least 2 days, thus eco-bus and cable cars are operated to shorten your hiking, save energy and time. If you take the classic day tour, you will take eco-bus from tourist center to Leidongping, then shift to cable car to reach Golden Summit. If you take the 2 days or 3 days hiking, you can take eco-bus to Wannian Temple Parking Lot or Wuxiangang Parking Lot to start your hiking. It takes about 2 hours to get to Leidongping, 30mins to get to Wannian Temple Parking Lot and Wuxiangang Parking Lot by eco-bus. There are two cableways on Mount Emei, one connecting Wanian Temple Parking Lot to Wannian Temple which is only taken by hikers and Buddhists , the other connecting Jieyin Pavilion to Golden Summit which is taken by most of travelers. The cableways have two ways, our suggestion is take the round-trip cable cars, or take one-way cable car and walk the other way, i.e. walking up Golden Summit and descent by cable car.
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