Mount Emei (Emeishan)
Mount Emei (Emeishan)
4.5
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
A scenic mountain area houses important Buddhist temples.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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bcheong
Shanghai, China47,810 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
One of the 4 sacred buddhist mountains of china and a UNESCO site
It’s 2.5 hrs by car from chengdu city to the foot of the emei mountain. Then you take a 1.5 hr bus further up to about 2,000m. After that a 45 min hike up to 2,500m. And lastly a short cable car ride to 3,000m where the temple and buddha statue are
And of course you can hike up all the way over 3 days
Today was non peak season and a work day and already fairly crowded. I suggest you avoid weekends and public holidays
Not that chilly even at the top. I was sweating wearing a light jumper
It was foggy so the views were not great as expected. And no monkeys
It’s 2.5 hrs by car from chengdu city to the foot of the emei mountain. Then you take a 1.5 hr bus further up to about 2,000m. After that a 45 min hike up to 2,500m. And lastly a short cable car ride to 3,000m where the temple and buddha statue are
And of course you can hike up all the way over 3 days
Today was non peak season and a work day and already fairly crowded. I suggest you avoid weekends and public holidays
Not that chilly even at the top. I was sweating wearing a light jumper
It was foggy so the views were not great as expected. And no monkeys
Written September 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lao Yu
2 contributions
Sep 2024 • Friends
If you want to know about the dirt and the noise and the disgusting nature of human being, you should go to the Golden Summit. If you're looking for spirituality or just want to enjoy quiet moments on top of the mountain, don't go there.
There is nothing spiritual or holy left there since it's all trashed and humiliated by local tourists, the whole place is covered by a permanent jabber of voices from local tourists. They spit on the ground, they walk into the temple chattering, smoking, with naked belly. There is no quiet spot on top of this mountain. For a moment I thought I had found a quiet corner but then I saw a Chinese tourist peeing at the back wall of the temple. When I reminded them, they were just laughing.
From my experience in China, this is how (many) Chinese people usually behave at religious sites and in nature. If the Chinese government would spend all the energy and the resources they use to build the GFW to teach instead their own people civilized and respectful behavior, it would be a gift to humankind.
Actually, I had no illusions coming here but I still wanted to go to the top because I love this mountain, I feel connected to Emei Mountain. For me, Emei Mountain feels like a prisoner, a prisoner of local tourists.
There is nothing spiritual or holy left there since it's all trashed and humiliated by local tourists, the whole place is covered by a permanent jabber of voices from local tourists. They spit on the ground, they walk into the temple chattering, smoking, with naked belly. There is no quiet spot on top of this mountain. For a moment I thought I had found a quiet corner but then I saw a Chinese tourist peeing at the back wall of the temple. When I reminded them, they were just laughing.
From my experience in China, this is how (many) Chinese people usually behave at religious sites and in nature. If the Chinese government would spend all the energy and the resources they use to build the GFW to teach instead their own people civilized and respectful behavior, it would be a gift to humankind.
Actually, I had no illusions coming here but I still wanted to go to the top because I love this mountain, I feel connected to Emei Mountain. For me, Emei Mountain feels like a prisoner, a prisoner of local tourists.
Written September 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dariusz
Chengdu, China439 contributions
Nov 2022 • Friends
I believe the most important is to be LUCKY with the weather. I have already visited E'Mei Mountain during winter but fog was so thick I could not see anything. this time weather was 'perfect' not too hot, not too cold and the view was stunning!
Written November 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Desiree@SIN
Singapore, Singapore185 contributions
Mar 2024 • Friends
I would have skipped this if I knew better. Can at lull period but the park is still pretty crowded. Long climb. We saw some jelly legs and a few people fainted along the way. Thick fog so it was a waste of time for me. Worst of all is seeing so many China people and park workers all smoking away despite the announcement saying this is a protected park so no smoking allowed. I think if the Chinese cannot protect their own park, there’s nothing else anyone can do.
Written March 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
carolinafzs d
Rio de Janeiro, RJ486 contributions
Jan 2023 • Solo
The place is fantastic! I am a foreigner and could not buy any ticket online, however I had no issue going to the ticket counter and getting my ticket.
I took the train from Chengdu to Emeishan. Getting to the station there were free shuttles to the Emeishan ticket place. There I got the ticket and hop the bus to the top. The bus trip takes about 2h. There was a stop mid way for toilet and some snacks.
At the top I got a plastic cover for my shoes as everything was covered with fresh snow. I went to the cable car place through the road, and it was beautiful. At the cable car place I had to buy new tickets. The cable car line was about 2h!!! Finally I got to the top. It is just breathtaking!!! To go back down, the cable car line was huge then I chose to descend through the mountain path. It is about 6km back to the cable car origin place. It is easy walking but it was very slippery due to the snow. I fell twice! The bus ride back to the bottom was 2h and I struggled to get a train ticket back to Chengdu. Make sure you book the train return ticket in advance.
This is a must do trip when visiting Chengdu!
I took the train from Chengdu to Emeishan. Getting to the station there were free shuttles to the Emeishan ticket place. There I got the ticket and hop the bus to the top. The bus trip takes about 2h. There was a stop mid way for toilet and some snacks.
At the top I got a plastic cover for my shoes as everything was covered with fresh snow. I went to the cable car place through the road, and it was beautiful. At the cable car place I had to buy new tickets. The cable car line was about 2h!!! Finally I got to the top. It is just breathtaking!!! To go back down, the cable car line was huge then I chose to descend through the mountain path. It is about 6km back to the cable car origin place. It is easy walking but it was very slippery due to the snow. I fell twice! The bus ride back to the bottom was 2h and I struggled to get a train ticket back to Chengdu. Make sure you book the train return ticket in advance.
This is a must do trip when visiting Chengdu!
Written January 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maxim B
Ottawa, Canada851 contributions
Apr 2021 • Family
We did not plan this visit very well, as we somewhat randomly drove to Emei mountain after seeing Leshan Buddha. That was a mistake, as to fully exlplire the mountain, I would suggest a full day. For example, Golden Top is 48km from the main gate (driving).
From what we were able to see (a few temples), definitely want to come back to see the rest - Golden Top, Shenshen Cliff.
From what we were able to see (a few temples), definitely want to come back to see the rest - Golden Top, Shenshen Cliff.
Written April 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matt F
Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States29 contributions
Jul 2013 • Couples
My girlfriend and I just finished a 4-day, 3-night trip to Leshan and Emeishan. We left Shuangliu, a satellite town to Chengdu, in the morning on the first day for Leshan, got tickets to see the Big Buddha, and sped through the site there before taking a 3:30 bus directly to Baoguo village at the base of Emeishan.
The following was our itinerary, based on an online recommendation we found:
-Day 1, bus to Leshan, see the Big Buddha. Bus to Baoguo Village and stay there overnight.
-Day 2, wake up and hike to Hongchunping temple. Stay overnight.
-Day 3, wakeup very early, hike to Leidongping and stay overnight.
-Day 4, wake up super-early, hike up to see the sunrise from the Golden Summit.
We found that this plan works rather well. Another option is to hike extra on Day 1 so that you can sleep at Xianfengsi. The map says it's another 15 km, but it's only 2.5 hours or so. (And is probably not 15 km, in retrospect.) It is, however, the most difficult segment you will encounter on that first day if you choose to include it. It may be better to save it for the second day, at which time your bodies will have warmed somewhat to the task of hiking hundreds of stairs. Leaving it for Day 2 does mean that you will be doing a LOT of hiking on that middle day, but again, since your bodies will have warmed up a bit, it may be better that way. Your call, though.
Some posts have reported taking the bus up the mountain and hiking down; we did the opposite. We knew we would be too tired to hike down, and it's actually very tiring and hard on the knees to walk down thousands of stone steps. We recommend hiking up for a couple reasons:
-One, it is probably easier on your legs and knees.
-Two, there are always people hiking up that follow a similar 3-day schedule. It's fun to see the same people over and over again! We continually encountered the same Czech researchers, french travelers, and a couple of Chinese families, which was very cool.
-Three, the altitude change from the base to the summit is a whopping 2,500 meters! (8,200 ft) Hiking up allows your body to adapt to the altitude change more gradually than a bus ride.
Day 1
We left Shuangliu to go to Leshan. There are two morning buses going there from Shuangliu but by the time we go there they were all sold out. So we had to go to Meishan for a transfer. There are definitely more buses going to Leshan from Chengdu although it may still be a good idea to purchase your bus ticket a day or two ahead of time.
We arrived at Leshan Central Bus Station around noon-ish. It takes about 15 minutes to go to the Leshan giant Buddha site by cab. There will be a lot of cab drivers around the station trying to get tourists to take their cabs. They will refuse to use the meter and ask for a fixed fare. Make sure to haggle. The first cab driver we ran into charged us 50 RMB which we thought was way too high. So we flagged a cab on the street outside the station and managed to talk the price down to 35.
We used our college IDs to get half-price tickets to enter the giant buddha site. So far those IDs have been serving us really well except at the panda base and Wuhouci temple in Chengdu, which for some reason only took Chinese student IDs and were wary of our American ones. The Buddha site was not big and took us about 2 hours to see the Big Buddha itself. There is also a separate Buddhism park within the site, which charges a separate admissions fee. The giant Buddha, carved into a cliff on the bank of a river, was quite a sight to see, and the view from the trail down the side of the cliff was great. We felt it was totally worth visiting and a great hit-and-run on our way to Emei Mountain.
When you leave the Leshan site to catch a bus to Emeishan, you'll have to make sure you go to Xiaoba bus station. The bus station where you first arrived does not offer service direct to Baoguo village. The last bus from Leshan to the village leaves at 5:00 pm.
We stayed at the Shanshenlüshe hotel. It was a very good deal, with a hot shower, nice beds, TV, and a good location. The managers were very helpful, too. It's one block down the hill from the Teddy Bear hotel, and two blocks from the bus station. We can't find the phone number, but they will have a room if you just show up.
Day 2
We woke up at 7 on the first day at Emei Mountain, took a bus up the hill to Fuhusi, and started climbing. We stopped frequently and arrived at Hongchunping at 3:00. The first day is pretty easy, and you pass a lot of temples. This is also the day you will encounter the famous Emeishan monkeys. For us, this was the most adrenaline-inducing and terrifying experience of the trip: These animals hardly fear humans at all anymore, after so many years of extended contact with them, and will not be afraid to jump on your backpack to try to find food. Do not try to hurt them, and most importantly, try not to be afraid of them. There are several trained employees who do a great job of protecting tourists from the few monkeys who are more adventurous than the others, and you will not be hurt if you don't tease them, eat/drink in front of them, or in any way encourage their aggression. We bought bamboo staffs at the foot of the mountain, and they were indeed useful for warding the energetic ones off. We thought it was an incredible experience to be able to get so close to these animals – mere feet away at times – and we hope you will appreciate it as well. There is, however, the intimidation factor, so it may not be best to bring small children to see the monkeys.
The hike from the monkey zone to Hongchunping temple is not very long. We arrived around 3pm and considered going on to Xianfengsi, but rain set in and did not stop until early the next morning, so we did not set out. Accommodation in all the temples is really basic, with a communal shower and bathroom. The food at the temple was ok - not expensive, but also far from the best food you'll taste. They also offer only vegetarian food because about half of the people who normally stay there are buddhist pilgrims.
Day 3
The next day we left around 7am and arrived in Leidongping at 4pm. The hike was tough: At times we found ourselves going continuously upward for what felt like miles. The hiking trails are paved with rocks and made into staircases, so they can be really steep and hard on your legs. We were not fast hikers; we arrived at Leidongping, 35 km from our starting point, at around 4pm. Rooms at Leidongping are plentiful but expensive as it is the end of the road for the buses, so tourists wishing to see the sunrise have to either stay there or on the summit . Again, if you arrive early in the afternoon, you should be able to find a room without a reservation (we were there on a weekday so not sure if this would be true for weekends). Be sure to ask to look at the rooms first and always haggle.
Day 4
On the last day, we started hiking to the summit at around 3:45am to catch the sunrise and arrive at about 5:15am. We were stupid for not bringing flashlights but were lucky enough to run into two young men who were local students. They led us up to the summit just in time for sunrise. We were extremely lucky because the sky was really clear, a rare occurrence in Emei Mountain, which is usually humid and cloudy. The sunrise was gorgeous and so was the view on the summit. We hiked back down to Leidongping after walking around on the summit and took the bus back to Baoguo Village, which took about 2 hours. From there, it was an easy ride back to Chengdu.
All in all, a great trip, if a bit expensive. Living conditions were a far cry from normal circumstances in any developed country, but if you're ok with that, than you will certainly enjoy this trip.
The following was our itinerary, based on an online recommendation we found:
-Day 1, bus to Leshan, see the Big Buddha. Bus to Baoguo Village and stay there overnight.
-Day 2, wake up and hike to Hongchunping temple. Stay overnight.
-Day 3, wakeup very early, hike to Leidongping and stay overnight.
-Day 4, wake up super-early, hike up to see the sunrise from the Golden Summit.
We found that this plan works rather well. Another option is to hike extra on Day 1 so that you can sleep at Xianfengsi. The map says it's another 15 km, but it's only 2.5 hours or so. (And is probably not 15 km, in retrospect.) It is, however, the most difficult segment you will encounter on that first day if you choose to include it. It may be better to save it for the second day, at which time your bodies will have warmed somewhat to the task of hiking hundreds of stairs. Leaving it for Day 2 does mean that you will be doing a LOT of hiking on that middle day, but again, since your bodies will have warmed up a bit, it may be better that way. Your call, though.
Some posts have reported taking the bus up the mountain and hiking down; we did the opposite. We knew we would be too tired to hike down, and it's actually very tiring and hard on the knees to walk down thousands of stone steps. We recommend hiking up for a couple reasons:
-One, it is probably easier on your legs and knees.
-Two, there are always people hiking up that follow a similar 3-day schedule. It's fun to see the same people over and over again! We continually encountered the same Czech researchers, french travelers, and a couple of Chinese families, which was very cool.
-Three, the altitude change from the base to the summit is a whopping 2,500 meters! (8,200 ft) Hiking up allows your body to adapt to the altitude change more gradually than a bus ride.
Day 1
We left Shuangliu to go to Leshan. There are two morning buses going there from Shuangliu but by the time we go there they were all sold out. So we had to go to Meishan for a transfer. There are definitely more buses going to Leshan from Chengdu although it may still be a good idea to purchase your bus ticket a day or two ahead of time.
We arrived at Leshan Central Bus Station around noon-ish. It takes about 15 minutes to go to the Leshan giant Buddha site by cab. There will be a lot of cab drivers around the station trying to get tourists to take their cabs. They will refuse to use the meter and ask for a fixed fare. Make sure to haggle. The first cab driver we ran into charged us 50 RMB which we thought was way too high. So we flagged a cab on the street outside the station and managed to talk the price down to 35.
We used our college IDs to get half-price tickets to enter the giant buddha site. So far those IDs have been serving us really well except at the panda base and Wuhouci temple in Chengdu, which for some reason only took Chinese student IDs and were wary of our American ones. The Buddha site was not big and took us about 2 hours to see the Big Buddha itself. There is also a separate Buddhism park within the site, which charges a separate admissions fee. The giant Buddha, carved into a cliff on the bank of a river, was quite a sight to see, and the view from the trail down the side of the cliff was great. We felt it was totally worth visiting and a great hit-and-run on our way to Emei Mountain.
When you leave the Leshan site to catch a bus to Emeishan, you'll have to make sure you go to Xiaoba bus station. The bus station where you first arrived does not offer service direct to Baoguo village. The last bus from Leshan to the village leaves at 5:00 pm.
We stayed at the Shanshenlüshe hotel. It was a very good deal, with a hot shower, nice beds, TV, and a good location. The managers were very helpful, too. It's one block down the hill from the Teddy Bear hotel, and two blocks from the bus station. We can't find the phone number, but they will have a room if you just show up.
Day 2
We woke up at 7 on the first day at Emei Mountain, took a bus up the hill to Fuhusi, and started climbing. We stopped frequently and arrived at Hongchunping at 3:00. The first day is pretty easy, and you pass a lot of temples. This is also the day you will encounter the famous Emeishan monkeys. For us, this was the most adrenaline-inducing and terrifying experience of the trip: These animals hardly fear humans at all anymore, after so many years of extended contact with them, and will not be afraid to jump on your backpack to try to find food. Do not try to hurt them, and most importantly, try not to be afraid of them. There are several trained employees who do a great job of protecting tourists from the few monkeys who are more adventurous than the others, and you will not be hurt if you don't tease them, eat/drink in front of them, or in any way encourage their aggression. We bought bamboo staffs at the foot of the mountain, and they were indeed useful for warding the energetic ones off. We thought it was an incredible experience to be able to get so close to these animals – mere feet away at times – and we hope you will appreciate it as well. There is, however, the intimidation factor, so it may not be best to bring small children to see the monkeys.
The hike from the monkey zone to Hongchunping temple is not very long. We arrived around 3pm and considered going on to Xianfengsi, but rain set in and did not stop until early the next morning, so we did not set out. Accommodation in all the temples is really basic, with a communal shower and bathroom. The food at the temple was ok - not expensive, but also far from the best food you'll taste. They also offer only vegetarian food because about half of the people who normally stay there are buddhist pilgrims.
Day 3
The next day we left around 7am and arrived in Leidongping at 4pm. The hike was tough: At times we found ourselves going continuously upward for what felt like miles. The hiking trails are paved with rocks and made into staircases, so they can be really steep and hard on your legs. We were not fast hikers; we arrived at Leidongping, 35 km from our starting point, at around 4pm. Rooms at Leidongping are plentiful but expensive as it is the end of the road for the buses, so tourists wishing to see the sunrise have to either stay there or on the summit . Again, if you arrive early in the afternoon, you should be able to find a room without a reservation (we were there on a weekday so not sure if this would be true for weekends). Be sure to ask to look at the rooms first and always haggle.
Day 4
On the last day, we started hiking to the summit at around 3:45am to catch the sunrise and arrive at about 5:15am. We were stupid for not bringing flashlights but were lucky enough to run into two young men who were local students. They led us up to the summit just in time for sunrise. We were extremely lucky because the sky was really clear, a rare occurrence in Emei Mountain, which is usually humid and cloudy. The sunrise was gorgeous and so was the view on the summit. We hiked back down to Leidongping after walking around on the summit and took the bus back to Baoguo Village, which took about 2 hours. From there, it was an easy ride back to Chengdu.
All in all, a great trip, if a bit expensive. Living conditions were a far cry from normal circumstances in any developed country, but if you're ok with that, than you will certainly enjoy this trip.
Written July 8, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sumdims
Seattle, WA15 contributions
We did a two day hike starting at Wuxiangang bus station and ending up at the Golden Summit. The first day we worked our way from the Wuxiangang entrance through the monkey reserve up to the 'Elephant Bathing Pool' Monastery. We stayed the night there in one of the dormitories. Be warned: accommodation and restroom facilities are very basic and its very humid so everything feels wet (make sure the bed has an electric blanket). We also found rat poop on some of the beds (it's part of the adventure, right?) If staying at the monastery itself is not part of the appeal, then we noticed that others were staying at a guesthouse/restaurant right behind the 'Elephant Bathing Pool' monastery that would likely be a little nicer than what the monastery had to offer. There are lots of little stores/restaurants along the way with vegetarian dishes for 15-20kuai. The trail was paved all the way and consisted of stairs going up/down the whole way. Even if you are fairly fit your legs will probably feel like jelly by the end of the day! The second day we climbed from the monastery to the Golden Summit and then back down to the LeiDengPing bus sation where we took the bus back to emei village. We read very negative reviews on Emeishan and were bracing ourselves for the worst. We were thus pleasantly surprised that many of the trails were beautiful, quiet and well maintained. The one exception was on the 30 minute stretch between the LeidengPing bus station and the cable cars. That was an absolute nightmare: pushing loud crowds, trash everywhere, monkeys eating trash and people crowding to take pictures of them. If you took the bus to this station to begin your climb, I could totally understand the bad reviews. If you can make it past this madness, then the view at the Golden Summit is quite amazing. The majority of the tour groups do it the easy way (cable cars and trains) so in china, I recommend doing it the hard way (stairs all the way!)....if your knees will allow it. You'll be rewarded with a beautiful and peaceful hike.
Written November 4, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emnix
Melbourne, Australia16 contributions
May 2017 • Couples
We decided to do an independent 2 day hike of Mount Emei, after doing quite a bit of research online about the different ways to hike the mountain.
We took a bullet train from Chengdu East to Emei town in the morning and then caught the tourist bus to wannian temple car park, arriving around lunchtime. It was a 30min walk to the actual temple where we started our approx 22km hike to Leidongping. It is a beautiful hike and paved the whole way, well maintained with snack and drink stops every 1-2km. It is however endless ascending steps!! We are moderately fit (exercise 2-4 times a week) however we don't usually do hikes, and we found it to be fairly challenging mainly because it was mostly hiking upwards and some sections are reasonably steep.
It took us about 6 hours to reach Leidongping where after being followed by several hotel hawkers we decided to stay at the monastery. The monk who advertised the monastery to us was a bit eccentric but friendly and spoke reasonable English and was not pushy like the hotels. We chose the private room for 150rmb which we were surprised had a hot shower, electric blanket and was very nice although a bit musty. We had come expecting no shower/power etc! We had simple but tasty vegetarian dishes with rice for dinner in an empty dining hall. I'm not sure if we were the only guests but it was a tad quiet and eerie especially with the drumming in the early morning... we had no actual issues or concerns though.
We were too tired to leave at 4am to see the sunrise at the summit so we watched sunrise at Leidongping then hiked the much more pleasant 1.5-2hrs to the golden summit. It was pretty crowded up the top but the views were incredible and we were exhausted but proud to have gotten to the top!
We caught the cable car back down then the bus to the station (took about an hour, fast and winding road) for the bullet train back. We actually arrived early at the bullet train as the bus had been quicker than expected and took us straight there. There really was not much to do at the station except buy some snacks...
Overall a challenging but rewarding hike up Mt Emei, we would recommend hiking if you have the time! The break from crowds on the hike is hard to find in china, and a different experience than the crowded wannian temple and golden summit. The views at the top however are incredible! Be prepared for many, many steps to get there.
We took a bullet train from Chengdu East to Emei town in the morning and then caught the tourist bus to wannian temple car park, arriving around lunchtime. It was a 30min walk to the actual temple where we started our approx 22km hike to Leidongping. It is a beautiful hike and paved the whole way, well maintained with snack and drink stops every 1-2km. It is however endless ascending steps!! We are moderately fit (exercise 2-4 times a week) however we don't usually do hikes, and we found it to be fairly challenging mainly because it was mostly hiking upwards and some sections are reasonably steep.
It took us about 6 hours to reach Leidongping where after being followed by several hotel hawkers we decided to stay at the monastery. The monk who advertised the monastery to us was a bit eccentric but friendly and spoke reasonable English and was not pushy like the hotels. We chose the private room for 150rmb which we were surprised had a hot shower, electric blanket and was very nice although a bit musty. We had come expecting no shower/power etc! We had simple but tasty vegetarian dishes with rice for dinner in an empty dining hall. I'm not sure if we were the only guests but it was a tad quiet and eerie especially with the drumming in the early morning... we had no actual issues or concerns though.
We were too tired to leave at 4am to see the sunrise at the summit so we watched sunrise at Leidongping then hiked the much more pleasant 1.5-2hrs to the golden summit. It was pretty crowded up the top but the views were incredible and we were exhausted but proud to have gotten to the top!
We caught the cable car back down then the bus to the station (took about an hour, fast and winding road) for the bullet train back. We actually arrived early at the bullet train as the bus had been quicker than expected and took us straight there. There really was not much to do at the station except buy some snacks...
Overall a challenging but rewarding hike up Mt Emei, we would recommend hiking if you have the time! The break from crowds on the hike is hard to find in china, and a different experience than the crowded wannian temple and golden summit. The views at the top however are incredible! Be prepared for many, many steps to get there.
Written June 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KevKate111
London, UK36 contributions
Jun 2012 • Couples
The Mountain:
If you are looking for a peaceful and tranquil hike up a spiritual mountain than you are likely to leave Emei disappointed. Expect huge crowds of Chinese tourists around Qingyin, joking Monkey Zone and from Leidong Ping right upto the summit (Anywhere that the path comes close to the road). There was also a lot of litter throughout the trail, particularly around the Joking Money Zone where tourists were handing plastic bottles and plastic wrapped snacks to the monkeys which were inevitably then discarded. That said there were parts of the trail which were very beautiful and the summit itself was also a stunning area with glimpses of some lovely views: we stayed at the summit from around 8.00-11.00 and the views were predominantly clouded by mist.
The path itself is very well paved. The only possible danger may be the monkeys around the Joking Monkey area and Leidong Ping although these areas are well staffed with attendants armed with rocks and sticks. The monkeys do get very close and are often provoked unnecessarily by tourists so it is wise to move confidently and steadily past these areas.
There are food stalls along the whole path. We ate some noodles and chicken at one of the stalls (Tian Bo Snack Counter) on the second morning and were pleasantly surprised.
The Route:
We started our trek around 8.30 with breakfast at Teddy Bear cafe. From there we walked up to the big Pedestrian Square at the top of the road (Declare the Nation Temple) which is where the trek starts. It is not obvious in which direction to start the trek, but armed with several different maps including the Tourist map which can be purchased for 5rmb and the maps available from Teddy bear cafe, all of which contradict each other and all have discrepancies, we started by following the river path which runs close to the road (the river and the road were on our right).
Walking on this path took us past Fuhu Monastery and then onto Leiyin temple. Most maps make it look like Fuhu is going out of your way but we found it took us onto Leiyin and then past Chunyang, Zhongfeng, Guangfu and Qingyin without backtracking. Again, several of the maps made it appear that Qingyin was past the trail but this is not the case. When you get to Qingyin turn left and walk up to the temple and around to the left of it. The path then continues onto the Joking Monkey zone.
At the Monkey zone you can walk over the swinging bridges past the monkeys and still continue onto the Magic Peak Monastery without backtracking. The rest of the route to the summit took in Yuxian temple, Elephant Bathing pool, Jieyin Hall and Taizi Ping.
On our descent from the summit we took the cable car back to Jieyin Hall, walked back down the trail a few km’s to Leidong Ping and from there took a 1.5hour bus back to Emei.
Where to stay:
Hongchun has accommodation with a pricelist with English translation on display and Double prices starting from 60rmb/per person and dorms at 40rmb / per person. The most expensive ‘deluxe room’ was 120 rmb / per person.
The Magic Peak Monastery was larger than Hongchun and looked quite good. Their pricelist was only written in Chinese although it appeared to be similarly priced (from 40rmb upto 300rmb for a large range of rooms)
We decided to push onto Yuxian Temple as from the maps it appeared to be just 5km on from Magic Peak and reasonably flat. Do not be fooled: the whole trek to the summit is uphill in varying degrees of steepness. There are only a few very short flattish bits. This last 5km was up fairly steep steps. At Yuxian we paid 160rmb for a double room with shared bathroom. We were shown how to use the shower and decided after getting an electric shock that it simply was not worth it. The room was dirty (blood stains etc on the bedding) and extremely damp to the point of being wet. The only saving grace was the electric blankets which we put on immediately in an effort to dry out the bedding. We decided not to eat anything here due to the hygiene. The walk from Teddy bear café to Yuxian took us 8.5 hours at a fairly good pace although there was another couple who outpaced us and later told us they made it onto Elephant bathing pool on the first night.
About 15minutes past Yuxian, one of the food stalls also has accommodation which looked much cleaner and had the added bonus of the snacks and drinks available right outside. Had we known this was here we would have continued on and stayed here.
On the second day it is definitely possible to continue the walk right upto the peak and take the bus back to Emei again. We decided to stay another night on the Mountain and see the summit early the next day.
There are further accommodation options along the second half of the path including Elephant bathing pool and some fancier looking hotels around Leidonping where the tourist buses goto. We stayed at Taizi Ping. We paid 260rmb for a double with bathroom. A double with shared bathroom was 200rmb. The room was similar to the first night: extremely damp but with electric blankets. There was food stalls here so we were able to have a few beers whilst we waited for the bedding to dry out a bit. There was also a menu in English with Chinese food. We stayed here as we were not sure if there was any more accommodation further on. In fact there is a hotel called ‘Golden Summit Hotel’ a couple more km’s further. It looked like a much higher standard and more expensive type of accommodation. From Taizi Ping it was about another 1.5 hours walk to the summit.
If you are looking for a peaceful and tranquil hike up a spiritual mountain than you are likely to leave Emei disappointed. Expect huge crowds of Chinese tourists around Qingyin, joking Monkey Zone and from Leidong Ping right upto the summit (Anywhere that the path comes close to the road). There was also a lot of litter throughout the trail, particularly around the Joking Money Zone where tourists were handing plastic bottles and plastic wrapped snacks to the monkeys which were inevitably then discarded. That said there were parts of the trail which were very beautiful and the summit itself was also a stunning area with glimpses of some lovely views: we stayed at the summit from around 8.00-11.00 and the views were predominantly clouded by mist.
The path itself is very well paved. The only possible danger may be the monkeys around the Joking Monkey area and Leidong Ping although these areas are well staffed with attendants armed with rocks and sticks. The monkeys do get very close and are often provoked unnecessarily by tourists so it is wise to move confidently and steadily past these areas.
There are food stalls along the whole path. We ate some noodles and chicken at one of the stalls (Tian Bo Snack Counter) on the second morning and were pleasantly surprised.
The Route:
We started our trek around 8.30 with breakfast at Teddy Bear cafe. From there we walked up to the big Pedestrian Square at the top of the road (Declare the Nation Temple) which is where the trek starts. It is not obvious in which direction to start the trek, but armed with several different maps including the Tourist map which can be purchased for 5rmb and the maps available from Teddy bear cafe, all of which contradict each other and all have discrepancies, we started by following the river path which runs close to the road (the river and the road were on our right).
Walking on this path took us past Fuhu Monastery and then onto Leiyin temple. Most maps make it look like Fuhu is going out of your way but we found it took us onto Leiyin and then past Chunyang, Zhongfeng, Guangfu and Qingyin without backtracking. Again, several of the maps made it appear that Qingyin was past the trail but this is not the case. When you get to Qingyin turn left and walk up to the temple and around to the left of it. The path then continues onto the Joking Monkey zone.
At the Monkey zone you can walk over the swinging bridges past the monkeys and still continue onto the Magic Peak Monastery without backtracking. The rest of the route to the summit took in Yuxian temple, Elephant Bathing pool, Jieyin Hall and Taizi Ping.
On our descent from the summit we took the cable car back to Jieyin Hall, walked back down the trail a few km’s to Leidong Ping and from there took a 1.5hour bus back to Emei.
Where to stay:
Hongchun has accommodation with a pricelist with English translation on display and Double prices starting from 60rmb/per person and dorms at 40rmb / per person. The most expensive ‘deluxe room’ was 120 rmb / per person.
The Magic Peak Monastery was larger than Hongchun and looked quite good. Their pricelist was only written in Chinese although it appeared to be similarly priced (from 40rmb upto 300rmb for a large range of rooms)
We decided to push onto Yuxian Temple as from the maps it appeared to be just 5km on from Magic Peak and reasonably flat. Do not be fooled: the whole trek to the summit is uphill in varying degrees of steepness. There are only a few very short flattish bits. This last 5km was up fairly steep steps. At Yuxian we paid 160rmb for a double room with shared bathroom. We were shown how to use the shower and decided after getting an electric shock that it simply was not worth it. The room was dirty (blood stains etc on the bedding) and extremely damp to the point of being wet. The only saving grace was the electric blankets which we put on immediately in an effort to dry out the bedding. We decided not to eat anything here due to the hygiene. The walk from Teddy bear café to Yuxian took us 8.5 hours at a fairly good pace although there was another couple who outpaced us and later told us they made it onto Elephant bathing pool on the first night.
About 15minutes past Yuxian, one of the food stalls also has accommodation which looked much cleaner and had the added bonus of the snacks and drinks available right outside. Had we known this was here we would have continued on and stayed here.
On the second day it is definitely possible to continue the walk right upto the peak and take the bus back to Emei again. We decided to stay another night on the Mountain and see the summit early the next day.
There are further accommodation options along the second half of the path including Elephant bathing pool and some fancier looking hotels around Leidonping where the tourist buses goto. We stayed at Taizi Ping. We paid 260rmb for a double with bathroom. A double with shared bathroom was 200rmb. The room was similar to the first night: extremely damp but with electric blankets. There was food stalls here so we were able to have a few beers whilst we waited for the bedding to dry out a bit. There was also a menu in English with Chinese food. We stayed here as we were not sure if there was any more accommodation further on. In fact there is a hotel called ‘Golden Summit Hotel’ a couple more km’s further. It looked like a much higher standard and more expensive type of accommodation. From Taizi Ping it was about another 1.5 hours walk to the summit.
Written June 13, 2012
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Hi. Anyone can suggest a hotel at/near the mountain where snows are abundant, and have frequent snowfall. Thanks
Written September 24, 2019
I love people like you. thank you for the explanation!
Written September 19, 2019
Mezzo Mok
Bangkok, Thailand
Hi. Are there any online ticket pre-booking channels for Emeishan (Admission ¥160, Mountain Bus ¥90, Cable Car ¥120) beside Ctrip? I've try but it's asking for Chinese verification. Thanks for helping out!
Written August 20, 2019
In china mainly you need to habe chinese back account or wechat pay for online booking and payment. So you shall use your chinese friend to do it for you. There is not biq queue in entrance, very easy to buy. I had bought in emeishan train station without waiting
Written September 7, 2019
hello,
I don't want to take the cable car because of high frightenend..
what travel/hiking can I do without taking the cable?
I am in shape, can walk a lot.. Wish to walk many hours
Written April 8, 2019
Is this mean we have to carry our bag (if to spend the night on mountain) and walk up to hotel ourself?
I am slightly loss in term of planning at the moment and would appreciate some advice. Thank you.
Written April 8, 2019
Have cash for the cable car and plan to carry a bag about a km or maybe a km and 1/2 as there is a walk to the first cable car site and another from the end of the cable car to the top. i had a backpack which made it easy.
Written April 17, 2019
Pls verify my plan fits for 1 day or not?
I will come to mount emei from leshan, stay in a hotel at foot of mountain.
Get up early in the morning and follow below route.
1. Take bus from bougou to wuxianggang
2. Visit qingying pavillion and monkey reserve area. Walk back to wuxianggang) 2-3 hours
3. Take bus to wuxiangang to leidongping. (1.5 hours)
4. Take cable car in leidongping and go to golden summit.
5.Take cable car back to leidongping.
6.Take bus to bougousi, visit bougou temple. Then take taxi to train station for chengdu.
I wish to learn is this plan ok for 1 day and can i catch last bus from leidongping to bougousi?
Thanks
8. Take taxi to emeishan railway station.
Written March 17, 2019
The bus itself going to Leidongping takes around 2 hours one way but it seems all the tourist groups there are doing kind of the same, first monkey area, then up. For me personally I like to avoid tourists and the actual nicest part is the hiking up. So expect when you follow your plan you will be totally under tourists all the way
Written March 17, 2019
Good day, does the bus up the mountain still operate even though it snows?
Thanks
Written December 12, 2018
Not sure but it can be very dangerous.
We went during summer and steep curves and dont think its very safe to go in winter time.
Written December 25, 2018
Qualcuno è stato ad ottobre?! È fattibile?
Written August 24, 2018
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