Mount Emei Travel Guide: Top Things to Do & Best Time to Visit

Just south of Chengdu, in Leshan City, Mount Emei is waiting to be explored. It's one of the four Buddhist mountains in China. It is a place of enormous cultural and natural significance with 76 monasteries and awe-inspiring hikes and views, especially from the Golden Summit. You'll also find beautiful landscapes and waterfalls throughout the twisting trails and paths of the mountain. Read on to learn how to explore one of China's most cherished natural places.

Golden Summit on Mt. Emei

Mount Emei: Essential Travel Information

Temples on Golden Summit

Mount Emei is located 168 kilometers from Chengdu and 54 kilometers from the Leshan Giant Buddha. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Buddhist pilgrims have been coming here for 2,000 years.

In addition to its historic temples, Mount Emei is a hiker's paradise with trails for every skill level and need. You can hike all or part of the summit or rely on tourist buses or cable cars to take you to places of interest along the way. If you do attempt the summit hike, it's important to know that it's very steep and requires good physical fitness and footwear. You can also opt for several smaller hikes, and many of the paths are well-maintained.

• Entrance Fee: 160 CNY (does not include the additional cost to visit Wannian Temple, or the Golden Summit cableway fee)
• Golden Summit cableway: 65 for the ascent, 55 for the descent
• Hours of operation: 6 am - 6:30 pm

Recommended Tour Itinerary

Leshan and Mount Emei Tour From Chengdu 5 DAYS Explore This Tour

Best Time to Visit

Beautiful view on Golden Summit on Mt. Emei

Since you'll be spending much of your time at Mount Emei outside, visiting between March and June and September and November is ideal. You'll avoid the hottest summer days and not have to trek in the snow. This time of year is also when it's most likely to be clear outside, allowing you the opportunity to fully appreciate the sunrise or sunset and get a long-range view from one of the mountain's many viewpoints.

Spring is also when the azaleas are in bloom, decorating the landscape with vibrant colors. The best times to see these flowers are April, May, and June. If you want to check out the changing of the leaves, visit in October.

Top Things To Do at Mount Emei

You certainly will not run out of great things to do on a visit to Mount Emei. We can help put together a personalized plan tailored to your needs, but in the meantime, these are just a few of the excellent activities you can partake in at Mount Emei.

Hiking at the Qingyin Pavilion

The Qingyin Pavilion is one of the many Buddhist temples on Mount Emei, and it's also known for its excellent vegetarian food, gorgeous temple garden, and incredible views of the Niuxin Ridge. Enjoy a leisurely hike and spectacular panoramic views from this temple. It's best to hike from Wannian Temple to Qingyin Pavilion, as the downhill route is much easier and more relaxing.

See the Ten Thousand Year Temple

The Wannian Temple, also known as the Ten Thousand Year Temple, is one of the key highlights of Mount Emei. It's the largest and oldest monastery, and you can get there by tourist bus, cable car, hiking, or a mixture of all three of them. You'll need to pay 10 CNY to visit the temple, but it's absolutely worth it for the stunning grounds, lovely art, and smiling Buddha inside.

Marvel at Golden Summit

Decoration on elephant statue on Golden Summit

There are plenty of places where you can enjoy fantastic views on Mount Emei, but none of them is more impressive than Golden Summit. You'll find awe-inspiring vistas, 3 temples, and a Samantabhadra Bodhisattva at this spot. It's an excellent place to watch the sun come up or visit any time of day to gaze out across the landscape.

Visit the Tibetan Macaques

While hiking along Mount Emei, you'll likely run into some of the mountain's residents: Tibetan Macaques. These monkeys hang around some of the temples, the cable cars, and Xixiang Pond. While you're free to snap photos of the monkeys from a safe distance, it's not wise to interact with them. These monkeys can also grab sunglasses and cell phones if you're too close, so keep your pockets zipped and admire them from a distance.

Soak in the Hot Springs

Visit the mountain's base for some of the best hot springs in China. Visiting these hot springs comes with an extra cost, but it's all worth it to soak your muscles in nature. Some of the best hot springs are the Hongzhushan Hot Spring, Emeishan Hotel Hot Spring, and Lingxiu Hot Spring. You can relax in a hotel with a hot spring before or after touring Mount Emei.

Recommended Travel Route

On the way up to the top of Mt. Emei

We suggest you combine your trip to Mount Emei with some of the other excellent sights in the area, specifically the Leshan Giant Buddha and a trip to Chengdu.

Begin your trip with a visit to the Leshan Giant Buddha on the first day, then take a high-speed train to Mount Emei and stay overnight. On day 2, you'll have the whole day to explore Mount Emei at a comfortable pace, giving you plenty of time to take in the highlights without feeling rushed.

Another option we can suggest is starting your trip from Chengdu. You can travel from Chengdu to Baoguo Temple, at the foot of the mountain. Here, you can try local cuisine and stay in a hot spring hotel for rest and relaxation. On day 2, you can explore Mount Emei. You can take the cableway to the Golden Summit to see the sea of clouds and enjoy the amazing views. Or just do a lower-altitude hike from Wannian Temple to Qingyin Pavilion.

Getting to Mount Emei from Chengdu and Leshan

Mount Emei is easy to get to from both Chengdu and Leshan. You can take the high-speed train from Chengdu to Emeishan Station, which takes about 1 hour, where you'll pick up a tourist bus that will take you the rest of the way to the mountain. You can also go by bus from Chengdu's Xinnanmen Station right to the entrance of Mount Emei.

It's just as easy to get to Mount Emei from Leshan. High-speed trains between Leshan Railway Station and Emeishan Station take only 15 to 24 minutes, and there's a direct shuttle bus from the train station to the scenic area. You can also take a long-distance bus or chartered bus to Mount Emei.

Another option is to let us take care of your transportation with a private transfer. We're happy to help you work out all of the logistics so that you can see this magical place with as little stress as possible.

Travel Tips

Airview of Mt.Emei

Keeping a few key travel tips in mind will help you enjoy yourself to the fullest on Mount Emei. We can also give you personal advice based on your needs and help craft an itinerary that's right for you.

• Try to avoid the Chinese New Year week and Golden Week, as these times will be the most crowded
• The mountain is always humid, so wear thin layers, even during the summer
• Since the summit is over 3,000 meters up, it's usually cold there, so bring something warm for resting at the top
• You can generally see a lot of bird life if you go off the beaten path
• Good shoes are a must, especially if you're hiking some of the harder treks
• Don't interact with the monkeys

Explore Majestic Mount Emei

See one of China's true cultural and natural treasures: Mount Emei. At China Odyssey Tours, we can help you organize your experience from start to finish. Email us at trip@odynovotours.com or visit our contact page to get started today.