Mount Emei Tickets & Guide

Mount Emei rises to 3,099 metres on the western edge of the Sichuan Basin, an hour by high-speed rail from Chengdu. It has been a Buddhist pilgrimage site for nearly two thousand years, with temples built into the mountainside from the foot to the summit, and a cable car that puts the Golden Summit within reach of a day trip. Between the summit views and the temple trail lie the two things everyone warns you about: the monkeys, and the weather that can change in minutes.

What Is Mount Emei?

Mount Emei is a 3,099-metre mountain in Sichuan, on the western rim of the Sichuan Basin near the city of Emeishan. The name means "towering eyebrows." It is the highest of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China, and the traditional place of enlightenment of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, known in Chinese as Puxian.

It is also one of the oldest Buddhist sites in the country, traditionally the location of the first Buddhist temple built in China in the first century, with 76 Ming and Qing monasteries still standing, most of them near the summit. In 1996 the mountain was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the Leshan Giant Buddha, as a mixed cultural and natural site.

What the Mountain Is Actually Like

• It is a big scenic area of about 150 square kilometres, not a single climb. The summit is reached by bus and cable car, or by a footpath of about 50 to 60 kilometres.
• The temples adapt to the terrain: some stand on terraces, some on stilts, one is fitted between two rivers.
• The weather changes with altitude, and the summit can be cold, wet and fogged in while the foot of the mountain is warm.
• Wild Tibetan macaques live along the trails and are one of the mountain's best-known features, for better and worse.

Where Is Mount Emei: Map and How to Get There

Mount Emei is in Emeishan City, Leshan prefecture, Sichuan, about 200 kilometres from Chengdu by road. The practical gateway is the high-speed rail station at Emeishan, about an hour from Chengdu.

Two Stations, One Mountain

The city has two railway stations: Emei and Emeishan. Emeishan station is the one closer to the visitor centre and the start of the scenic area, so it is the better choice when booking. From there it is a short drive to the gate at Baoguo Temple.

A Word on Doing It as a Day Trip

A same-day round trip from Chengdu is possible but makes for a long day, and a lot of it is spent on transport. The more comfortable pattern is to see the Leshan Giant Buddha first, sleep at the foot of Mount Emei, and climb the mountain the next morning. One night lets you do either the Golden Summit or Wannian Temple properly; two nights lets you do both.

Mount Emei Opening Hours and Tickets

The scenic area is open all year, and the individual gates, temples and cable cars keep their own hours, generally from early morning to late afternoon. Entry is ticketed, with the shuttle bus and the cable cars sold separately, so check the current prices on the official platform before you go.

Booking Notes

• Book tickets and transport in advance during holidays, because the Golden Summit cable car queue can exceed an hour and a half in peak season.
• Real-name tickets mean carrying the passport or ID you booked with.
• The shuttle bus and cable car are separate from the entry ticket, so budget for all three.
• The sedan chair is a real option for the last stretch if the walk or the altitude is too much, and the price is set per trip.

Mount Emei Golden Summit: The Peak Everyone Goes For

The Golden Summit, known as Jinding, is the highest accessible point at 3,077 metres, an hour's hike below the true summit of Wanfo Ding. This is the destination for most visitors, and the reason is the combination of the giant statue, the temples and the views.

• The huge gilded statue of Samantabhadra, the world's largest, stands at the summit with elephant statues lining the steps up to it.
• Two temples and the bronze and silver halls sit alongside it, with incense burning through the day.
• Sunrise and a sea of clouds are the famous views, and both depend on luck. The mountain's own saying is that one mountain has four seasons and ten miles have different weather.
• The summit is cold and exposed, with average temperatures around freezing over the year, so it is not a place to linger in a thin layer.

How Long to Spend Up There

An hour on the summit is enough to see the statue, the temples and the view, and to buy a warm drink. If you are staying at the summit hotel for the sunrise, allow the full evening and morning, and accept that cloud may still cover the dawn.

What to See and Do on Mount Emei

Mount Emei Hiking Routes and Cable Car Options

There are two ways to see the mountain, and about ninety percent of visitors take the first one.

The Bus and Cable Car Combination

1. Take the shuttle bus from the visitor centre toward Leidongping, which takes about two hours on a winding road.
2. Walk about 30 minutes from Leidongping to the Golden Summit cable car station. Monkeys are possible on this stretch, and the sedan chair covers it for those who need it.
3. Take the cable car to the summit, then come back down the same way.

The Full Hike

Two routes run from the foot to the summit, and both are strenuous two-day undertakings.

The Wannian Temple Day Route

For a lighter day, take the 40-minute shuttle to the Wannian Temple cable car station, ride up and back, then walk down from the temple through Qingyin Pavilion, One-Line Sky and the monkey area to Wuxianggang in about three hours, and catch the shuttle back. Skipping the monkey area shortens the descent to about an hour and a half.

Mount Emei Monkeys: What to Know

The Tibetan macaques are the mountain's most memorable residents, and they are wild animals, not a petting zoo. One one-armed female, known online as Xing Xing, has made the monkey area famous, and the local macaques are entirely used to humans, which is part of the problem.

• Do not carry food in your hands or in open bags. The monkeys will take it, and they are quick about it.
• Do not feed them, tease them or try to touch them. They bite, and a provoked macaque is fast.
• Keep phones and cameras secure, and don't leave bags unzipped on the ground.
• If a monkey grabs something, let it go rather than pulling back; a tug of war is one you will lose.
• Walk past steadily and don't stare, which reads as a challenge to some animals.

Mount Emei One-Day and Two-Day Itineraries

One Day: The Golden Summit

1. Leave the foot of the mountain around 08:00 and take the shuttle toward Leidongping, arriving around 10:00.
2. Walk to the cable car, ride up, and spend about an hour at the Golden Summit.
3. Return to Leidongping for lunch, shuttle down, and be back at the foot by mid-afternoon.
4. Add Wannian Temple only if you are efficient and skip a long lunch; it is better left to a second day.

Two Days: Summit Plus Temples

• Day one: the Golden Summit, then overnight at the foot of the mountain or at Leidongping.
• Day two: Wannian Temple and the walking descent through Qingyin Pavilion, One-Line Sky and the monkey area.

Best Time to Visit Mount Emei

Avoid the first week of October and the first week of May, plus Chinese New Year, when the cable car queues can pass an hour and a half.

What to Eat Around Mount Emei

The food around Emeishan and Leshan is some of the best in Sichuan, and it is worth eating at the foot of the mountain rather than on it.

• Qiaojiao beef: Leshan's herb-braised beef, served in a light broth.
• Sweet-skin duck: the Leshan roast duck with a sweet, glossy skin.
• Dofu nao: a soft, savoury tofu pudding, the local breakfast.
• Bobo chicken: cold skewers in a chilli and sesame sauce.
• Temple vegetarian food: a set meal at one of the monasteries, simple and good.
• Emei tea: the mountain is a green tea region, and the local bud teas are a common souvenir.

Mount Emei Tips and What to Pack

• Bring layers. The summit can be near freezing when the foot of the mountain is warm, and the temperature drops as you climb.
• Take a waterproof layer, since the mountain receives rain on more than 250 days a year, most of it in summer.
• Wear shoes with grip, and add ice grips in winter, when the upper paths are icy.
• Pack motion sickness tablets for the shuttle bus, which is long and winding, and sit toward the front.
• Bring sun protection; at 3,000 metres the sun is strong even on cool days.
• Carry your passport or ID for real-name tickets.
• Keep food sealed and out of sight around the monkeys.
• Book tickets and the cable car in advance for holidays, and check the weather before you commit to a summit day.

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Where to Stay on Mount Emei

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