Private Leshan Giant Buddha Day Trip with Emei Temple or Old Town

Leshan Giant Buddha

The Leshan Giant Buddha is a seated Maitreya Buddha carved straight out of the red sandstone cliff of Lingyun Hill. Work began in 713 and took about ninety years, ending in 803 during the Tang dynasty. It stands about 71 metres high, its head alone taller than a four-storey building, and it looks across the point where the Min, Dadu and Qingyi rivers meet. It was carved to calm the dangerous currents for the boatmen, and a hidden system of drains in the hair, ears and robes has protected it from rain for more than twelve centuries.

Together with Mount Emei it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. Is the Leshan Giant Buddha worth visiting? Standing beside its toes, each one big enough for several people to sit on, most visitors say it is the most impressive sight in Sichuan.

On foot or by boat: two ways to see the Buddha

On a private Leshan Giant Buddha tour you decide on the day, with your guide, how to see it. On foot, you climb Lingyun Hill past old temple halls to the Buddha's head, then descend a narrow staircase cut into the cliff beside the statue to its feet; allow about three hours, and expect queues on weekends and holidays. By boat, a short river cruise of about 30 to 40 minutes brings you face to face with the whole figure and the guardian warriors carved into the cliff on either side; with the transfer this takes about an hour and a half.

The boat suits families with small children, older travellers and anyone short of time, while the stairway gives the strongest sense of scale. Both fees are covered in this option.

The Zen temple at the foot of Mount Emei

The default option begins at the great Buddhist temple on the eastern edge of Emeishan city, a vast modern Chan (Zen) monastery known as the first gateway to Mount Emei. Its halls rise one behind another up the slope, with golden statues, carved wooden beams, incense courtyards and lotus ponds, and monks still live and pray here.

Mount Emei is one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains of China and shares the UNESCO listing with the Leshan Giant Buddha. A visit to the temple gives a quiet, spiritual start to the day before the crowds of Leshan, and the guide explains the meaning of the halls and the Buddhist customs you see. Allow about an hour; shoulders and knees should be covered inside the halls.

Leshan snack street and lunch

Leshan is famous across Sichuan for its street food, and people from Chengdu drive down on weekends just to eat here. The busy snack street near the river is lined with stalls and small restaurants serving cold chicken skewers in chili oil, sweet-skinned duck, beef soup, tofu pudding and sweet rice cakes. Lunch is not included, so you choose exactly what and how much you like.

For travellers who eat halal, Leshan, like most Chinese cities, has qingzhen restaurants and beef noodle shops run by Hui Muslim families; just tell your guide and we stop at one. After lunch a riverside viewpoint gives the first glimpse of the Buddha across the water.

Huanglongxi Old Town and other private options

With the second private option the day pairs the Buddha with Huanglongxi, a riverside old town south of Chengdu whose stone lanes, wooden houses from the Ming and Qing dynasties, old banyan trees and small temples make a gentle late-afternoon stroll before dinner and the drive back. The town is also known for its colourful dragon dances at festival time, and later start times are available with this option.

The third option begins early at the Chengdu Panda Base, when the pandas are feeding, and then drives south to Leshan. Each option is fully private with the same vehicle, guide and hotel pickup; choose the one that fits your plans in the booking panel on this page.

How to get to Leshan and the best time to visit

How to get to Leshan Giant Buddha from Chengdu: it lies about 160 kilometres south, roughly two hours by expressway, or about an hour by high-speed train plus a taxi. On this Leshan Giant Buddha day trip from Chengdu our driver takes care of everything door to door, so you avoid stations, tickets and queues for taxis.

The best time to visit Leshan Giant Buddha is spring and autumn, with mild weather and soft light on the red cliff. Summer is hot and humid, and Chinese public holidays bring long queues on the stairway; on those dates the boat is the smarter choice. The scenic area opens early in the morning and closes in the early evening, with shorter hours in winter.