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Mount Emei (Emeishan)

A sacred Buddhist mountain and UNESCO World Heritage site, climbed via a stone-step pilgrim trail past monasteries to a 3,079-metre summit above the clouds

Difficulty
Hard
Duration
2-3 days for the full stone-step ascent from the base, or a single day if riding the Golden Summit cableway up from Leidongping
Summit elevation
3079 m

One of China's Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains and, together with the nearby Leshan Giant Buddha, a UNESCO World Heritage site, Emeishan rises from subtropical forest at its base to alpine scenery at the Golden Summit, 3,079 metres up. The pilgrim trail climbs an old stone stairway past centuries-old monasteries such as Wannian and Baoguo, through a band of forest known for its resident Tibetan macaques, before the final stretch, or the cableway, reaches the summit's gilded temple complex, where clear winter mornings can deliver all four of the mountain's celebrated natural spectacles at once.

Highlights

  • Sunrise and the sea of clouds from the Golden Summit
  • The Buddha's-ray halo phenomenon, seen when sun and mist align just right
  • Centuries-old monasteries such as Wannian and Baoguo along the pilgrim trail
  • Resident Tibetan macaques along the mid-mountain forest sections

Getting there

From Chengdu, take a high-speed train (about 1 hour) to Emeishan railway station, then a bus or taxi (about 30 minutes) to Baoguo Temple at the mountain's main gate, where trailhead and shuttle bus connections begin.

Safety tips

The full ascent is a long, sustained climb on stone steps that punishes unprepared knees on the descent, monkeys along the mid-mountain trail can be bold around food, and the summit's winter ice makes the final approach genuinely hazardous without proper footwear, so pace, snacks kept out of sight, and crampons in cold months are all worth taking seriously.

What to bring

  • Trekking poles to spare the knees on the long stone-step descent
  • Warm layers for the Golden Summit, which is markedly colder than the base
  • Crampons or ice grippers for winter visits, when the upper steps ice over
  • A stick or closed bag for food, since macaques on the mid-mountain trail are used to visitors