Hiking at Mt. Emei

My girlfriend and I had a walking tour to Mt. Emei this June. I’d like to share our journey with all of you.

Summery: Travelers who like hiking may take this route. We chose the longest route and walked about 60 kilometers to reach the summit in two days. On the third day, we enjoyed the sunrise and then took the cable car back to the foot of the mountain.

where: Mt. Emei
When: In June, 2011
Who: My girlfriend and I

Before starting out, we prepared the following things: a backpack, a T-shirt and a pair of shorts worn during mountaineering, a jacket and a pair of trousers worn at night, men’s briefs and girl’s underwear, simple wash supplies, rations including squeeze biscuit, chocolate and snickers, bottled water, raincoat and alpenstock.

On the first day: Chengdu-Mt. Emei-Baoguo Temple-Fuhu Temple-Qingyin Pavillion-Hongchunping

We took bus from Chengdu New South Gate Bus Station at 08:00. The fare was 44 yuan per person.

Tip:
1 If you don’t encounter the traffic jam, you will get to the bus station located at the downtown area of Emei City. Then you have to take a taxi or bus to Mt.Emei. The taxi fare is about 10 yuan. Remember that the driver will drop you at the fork of the road near the Mt. Emei and then you have to take a minivan to the foot of Mt. Emei. The bus fare is 5 yuan.

2 There are two ways which lead to the summit of Mt. Emei. The main entrance is at the Yingbin Square. Here you can take sight-seeing bus to Leidongping and then climb to the summit or walk about 30 minutes to take the cable car at Jieyin Hall.

If you want to hike, please walk to Baoguo Temple and start hiking there.

3 Buy some necessities at the foot of Mt. Emei:

A piece of bamboo stick costs 1 yuan. It can be used as alpenstock. If you are bothered by wild monkeys, you can use it to drive them away.

Disposable raincoat: 5 yuan for two after bargaining. It rains a lot in the mountain. Raincoat is better than umbrella.

Bottled water: buy 1.5 L bottled water if you don’t buy it in advance. The higher you climb, the expensive the water is.

Tip: If you think the bottled water is too heavy, bring an empty campaign kettle. The temples offer boiled water for free.

4 It is too hot in June. The T-shirt and a pair of shorts are your best choice. Due to the temperature difference between day and night, take a jacket and a pair of trousers. They are useful when you sleep at night. When you climb the Golden Summit, just rent a down jacket. It costs 20 yuan.

5 Before starting out hiking, you may tour at Baoguo Temple. Here you may taste vegetarian food at the temple. It is offered from 11:00 to 11:30 and costs 15 yuan for each person. The ticket price for the Baoguo Temple is 8 yuan.

6 Fuhu Temple is about 1 kilometer from Baoguo Temple. The entrance fee is 6 yuan. Go in and have a look if you like.

7 We passes by Leiyin Temple, Chunyang Hall, Shenshui Pavilion, Zhongfeng Temple, Guangfu Temple and reach at Qingyin Pavilion. The journey is about 10 kilometers. The steps are not steep. But we consume much energy here due to the hot weather.

The ticket booth is located at the Leiyin Temple. The entrance ticket costs 150 yuan per person. Some locals may tell you that they will lead you to bypass the ticket office via the path if you give them 80 yuan. Please do not believe them because there are several ticket inspectors on the road. If you were caught, you will be asked to buy the entrance ticket again.

8 We stay at the Qingyin Pavilion for a while and keep climbing. Before we get to Hongchunping, we pass by Yixiantian and Monkey Area.

Remember to take good care of your backpack, camera and other valuables. The monkeys may steal them. To avoid trouble, I suggest you do not feed the monkeys or bring food in hands. Otherwise, they will follow you or grab food from your hands. Also do not attack the monkeys if you are annoyed by them. The monkeys bear grudges and will revenge on you.

9 Getting through the Monkey Area, we arrive at Hongchunping, six kilometers from the Qingyin Pavilion. If you arrive before 18:30, you can eat the vegetarian food. Otherwise, you have to order some expensive dishes to feed your stomach.

Tonight, we sleep at the temple. A double room costs 45 yuan.

Summary: we walk 17 kilometers today.

On the second day: Hongchunping-Xianfeng Temple-Xixiangchi (Elephant Bathing Pool)-Leidongping-Jieyin Hall-Taiziping

In fact, we can get to the Golden Summit today. Considering of the expensive accommodation at the summit, we sleep at Taiziping, about 1.5 kilometers from the Golden Summit.

1 We get up at 06:00 and eat the vegetarian food at the temple. It costs 5-10 per person. Better eat some steamed buns because we have a long way to go today.

2 We start climbing at 07:00 and arrive at the Ninety-nine Curves. The steps are steep and endless. But we climb to the Xianfeng Temple after conquering the 99 Curves.

Xianfeng Temple is about 15 kilometers from Hongchunping. Jiulao Cave is 500 meters to the Xianfeng Temple. It is dark inside the cave and you have to pay 5 yuan to light the candle.

3 Having a rest at the Xianfeng Temple, we keep on hiking. Passing through the downhill path, we arrive at Yuxian Temple. Getting out of the temple, we encounter another steep slope called Zuantianpo.

“We have been through all difficulties to reach here and there is no reason that we should give up.”, we told ourselves. Eventually, we conquer the Zuantianpo and arrive at Xixiangchi. Xixiangchi is 12.5 kilometers from the Xianfeng Temple.

4 We take a short rest at the Xixiangchi and set off again. We are almost despaired after seeing the endless steps. It is called Lianwangpo. The previous steep steps drain away our strength. Both my girlfriend and I think Lianwangpo is the steep road on the Mt. Emei. My girlfriend sits on the steps and doesn’t move. I know she is very tired but it is not the right time to take a rest. I encourage her to stand up and keep climbing by saying “We are very close to the Golden Summit. If we stop here, we will regret one day ‘why we didn’t keep hiking to the Golden Summit?’. Save the regret in the future and climb to the summit. Believe us we can do it.”

It works. She stands up and starts climbing. Later, we arrive at Leidongping, 7.5 kilometers from Xixiangchi.

Tip: There are many farm houses. You can stay here for a night. However, you have to leave at 04:00 in the morning to see the sunrise.

5 We don’t plan to get up so early in the morning because we are too tired today. My girlfriend and I take a rest and then move on to the Jieyin Hall.

Tip: Here you can take cable car to the Golden Summit. It is operated from 05:30 to 18:00. The upward trip costs 65 yuan in peak season and 30 yuan in the low season. The downward trip costs 55 yuan in peak season and 20 yuan in the low season. The low season starts from Dec.15 to Jan. 14 of the next year.

If you plan to see the sunrise, please get up as early as possible to catch the first cable car that departs at 05:30. The cable can accommodate 101 person at one time.

6 It is getting dark. We eventually get to Taiziping. Taiziping is about 4.5 kilometers from Leidongping. We choose a double room in a farmhouse. It costs 120 yuan per night.


Tip: You can find many farmhouses at Taiziping. If you do not stay at the farmhouse, you can accommodate at the temple. It costs 50 yuan per person. Men and women can not stay in the same room at the temple.

Summary: We walk 40 kilometers today. At 07:00, we set off from Hongchunping and get to Taiziping at 07:30.

On the third day: Taiziping-Golden Summit

1 We leave at 05:30 and get to the Golden Summit at 06:00.

Tip:
1) The temperature is very low at the Golden Summit. Better rent a down jacket to prevent from the coldness and wind.

2) The Buddha's halo in the sea of clouds only can be viewed on sunny days. If you are lucky, you will see the Buddha’s halo. If you don’t see, please do not regret because it rains at the summit more than 200 days in a pear.

3) You can sleep at the summit at night. The cheapest double room without toilet costs 280 yuan per night. A double room with toilet costs 360 yuan per night.

2 We are not lucky dogs. It is foggy when we arrive at the summit. Thus, we fail to see the Buddha’s halo. But my another dream comes true. I propose to my girlfriend at the Golden Summit. She is surprised but accepts my proposal. Samantabhadra witnesses our love and sends his best wishes to us.

3 My fiancée and I walk about 6 kilometers from the Golden Summit to Leidongping. There we take the sight-seeing bus to the parking lot located to the Wannian Temple. The bus ticket is 50 yuan per person.

Tip: If you are a crazy hiker, you can get down on foot. This is the route:
Golden Summit-Taiziping-Jieyin Hall- Xixiangchi-Jiulinggang-Huayanding-Monkey Hill-Chu Hall-Zhanglaoping-Xixinsuo-Wannian Temple-White Dragon Cave-Qingyin Pavilion-Wuxiangang Bus Station

4. After arriving at Wannian Temple parking lot, we walk to the bus station near the Baoguo Temple and buy two tickets back to Chengdu. The ticket fare is 44 yuan.

Total expenditure: 980 yuan for two. It includes Chengdu-Mt.Emei round trip bus tickets (176 yuan), taxi fare (10 yuan), the entrance tickets to Mt. Emei (300 yuan), accommodation (210 yuan), sight-seeing bus (100), meals (162 yuan) and other expenditure (31).

Map of Mt. Emei

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