5 Days Chengdu City Tour with Leshan & Mt. Emei

Ni hao and welcome to Chengdu, the hometown of the Giant Pandas! Whether you arrive by flight or by train, your local tour guide will meet you at the airport or train station and escort you by private vehicle to your downtown Chengdu hotel. The rest of the day will be free for you to explore on your own or stay In and rest up from your trip.

Accommodation: Overnight in Chengdu

This morning we will pick you up from your hotel by private vehicle to visit the lovely Giant Pandas at the Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base & Breeding Center, which is the number one must-do thing in Chengdu. We will pick you up early in the morning from your hotel and drive about 30 minutes to the panda base to see giant pandas as they are being fed, playing with each other, climbing trees, etc. There are many different enclosures for pandas of different ages, from baby pandas to 1-year old pandas to teenage pandas and older - more than 100 Giant Pandas live here at the center. Beautiful tree-lined walking paths lead you from one enclosure to the next so it’s an enjoyable morning spending time with the pandas. Don’t miss the opportunity to see panda mothers nursing their cubs in the nursery rooms. There is also a very informative Panda Museum filled with interesting exhibits and everything you need to know about these wonderful creatures.

After meeting the pandas, we’ll visit the sacred Wenshu Temple, which is hidden in a peaceful location right in the middle of modern Chengdu. This temple is the most popular Buddhist temple in the Chengdu region. With its beautiful, traditional and ancient architecture, the atmosphere is very calm and quiet, with some people praying, right in the midst of a busy and modern urban city. The grounds have a small garden and the monastery is very colorfully decorated, making it a fascinating place to visit.

After the Wenshu Temple, we will experience the leisurely pace of the life of the locals at Renmin Park and Jinli Street. Renmin (People’s) Park is where the locals go for a relaxing walk, to meet friends or have a cup of tea. Jinli Street, by contrast, is a street mainly for tourists but it does offer a view of the way things were in ancient times. You can wander along this traditional old street to absorb the special atmosphere of Chengdu while tasting the local snacks, watching street performers, etc.

After your visit to Old Jinli Street, we will take you back to your hotel.

Optional Recommended Evening Activity:
Watch a wonderful performance of the traditional Sichuan Opera at the Shufengyayun Opera House, including folk opera, face changing, fire spitting, and rolling lights performances and much more. Usual showtime is 20:00 – 21:30.

Accommodation: Overnight in Chengdu

This morning we will take you on the pleasant 2-hour drive from Chengdu to the LeShan Giant Buddha, the largest carved statue of the Buddha in the world. Sitting at the confluence of three rivers, the Giant Buddha was carved into the cliffside of Lingyun Mountain more than 1,200 years ago in the hopes that it would help to suppress flooding in the area. You can enjoy a spectacular view of the gargantuan statue as you walk down the narrow staircase to the foot of the Buddha.

After visiting the amazing Giant Buddha, we will drive on to Mt. Emei, which is about 30 minutes away by car. We will visit the largest temple on the mountain, Baoguo Temple, before checking into our hotel to spend the night at the foot of holy Mt. Emei.

Accommodation: Overnight at the foot of Mt. Emei

Mt. Emei is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China and it is traditionally held as a place of enlightenment. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1996. We will take an eco-car in the Emei Scenic Area to Leidongpin and then hike on to Jieyin Hall, where we will take a cable car to the Golden Summit (elevation 3077 meters). Here at the highest peak of the mountain you will be amazed by the awe-inspiring view of Huazang Temple and witness a breathtaking sea of clouds if the weather conditions are right.

After visiting the summit, we will descend to the cable car to go back up to Wannian Temple, which is located midway up the mountain. Here we will take in the most beautiful landscape of Mt. Emei from Qingyin Pavilion as we hike from Wannian Temple to Wuxiangang, where we will meet the car to take us on the scenic drive back to Chengdu.

Accommodation: Overnight in Chengdu

Today you will have free time until we pick you up by private vehicle to transfer you on to the Chengdu airport or train station for your flight or train on to your next destination.

Accommodation: None