OVERVIEW
Emeishan Mountain, or Mount Emei, is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China. Covered in lush green forests and thick swirling mist, it is a beautiful and atmospheric place of worship. Each year it attracts thousands of visitors who make their way up to the Golden Summit which is home to some incredible temples, a gigantic golden buddha, and views of the snow-capped mountains of the Tibetan Plateau. Alongside its religious significance, the mountain is home to a large population of irascible Tibetan macaques and a host of interesting birdlife.
Average rating: 3.0 (good)
Average cost: entrance to the mountain is around $23. You can avoid the steep walk up the mountain by taking a cable car which costs around $9. You can also visit the hot springs for around $35.
Best time to visit: the best time to visit weather-wise is Spring (March to May) or Autumn (September to November). The mountain gets extremely busy on public holidays so it is best to avoid them.
How to get there: Emeishan is around 150 km south of the city of Chengdu. You can get there by train or bus, check out this useful guide for full details.
Typical activities: hiking, wildlife watching
Number of reports: 1
Last update: 2022
WILDLIFE IN Emeishan
According to reports submitted to WildSide, the most popular species that can be seen here are:
macaque – 100% OF wildside users (1/1) REPORTED SIGHTINGS
Mount Emei Natural Ecology Monkey Reserve is China’s biggest reserve for wild monkeys. In total, the area is home to about 1,000 Tibetan macaques and allows visitors to the mountain to observe these fascinating animals up close and personal. You are pretty much guaranteed to run into them if you walk the trails up to the summit, however, if you don’t have any luck the best spots are usually the monkey zone 2 km after Qingyin Temple, in and around Yuxian Temple and Xixiang Pond, and the path from Leidongping Car Park to Jieyindian Cable Car Station.
Thanks to the steady stream of visitors, these large macaques are not afraid of people. This means they aren’t scared of approaching you and can become aggressive if food or plastic bags are on show. Make sure to keep all food, drinks, and plastic hidden away or in a rucksack. And remember, smiling directly at macaques can aggravate them, as showing your teeth is seen as a threat!
Photo Credit: Min Zhou under a Creative Commons licence from Flickr