5 Days Chengdu, Leshan & Mount Emei Tour
Chengdu / Leshan / Emei / Chengdu
Highlights
- Visit:
- Chengdu Giant Panda Base
- Wenshu Monastery
- Jinli Old Street
- Renmin Park
- Leshan Giant Buddha
- Mount Emei
- Baoguo Temple
- Golden Summit
- Experience:
- Have 2 days city break in Chengdu which combine the panda tour and cultural explore together in Chengdu;
- Closely witness the world largest carved Buddha - Leshang Giant Buddha;
- Get atop of Golden Summit of Emei Mountain and enjoy fantastic view.
Sampling Itinerary Day by Day
Day 1 Chengdu Arrival
Ni Hao! Welcome to Chengdu, the Hometown of Giant Pandas and Land of Abundance! You’ll be met by our local guide at the arrival hall of Chengdu airport / train station and escorted to your hotel in downtown area by a private, comfortable and non-smoking vehicle. The rest of today is on your own to explore this leisure city.
Arrival Ideas: Chengdu is only about 2~3 hours flying from the majority of big cities in China, such as Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, etc. You can also arrive in Chengdu by high speed trains from Xian (4hrs), Chongqing (1hr), Guilin (6hrs), Kunming (6hrs), etc.
Day 2 Chengdu (B, L)
After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel for a 15-km drive to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (simply Chengdu Panda Base). This world's most important panda scientific research center is home for over 100 giant pandas. Walk through the verdant bamboo-lined paths, witness the fascinating progression of pandas from baby to adult, watch the adolescent pandas aged 1-5, eating, playing, tumbling and climbing. If lucky, you may be able to see the precious panda babies in the nursery rooms. Don't miss the informative Panda Museum for more scientific facts about Giant Pandas.
After the memorable panda visit, head to Wenshu Monastery, a serene Buddhist temple in the bustling downtown of Chengdu. Walk in the spiritual temple and marvel at the exquisite Buddhist architectures, Buddhist statues, scriptures, and relics. Adjacent is (Wenshufang), a small bazaar for a leisure stroll to experience local market and living style.
Next, visit Renmin Park to feel the famed laid-back lifestyle of Chengdu. Sip a cup of Chinese tea in a century-old teahouse, chat with friends, watch locals indulging in different folk activities, like napping, ear cleaning, Mahjong, dancing, water calligraphy, etc.! Then, discover the famous Jinli Old Street, a vibrant hub full of local snacks, delicate artifacts, folk shows and other activities. Time will fly as you explore along the ancient streets!
Optional activity: 1) enjoy a delicious dinner of Sichuan cuisine or hotpot at a local restaurant; 2) watch Sichuan Opera at Shufeng Yayun Teahouse, featuring stick puppets, face changing, fire spitting, rolling lights, folk music, acrobatic and dance (usually during 20:00~21:30).
Day 3 Chengdu - Leshan - Mt. Emei (B)
In the morning, be picked up from your hotel for a 2-hour drive (148km) to Leshan Giant Buddha (UNESCO World Cultural Heritage), the world's largest & tallest stone-carved Buddha. Sitting at the confluence of Minjiang River, Dadu River and Qingyi River, the Giant Buddha was carved on Lingyun Mountain'cliff from 713-803 AD to suppress floods. Rising 71m tall, the Buddha' head is 14.7m tall and 10m wide, with 7m long ears and a knee-to-instep span of 28m, and super large insteps capable of holding over 100 people at once. On the right cliff of the Buddha is the 217-step narrow Nine Bends Plank Road with nine turns in total, ranging from 1.45m to only 0.6m wide. You will admire the spectacular Giant Buddha statue and walk down to its feet for a closer view. (Please note: you may have to queue up to enter the stairway during busy hours.)
Followed by the Buddha, move on to the foot of Mount Emei (45 minutes' drive) to visit Baoguo Temple. It is the biggest temple of the mountain and boasts serene gardens with rare plants, a library of sutras, and a huge porcelain Buddha. Explore the temple to see the famous 25-ton bronze Bell reputed as the second-largest bell in China, and enjoy different views of Mount Emei.
After the visit, drive to check in at your hotel and have a good rest for tomorrow's Mount Emei trip involving some walkings.
Optional Activity: take a 30-minutes sightseeing boat at Leshan Giant Buddha for a wonderful panoramic view of the Buddha statue on the river.
Day 4 Mt. Emei - Chengdu (B)
After breakfast, let's start your enchanting tour to Mount Emei Tour, a rare World Cultural and Natural heritages, and one of the Four Great Buddhist Mountains in China. This verdant sanctuary for 5,000 plants species (surpassing Europe's total) and over 2,300 wildlife species is an ideal blending resort of verdant forest and cultural treasures for your wonderful savory.
First, head to the tourist center for a 1.5-2-hour Eco-Bus ride to the mountain's top area. Walk another 30 minutes from Leidongping (2,400m) along stone steps, where you may meet wild monkeys, to the cable car station. Then, take a 5-minute cable car up to the Golden Summit (3077m), the biggest highlight and best highlight of Mount Emei. Enjoy 1.5 hours exploring the Golden Summit area. You can appreciate the 48-tall multi-faced golden Samantabhadra Bodhisattva statue, the bronze Huazang Temple tracing back to the 1st century CE, magnificent Buddhist architectures, and a panoramic view of Mount Emei surrounding. On sunny days, you can even catch the snow-capped Mount Gongga (7,556m), Wawu Mountain, more endless snowy peaks in Sichuan. If weather permits, enjoy its magnificent Cloud Sea. Finally, descend back to the tourist center via the cable car and Eco-Bus.
Your guide and driver will transfer you back to Chengdu (about 2.5~3hrs) and help you check in at the hotel. Have a good sleep!
Note: The route above is classic and suitable for most tourists of various ages. If you want more hiking, please contact your travel consultant to customize the routes based on your time and physical condition. There are 4 routes available: 2 hours (Qingyin Pavilion to Wannian Temple), 4 hours (Qingyin Pavilion to Wannian Temple + Leidongping to Golden Summit), one day (Wannian Temple to Leidongping) and 2 days (Qingyin Pavilion to Golden Summit).
Day 5 Chengdu Departure (B)
Today your guide will pick you up from the hotel to the airport for the scheduled flight to your next destination. Before that, you can take a rest at the hotel or go for a walk nearby.
1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in a comfortable-class hotel and traveling with our private tour package in low seasons. The price will be much lower if your group has 4 or more members.
2. This price is subject to change according to your traveling season, month, and date. There may be huge price increasing during the public Chinese holidays, school summer holidays (usually 2 months, July ~ August), peak tourist seasons or some special dates. (Chinese Public Holidays 2025)
3. Other factors that may change the final tour price include your group size, hotel class, tour activities, real-time exchange rate, and so on.
4. This price is based on the exchange rate USD 1= RMB 7.00. The final price will be based on the exchange rate in effect at the time of agreement with our quotation.
5. This price is only valid from now to March 31, 2026.
6. This price is not the final price until the Confirmation Letter is sent.
7. The items included and excluded in this price are for reference only. The final services included, please refer to the Confirmation Letter sent to you by the travel consultant.
Price Includes:
- English-speaking guide with the professional license as listed in the itinerary.
- Entrance fees and other fees of the scenic spots as listed in the itinerary.
- Yangtze River Cruise ticket as listed in the itinerary.
- Accommodation (comfortable-class) based on two persons sharing one room with twin beds or a double bed.
- Meals as specified with “B” (for breakfast), “L” (for lunch) or “D” (for dinner) in the itinerary.
- Private Transfers between airports, hotels and scenic spots while sightseeing in each city or area by private air-conditioned vehicle with a licensed driver as listed in the itinerary.
- Transportation: Domestic flights (economy class) or trains (second-class seat) as listed in the itinerary.
- Airport / train station pick-up and drop-off service as listed in the itinerary.
- Luggage Transfers between airports, train station and hotels.
- Travel Service Charge of our travel consultant, including the planning, handling, operational and communication charges, etc.
Price Excludes:
- China Visa (We do not offer any visa service or charge any visa-related fee.)
- Scenic spots not listed in the itinerary.
- Optional activities or other sightseeing.
- Accommodation not as listed in the itinerary.
- Meals not listed in the itinerary.
- Flights or trains not as listed in the itinerary.
- Excess Baggage Charges.
- Personal expenses of a purely personal nature such as room service, laundry, drink, Internet charge, WI-FI, fax, telephone call, etc.
- Gratuities or optional tips to guides, drivers, bellboys, etc.
- Travel insurance. Please kindly note that the full coverage travel insurance from your country of origin should be purchased in advance on your own.
Read what other travelers think about this China trip / Yangtze cruise trip. We only accept reviews from actual, confirmed travelers who purchased the tour / activity from us, so you can be sure the reviews are unbiased and authentic.
Dear Mr Jack Li
This is my feedback on the Yangtze cruise Century Oasis.
We travelled in a group of 6 booked on the Century Oasis for the Yangtze river cruise from Chongqing to Yichang. We thank Mr Jack Li who provided excellent service and support in booking and making payments.
We enjoyed the cruise and found the facilities, amenities and rooms very much to expectations. The services were well orchestrated and coordinated by the Captain and his crew. Attention to detail, comfort, convenience and safety of the passengers were paramount and emphasized throughout our 4 day stay. Compliments to the Chef for the wide variety of food options. Each meal offers some dishes which are new and provides variety and taste.
The off-shore excursions are a must. They are thoroughly well planned and executed in small groups of 12-15 persons. The 3 Kingdom performance show is spectacular. We are very impressed. The cruise offered excellent central seating for the performance. The Ghost city and upstream excursions were very enjoyable. We heard there was a lot of walking but it was at an easy pace and not troubling at all (my group are in their sixties & seventies)
We had one hiccup which was beyond the control of the cruise operator. In early April the tide at the Chongqing Chao Tien Men terminal was too low, and the ship could not embank there. We were given 2 days advance notice to go to a different meeting venue in the city and were driven by coach to the next embarkation point. We felt that this hiccup was well managed and together with other travellers felt we were well taken care of.
We highly recommend this cruise and recommend booking through the yangtze-river-cruise.com website is an excellent choice.
Thank you, Jack.
Sincerely
Mr Kwong
- Mr Kwong - May 26, 2025‚ ,
Elk
我们对此行非常满意,三餐可供选择的食品种类多,味道可口;船上有表演、有互动,中途还有观景游玩,活动形式灵活多样;房间干净、零食和饮用水的提供到位;船上的工作人员态度和蔼耐心,服务周到,特别是我们在六楼11号餐桌用餐时为我们提供服务的女生服务员做事积极、周到又细致……。总之,感谢长江2号游轮带给了我们一个愉快的旅行!
John
- John - May 27, 2025‚ ,
Dear Reya,
We are back from our cruise and would like to sincerely thank you for the perfect organization of the trip! Everything went wonderfully—the journey was a complete success, and we enjoyed every minute. We will gladly reach out to you again as soon as our next vacation planning begins.
Warm regards,
Birgit and Michael
亲爱的Reya,
我们已结束邮轮旅行归来,衷心感谢您对这次行程的完美安排!一切都非常顺利,旅行十分圆满,我们享受了每一刻。下一次计划度假时,我们一定再来麻烦您!
谨致问候,
Birgit和Michael
The following photos were shared by our customer Birgit:
Birgit Enjoying Captain's Welcome Party on Victoria Sabrina in May 2025, tour made by Reya
Birgit Enjoying Captain's Welcome Party on Victoria Sabrina in May 2025, tour made by Reya
Victoria Sabrina Photo by Birgit in May 2025, tour made by Reya
- Birgit - May 25, 2025‚ ,
Dear Karina,
Thank you for the pleasant communication. You have helped and informed us very well.
The cruise was lovely too!
How did you find your overall cruise experience? Was there anything that stood out to you?
The food was great, all staff was lovely. Good entertainment for children.
Do you have any suggestions for improvement—whether regarding the itinerary, onboard facilities, or other aspects of the service?
The announcements were made unexpectedly and loudly in our room. We could not turn them off or lower the volume. Some announcements were even after 22:00, with a sleeping baby. Would be good to have an option to turn off the announcements in the room.
We also value your honest opinion about our travel consultant’s service. Was there anything I could have done better to make your experience more enjoyable?
Service was really good, you answered all of our questions very clearly and quickly. Thank you for that!!
Kind regards,
Ariana and Miran
- Ariana - May 22, 2025‚ ,
Here are recent candid photos of this China trip / Yangtze cruise trip. If you want to share your own tour photos, simply email your photos to info@yangtze-river-cruises.com with your Booking ID Number. Thanks in advance for sharing!
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Recommended Add-on Options
+ 2 more days to enjoy the fairyland on earth - Jiuzhaigou
Both Huanglong National Park and Jiuzhaigou National Park were listed as Natural World Heritage Sites for the superb landscape. Take two days that you can fully immerse yourself in the Fairyland on Earth to appreciate travertine lakes, green and purplish pools, waterfalls, forests and mountain scenery.

+ 4~5 more days to cruise on the magnificent Yangtze River
Taking a relaxing cruise sailing on the Yangtze River is a popular way to get a short break during your China tour. You’ll not only enjoy many colorful cultural activities and entertainment programs onboard, but also enjoy three to four shore excursions to deeply know the authentic life along Three Gorges and witness the world-famous Three Gorges Dam.
You can take: 1) 4 Days & 3 Night Downstream Cruise from Chongqing to Yichang; 2) 5 Days & 4 Nights Upstream Cruise from Yichang to Chongqing.

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