Leshan Giant Buddha & Huanglongxi Old Town Full-Day Tour

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A perfect day trip to Leshan! This itinerary was an excellent experience. The first stop, the Ten Thousand Buddha Cave at Dongfang Buddha Capital, was mysterious and awe-inspiring, with few people, making it great for photos. Afterward, we saw the magnificent Leshan Giant Buddha, a 71-meter-tall mountain masterpiece that truly inspires reverence. For lunch, we enjoyed authentic Leshan specialty dishes. In the afternoon, we strolled through Huanglongxi Ancient Town, nestled by mountains and water, with an antique charm and a wonderfully leisurely pace of life.

I went with my 6-year-old and my 65-year-old mother, and honestly, the bus tour was quite manageable for everyone. In June, there are many steps to climb at Leshan Giant Buddha, but it's fine if you take your time. If you don't want to climb, you can tell the tour guide and wait below. At Huanglongxi Ancient Town, my child couldn't resist the water; the stream was very cool, so remember to bring an extra set of clothes.

This tour hits the Giant Buddha in the morning and the ancient town in the afternoon. Climbing in the morning is relatively cooler, and the Buddha is truly impressive. Lunch is a standard set meal, but the tofu pudding and sesame cakes in Huanglongxi are really tasty. The ancient town has a quaint charm, though it’s fairly commercialized. The bus seats are spacious. I’d recommend grabbing a snack in the town, because by the time we return to Chengdu and the tour ends, it’s already past 7 PM and you might be pretty hungry.

It was a great trip and a nice way to experience different cultures and religious traditions. The only thing is, it would’ve been even better if there had been an English-speaking guide.

The entire itinerary was completed, and the sites to visit were very beautiful. Lunch was delicious. The only issue was that the guide only spoke Mandarin Chinese, so we communicated using a cell phone translator.

In the morning, we visited the Leshan Giant Buddha, which my parents really enjoyed. In the afternoon, the kids loved Huanglongxi because they could play in the water. Water guns were sold for ten yuan each along the road, making it a paradise for children. They spent over an hour and a half playing in the water during our two-hour visit and were still reluctant to leave. It was a better experience than expected, and the car and meals were also satisfactory.

It's quite a test of endurance for one day; hiking up to see the Giant Buddha in the morning and exploring the ancient town in the afternoon. The good thing is, if you don't feel like exploring the ancient town, you can always sit and enjoy some tea there, which is quite relaxing.

Although the bus tour group was large, they were punctual. In the morning, we first saw the Leshan Giant Buddha. I recommend not climbing the "Nine Bends" path; it's hot and strenuous. It's much more comfortable to take a boat to see the full view. The tour guide explained things quite thoroughly on the bus, but the scenic area was very crowded. The group lunch wasn't particularly great, but most group meals are like that. In the afternoon, we went to the ancient town ourselves and had "one noodle" and "one chicken, three ways," which was pretty good. Overall, the value for money was decent.

The tour was in Chinese which I was fully aware of.My WeChat and google translate was not working the thoughtfulness of the tour guide was amazing he made sure we were with an English speaking local who not only kept us company but also shared information with us. Would highly recommend the tour with we chat and google translate.

I was supposed to have paid for first-class transportation, but the vehicle was extremely dirty and old, and the air conditioning vents, besides being old and dirty, wouldn't close.