The biggest seated Buddha in the world, two hours from Chengdu

The Leshan Giant Buddha is carved into a cliff face where two rivers meet, and it has been sitting there since the eighth century. It is 71 metres tall. To give you a sense of scale, his big toe is roughly the size of a dining table, and his shoulder is wide enough to park several buses.

It is also one of the few genuinely spectacular sights in China that requires almost no hiking, which is exactly why it is so crowded.

Getting there

The high-speed train from Chengdu East to Leshan takes about an hour and costs very little. From Leshan station, take a taxi or the local bus to the scenic area gate. Door to door from central Chengdu is around two and a half hours.

Alternatively, plenty of tour operators run day trips that also include the Emei Mountain area. I would not do both in one day. Each deserves its own.

The two ways to see the Buddha

This is the decision that makes or breaks your day.

Option one: the cliff staircase

You enter the park, walk to the top of the head, and then descend a narrow carved staircase that runs down beside the statue's left side. The staircase is the classic view. It is also the bottleneck. On a busy day the queue to start the descent can run two to three hours, single file, in the sun.

Option two: the river boat

You buy a separate boat ticket from a dock a short taxi ride away, get on a ferry, and spend fifteen minutes on the water in front of the Buddha while it stops for photographs. No queue worth mentioning. You see the whole figure from the front, which the staircase does not give you.

My honest recommendation: do the boat. Then, if the staircase queue is under an hour when you get back to the park, do that too.

Beating the crowd

• Arrive at opening, around 7:30am in summer. The first hour is a different world.
• Avoid weekends, Chinese public holidays and the first week of October entirely.
• Go in the shoulder months, March to May or September to November. Summer is hot, humid and heaving.
• Buy your ticket online in advance and have your passport ready at the gate.

What else is worth the walk

The park itself is more than the statue. There is a temple complex on top of the cliff, the Lingyun Temple, and a path that loops round with views back up at the Buddha's profile. There is also a rather good vegetarian restaurant near the temple that almost nobody finds.

Across the river, the older town of Leshan has a decent old street with sweet-skinned duck, which is the local speciality. It is worth an hour if you are not rushing back.

What it costs and how long it takes

Budget a full day if you are coming from Chengdu, and half a day if you are already staying in Leshan. The train is cheap, the park ticket is moderate, and the boat is a small extra. Food is inexpensive. All in, this is one of the better-value day trips in Sichuan.

The one real cost is time in queues, and that is entirely under your control. Book the train for the earliest departure you can face. Have your park ticket already on your phone. Walk straight through to the boat dock first, before you look at anything else.

Is it worth a full day?

Yes, with caveats. The Buddha is impressive in a way that photographs never quite convey, mostly because of the scale. But the experience is easily ruined by a three-hour queue in the heat, and I have met plenty of people who left annoyed. Plan the boat first, arrive early, and you will not be one of them.

Bring water, a hat and patience. And be aware that the walkways are carved and uneven, so leave the flip-flops at the hotel.

Originally published on 71Asia Tours blog.