Emei shan is a very beautiful place. I climbed the whole mountain over 2 days. It’s amazing walking through all the different zones on the mountain. At the bottom it feels almost tropical, then you walk up through the clouds until you hit the icy area then walk out above the clouds near the summit!! I spent 2 nights on the mountain but you only need 1 if you can hike at a reasonable speed. The first day I hiked from Baoguosi to Leidongping. It took about 11h including a half hour stop for lunch at Xianfengsi and a few short breaks for water. Although the accommodation at Leidongping is nicer, I regretted not stopping at Xixiangchi as those last 7.5km were very painful! From Leidongping it’s about a two hour walk or a cable car trip to the summit. I only stayed the second night in Leidongping because I had already booked and paid for the Hotel. I went in winter, but it was the first weekend of the spring festival rush so I unnecessarily booked the hotel. The first night in Leidongping I walked into to a different guesthouse and was offered a similar room for half the price of my online booking. In winter the first bus down the mountain leaves at 9am.