The Giant Buddha is worth appreciating from several angles by walking along the riverside and then ascending to the top of Mountain Lingyun where it's located. The closer you get to him, definitely the more amazed you will be by his gigantic size. You can hike to the top of Mountain Lingyun, and reach to the Giant Buddha's head, then descend a short but steep zigzaging steps to its feet, feeling you do come from Lilliput. The hiking trip takes at least about 2 hours depending on your physical condition, so if you have no time for this 2-hour walking, ferry trip is recommend. Anyway, it is fabulous standing on deck, bathing the breeze on the river and having a panoramic view of the Giant Buddha and his two guardians, which are hidden in the blind corner when you are on land. Along your hiking way up Mountain Lingyun, you will see another image of Happy Buddha with a bare big belly, laughing and sitting in the Doushuai Hall (more details are given in Happy Buddha).

Boarding on ferry at Leshan Pier, there are yachts and big tour boats for your preference at the same price. Yacht trip takes 20min and big tour boat 40min. The boats hover for five to ten minutes in front of the Buddha, engines whirling madly against the current. Boats leave from north of the ferry dock approximately every 30 minutes from 7 am to 5 pm. What's more, a huge natural lying buddha can be easily figured out while you are standing on the deck and viewing the outline of Mountain Lingyun from afar. It is, however, not quite worth doing the ferry trip in foggy days because it is not always easy to see the Giant Buddha and the huge lying buddha under this weather condition.