Hike in a holy mountain of Mt. Hiei and visiting Enryaku-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site 1

Hike in a holy mountain of Mt. Hiei and visiting Enryaku-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site 2

Hike in a holy mountain of Mt. Hiei and visiting Enryaku-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site 3

Hike in a holy mountain of Mt. Hiei and visiting Enryaku-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site 4

Open-uri20130402-16288-1l2ljs3?1364874994

Hike in a holy mountain of Mt. Hiei and visiting Enryaku-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Mt. Hiei is located north-eastern part of Kyoto city. There is a famous temple called Enryaku-ji on the top of the mountain. It is registered as a UNESCO world

Kyoto, Japan

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About Activity

Summary

Mt. Hiei is located north-eastern part of Kyoto city. There is a famous temple called Enryaku-ji on the top of the mountain. It is registered as a UNESCO world heritage site. We can hike up the mountain and visit this holy temple which has a history of more than 1,200 years.
The mountain itself is also very beautiful overlooking Lake Biwa, the biggest lake in Japan. The air is so clean and refreshing. We might spot wild animals like deer, monkeys or wild boars (no bears!). In summer you can avoid unbearable heat in the city, in autumn colored leaves are breathtaking, in spring cherry blossoms are just lovely and in winter the mountain is capped with snow which creates unbeatable scene. You can enjoy hiking in all seasons!
The cost of 15 dollars each includes the entrance fee of Enryaku-ji Temple. The meeting place is Hieizan Sakamoto JR station, just 4 stations away from Kyoto station. It is less than a 20-minute train ride from Kyoto station. Let's enjoy this nature abundant mountain and the UNESCO world heritage site! :D

Activity Reviews (5)

Open-uri20140306-5823-1rbtpcj?1394033570

The best!

The hikingtour with Ryoji was really great !! Mt. Hiei is a real cool place for getting your mind free. The temples are magnificent and really beautiful. The tour itself is well planed by Ryoji and depends on your wishes. Ryoji is perfect in English and his deep knowlge is impressing. Besides that he's very gentle, he even brought us to a good Restaurnt for lunch and kept us informied about the weather even when we traveled on.
I highly recomend this tour and if I'm visiting japan again I will go hiking with Ryoji again.

Open-uri20140216-10863-5h75cd?1392544460

My father and I met Ryoji for the Mt. Hiei hike last weekend for my father's birthday. Ryoji was incredibly informative and helpful, expressing a deep level of knowledge about the things we were seeing. He was very pro-active in planning regarding the weather and the conditions around the hike. I would certainly commend him to anyone who is interested in exploring the beautiful and historic sights in the area.

Ryoji is a very gentle and caring person. Hiking tour depends much on unpredictable weather in which Ryoji kept close contact with me to have choices on dates and venues for the sake of safety. The experience of hiking and temple exploration was exceptional - especially under nice and gentle snow on the hill. In addition to his excellent English, Ryoji is very knowledgeable about the hill (and lots of Japanese cultural information). If you are expecting a non-tourist nature experience, this is the activity in Kyoto which cannot be missed!

I had a lot of fun with Ryoji. He is a great guy, and is very knowledgeable about Mt. Hiei and it's surrounding temples and shrines. He is very skillful at English, so he makes a very good guide even if you don't know Japanese. We had an excellent hike and a tasty bite to eat afterwards. I recommend this meetrip if you enjoy hiking and good conversation. If I go to Kyoto again I will go hiking with Ryoji on the other side of the mountain.

Photo Reviews

BOOKING

Price

: US$60 / Person

Place

: Kyoto, Japan

Duration

: 4 h 30 min.

Ask to Ryoji

Ryoji

About LocalHost

Hello, I am a nationally licensed English guide and also I work in Kyoto as magazine editor and I live at the bottom of Mt. Hiei, in which a World Heritage Site of Enryaku-ji Temple is located. The temple is very special since many factions of Buddhism in Japan originated from there. The mountain is also very beautiful overlooking Lake Biwa, the biggest lake in Japan, located in the north-eastern part of Kyoto. The nearest station, JR Hieizan Sakamoto, is only a 15-minute train ride from Kyoto station. But, this nature abundant area is not well-known, so there are not many tourists. But I guarantee that you will enjoy the nature and fresh air. The hike takes roughly 4-5 hours, a perfect for a half day trip during your stay in Kyoto. I can also guide you around other areas in and around Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures where there are many cute temples, shrines and historical remnants.