First things first, Dengfeng to me was a site I couldn't place at all when reading past it. But everyone who has seen a single kungfu movie knows what this includes: the fabled Shaolin Temple. So my proposal to Unesco and the Chinese authorities would be to rename the site. Spitballing some ideas here: Shaolin Temples, Shaolin Temples of Dengfeng, Shaolin-Dengfeng, ... Probably, the authorities don't care about the name recognition of this site as much, though, as it is really popular nonetheless.

I made my way in January on a day trip from Xian. My day was fairly packed as I also visited the Longmen Grottoes the same day, another Buddhist monument nearby. Both sites were a nice combination as they presented different angles on the Buddhism in China topic. 

Reading the other reviews, many seem to prefer other parts of the site. Visiting in off season and the temple still being plenty crowded, I can see the point. Still, I wanted to visit the Shaolin Temple and I did. Had I had more time, I would have loved to visit more, most specifically the observatory. In sum, I felt I did not spend enough time with the site to get a full picture. That's why I rated it 4* instead of 3.5* which I would have awarded the Shaolin Temple on its own.

Getting There

Arriving from Xian at Longmen Luoyang bullet train station a driver contacted me when I left the station. We quickly settled on a price (500 RMB) to take me both to the Shaolin Temple and the Longmen Grottoes.

On the drive from the station to the temple I saw some of the coal mines that give this part of China its distinctive smell each winter. Passing heavily urbanized and industrialized areas, I kept wondering where the typical scenery of a Buddhist temple should be. Eventually, we reached the forested mountains and the road climbed quite steeply, taking us quickly into the expected scenery.

The Shaolin Temple is the easiest (= closest) from Luoyang. The other parts are further away and I don't think you can squeeze more than one in. You will probably have to stay overnight to see more.

Getting Around

Within the Shaolin temple it's mostly walking. I managed to see all components in the valley with the small Chuzu temple a nice distraction from the busyness of the main temple area. With more time, I would have loved to take the cable car further up as the skies were clear and really motivating for going hiking.