From the docks below Lingyun Mountain, small passenger boats run constant circuits along the river, giving passengers the full frontal view of the Giant Buddha from the water. This is where the most striking photographs are taken — standing at the Buddha's feet in the cliffside staircase queue, you cannot see his face and head together; the boat gives you the complete figure.
The trip takes about 15 minutes and costs a few yuan. The boat does not dock — it circles past the statue face and returns to the landing. It is worth doing even if you have walked the staircase descent, because the two perspectives are genuinely different. On busy days, the boat avoids the queues that form at the top of the stairs.