There are many places to see lovely giant pandas in China. But where is the best place for you to go for a special panda trip? What is the best time to go? We will give you some insiders' recommendations and suggestions on how to plan a panda tour.
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Where Are the Best Places to See Giant Pandas?
The four panda bases around Chengdu are the best places to see giant pandas. Which one is best for you depends on how much time you have and what kind of experience you want to have.
If it's just to SEE pandas…
If you just want to see giant pandas, we recommend you go to Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Base. It is the most easily accessible panda base. You can see pandas at different ages, from the oldest to the newborns.
This base is huge but usually crowded. A private tour is the best way to get around the base to see the most pandas and get the best experience.
For a deeper panda experience...
There are three recommended activities for a deeper panda experience:
1. Join a panda volunteer program.
Giant panda volunteer programs are available in three panda bases: Dujiangyan, Wolong, and Bifengxia. Their durations are from 1 to 3 days or longer.
Dujiangyan is the best place for a one-day program. If you want a less-crowded environment, consider Wolong and Bifengxia, though they require 2 or more days.
Your work would include weighing and cleaning bamboo, making panda cakes, watching pandas being fed, and cleaning pandas' enclosures. At the end of the program, you will receive a panda keeper certificate.
2. Join in a Red Panda Volunteer Program.
Unlike with giant pandas, you can have a zero-distance encounter with red pandas — you can feed a group of them without a fence in between. If you are interested in red pandas, you can join in our red panda volunteer program in Wolong Panda Center.
3. Hike into the Habitat of Wild Pandas.
If you are a lover of pandas and outdoor activity as well, consider having a hike in wild panda habitat in Wolong. Go panda tracking, and see if you will be lucky enough to see a wild panda. See our 2-Day Wolong Panda Volunteer Program Tour.
Place | Location | Activities | Visit | Crowds |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Center | Chengdu City | Seeing pandas | ½ day | Very crowded |
Dujiangyan Panda Base | 1½ hours from Chengdu | Giant panda volunteer program | 1 day | Quiet |
Wolong Panda Center | 3 hours from Chengdu | Giant panda, red panda, panda baby volunteer program, hiking in panda habitat | 2 days | Quiet |
Bifengxia Giant Panda Base | 3 hours from Chengdu | Giant panda volunteer program | 2 days or more | Quiet |
98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
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Fantastic Chengdu family visit
We explored wonderful Chengdu and surroundings in 4 days. City tour in a relaxed way with delicious local snacks, really nice! Spectacular new dinosaur museum, Dujiangyan (combined Panda and dam in one outing, very recommendable), Leshan Buddha. All above super cool with the kids (ours are 7 and 4). Emei Shan impressive, maybe a little long driving to explore it and watch out for the hotels there, not all are nice and in the town itself there is nothing. But we were blessed with perfect weather on the top and perfect views. Eating hot pot is spectacular in Chengdu, but watch out how spicy it can be. Michael is just a perfect tour guide! He speaks super fluent German and has a very relaxed and competent style of explaining, which made the whole tour so nice. We love Chengdu and will definitely come back! more
Apr 2023,
Stefan P
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Giant Pandas - Giant Buddha - Mount Emei
We had a wonderful 3 days in Chengdu area,visiting the Panda breeding Center, Leshan Giant Buddha and hiking at Mount Emei.We have been travelling several times with Chinahighlights and everything was well organised as usual. Our guide Michael (fluent in English and German) was great showing us the beauty of Sichuan. We can highly recommend travelling with him and Chinahighlights. more
Mar 2023,
steffenwet
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Two amazing tours
Both tours were led by excellent guides who knew a lot about everywhere we went, and were very helpful and friendly. The agent was equally helpful and quick in responding to questions which was ,especially in covid restrictions time, extremely convenient. more
Jul 2022,
Elizabeth
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Panda Keeper for a Day at Dujianyan Sichuan
This is was the second time that we had signed up for the program Panda Keeper for a Day, this time at the Dujianyan Panda Base, about 1 hour drive away from Chengdu. Great experience again. We will surely do it once again. more
Mar 2022,
Thomas
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Amazing Tibet experience in Sichuan
Henry was an informative guide who went out of his way to ensure positive experiences. Mr Wu was not only a safe and attentive driver on sometimes rough roads but also a great photographer, capturing shots of us as we toured. Henry went out of his way to talk to anyone around to help bring the place alive through stories so we had the opportunity to meet so many locals, real people, and hear about their lives. Another highlight was the opportunity to climb a 1000 year old watchtower in Danba and meet the local family who managed it. Truly magical. Henry was also a consummate foodie who provided us with great local food recommendations along the way. more
Jul 2021,
Deborah J
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Amazing visit to panda bases in Chengdu and Woolong
Jason was terrific; he understood our interests in pandas and he made our outings very enjoyable. We plan to return to Chengdu to visit pandas and will be asking for Jason again. more
Dec 2019,
victoriadH3461ED
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Panda heaven
We have just completed the Chengdu leg of our trip to China organised by Robert Hui at China Highlights. Our Guide for the 2 Day trip was Daisy Du who made us feel very welcome and helped us check in and ensured our rooms were satisfactory then gave us directions of where to go for the best food. The next day Daisy took us straight to the Giant Panda Breeding and Research centre. It was fantastic to see the Pandas so close. It’s a little sad that they are in captivity but it is essential to increase the breeding rate and so save these wonderful animals from extinction. We saw Pandas of all ages and sizes including a tiny little baby that was only 36 day old. After an extremely tasty lunch picked for us by Daisy she then took us into the people’s park and showed us the tea houses and dating area where parents can advertise their single ‘30 something’ children to potential partners. The day ended with a wander around Jinli Old Street where you can buy anything from food to souvenirs to furniture. We have had the best time in Chengdu helped no end by the friendly, helpfulness of our guide Daisy who knew all the best places to go and sights to see. Thank you Daisy, a great time was had by all. ---jayne_Stu Halifax, United Kingdom more
Nov 2019,
jayne_Stu
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Wonderful Chengdu tour with Jason
With other two friends I have visited Chengdu in September 2018 and our tour guide was Jason, who has been really amazing with us.He had the smart idea to bring us to the Pandas reserve very early in order to avoid the crowds, even if we were visiting Chengdu right during the Chinese national holidays.After the Pandas reserve, we visited the tea park and the city centre, where Jason could give us a lot of information about Chengdu. Jason gave us also very nice suggestions about places to visit in the evenings during our free time. Totally recommended!!! ---Vittorio C Berlin, Germany more
Nov 2019,
Vittorio C
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Cecelia is your guide in Chengdu
We had a great time in Chengdu seeing the pandas and other excursions. Cecelia, our guide, picked us up with a bag of fruit and a wealth of knowledge. She took great care of us, got us through lines quickly and brought us to great restaurants. We even took a cooking class. Highly recommend her. --Robert D,Seattle, Washington, US more
Oct 2019,
Robert D
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Chengdu and Wolong Panda base with Aaron
Aaron picked us up from the airport and drove us straight to the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center. We had a very enjoyable time touring the Research Center with Aaron. Even though he has probably been to the research center many times he seemed just as excited to see them as we were. Especially the babies! The next morning we headed to the Wolong Panda Base with a stop at the 2008 Earthquake memorial site. We had a great lunch in the small town of Gengda and then went on a hike in the Dengsheng Gorge with a local guide. The next day we did the panda keeper program which entailed cleaning cages (inside and out), feeding pandas, making panda cakes, watching a film about the program and walking around the base looking at the many pandas. After the program we drove back to Chengdu. While we were working Aaron took some great pictures of us cleaning and feeding the pandas. The next morning tour guide Snow took us to the train station. Aaron was such fun to be around, he spoke English wonderfully and gave us great info about the pandas. ---Cougfan Auburn, Washington, US more
Oct 2019,
Cougfan
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Panda keeper program
Had a wonderful time on the panda keeper program which we booked through China Highlights. We generally avoid doing organised tours whenever possible as we prefer to do our own thing. Cecilia was our guide for the day and quickly made us feel at ease in her company she was interesting, knowledgeable and enthusiastic everything you want in a guide. The whole day was great and Cecilia certainly enhanced the experience, she took lots of photos for us throughout the day which was brilliant as it’s difficult getting photos together, she also provided us with buckwheat tea and biscuits which was a lovely touch. A big thank you to Cecilia. --Maria & Peter Foulger more
Sep 2019,
Mariafoulger
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During this whole trip, at anytime , if we need to modify our schedule or activities, Aaron and the driver can accommodate. They are friendly, knowledgeable, good communicator, flexible, and dedicated to making sure our needs are met. Aaron, thanks for making this an unforgettable trip for us! --Venture114992 more
Sep 2019,
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Panda Tour itineraries
Here are three panda tour itineraries suitable for different needs/interests:
1. One-Day Panda Volunteer Tour
Dujiangyan Panda Base is the best place for a time-smart one-day program.
We will help you maximize your experience in your limited time. Our private transfers and flexible itineraries are most efficient.
Activities include going into their enclosures, learning where they play, cleaning up, watching pandas fed at a very close distance, and making their favorite cakes. For more details, see One-Day Dujiangyan Panda Volunteer Program Tour.
There is a daily quota of 60 volunteers for the Panda Volunteer Program. We suggest an early inquiry and booking quickly to secure your place — preferably six months in advance.
2. 2-Day Panda Tour with a Wild Panda Habitat Exploration
If you have more time to spend with pandas and want more activities, we recommend a visit to Wolong Panda Base where you can enjoy more panda activities.
- Day 1: Explore the wild habitat of pandas and try to find evidence of wild giant pandas
- Day 2: A one-day panda volunteer program
If you are interested in this itinerary, check out our 2-Day Wolong Panda Volunteer Program Tour.
3. 2-Week China Tour with Pandas
If you want a complete a China tour itinerary that includes the panda experience, you can check out this itinerary.
Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai are must-see cities. Chengdu is definitely included if you want a panda tour. We also recommend a Yangtze River cruise, which would start in Chongqing near Chengdu, to enjoy China's natural views.
Here is the suggested itinerary:
- Days 1–4: Beijing arrival and exploration with must-sees including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City
- Days 5–6: Xi'an sightseeing with a visit to the Terracotta Army and clay-warrior-making experience
- Days 7–8: Chengdu panda tour with a keeper program — make panda cakes, see pandas being fed at a close distance, and clean their enclosures.
- Days 9–11: Yangtze River cruise with excursions
- Days 12–13: Shanghai exploration with a visit to the Bund and some free time.
See our 2-Week Private Tour: Beijing – Xi'an – Chengdu –Yangtze Cruise – Shanghai. All our tours can be customized according to your travel duration, interests, and other needs.
The Cost of a Panda Tour
It is not expensive to get a ticket to see the pandas. But if you want to have a volunteer program, it may cost a little more, about US$250–300 per person including private transfers, lunch, and guide.
For a private China trip with a panda experience, the average cost per day is about US$220–350 per person, including flights/trains within China, 4- or 5- star hotels, lunches, attractions, guides, and private transport. Kids under 10 will get 30 to 50 percent off.
Best Times for a Panda Tour
The Best Season to Visit
Giant pandas don't hibernate. You can visit them in all four seasons. Spring and autumn are the best times to see pandas when they are most active and temperatures are most comfortable.
As a bonus, if you visit between August and November, you will probably see adorable panda babies.
If you visit during Chinese holidays, e.g. May 1st–3rd, October 1st–7th, we recommend you visit Bifengxia Panda Base, which will be less crowded.
Recommended Tours:
- 1-Day Chengdu Panda and Sichuan Cuisine Tour
- 1-Day Dujiangyan Panda Keeper Program Tour
- 2-Day Wolong Panda Keeper Program Tour
- 4-day Wolong in-depth Panda Tour
The Best Time of Day
Giant pandas spend almost half their time sleeping. So, if you want to see them walking or climbing, it's important to know their general rest schedule.
Grown-up giant pandas in captivity usually eat twice a day: early in the morning and late in the afternoon. They usually sleep around noon, any time from around 10:00 a.m. to around 2:00 p.m.
We recommend you get to a panda base as early as possible (8:00 to 10:00 a.m. is optimal), when it is less-crowded and the pandas are at their most active.
Accommodation Tips
If you visit Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Base and Dujiangyan Panda Base, you can stay in a hotel in Chengdu city.
If you visit Wolong or Bifengxia Panda Base, we suggest a staying at nearby hotels, because the two bases are far away from Chengdu or the airport. Getting back and forth that day can be tiring and rushed. Hotel options are limited compared with in the city, and the standards are not as high. But we would carefully select the best hotels available to suit you.
When booking with us, we would coordinate your hotel booking, transfers, and lunch for a stress-free panda experience.
Popular Panda Tours
Just contact us and we'll create your ideal panda trip. We would create an itinerary according to your interests and any other requirements.
Our consultants listen to and answer your inquiries carefully and promptly and prepare the best tour plan for you.