Chengdu Giant Panda Base 成都大熊猫繁育研究基地Chéngdū Dàxióngmāo Fányù Yánjiū Jīdì

Watch giant pandas munch bamboo and tumble about among the trees

Best time: Year-round; Mar–Jun and Sep–Nov are most comfortable
Time needed: Half a day
Days to budget: Half a day
Stay in: Chengdu
Region: Sichuan
Type: Nature
Listed as: 4A scenic area

Why go to Chengdu Giant Panda Base

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is a landscaped park of bamboo groves and spacious enclosures on the city's northern edge. Adult pandas lounge and eat, red pandas wander through the trees, and in season the nursery holds the year's cubs. Go early: pandas are most active in the cool of the morning, especially around feeding time.

The story

The base began in 1987 with six giant pandas rescued from the wild and has since become one of the world's leading centres for panda breeding and research.

What to see at Chengdu Giant Panda Base

Moon Nursery 月亮产房: The nursery area where young cubs are kept in season. It draws the day's first queue, so head here first after the gate opens.
Sun Nursery 太阳产房: Another cub and juvenile area. Pandas here are most active in the morning feeding hours.
Panda Villas 熊猫别墅: Enclosures for sub-adult and adult pandas, each with indoor rooms and shaded outdoor yards among bamboo.
Red Panda Area 小熊猫活动场: Red pandas, a separate species, climb and nap in the trees; a good counterpoint to the giant pandas.
Swan Lake 天鹅湖: A quiet pond and lawns within the park, a pleasant place to rest between enclosures.

How to visit Chengdu Giant Panda Base

The park has a South Gate and a West Gate, with shuttle buses running from each to a changeover stop at Villa No. 1. Many visitors go straight to the nurseries and then work back past the villas and the red pandas. The best viewing is in the morning while the pandas are being fed, so a half-day starting at opening is enough; a full day adds the museum and slower rests.

How to get to Chengdu Giant Panda Base

The base is about 30 minutes by taxi from central Chengdu. Metro Line 3 stops at Panda Avenue (Xiongmao Dadao), a short ride from the entrance.

Where to stay

Stay in central Chengdu, around Chunxi Road or Tianfu Square, where the choice of hotels and food is widest. Staying near a Metro Line 3 station makes the early morning trip to the base easier.

What to eat

Mapo tofu 麻婆豆腐: Soft tofu in a hot, numbing chilli and bean-paste sauce with minced beef, a Chengdu original.
Dan dan noodles 担担面: Thin noodles in a small bowl of chilli oil, preserved vegetable and minced pork, served as a snack.
Chengdu hotpot 成都火锅: A simmering red-oil broth for dipping meat and vegetables, the city's signature communal meal.

Tips for visiting Chengdu Giant Panda Base

Arrive at opening time; pandas are liveliest in the morning and sleep through the afternoon heat.
Tickets are sold online and require your passport; buy ahead for weekends and holidays.
Give Chengdu an extra day for teahouses, Sichuan opera and some of China's best food.

Nearby

Wenshu Monastery 文殊院 under 10 km
An active Buddhist monastery of incense-filled courtyards, a teahouse and vegetarian food
Kuanzhai Alley 宽窄巷子 10 km
Three restored Qing-era lanes of courtyard gateways, teahouses and Sichuan snacks
People's Park & Heming Teahouse 人民公园与鹤鸣茶社 10 km
Bamboo chairs, jasmine tea and roving ear cleaners in Chengdu's favourite park
Wuhou Shrine & Jinli Street 武侯祠与锦里 10 km
Cypress-shaded halls honouring Three Kingdoms heroes, with a bustling snack lane next door
Du Fu Thatched Cottage 杜甫草堂 10 km
Bamboo groves and plum blossom where Du Fu, China's 'Poet-Sage', once lived
Luodai Ancient Town 洛带古镇 20 km
A Hakka market town on Chengdu's edge, with grand guild halls built by Qing-era settlers

Also within 30 km: Jinmen Silk Quarter, Xindu 锦门 (under 10 km), Dongjiao Memory 东郊记忆 (under 10 km), Ming Tombs of the Princes of Shu 明蜀王陵 (10 km), Happy Valley Chengdu 成都欢乐谷 (10 km), Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Chengdu 平安桥天主教堂 (10 km), Baoguang Temple & Gui Lake 宝光寺与桂湖 (10 km).

Trips with Chengdu Giant Panda Base

Two weeks in China: Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guilin and Shanghai 14 days · Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Leshan, Guilin and Shanghai
Sichuan in a week: Chengdu, Leshan, Mount Emei and Dujiangyan 7 days · Chengdu, Leshan, Emeishan and Dujiangyan
Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong: a week in the Aba mountains 6 days · Chengdu, Songpan and Jiuzhaigou

On the map

Open Chengdu Giant Panda Base on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Open Chengdu Giant Panda Base on the map