Roly-poly, snuggly giants: a trip to Chengdu is not complete without seeing the city’s beloved pandas! In this post, I’ll go over all of the details you’ll need to plan your own visit to the Panda Reserve in Chengdu China.
Chengdu LOVES its pandas. Seriously, they are everywhere! On your subway tickets, on buses, trash cans–you name it! These people have taken massive steps to protect and preserve this species, and they are rightly proud!
If you ask any Chinese person about what you should do while in Chengdu, I guarantee you they’ll say to go see the pandas.
Planning to get there can be tricky, but fear not! I was just there a few months ago, and have all the details you need here in this post.
When to Visit the Panda Reserve in Chengdu China
In short, anytime!
Chengdu is in Sichuan province, which is located towards the south of China, so winter isn’t too bad.
Chengdu’s winter can get to freezing (32º Farenheit / 0º Celsius), but many days it will be much warmer. When we went in January, a light coat, hat, and sneakers with warm socks was enough.
Spring or Autumn will give you perfect temperatures: warm, but not hot-hot like the summer months will be.
May through August will likely be super hot (and humid!), so be prepared with a handheld fan and plenty of water should you plan your visit for the summer months.
Umbrellas are also a great way to shade yourself from the sun. It’s what people here tend to do in the summer months.
Getting to the CHengdu China Panda Reserve
There are multiple ways to get to the panda reserve in Chengdu China. They are:
- Bus ($1-3 USD)
- Subway + bus ($1-4 USD)
- Taxi (depends on how far you are. A 30 minute taxi ride will be no more than $10 USD.)
(Please note that these are the rates as of 2023.)
There are actually specific Panda Buses in the city which serve no other purpose than to take people to the Panda Reserve.
There is a tour guide on these buses (speaking Chinese only) who talks the whole time. But honestly we were fine with that. These buses are a bit more expensive than regular public buses, but just $1-2 USD difference.
To find your preferred route to the Panda Reserve from your location, use Apple Maps or Baidu Maps to find a route. You can copy and paste the Chinese name of the reserve into your map for the best location accuracy:
Eng: “Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding”
Chn: “成都大熊猫繁育研究基地”
Buying Tickets For the Panda Reserve in Chengdu China
If you’re like me, you love planning and booking ahead. Well, for this experience, do NOT do so! Tickets can be bought at the entrance of the park for $5 USD.
I made the mistake of booking our tickets on a travel app ahead of time, and paid more than TWICE the price of the tickets at the gate! Thankfully, the kind employees there helped me get on the phone to request a refund.
I’ll say it again: tickets AT THE GATE. It will take you five minutes and be your cheapest option.
Getting Around the Panda Reserve
The Reserve is MASSIVE, and if you walk the whole thing, you’ll easily hit 15-20k steps.
That being said, you can pay to buy a pass to be shuttled around the park. There are stations throughout the park where you’ll load/unload from the little shuttle bus.
We didn’t take this option, but it costs around $15 USD to buy the shuttle pass for the day. It will definitely add a lot of waiting to the experience, as the crowds during holiday times are massive.
You’ll have to queue for a LONG while at the entrance to get onto the first shuttle into the park, and some of the shuttle stops are quite crowded as well.
Honestly, unless you have a health issue which prevents you from walking, it’s very feasible to spend the day walking through the park. We had no regrets about going through the Panda Reserve on foot!
Things to Do at the Panda Reserve in Chengdu China
Holding Baby Pandas
Everyone’s biggest question: can I hold a baby panda?
Answer: maybe but I’m not sure! Back in the day, you could. But during the pandemic, they closed this attraction down to protect the pandas from potentially sick people.
Anyways, if its’ resumed, just know that pre-pandemic, it was about $300-350 USD to enjoy this experience. Obviously they use this as a way to get some extra funding for the Panda Reserve.
Panda Theatre
In the heart of the Reserve, there is an area with many shops and buildings, one of them being a large theatre. They were running some kind of Chengdu Opera show but with panda themed costumes while we were there.
We skipped, as its sure to be pricey compared to the shows we can see downtown (more info on those here).
Panda Watching
As for other attractions within the park, there’s mainly various zones which host different sites.
Most of them are large buildings or enclosures housing Giant Pandas (the black and white ones), and you can watch them eat, sleep, or occasionally play.
As the going tends to be slow with these lazy bears, there are tons of opportunities to read the panda’s biographies outside of their enclosure, or to read some other info posted throughout the park.
There are English translations of all the signage, so you’ll be able to learn so much here! And let me tell you: the panda facts and research presented throughout the park are fascinating!
In addition to the Giant Pandas, there are also the baby panda exhibits, and also the red panda section of the park.
We were pleasantly surprised with how fun the red pandas are. And the baby pandas were adorable and so active that we spent almost an hour watching them!
Food, Drinks, and Shopping at the Panda Reserve
Nearby the theatre I mentioned earlier are many shops and little restaurants where you can grab a bite, as well as hunt down those souvenirs you’ll want for yourself and others.
We couldn’t resist picking up an adorable panda stuffed animal. There were all kinds of tourist gifts, from magnets to postcards to t-shirts and hats and, of course, the fluffy panda stuffies.
While I know the prices may be cheaper at some of the areas downtown, I’m sure that some of that extra cost goes to the Panda Reserve, so why not support them?
Leaving the Panda Reserve
This was a whole-day trip for us, and by the end, we were tired from walking and didn’t feel like taking public transport back. We took a cab to our downtown hotel, and it took us about 30 mins and cost us $8 USD.
The taxis were crowded at the entrance, waiting for people to exit the park, so there’s no need to flag one down!
For public transport, you’ll just retrace your steps to the bus stop, and either take the bus all the way to your hotel, or perhaps switch off at the subway for the rest of your journey.
That about covers your day at the Panda Reserve in Chengdu China! Still have questions? Feel free to contact me using the icons in the upper right corner of the blog!
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How to See Pandas in China: The Ultimate Guide
