Many people think of an adorable animal named “Panda” when they hear the name of China. If anyone ever visit China, it is impossible not to witness one of rare creatures up close. The greatest panda breeds in the world are housed in China’s most significant zoo. Chengdu, Sichuan Province’s superb giant panda breeding research station is where you should go to meet them.
You can get a close-up look at 80 adorable and jovial pandas here as they go about their everyday activities, from foraging to playing. At the yearly shows, you may discover a lot about these adorable animals’ life and the study on their population increase. If you intend to see pandas in China, attempt to time your trip to coincide with their morning feeding routine. You can even volunteer to feed them or even take care of a baby panda by filling out forms.
Top 3 Sichuan Giant Panda Study Center
There are three places where you can see giant pandas up close in Sichuan.
- Panda Breeding and Research Center in Chengdu
- Panda Valley in Dujiangyan
- Bifengxia Panda Base
Panda Breeding and Research Center in Chengdu, Sichuan
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is one of the tourist places in Sichuan, which started its activity in 1987 in the outskirts of Chengdu. The first residents of this base included 6 panda bears who were rescued from a miserable and dangerous situation in the wild. Chengdu Research Base has witnessed the birth of 176 pandas during its 30 years of operation, and about 100 adult pandas currently live in this base. Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Base is open to all tourists and visitors. In addition to the entrance fee, visitors can donate money to support the pandas and purchase souvenirs, t-shirts, toys and sponsor certificates.
In this place, you can learn more about how pandas eat, sleep and reproduce. Organized tours in this area will introduce you to the attractions of this research institute. You can visit this center to watch panda wildlife. This protected area is located among the mountains and has species of mammals, birds, etc. In this area, you can also see species of plants.
The area of the base complex is divided into several sections, which include a museum, information centers, a rehabilitation center for injured pandas, and enclosures for pandas of different ages. This base is not only used as a place to keep the giant pandas of the region, but also the home of the famous red pandas. Visiting this base is attractive for all ages, especially children during the trip.
The research center of Chengdu city to keep pandas in China has established a natural ecosystem in a land of 92 hectares. It includes rivers, lakes, green grass, bamboo forests, rocks, and some hills. The aim of this research center is to prevent the extinction of China’s giant pandas. In addition to pandas, more than 20 rare animal species are also kept in this center.
The best time to visit the pandas in Chengdu, Sichuan
Tourists who have enjoyed seeing pandas have been ecstatic! If you want to see the pandas fresh and cheerful, you must wake up early in the morning. It is better to plan to be at the panda research center between 8 and 11 am. During this period, you can see the pandas doing their daily activities such as: eating, playing, etc. After 11 o’clock you have to sing a lullaby for them!
If you visit Chengdu in late summer or early fall, you will have the chance to see the newborn panda cubs at the Panda Nursery. The golden time for pandas to be born is in September and October. This time is equivalent to 10 September to 9 November in our calendar. Activities such as panda volunteer day and playing with baby pandas used to be held at the research center. But these activities have been suspended for some time and no time has been announced for their resumption. We will inform you as soon as it is announced.
Eat at the Panda Museum!
You probably won’t notice the passage of time in the panda museum. By the time you wake up, it’s noon. It is better to have lunch here. Panda restaurants, outdoor cafes, and lunchrooms are the choice of most tourists for tea and food. This restaurant has 200 seats and its chef uses a special way to cook Sichuan cuisine, which is very famous. You can also use the cafe. The cafe is located in the open air and you will have a chance to relax. The cafe has about 100 seats. Remember to visit China earlier than others so that you can eat earlier than others, otherwise, you have to stand in line until the seats are empty!
Buy souvenirs from the Panda Museum!
There are two places to buy souvenirs the Chengdu Giant Panda Research Center. The first place named Panda House is located on the right side of the entrance. The sellers of this store are fluent in English. The second place is the tourist shopping center. In this store, you can find all the beautiful and traditional Chinese goods.
Visit the panda bookstore! This bookstore is located near pandas Theater. If you are interested in pandas or endangered animals, you can get these books.
Bifengxia Giant Panda Base, Chengdu
Two and a half hours drive from Chengdu to Yanan, you will arrive at the Bifengxia Giant Panda Base in China. In this center, more than 30 giant pandas are kept in a natural ecosystem. This area is similar to a gorge-shaped gorge. The grounds of the giant panda center, along with various vegetation and waterfalls, have made life easier for these beautiful and amazing bears.
Dujiangyan Panda Research Base in China
One of the centers where you can watch pandas in China is the research center located in the 760-hectare Dujiangyan area at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain. This research center is about an hour and a half away from the Chengdu city center. About 40 giant pandas and five red pandas are kept in this center. The daily visit program of tourists and tourists to this research center enables them to get to know closely the life and feeding of pandas in China and the planting of bamboo plants while preserving natural resources. In this way, effective measures have been taken in China to care and preserve these rare animals.
What do you see at the Panda Research Center?
Bamboo forest: You can enjoy seeing bamboo forests! Environmental tours have been formed according to these forests. In addition to seeing bamboo, you can enjoy cherry and cherry blossoms, as well as ornamental plants.
Peacocks and Swans: Give yourself a chance to see these beautiful endangered birds when you visit the Panda Research Center. In addition to peacocks and swans, you will see thousands of insects and butterflies. Don’t miss the pandas that look like raccoons.
Giant Panda Museum: This section includes three parts: Giant Panda Hall, Vertebrate Hall, and Butterfly Hall. A lot of information about animal species, fossils, etc., as well as various books about giant pandas from around the world, can be seen and available in this section.
Tourists don’t take pictures of little pandas!
You must have seen various videos about the game of baby pandas on virtual pages! Baby pandas are very cute. You can see these cute little animals up close when you visit the Chengdu Panda Research Center. One of the important rules of this center is not to take pictures of baby pandas! The flash of cameras and smartphones harms their eyes.
Many videos of pandas have been produced in this center, and safety points have been observed during their recording. One of these videos is a documentary about the birth of pandas. Inexperienced mothers sometimes do not realize that what has come out of their womb is their child. For this reason, it is the panda nurses who must protect the baby panda from the mother so that it is not killed when the mother makes a mistake or shakes.
