China Giant Panda Protection and Reseach Center
Name in Chinese: 卧龙大熊猫基地 [wò long dà xióng māo jī dì]
Location: Wolong town, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China.
Opening Hours: Sun.– Sat. 09:00-17:00
Duration of the tour: a Full day Tour is suggested
Highlights: Close panda encounter; Photography; Red panda and Giant panda Care Taker Experience
Reputation: the only panda base within the Wolong Nature Reserve, A UNESCO World Heritage Site, know as ‘the Last Strongholds of the Giant Pandas’.
Visitors may have hard time deciding which panda base to go when googling ‘the high-rated panda watching locations in China’. With its dominant panda populations both in wilderness and in capitivity, Chengdu, the capital city of Southwest China’s Sichuan province, has treated world-wide panda lovers to a multi-choice of panda observing facilities, and for panda enthusiasts, who are seeking for a panda land less crowded, nearest the Pandas’ natural habitat, head to Wolong panda base!
What to see & Do
A two-hour drive from NW Chengdu (100km/62mi; the drive itself is amazing with beautiful mountain scenery), sits a panda kingdom nestled in mountains with an elevation of 1700m above the sea level -Wolong Panda Base. The vast ground surrounded by a sea of green bamboo groves shifting in the breeze makes up the ideal wild habitat for giant pandas.
Winding through its flat and well-paved path, visitors will be treated to a great time by peering into the base’s panda playground. There are 59 sets of enclosures, with each enclosure comprising an indoor air-conditioned room and a spacious outdoor playground, and they are arranged in three major panda watching spots: No.1 and No.2 panda kinder zones, Inside Panda Zone and Outside Panda Zone.
Around 60 giant pandas inhabit the base and these furry friends are of different ages: Grow-ups ( aged 5 and above ), Sub-adults ( 2-4.5 years old ) and Juveniles ( 12-18 months ). Panda kinder is an absolute hoot, where the antics of cubs climbing trees and rolling down hills would make your day!
Dream of being a Panda Keeper? Experience World’s Best Babysitting Gig Right Here!
Wolong panda center boasts an interactive program, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for worldwide panda fans: the Panda Keeper Program. What is more, the red panda keeper program can be expected nowhere but Wolong panda base. Volunteers can assist caretakers in their day-to-day work, which helps participants delve more into the life of both giant pandas and red pandas. Check the details down below.
Both Shenshuping and Hetaoping belong to Wolong giant panda protection and research center. It takes about 25 minutes by car from the Wolong Panda Base.
The scheduled activities above might be adjusted according to the specific situations. And the volunteer program may be subject to Force Majeure and the inevitable requirement of the government.
Are there any other panda bases to go?
With much less tourists due to its distant location, you can see pandas up close without queuing or pushing in Wolong panda base. However, if you prefer to spend your time at the closer ones, Chengdu Panda Base and Dujiangyan Panda Base are good spots for panda encounters. It takes about 40mins by car from downtown Chengdu to the former one and 1.5hrs to the latter base.
There are much more than pandas around the region will wow visitors
Wolong panda base sits in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Western Sichuan, the most diverse region in the province, both in its extraordinary mix of peoples and in the splendours of its landscapes. It is home to Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong National Park, both of which are inscribed on the World Heritage List for its untouched beauty of And a two-hour drive from Wolong panda base, one can reach to a astoundingly beautiful snow-capped mountain, Mt.Siguniang, which is known as the “Oriental Alps”. This Tibetan region of Sichuan is mainly inhabited by the Tibetan and Qiang ethnic groups and pay a visit to local Tibetan and Qiang village will give travelers a chance to get an insight into their exotic culture, folk custom and architecture.
When is the best time to come?
Of the year
Pandas are heat intolerant and they experience heat stress when temperature climb over 25 degrees Celsius. As we know, most animals hibernate during the winter, whereas our furry friends are full of beans during cold temperature.
Spring and Autumn are the best times to watch pandas in Chengdu when the climate is mild and pleasant. However, if traveling to Chengdu in summer time is inevitable, you can be also treated a great panda watching time in Wolong panda base for its much cooler and fresher temperature and fewer crowds. Additionally, Pandas here will never hate hot summer because they have their own special bathtubs, which can help them beat the heat.
Of the day
It’s best to visit the panda base before 11:30 am when the pandas are at their most active before falling asleep in the early afternoon.
How to get to Wolong Panda Base
Wolong Panda Base is 115 kilometers from Chengdu with a travel time of 2 hours. Tourists can fly to Chengdu from most of major cities within Mainland China. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) is one of two airports serving Chengdu, which now mainly serves domestic flights around China. The other one is Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU), which also operates domestic flights and took over all international routes from Shuangliu International Airport. Currently, there are 30 international routes to most of major cities abroad, such as, Hongkong, Moscow, Taibei, Seoul, Phuket, Istanbul, Sydney, Cairo, Los Angeles, Bangkok, Osaka, Hanoi,Singapore, Tashkent, Kuala Lumpur, Nha Trang, Toronto, Vancouver, , Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Paris, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington.
Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is located 18 km (11 mi) south of the city center, the journey from the airport to the city center takes about 35min while Tianfu International Airport is 65 kilometers (40 mi) southeast of the city center, taking about one hour.
