Panda Park
Name in Chinese: 都江堰熊猫乐园 [dū jiāng yàn xióng māo lè yuan]
Location: Qingchengshan Town, Dujiangyan, Chengdu, China
Duration of the tour: Half a Day
Opening Hours: Sun.– Sat. 08:30-17:00
Highlights: Alternative second to none of seeing giant pandas during Chinese peak travel period; It offers more accessible Panda keeper program than Wolong and Bifengxia Panda base
Reputation: A new panda base that is affiliated with CCRCGP ( China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda )
Residential home for aged giant pandas & Rehabilitation center for sick and wounded pandas.
Completed in 2013 as a sister base to earthquake-stricken Wolong panda base, Dujiangyan Panda Base is now home to 20 Giant pandas, 7 red pandas and 2 black bears. It is the first research base for the rescue and rehabilitation of giant panda in China, nursing sick and injured pandas as well as ‘senior’ pandas.
The base also serves as quarantine area for overseas-born pandas when return to China.
Only pandas, No ‘Pandamonium’
Chengdu panda base is undoubtedly a top option to see pandas given its location on the outskirts of Chengdu (around 40 minutes by car), largest number of pandas out of all the reserves as well as the chance of seeing newborn baby pandas during certain season. Further, it is home to national darling ‘Huahua’, a highly recognizable 3-year old female panda thanks to her captivating chubbiness and clumsiness. Its popularity has made Chengdu panda base the most-visited attraction across the country. Unsurprising, the facility is packed with worldwide tourists most of the time and there are going to be the most epic crowds during big Chinese holidays.
Given these facts, you may need plan B to beat the crowds. With an hour and half car ride, one can reach to Dujiangyan panda park that nestles in beautifully landscaped mountain. Typically, there are fewer crowds and more one-on-one time with the pandas due to its longer distance from Chengdu. Visitors are able to have nice view of those adorable balls of fluff without being jostled and shoved. There are four Panda viewing gardens spreading over the 50-hectare ground, which are linked by winding pathways. Giant pandas in residence are from babies to adults, aged between 1and 15.
Immerse yourself in everything panda
Dujiangyan panda park is also one of the three panda bases that visitors can volunteer on a one-day panda keeper program and it is more accessible than Wolong and Bifengxia Panda base given its much shorter distance to Chengdu.
Volunteers can assist caretakers in their day-to-day work, which helps participants delve more into the life of giant pandas. Check the details down below.
There are much more than pandas around the area will wow visitors
Dujianyan city is not only home to lovely giant pandas but also two world heritage sites: Dujiangyan water project - the oldest and the only surviving monumental non-dam irrigation system from the ancient past in the world; Mt. Qingcheng - a must-visit for nature lovers, hikers and those interested in Taoism. To make the most of your time, it is highly recommended that top off your visit with a stop at either of the site, which is a much-loved Dujiangyan day trip.
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 Dujianyan 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 Dujiangyan Panda Base
Dujiangyan Panda Base is 65 kilometers from Chengdu with a travel time of 1.5 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.
