Dujiangyan's Panda Valley
Name in Chinese: 都江堰熊猫谷【dū jiāng yàn xíong māo gǔ】
Location: Yutang Town, Dujiangyan, Chengdu, China
Duration of tour: Half of a day
Opening Hours: Sun.– Sat. 08:00-17:00
Highlights: Amazing landscaping and gardens; Great panda viewing; No crowds
Giant panda wilderness school
Dujiangyan panda valley, the newer baby brother of the Chengdu panda base, focus on the panda’s wilderness training program in order to rebuild the wild panda population in China. In this facility, selected captive-born pandas will go through a gradual, carefully monitored process to prepare them for lives in their natural habitat. Training pandas born in captivity to live in the wild takes about two years: the panda equivalent of preschool first learn how to pick the best bamboo, climb and avoid predators and then graduate to a wilder setting.
Small valley, Grand panda watching experience
Set in a beautiful valley, this location is right on the edge of a mountain range that is perfect for wild pandas. Covering an area of 1.34 square kilometers, it is much smaller than its big brother of Chengdu panda base, but it is way quieter and more secluded. Visitors can enjoy the opportunity to meander around this facility with fewer crowds and less chaos than in the Chengdu site. The facility was open to the public in 2015, with 6 pandas born in Chengdu panda base being first sent to the location. Toady, there are roughly 12 giant pandas inhabiting the area. Take an easy stroll up the strip valley with a gurgling stream flowing through, you are able to get good views at every panda site.
Red panda heaven
Near the top of this compound is the red panda habitat, where more than 20 free roaming red pandas are seen to move back-and-forth. Visitors are able to have up-close encounters with the animals whilst strolling along the walkway paved with planks.
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 Valley
Dujiangyan Panda Valley is 90 minutes north-west of Chengdu by car. 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.
