A Day with Pandas

While Chengdu is certainly a draw for its food, there’s another claim to fame that might be drawing you to the city: pandas! While there are other cities in the world you can see giant pandas, there are not many, and Chengdu likes to remind travelers that they’re number one for the creatures. The images of pandas are plastered everywhere from restaurants to billboards to speciality cans of Coke. Also, one of the most popular store types are little shops stuffed to the brim with panda stuffies, next to….other shops selling exactly the same thing. 

Lucky for you, Chengdu is very close to the Dujiangyan Panda Breeding Base, a massive facility that typically holds around 50 pandas. We got there in the morning (around 9am), but already a bit late to see the animals at their most active. They prefer the cool early morning hours (especially on days when it gets much above 70), so early risers will likely have the best luck seeing them out and about and not just lazing in the shade. 

But, even with the relatively late start, we still saw plenty of the pandas rolling around, eating bamboo, and being pretty much the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. The base has mostly adult pandas, but there are also several juveniles and if you are lucky (and don’t mind waiting in an enormous line) you might even have the chance to see babies! Red pandas are also at the facility, and while much smaller and a closer relative to the fox than the giant panda, they are pretty much as endearing. 

The base is split up into two sections: the “old” section with its forest-like environment, and then the massive “new” section, where you can see pandas either in giant enclosures during the cooler months, or in air-conditioned glass rooms during the summer months. If you are anything like us then you will surely want to check out both, just make sure to slate out about half the day as it won’t be easy to leave these guys!