One of Chengdu’s most popular attractions, this panda park 18km north of the city centre is the easiest way to glimpse Sichuan’s most famous residents. Don't, however, make the mistake of thinking you'll be seeing wild pandas. They are kept in large enclosures and have a dedicated team of scientists and keepers tending to their every need. As well as living, breathing pandas, there are some fascinating panda information centres and museums explaining panda conservation and husbandry. Home to nearly 120 giant and 76 red pandas, the base focuses on getting these notoriously love-shy creatures to breed and has been remarkably successful at it. March to May is the ‘falling in love period’ (wink wink). If you visit during summer or autumn, you may see tiny newborns in the nursery incubators.
Prices change with the date; the lowest is shown.
Prices are per person when two book together; a solo traveller pays $107.
Larger groups pay less per person.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 7.
We free pick up within chengdu's third ring road. If your hotel is located outside of Chengdu's third ring road, an extra transportation fee will be incurred. We will discuss and confirm the amount to be charged based on the actual location of the hotel.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Excurgo comparison of 778 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Chengdu Panda Research Base Tickets And Optional Private Tour lasts about 4 hours.
Prices start at $14 per person for this Chengdu experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. That is the per-person price when two book together; a solo traveller pays $107. There are 4 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 7:30 AM, 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 1:00 PM.
Children aged 6–17 pay from $8, adults from $14. Infants go free.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Yes, pickup is offered. We free pick up within chengdu's third ring road. If your hotel is located outside of Chengdu's third ring road, an extra transportation fee will be incurred. We will discuss and confirm the amount to be charged based on the actual location of the hotel. Pickup points include Sanjia Business Hotel.
The experience is available in EN, ZH-CN.
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 15 travellers can book together.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller Specialized infant seats are available
Wheelchair accessible
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Bella was very knowledgeable and helped us to see the very best of the facility. Both red and giant pandas were wonderful to see
Dear guest, We're so pleased to hear that your visit was such a rewarding experience and that Bella's knowledge and guidance helped you experience the very best of our facility, including both the red pandas and giant pandas. It was a pleasure to have you with us, and we hope to welcome you back again soon. Best Wishes!
Yao (Bella) was great - friendly, helpful and knew which way to go to see as many pandas as possible. The park is so big with so many routes, we would have wasted our time if we hadn’t booked a guide. Yao even went out of her way to find our restaurant for lunch and made sure we understood the menu. So kind of her. Yao gave us some helpful recommendations for our stay in Chengdu
Dear guest, Thank you so much for your lovely and detailed review! We’re truly thrilled to hear Bella Yao delivered such a thoughtful, professional tour for you. It means a lot that she could help you maximize your panda viewing experience and take extra care with your lunch arrangements and local Chengdu tips. We always encourage our guides to go above and beyond for every traveler. We hope you had an unforgettable time in Chengdu and look forward to welcoming you back for another wonderful trip with us someday! Best Wishes！
We had a wonderful experience at the Panda Centre. Our guide, Evan, was fantastic. Superb knowledge and made the visit very special for us. I couldn’t recommend him highly enough, thank you!
Dear guest, Thank you so much for taking the time to share this lovely review. Evan is indeed a remarkable guide, and we're thrilled that his superb knowledge and genuine enthusiasm helped make your tour so special. We sincerely appreciate your high recommendation. It's guests like you that inspire us to keep improving and delivering the best possible experiences. Should your travels ever bring you back to Chengdu, we would be absolutely honored to welcome you again. Best Wishes!
We have Evan as our English speaking guide, he is detailed in his explanation of the tour and it has been a great experience! thanks Evan!
Dear guest, Thank you for your lovely review! We're so glad Evan's clear and detailed guiding made your Panda tour special and he truly enjoys sharing his knowledge with guests. Your kind words mean a lot to us, and we hope to welcome you back to Chengdu someday! Best Wishes!
My guide Bella knew where to find all of the best pandas. We arrived early in the morning and observed the pandas waking up and having breakfast then doing various panda things. 10/10 experience.
Dear guest, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your 10/10 experience! We are absolutely thrilled to hear that you had such a memorable morning at the Panda Base. It is wonderful to know that Bella’s expertise helped you catch the pandas at their most active and entertaining time—watching them wake up and enjoy breakfast is truly a magical sight. We appreciate your support and hope to see you again soon! Best Wishes!
SCANDALOUS, A SCAM AND A SHAME! Avoid seeing the tickets or worse, the summer tours, as in the heat the giant pandas are kept inside, so NOTHING is seen… a waste of time and money.
That's why you need to buy a tour, you don't want to pay extra money for a tour, don't want to pay extra time to do homework, what do you expect?! Pandas have every right to stay in AC room, they are not your pet. Next time buy a ticket which offers a panda right to your hotel bed.
Entrance-only ticket. It is best to arrive at opening time if you want to avoid a long line. A must in Chengdu
Dear Angelo, Thank you for your review! We're glad you found the entry ticket convenient and appreciated the early arrival tip. A heads-up for summer: when temperatures rise, the pandas are kept indoors in cool enclosures, so you'll still see them up close—just in their air-conditioned rooms. A must-see indeed! Hope you enjoyed every moment. Best Wishes！
It’s a nice centre and you see the pandas but probably you need to arrive early as most of them were sleeping when I arrived around 11:00am. I would expect more pandas to be honest and there is a clear miscommunication regarding the guides..my ticket as I was told was pretty expensive but I couldn’t find a solution about the guide and if was included or not. English speaking ℹ communication is not very very good as most of them rely on the translation apps
Dear guest, Thank you for your review. You purchased our standalone ticket-only product, whose service scope is clearly stated on our listing page with no English guide or private driver included, and we have fully fulfilled the ticket service as ordered. Giant pandas usually rest after late morning, so arriving around 11:00 leads to fewer active pandas due to their natural daily routine, which is out of our control. There is no miscommunication from our side; the confusion came from expecting extra services that were not covered in your purchased item. Wishing you a more successful and enjoyable visit next time.
We loved our visit to the Chengdu Panda Research Base. Our guide Bella kindly arranged for an early morning pick up so we were able to arrive at the base right as it opened, hence no crowds! She knew so much about pandas, red pandas, their history, life expectancy etc. Also she knew the ins and outs of the place and took shortcuts to get to the most coveted areas, where the mamas and babies are and where the teenagers are! We delighted in seeing pandas of all shapes and sizes and energy levels, more than 30 in all! Additionally Bella knew a lot about everything Chengdu and gave us great tips about what to see next. She was delightful in every way and so were the pandas 🥰
Dear Lilly, Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful and detailed review! We’re truly delighted that your visit to the Chengdu Panda Base with Bella was such a memorable experience. It really makes a difference to have a great guide by your side — saving you time and energy, leading you to the best viewing spots (yes, mamas and babies included!), and helping you avoid the crowds. Over 30 pandas in peace — doesn't get much better than that! And of course, it's great that you also picked up some helpful tips about Chengdu along the way. A good guide really does make all the difference, not just with facts, but in making your visit effortless and full of joy. We'd love to welcome you back for another wonderful panda day! Best Wishes！
Going with a guide is a great experience, and my guide, Emily, was excellent, but it is not worth the hefty price tag as opposed to just purchasing tickets.
Dear guest, We are very sorry to receive your negative review. We would like to clarify that it is not poor service on our part, but simply your personal feeling that the price is too high. The rate already includes private transportation, a professional tour guide and all entrance tickets. We welcome price comparisons across all platforms, and we truly believe we offer the most affordable private tour of this standard. With our professional service, you reached the panda base easily and comfortably. Under our guide’s company and vivid explanations, you managed to see many different giant pandas in a relaxed and effortless way. All of these convenient and premium experiences cannot be obtained by travelers who only buy tickets and visit on their own. It is exactly because we made your trip so smooth and hassle-free that you may think you could have enjoyed the same experience traveling alone. However, this is clearly not the case for independent visitors. Thank you again for choosing our tour. Since you commented that "Going with a guide is a great experience", we sincerely believe our dedicated service fully deserves a 5-star rating.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chengdu Panda Research Base Tickets And Optional Private Tour | 4 hours | 4.6 (64) | $14 | |
 Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base Ticket | 4 hours | 4.1 (33) | $9 | View |
 Private Chengdu Panda Base Tour with Hotel Pickup | 3–4 hours | 5.0 (75) | $89 | View |
 One Day Trip to Chengdu Panda Base and Leshan Buddha Tour | 5–8 hours | 4.8 (62) | $93 | View |
 All Inclusive Private Trip to Chengdu Giant Panda Base and Leshan Giant Buddha | 9 hours | 5.0 (40) | $249 | View |
 Chengdu: Panda Base Leshan Buddha Tour(or Half Day Panda Base ) | 5–12 hours | 4.8 (40) | $31 | View |
 Dujiangyan Panda Base and Mount Qingcheng | 8 hours | 4.9 (34) | $60 | View |