Address: Xiongmao DaDao, northeast of the zoo
Phone: (86) 8351-6748


Traveler Reviews

Amazing panda
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Oct 15, 2008


This was a very unique and amazing experience. I have always wanted to see pandas up close and i got to hold a baby panda for 5 minutes!! It was one of the best things I got to do in China. You can not miss this!!!

AMAZING - a must see!
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Jun 27, 2008


This is by far the best place ever to visit on holiday! It was absolutely stunning, and as the photos show a never to be forgotten experience. For US$180 you could get wrapped up on a plastic gown, gloves and bootees ( to protect the panda from human germs ) and hold a young panda for 5 minutes! The money goes to looking after the pandas though so it's fair enough. There was also a chance to hold the smaller red pandas and to stand next to a full grown black and white panda and pet them ( there is a charge for each ). As adults we adored the experience, but it would be an ideal place for children; it's an educational experience as well as being a tourist destination. The only advice we would give is to go early and try to avoid the tour buses! It's a very popular place and a wonderful experience. Btw, the research base also has the best loos in the whold of China!

AMAZING! My favorite spot in all of China
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Jan 1, 2008


I travelled to China during December of 2007 for the sole reason of visiting the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base near Chengdu. It was well worth it and provided memories to last a lifetime. : ) A cab ride from central Chengdu costs approximately 40RMB and will take about 20-25 minutes. Once at the base, you can take time to explore the museum which provides an interesting history and insight into the world-famous endangered species (and also has some truly creepy stuffed figures) or you can make your way to the pandas (which is where I hightailed it). My first glimpse of one is something I will never forget...I was walking around, looking high and low in their various enclosures when I finally heard some rustling branches - and there was a sub-adult feasting on bamboo! There are several large areas for the adult pandas to roam, less like a zoo, more like a habitat. They have plenty of room to roam. There is also a newborn area and it's hard to not to fall over dead from all the cuteness. Unfortunately, it is not possible to take pictures of the babies because their eyes are still developing however seeing them is well-worth the price of admission alone. When I visited in December, there were about 5 or 6 three-month old cubs; as well as several one-year old cubs. For 1000RMB (approximately $150 U.S.), you can hold a one-year old cub for around 5 minutes. It is the experience of a lifetime. There is also a movie theatre showing continuously-run films detailing the history of the panda, as well as an enclosure for red pandas. After witnessing the amount of pollution in China, I'm not sure how much longer the panda will survive in the wild. It would be a tragedy to lose these wonderful, beautiful animals.

Pandamonium
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on May 1, 2007


I have recently returned from a trip on April 14, 2007 to the research base and have to rate this as one of the most AMAZING experiences I have been fortunate enough to experience. The base is approx 45 minutes north of the city of Chengdu and I can highly recommend the services of an English speaking local Chengdu tour guide, who has been recommended by fellow Trip Advisor surfers. His name is Mickal and he was extremely helpful in organising a suggested itinerary (which was heavily based around my visit to the panda research base) and was very knowledgeable about the local area and very polite - a welcome change to the stock standard day tour guides. I also did want to be able to play with a panda cub and have my photo taken with a panda cub - the staff at the base were very helpful in taking photos and making sure that I enjoyed my panda experience. Whilst I originally wanted to visit the Wolong reserve, I was unable to due to my time constraints, however I was extremely impressed by my experience at the research base and was very happy that I was able to visit it.

One of the highlights of my life
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Apr 26, 2007


This place is fantastic and not to be missed. We had considered not going to Chengdu but are so glad we did. We saw lots of Pandas of different ages and they were quite active, especially the babies. I paid RMB 1000 to be able to hold a baby Panda (approx 5 months old) for around 4 - 5 minutes. A steep price but well worth it; its a once in a lifetime thing and all the money goes back to the research base. It was just wonderful. We were also lucky to see lots of young Pandas frolicking about in their nursery. They are just like young children. YOu are so close to the animals, in some cases only a few feet away. Just magic. My advice would be to go as early in the day as you possibly can as when it gets a bit warm, they take the young ones inside and you can only get to see them through a glass wall. We visited in April and they were put indoors at around 11am, so i imagine it would be earlier in Summer.