1 Day Panda Base and Chengdu City Tour

Date: Everyday Except Monday

Price: From 196USD/PAX

Trip Focus: Panda + Chengdu City

Status: Open to Booking

Route: Chengdu Panda Base-Jinsha Museum-Jinli Street-Sichuan Face-changing Show

Trip Code: P001

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Overview

Chengdu, the capital city of China's Sichuan Province, is an exciting destination for those looking to experience the tradition and natural beauty that this country has offered. Known by a variety of nicknames, Chengdu is famous for its fiery cuisine, long history, traditional art styles and for being the ultimate destination to view giant pandas. In this comprehensive and classic one-day tour from AbsolutePanda, our experienced local guides are determined to show you exactly what makes this city so alluring to visitors and so comfortable for locals.

During your stay in Chengdu, we will waste no time in showing you the greatest that this city can provide. This holistic tour itinerary will include a visit to the largest captive panda population in the world, attendance to a traditional Sichuan opera performance, gourmet meals showcasing Chengdu's world-famous cuisine and a tour through one of China's oldest archeological dig sites. For those who want to see this city from every angle, this is the tour you are looking for.

Highlights:

• See the world's largest captive panda population at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (Chengdu Panda Base). Also the only panda base that we have the chance to see new born baby panda.

• Savor the distinct taste of authentic Sichuan Cuisine in popular local restaurants.

• Explore the captivating history of Sichuan's Ancient Shu civilization at the Jinsha Site Museum.

• Witness the wildly energetic and age-old theatrical traditions of the Sichuan Opera, featuring Face-changing performers, fire-breathing, and much more.

• Take a step back in time as we stroll pass the markets and street performers of Chengdu's Jinli Ancient Street (the most beautiful street by CNN travel in 2019).

• Experience the colorful culture and unique lifestyle of Chengdu's Tibetan Street.

Introduction to Trip’s Destinations:

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (Chengdu Panda Base)
Holding the distinction of the world’s largest panda base, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (Chengdu Panda Base) attracts tourists and wildlife enthusiasts from worldwide. Conveniently located a short drive away from downtown, this state of the art research facility comfortably houses more pandas than anywhere else at home and abroad. During your visit, you will see pandas ranging from young cubs to lumbering adults as well as the elusive and adorable red panda. Additionally, the scenic, garden-like atmosphere of the panda base is especially ideal for Urban Birding like Red-billed Leiothrix, Ruddy Shelduck, Chinese Blackbird, and Spotted Dove.

Jinsha Site Museum (Close on Monday)
Long before the modern era, the Shu civilization established the foundation of its magnificent culture in the Sichuan basin. Lying dormant for roughly 3,000 years, the secrets of this mysterious kingdom remained hidden until 2001 archeologists unearthed remnants of their ancient metropolis here in Chengdu. Consider the first major Chinese archeological breakthrough of the 21st century, researchers found vast mountains of riches including ivory, jade and gold. This cutting-edge facility showcases the art, culture and lifestyle of the ancient Shu in a sprawling museum complex as well as an open-air dig site.

Jinli Street
Ranked as the top of the 21 world's most beautiful streets by CNN Travel in 2019, Jinli has a long history tied to the foundation of Chengdu. For more than 2,000 years, Jinli has gained acclaim across China as one of the Shu Kingdom's oldest commercial streets. Featuring traditional Qing dynasty architecture and modeled after "the Romance of the Three Kingdoms", the atmosphere of Jinli street has something for everyone including delicious street food, handcrafted souvenirs and live entertainment. It is a nice place to see all kinds of interesting local snacks.

Sichuan Opera Face-changing Show
Widely considered one of China's distinct regional theatrical styles, Sichuan opera is endemic to Chengdu. Opera house performances here feature a cavalcade of different acts that draw crowds of visitors for their daring exploits and artistic execution. As an audience member, you can relax and drink tea as costumed actors breathing fire and quickly swap between ornate masks in a blink of an eye. These shows host a variety of acts ranging from life-like puppets and comedy to traditional music instruments and singing. For anyone visiting Chengdu, the visit is not complete until you’ve witnessed Sichuan opera.

How Can We Make This Trip Special?

• Many times of running this itinerary for western nature and culture lovers enables us to ensure your panda tour is enjoyable and comfortable.

• A team of passionate guides specializing in panda and wildlife with rich experiences of guiding and solid knowledge about local cultures and places.

• This trip can be customized to better meet your travel style by centering on a different focus.

• 20-plus years of working in the travel industry and serving travelers from all over the world enable us to know how to make great trips for travelers of different travel styles.

What Makes AbsolutePanda Excellent?

• We are one of the premier travel companies focusing on panda and other wildlife in China.
We use AbsolutePanda as company brand because of our deep love toward panda and our determination to create your absolutely enjoyable panda trips.

Since 2003, our professional tour leaders and wildlife experts have helped thousands of travelers gain an in-depth understanding of Giant Panda and their companion animals, enjoy stunning scenery all over China and explore the authentic local culture.

• Exclusive Quality & Value Guarantee.

We define our quality by well-designed itineraries, stunning destinations, creative interactions, small groups, professional guides, and reasonable prices.

• Explore China in comfort and your style.

We understand each traveler is different. In addition to selected accommodations, meals and vehicles, we would like to show you the real China by an authentic experience with incredible wildlife and lovely locals.

• We care and share.

We believe the best way to help wildlife is through love and appreciation. By bringing nature lovers to enjoy the beauty of nature in China, we hope that local people can know the value of wildlife and learn how to love and appreciate those beautiful creatures living near their villages.

Map

Chengdu Panda Base and Chengdu City Tour Map

Itinerary

Outline:
Chengdu Panda Base-Jinsha Site Museum-Jinli Street—Sichuan Face-changing Show.

Details:

07:00-07:40 Hotel pick up, head to Chengdu Panda Base which is the largest panda base in the world. Home to over 100 pandas with different ages.

07:40-12:00 Visit Chengdu Panda Base and enjoy a beautiful and leisure tour of the facility.
12:00-12:30 Way to local restaurant, a local authentic Sichuan cuisine restaurant with special dishes that you can hardly find elsewhere.

12:30-13:30 Enjoy your lunch.

13:30-14:00 Drive to Jinsha Site Museum. Explore the ancient myth of the Shu Kingdom and the origin of civilization in Sichuan.

14:00-16:00 Visit Jinsha Museum to learn about the ancient Shu Kingdom.

16:00-16:30 Drive to Jinli Old Street, a nationwide famous local street with thick folk culture. Walk there is like the time hasn’t been changed for 300 years.

16:30-18:00 Explore Jinli Street and find some interesting local snacks that astonishing you.

18:10-19:10 Dinner at a restaurant with traditional Chinese decoration and classic Sichuan cuisine.
19:10-19:40 Drive to Sichuan Opera theater.

20:00-21:20 Watch the Face-changing Show, a unique performance distinct to the city.

21:20-21:50 Drive back to your hotel.

Notes:

1. We do not arrange this tour every Monday as Jinsha Museum closes on Mondays.
2. But if you are interested in a tour similar to Jinsha Museum, then a trip to Sanxingdui Site Museum (P002) is highly recommended as it does not close on Monday.
3. The itinerary above is the most in-depth one-day experience in Chengdu. We can also tailor-make your travel plan according to your request. As a modern metropolis with 3,000 years of history and countless tourist destinations, there is far more than we could ever include in one day. This itinerary is a sample(classic and highly recommend) according to our knowledge about this wonderful city.
4. If you want to add or cut some sites or activities to satisfy your needs, please feel free to tell us, we will modify the itinerary at your request. Our goal is to provide an itinerary that most suits you with the best performance.

You could revise this itinerary from the following aspects with different activities:
1. Urban Bird watching.
2. City Flora watching.
3. Biking around streets.
4. Cooking class.
5. Shadow puppet experience.

Other Places You may be interested in:
1. Wide and Narrow Alley.
2. People's Park & Wangjiang Bamboo Park.
3. Wenshu Monastery.
4. Dufu Thatched Cottage.
5. Wuhou Shrine.
6. Wangjian Tomb (King of Shu during 847-918).
7. Songxian Bridge Antique Market.
8. Chengdu Museum.
9. Sanxingdui Site Museum.

For more options for tours around Chengdu please click here.
For more ideas about the destination of Chengdu please click here.

Dates & Prices

1. Dates

This trip is available all year round except Mondays.
Jinsha Site Museum does not open to the public on Mondays.

2. Prices

The AbsolutePanda team works hard to provide the highest quality tour experiences at a fair price. However, after working in the travel industry for more than 20 years, our team knows that no two travelers are alike in terms of their travel style, personal interests, choice of guides and preferences in restaurants and hotels. For AbsolutePanda, our client’s satisfaction is a top priority. To meet the needs of different clients and ensure they enjoy a trip suited to their preferences, we have created a variety of different price options for our trips. These options vary from the guides they use, the quality of vehicles, accommodations, and restaurants. Our trip price has the following options, please read the explanations above and the includes and excludes for each price option below.

These standard prices are made based on a minimum of two travelers. The trip size is 2~10 persons per group.

Price Categories	Copper Panda	Silver Panda	Gold Panda
Price Quotation	196USD/PAX	225USD/PAX	260USD/PAX

Notes:
The prices above is not applicable during any Chinese festivals. We recommend you to avoid travelling during Chinese holidays for a better experience.

Option 1: Copper Panda

For travelers who are looking for a skilled guide who speaks English and show them around. You can choose this price option.
In this tour, the Copper Panda Price Service includes:
1. A guide with fluent English from AbsolutePanda Tour Team;
2. A private car serving the full duration of this tour;
3. The entrance and shuttle tickets listed in this itinerary;
4. Meals as listed in the itinerary;
5. China domestic travel insurance.
The price does not include your discretionary tips to the serving crew (driver and guide) and any other entrance tickets not listed in the itinerary.

Example Guides:
1) Claude: A Sichuan local who is fluent in English, passionate, and is well-versed in general knowledge about popular destinations. He can work as a driver and guide for small groups.
2) Melinda: A detail-oriented guide who is fluent in English. Melinda is knowledgeable about general information about our popular tour locations.
3) Michael: An American living in Chengdu, Michael is a passionate guide and is adept at interpreting Chengdu from the perspective of a westerner.

Option 2: Silver Panda

For travelers who hope to have a guide who knows certain specialized fields very well and can share the knowledge in-depth in a certain field like birding, flower-watching, Buddhism, food, photography, etc. so that they can make the best use of their travel time and meet their personal taste best.
In this tour, the Silver Panda Price Service includes:
1. A guide who has excellent knowledge pertaining to a certain field from AbsolutePanda team;
2. A private car serving the full duration of this tour;
3. The entrance and shuttle tickets listed in this itinerary;
4. Meals as listed in the itinerary;
5. China domestic travel insurance.
The price does not include your discretionary tips to the serving crew (driver and guide) and any other entrance tickets not listed in the itinerary.

Example Guides:
1) Shay: One of AbsolutePanda's resident birding experts, Shay speaks English and is a detail-driven guide.
2) Cory: A botany expert and photographer who speaks English, Cory is a passionate guide who excels at leading clients.
3) Lily: An English speaking guide, Lily is especially skilled at leading clients on tours that involve Yoga and Taiji.

Option 3: Gold Panda

For travelers who want to travel in luxury, the gold panda option is the right choice for you. With this level of service, your group will enjoy the best restaurant and transportation options available. We will provide the details concerning your trip. Please feel free to ask us any questions concerning this package option.
In this tour, the Gold Panda Price Service includes:
1. An expert guide from AbsolutePanda Tour Team
2. A nice private car with serving the full duration of this tour
3. The entrance and shuttle tickets listed in this itinerary
4. Meals in popular restaurants as listed in the itinerary
5. China domestic travel insurance
The price does not include your discretionary tips to the serving crew (driver and guide) and any other entrance tickets not listed in the itinerary.

Example Guides:
1) Bella: A fluent English speaker, Bella is a knowledgeable birding expert and is well versed in Chinese food and local culture.
2) Philip: A local guide with fluent English and basic Japanese, Philip is an exceptional photographer and birding guide who has keen interests in Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Chinese cuisine.

Notes:
1. To AbsolutePanda team, our clients' overall satisfaction with their trip is the top priority. We've created different price options to make it easier for you to choose a tour that fits your style and budget. The basic option is not available for this trip as we feel it is difficult for our clients to enjoy this trip without the help of a guide. If you prefer to travel in a different style than the options we've provided here, please feel free to contact us.
2. For travelers who hope to tailor-make the day programs with their specific travel preferences in mind (transportation, hotels, special privileges, and famous local experts) tailor-making a tour is the best way to ensure your desires are met. Please contact us with your specific needs and we will make an itinerary based on your expectations. Once you confirm, we work out the cost and send it to you. Please feel free to ask any questions to learn more.
3. Please note that guides with specialized knowledge are not always available, especially during our busy season from April to October. If you have an on-planning trip, please contact us as early as possible so that we will block the date of our expert guide for you.

When you put your trust in our team, we are certain to help you enjoy an unforgettable travel experience!

Accommodations

AbsolutePanda firmly believes travel is an art. To ensure every trip with us is a great travel art for our clients, the AbsolutePanda team does all we can to consider every possible detail. The choice of hotels is an essential part of making a great trip. After many years of running a travel business, we have built up our network of cooperative hotels at different levels. We understand people are different in the choice of hotels when they travel. If you want to use some specific hotels, please feel free to let us know, we are delighted to book it for you at a competitive price to make the hotel choice better meet your taste, budget and travel style. We can either reserve a hotel with competitive price for you or simply include the hotel into your trip cost if possible. You are welcome to contact us and tell us your requests, we will do our best to create the best travel itinerary for your private use.

If you need help with hotel booking in other big cities of China at different styles and luxury levels (International-brand Hotels, Local Brand Hotels, Economical Hotels), please feel free to email our team at info@absolutepanda.com.

The followings are a list of hotels at different styles and luxury levels we often use for our trips.

1. Three International-brand Hotels in Chengdu:
• Shangri-la Hotel Chengdu

• The Temple House

• The Ritz-Carlton Chengdu

2.Three Local Brand Hotels:
• Tibet Hotel
• Buddha Zen Hotel
• Chengdu Huanhuahongtai Hotel

3. Three Economic Hotels
• The Hotel Zen Urban Resort
• Minshan Anyi Hotel
• Tianfu Sunshine Hotel

FAQs

1. Do we really have to get up so early?
We recommend arriving at the panda base as early as possible to beat the crowds. Pandas are typically the most active early in the day and will spend the afternoon sleeping. Additionally, pandas will sleep more often during the summer when the temperature is warmer.

2. Is the Chengdu Panda Base usually crowded?
As one of the most frequently visited tourist destinations in Chengdu, there is typically high traffic at the panda base. This is why we suggest arriving at the entrance as early as possible.

3. Are the pandas at the base wild?
The layout Chengdu Panda base is similar to a park with walls and the animals at this facility are all living in enclosures specifically designed to provide them with a natural environment in a captive setting.

4. Are guests able to hold pandas at this base?
All panda bases in Sichuan have stopped the practice of allowing guests to pay to hold pandas. This is for the safety and welfare of these animals. For those interested in interacting with a panda, we suggest the panda volunteer programs offered on our website under "Panda Tours".

5. How far are the different trip activities from each other?
All of the destinations on this itinerary are within the city and will not take long to drive to.

6. Is the Chengdu Panda Base the only place I can see pandas in Sichuan?Sichuan is home to a variety of different breeding and research facilities for the giant panda. If you are interested in seeing even more panda bases, we'd advise you to check out some of our more comprehensive panda tours.

Email us if you have any questions. Read our FAQ

Testimonials

Pandas!
Absolute Panda put together a custom tour for me and my boyfriend. I absolutely love pandas and knew I wanted to volunteer at the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Base. I heard you could organize it without a guide, but the logistics were more than I wanted to deal with - paperwork, transport, etc. I also wanted to hold a panda, which had just been suspend when I started looking. I hoped by booking a tour they would monitor the panda holding situation and take care of everything else. I came across AbsolutePanda after looking at several other groups and I'm glad I did. I worked with Melinda and she made an excellent recommendation to just volunteer in the morning (you basically do the same thing morning and afternoon which might have been more than my boyfriend could handle).

Instead, she suggested we spend the afternoon at the irrigation ditch or Mount QingCheng. We decided on Mount QingCheng. It was a wonderful place to visit, but I don't recommend walking up unless you really like steps... Anyway, Melinda was great. She brought us gifts and snacks. She asked in advance about any dietary restrictions/preferences. She even helped us book a hotel in another part of China.

I absolutely recommend working with AbsolutePanda

—Kathy H

Excellent Panda Hometown Family Trip!
We just came back from a 10-day-family trip in Chengdu organized by AbsolutePanda. It’s been an amazing experience and we’re super happy with the travel agency.We must say that AbsolutePanda met all our expectations!

From the very beginning Melinda helped us to plan the trip answering all our questions right away, providing detailed information and suggesting activities and places of interest for both adults and kids until we had the final route. Claude, our guide during the whole trip, was extremely kind, patient and helpful. He speaks good English and he took care of us all the time paying attention to every detail and making our trip very pleasant and fun. His knowledge of birds and other fauna as well as of the history of the places we visited made our tour very interesting and enjoyable.

I would definetively recommend AbsolutePanda to anyone thinking in a custom made "Panda Trip"!

—travelzoop

Excellent private tour!
We just returned from our second private tour with Absolute Panda and it was a fantastic experience. Our first trip with Absolute Panda in 2015 left us with a good impression of the quality of tour service provided, so very naturally we chose to travel again with Absolute Panda this time. Philip himself led our tour and that really set our minds at ease because our itinerary was pretty tough due to the winding roads and altitude sickness. I started my planning with Philip almost half a year ago and he was meticulous in his efforts and extremely receptive towards our itinerary ideas. Throughout the months, he constantly updated us about the travel conditions. Nearing our travel date, he followed up closely on any possible events that could thwart our travel plans, and made alternative suggestions to ensure that we still get to enjoy our trip. During the trip, Philip and our driver took great care of us and did their best to accommodate our requests. He also demonstrated his deep knowledge of his culture and Chinese history. He was quick to rectify any issues we encountered during the trip such as the hotels too. My family was truly pleased with the quality of service that has been provided by Absolute Panda, and would certainly travel again with them if we were to visit China again!

—Irble

Amazing way to experience the Pandas.
Review of: One-Day Dujiangyan Giant Panda Base Volunteering and Irrigation System Tour

My family and I (3 kids 11, 9 and 7) got to have the experience of a lifetime in the Panda volunteer program. Bella was an amazing tour guide and what a treat to be able to not only get very very close to the pandas but to also help in their daily routines and upkeep so that the world can enjoy these beautiful bears. I never thought that my kids would be so happy to clean and prepare animal enclosures, but it was a blast that they will never forget. Aside from cleaning we got to prepare bamboo for the pandas, make panda cakes, and the highlight of the trip - feed the pandas directly and take videos and photos the entire time. We had a very nice lunch with the staff (option to go offsite but this made the trip 100% authentic and I highly recommend). We did not do the irrigation tour but opted to go to a local park/tea spot near a lake where locals hang out with Bella. Here we had tea and people watched (as they watched us also lol). In Chengdu you can see some interesting things like people getting ear massages by professional ear technicians using all sorts of wild brushes and instruments (you can even get one if you are adventurous enough). All in all I highly recommend this tour and again thank you so much Bella for a wonderful day with our family.

—Derik A

—Christine

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Videos & Photos

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Juvenile Panda in Chengdu Panda Base.

Newborn cubs can only be seen in Chengdu Panda Base.

Pandas are master hands in tree-climbing.

The Golden Sun Bird, logo of the Chinese Culture Heritage.

Jinli Street

Lantern lights in Jinli Street.

Face-changing of Sichuan Opera.