East Asia · China

Chengdu Panda Base

Nature Half day difficulty: Easy with kids: yes

A research and conservation center on the outskirts of Chengdu where giant pandas live in large bamboo enclosures. You watch them from walkways, eating, climbing, and — the littlest ones — being adorably clumsy.

With kids

Watch the giant pandas chew bamboo sitting up like people
Look for the baby pandas in the nursery behind the glass
Discover the red pandas too, smaller and nimbler
Go early, when the pandas are most active and eating

Accessibility: All ages; pandas are watched from a distance, not touched or held

With family

Walk the bamboo paths from enclosure to enclosure
Learn at the center how an endangered species is protected
Talk about why pandas are cared for without disturbing them
Compare the giant panda with the red panda, so different

Full listing, routes and recommendations at Mi País — Chengdu Panda Base. ← All destinations