Pandas at their liveliest in the morning, then a Qin-era irrigation system still watering the plain
A fourteen-hour day covering three sites: pandas before the crowds, the irrigation system after lunch, and the bridge at Nanqiao on the way back. It is a full day out of Chengdu, not a morning.
Pandas are most active before ten. If you cannot leave at seven, book the panda-only morning instead.
The pandas sleep through the middle of the day. Everyone who arrives at eleven photographs black-and-white bundles on the ground.
Free pick-up anywhere inside the Third Ring Road; the driver calls the night before
Local time (GMT+8). On peak days the panda base caps entries and the order may be reversed.
Collected in route order; the exact time is confirmed by the driver the evening before
About 3 hours: the nursery, the sub-adult enclosures, Swan Lake. Feeding and movement peak between 08:00 and 09:00
Ten to a table, eight dishes and a soup. A 20-minute face-changing show follows (dropped on public holidays, no refund)
About 3 hours: Lidui Park, the intake, the spillway, the fish-mouth levee, then across the Anlan suspension bridge toward the Two Kings Temple
Blue underwater lighting on the Min River — artificial, not bioluminescence. The giant selfie panda statue is a five-minute walk away
Travellers skipping the night view can leave with an earlier bus at 17:00
Drop-off is next to the metro
The tour starts and ends in Chengdu. Most travellers arrive at Chengdu East Railway Station — the pick-up loop is a short taxi or metro ride from the exits, and the tour returns you in time for an evening train. If you are coming from another city, check the direct high-speed trains and their first and last departures.
The easiest day out with children: pandas are up in the morning and Dujiangyan is flat, with stroller access throughout.
$57 per person on the group tour, or from $256 per vehicle for a private car with driver and guide. The group price includes the driver, guide and admission; the private price is for the whole vehicle, whatever the party size.
It runs 07:00 to 21:30 — about 14.5 hours from pick-up to drop-off, including the drive. If you are catching a train or flight the same evening, book it for after 23:00.
Anywhere inside the Third Ring Road. Your driver and guide meet you there; the exact spot is confirmed the day before travel.
Panda base admission (¥55); Dujiangyan admission (¥80); Air-conditioned coach and Mandarin-speaking guide.
Dujiangyan shuttle bus ¥20 and Yulei Pavilion escalator ¥40; Wireless headsets ¥40 for both sites.
Two days. We do not accept same-day or next-day bookings because the car, guide and admission have to be arranged in advance. Cancellation is free up to 7 days before the tour; inside that it steps to 20% (6–3 days) and 60% (2–1 days), and nothing is refunded on the day itself.
Go early — the pandas are awake and eating bamboo then, and by midday most of them are asleep. The park is big and the shuttle saves a lot of walking, especially with children or older parents.
园区竹林繁茂，环境清幽，早上的熊猫最活跃，啃竹子、玩耍憨态十足。园区有观光车，带老人小孩游玩轻松。
Several enclosures, a nursery and good signage: you can actually follow what you are looking at rather than just queueing for a photo. A calm, green couple of hours.
有多个大熊猫场馆，能近距离观看大熊猫，还有熊猫产房，通过园区内的科普栏可以学到很多相关知识，值得一去。
Fair warning: pandas sleep a lot. We saw plenty, but most were curled up or facing away. Set expectations for a quiet visit rather than a show.
确实能看到挺多大熊猫，但大熊猫的活动时间有限，全园里的大熊猫几乎都在睡觉。
