Chengdu Tours

Chengdu Panda Resort

Chengdu is the capital of the Sichuan province of China and is one of the three most populous cities in the western part of the country.  The city is also known for the Chengdu Panda tours as there are a number of giant panda research and conservation centres around it where work is taking place to save these iconic animals. China is a massive country, and so these Chengdu tours will help you to make the most of your time.

Chengdu Tours

Chengdu has a long and interesting history with the first settlers arriving there in prehistoric times.  That means there are many things to see and places to visit that date from different periods of the city’s history – and these Chengdu tours include the best of them.

Chengdu Tours – Face-Changing Show

Bian Lian is a dramatic art that has been practised in China for centuries and is part of Sichuan opera.  In this show, you see performers wearing brightly coloured masks and costumes that represent characters from the opera stories and change from one face to another with the swipe of a hand or fan.  The show takes place in a traditional tea house and if you arrive early, you can get photos of the performers and their amazing costumes.

Find out the Secret of Tea at Chengdu

Green tea is a special type of tea made from certain leaves and has been made in China for many generations.  Chinese green tea goes through a process similar to other teas and this tour lets you see that process in action.  Visit the mountain where tea leaves are grown and pick your own then spend time with the local farmers and learn to make them into the drink.  Afterwards, enjoy a tour around the area before returning to Chengdu.

Chengdu Tours: Full-Day Private Traditional Lifestyle Guided

This day-long guided tour includes the best of the city and also its famous Chengdu Panda Tour to see some of the most well-known residents of the area.  The tour starts with the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Centre in the suburbs of the city where you can see the pandas and have a picture taken close to them. 

After lunch, visit the Panda Garden and Factory Memory, a former industrial area that has been transformed into an interesting park.  Next visit Wide and Narrow Street, dating back 300 years with its bars and cafes.  Finally, visit the Bamboo Garden which is over 1000 years old and commemorates a female poet from the Tang dynasty.  It has over 100 varieties of bamboo there.  Finally have a meal in a special hot pot restaurant, a hot and spicy local favourite.

Treasures in Chengdu Tour

This Chengdu tour includes the best scenery, history and pandas – perfect!  The tour starts with a visit to the Panda centre to see the giant and red pandas that live there.  After lunch, you will visit Dujiangyan, with its irrigation infrastructure that dates to the Warring States period of Chinese history in the 250BC time.  On the Min River, it is over 5000 square kilometres in size and still used for the same purpose today.

Chengdu Panda Tours

Chengdu has become synonymous with the giant pandas that are studied there and that means Chengdu panda tours are a must-see part of staying in the city.

Chengdu Panda Base and Leshan Giant Buddha Tour

This tour starts at the non-profit Chengdu Research Base where pandas are bred and cared for along with a number of other rate animals.  It has an animal hospital, panda cribs and playground as well as a museum and even a swan lake.  There’s lots to see and plenty of great photo opportunities.  For a small extra fee, you can take a picture with a baby panda if there are any when you visit – this fee helps support the work the centre does.

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Next, travel to Leshan and have lunch in a local restaurant with a range of traditional Chinese dishes.  After lunch, see the Leshan Giant Buddha, the tallest rock Buddha in the world.  It was made during the Tang Dynasty and stands at the confluence of three rivers.  It is a World Heritage Site and you can either walk up or take a boat ride, the tour has both options.

Dujiangyan: Panda Keeper Day Tour

If you want to get a little more hands-on with the pandas, then this experience is perfect.  You will go to the Dujiangyan Panda base, around an hour and a half from Chengdu where you will receive orientation and a uniform before getting stuck in.  You will learn what is involved with caring for pandas and get to see adults and younger pandas up close.  There are also red pandas at the centre.  After lunch, have some free time to enjoy the rest of the centre before feeding the pandas again.

One day as Volunteer: Big Panda in Sichuan

Volunteering in one of the panda centres around Chengdu is a brilliant and helpful way to spend some of your time in the country.  This experience involves volunteering at the Bifengxia Panda Base in Sichuan where you will learn about the conservation work that is taking place and behavioural studies of the pandas to better understand them.  You will work alongside keepers to clean the enclosures, prepare food or feed the pandas with special rods.  You can observe them up close and even have a chance to bathe one!

Tours from Chengdu

Chengdu is also a great spot to use as a base to explore more of the Sichuan province.  Among the most famous landmarks is the Leshan Giant Buddha.

Full-Day Tour of Leshan’s Giant Buddha from Chengdu

The Leshan Giant Buddha is one of the holiest sites around Chengdu and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  See the tallest pre-modern statue in the world, cut from the cliffs where three rivers come together. 

Leshan Buddha Statue View

With this tour from Chengdu, you can see the Buddha, eat in the restaurant at the base and then climb to enjoy the amazing views.  You can also visit the Lungyun Temple and Museum to learn about the history of the statue and the site.

Sichuan: Heritage Tour

This heritage tour includes both the Leshan Giant Buddha and a chance to experience one of the special creations of the area – green tea.  Chengdu has many traditional tea houses, but many have been modernised.  So this tour visits Pengzhen with its traditional tea houses and lets you sample the traditional drink.  After this, visit the Leshan Giant Buddha before returning to Chengdu.

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