Two days at the Chengdu Panda Base is a struggle – you can’t quite see it all! I’ve already covered what I did see in the new expansion, and I’ve highlighted a few other key sightings at the base as well, but now time to focus on the ‘original’ part of the park. This entrance is now known as the South entrance, and is where I took a taxi to on both days (and also left from, I wasn’t really sure what the transport options were from the West gate). There are lots of barriers up to organise the crowds into a queue, I got there a little after opening and there was only a short queue to get in. The ticket desk is no longer manned, you need to buy your ticket online in advance – I couldn’t get payment to go through on the WeChat app (despite using WeChat pay for many other things), so I bought my ticket on the Trip.com app which was the same price (55RMB for an adult). All you need to do is select the date of the visit and if you want morning or afternoon entry. All you then need to enter is your passport/ID used for the booking which is very convenient.
Outside Chengdu Panda Base
I commented on the changes outside the base at the South entrance in my 2019 post, but it’s gotten even more developed since then. There is a large building across the road from the entrance (closed to traffic, it’s safe to walk and get pictures), this has shops and restaurants in it, and toilet facilities as well. There are a few other shops in the area too – including the ‘House of Hua’ where you can get a Hua Hua designed ice cream! Of course there are many signs and panda statues out in this wide space for photo opportunities.
Panda Kindergarten
The last ‘main attraction’ of pandas that I haven’t mentioned yet is the Panda Kindergarten! On my visit this was where all the activity was. This space is split into two enclosures, one has He Hua and her twin sister, for this you will most likely need to queue – on my first day there was a queue when I got there and it was already closed off, so more people couldn’t join. I think at the point both pandas had already gone inside so there was very little chance of seeing them. In the second half however, the four pandas sharing this space were active. There was climbing, playing with each other, eating, chasing each other – super cute and so lovely to watch! These cubs were all born in 2021 so were just over 2 years old when I visited, it’s such a great age and lovely to see their interactions with each other. With the exception of the queue space for He Hua, this was by far the busiest panda-viewing area that I came across, the crowd was several people deep – you need your elbows out to keep your prime space at this enclosure! I saw these pandas on both days of my visit and both outside and inside. It’s definitely a tricky indoor space to get pictures at, the window was very steamed/misted up and there isn’t a lot of space for people to get in and see, but I managed to get some lovely pictures in the end. I even got a cute video that you can watch over on my Instagram!
Other Pandas
Because of the temperatures (over 26 degrees celcius by around 9AM), I didn’t see a huge number of other pandas outside, and there are several panda enclosures that don’t have indoor viewing, so that’s definitely something to keep in mind when planning a visit. I did manage to find some other adult pandas to see on my visit – the panda in No14 Panda House (or at least this is what I know the house as, it seems to be marked as No7 on the newer version of the map) was very happy to sit out for the visitors munching on the bamboo as I watched him for quite a while on both days of my visit. I also spied Yuan Meng’s female neighbour lounging outside as well (sadly don’t remember her name, I believe the German-born twins might now be in this enclosure).
Shopping and Eating
I love a souvenir, if it’s got a panda on it then chances are I’ve either already got it, got something similar, or am buying it then and there XD There are so many shops around the base to get your fix of panda goodies from. The shop in the new Giant Panda Museum near the South gate had a pretty good range of everything, and I really love the postcard/stationery shop next to the tourist centre at the South Gate as well. I adore the ‘pandapia’ range of soft toys, these come in all different sizes representing different ages of panda cubs. They had these back in 2019, but the range has expanded a lot now. And of course, as soon as I saw a cute panda ice cream, I had to get one – this was supposed to be strawberry flavoured, but it didn’t taste of much (there was also a chocolate and a green one which I couldn’t figure out the flavour of!), still I was more in it for the appearance than the flavour – plus a cold treat was just what was needed in the 28 degree weather!
