I finally made it to Chimelong Safari Park! Visiting has been on my list for years, finally on this trip in February 2025 I fitted it into the schedule – and I think it’ll be on the schedule for many future trips too, I had such a great time here. The Chimelong Resort itself is huge, with different parks and hotels on offer, plus a free shuttle bus between sites, it’s quite like a Disney-resort (just with pandas involved, sounds perfect to me haha!)! I had 1 night here with the best part of a day and a half, by the time I got there from the airport, I took a chilled start to my time there then started fresh for a full day at the park because there’s so much more to see than the pandas, but more on all that in a later post.
I stayed on site (also more on that later) and made use of the shuttle bus to the park in the morning – the park opened at 9:30AM, and I got there around 35/40 minutes early because I was expecting a queue. I ended up unknowingly being on the first shuttle bus of the day and my fellow passengers and I formed the queue at the entrance. I used my time for studying the map, but I’m not sure how much that helped because I still found it quite a confusing layout and tricky to get my head around – I struggled to figure out how to get to the pandas! Anyway, once the park opened it was a bag security check then ticket check and it all went very quickly and I was in. There were two paths from the entrance so I picked one and did eventually make it to the panda area, after passing a huge flock of flamingos and a very cute pairing of capybaras and a beaver! I needn’t have worried about getting to the pandas however, because their viewing didn’t open until 9:45AM and myself and a few other visitors formed the line. The main viewing section is accessed via a hall of mirrors, which everyone mostly speeds through, and then you are at the first panda. There is a mix of indoor and outdoor viewing, and a mix of a clear view without glass, and a view with glass. In this primary area there are a total of 8 yards for pandas, in one I didn’t see any pandas because I think it was the indoors portion attached to an outdoor yard where I did see a panda. There is then a secondary panda section which is nearby, however I didn’t realise because it didn’t seem to be too clearly marked on the map/signage at the first section – on my visit this area didn’t open until 11:30AM (which I didn’t see advertised anywhere, I posted on Instagram stories looking for the baby panda location and some of my followers kindly helped me out with info and directions!). A queue formed for this area around 11AM and staff led you around the path to get to the entrance, and at this second area there is one large yard with both indoor and outdoor spaces, and a second outdoor yard. After this there is also a panda restaurant, and in here there are viewing windows to two more yards, I did briefly walk through and I could see pandas in here, but of course the tables by these windows were the most popular and it was impossible to get in and get any pictures.
Here at Chimelong, it’s very much all about the triplets – Chimelong is home to the worlds first/longest surviving giant panda triplets (males Ku Ku and Shuai Shuai, and female Meng Meng) who were now 10 years old on my visit. Despite being adults they are still all very popular, now especially Meng Meng as she is a mother having had baby Mei Zhu in 2024. The park proudly displays their Guinness World Records everywhere! In addition to these displays I thought the park had an excellent selection of educational signage about pandas, it was all in Chinese, but was very well illustrated, so I could guess what information was being discussed (for someone new to pandas, might be more an issue) – but I thought this was a good touch and was very memorable. I also already mentioned the restaurant, at the end of the panda viewing is also a panda shop with so much panda merchandise – it was on the more expensive side compared to the panda bases in Sichuan or Chongqing Zoo, but I liked what they had. Most items were still geared towards celebrating the triplets and now also baby Mei Zhu but they were very nice and also had the name of the park on them, which is something I like (I was very restrained and just picked up a couple of cute magnets, but there was a very nice cap with triplet fluffy pandas on the top which I was tempted by!). And of course, it wouldn’t be a panda location without a panda ice cream which of course you can get here (a wide range of other animals were also available)^
I visited on a Wednesday in February and I thought the crowd level was pretty good, it wasn’t too busy for the most part and generally I didn’t have to wait to get a good spot to see the pandas – the only time I did queue was for my third viewing of baby Mei Zhu, but it was advertised that you might need to queue when busy, and it really wasn’t a long line at all.
I especially liked the signage showing the Chimelong Panda Family members, this is something I like to see to see all the connections
Ting Zai 婷仔
The first panda I saw was Ting Zai 婷仔 – a male who was 6.5 years old on my trip. His yard was an indoor space and the view was unobstructed so clear without any glass. On my first walk through he was near the back (which had a window onto bamboo which I really liked as a design element), the next time I went past he was over at the far side, then I also saw him up and walking about then last thing I saw him closer to the front enjoying some bamboo. It was quite dark in here but overall you could get a good view of the panda.
Ting Zai was one of two cubs born here at Chimelong Safari Park in 2018, he was born to mother Ting Ting and his father is either Wu Gang (famous for his pink nose, he is also father of Kai Kai in Singapore) or Lan Zi – the mothers who bred in 2018 were sent to the Gengda base for breeding then moved back after the season. And Ting Ting‘s mother is Hua Mei who was born in San Deigo Zoo! Ting Ting was born in Wolong, then transferred to Chimelong as a youngster and has been living here since, and Ting Zai was her second pregnancy. He has been described as energetic and mischievous, but on this day I just saw a hungry panda XD At over 6 years old, he might be starting to come into maturity so he may have been preparing to gain weight for the breeding season as it was towards the end of February when I visited. I think he has a super cute round fluffy face, he’s very adorable^
Long Long 隆隆
The second panda I saw was Long Long 隆隆 – a female who was 11.5 years old on my visit. Her yard was immediately after the first one and was outdoors. The yard was quite long and thin but with plenty of different enrichment and climbing options, as well as a slide. The first time I went past she was asleep on one of the platforms but later on she was awake and I saw her walking around and eating. I did think she might go down the slide as she was resting near the top of it and then stood up, but I was too hopeful! Like Ting Zai, she has a very round and fluffy face, and her shorter snout gives her a very cute look.
Long Long was the first cub to ever be born at Chimelong Safari Park, making her very special. She spent the breeding season of 2018 in Gengda, but otherwise has lived her whole life here. Her birth started the success of births here, the following year the triplets were born (she shares a father with the triplets)! And her mother (who I also saw^) then had twins in 2016, one of whom I saw on the trip. Where Ting Zai was one of the 2018-born cubs, Long Long is the mother of the other, a male Long Zai (who looks very adorable from pictures, I didn’t see him on my trip, but perhaps he is living elsewhere).
