What to do at Dujiangyan Panda Base

 

1.    Panda Volunteer Project

Panda Volunteer Project is available at Dujiangyan Panda Base every day. Panda Volunteer Project provides opportunities for travelers to have special experience with pandas. This project allows volunteers to feed the pandas, to clean the panda house and to prepare food for pandas. Panda Volunteer Work is not an actual volunteer work. Volunteer needs to pay a CNY700 to do the work. Booking needs to be done before hand and a health certificate is to be submitted before doing the volunteer work. It has volunteer project every day starting from 9:00 and ending by 14:30. The Volunteer Work is not hard work but rather interesting and enjoyable. It also involves watching panda documentary and making panda bread. It is meaningful and a lot of fun activity. Chengdu Tour Guide is an agent doing bookings for Panda Volunteer Workers. 

​

2.    To Hug a Panda (Donation Project)

It is real that you can cuddle a panda in Chengdu. And the place to do it is at Dujiangyan Panda Base. The panda-hugging project is a donation project. Panda huggers need to pay a CNY1800 per person to hug a panda. It is available every day although bookings need to be done before hand. It is the same as the volunteer project that you need to prepare a health certificate. Panda Hugging time is at around 10:30 every morning. You are recommended to arrive at the panda base earlier than the hugging time to do the paper work, etc. Chengdu Tour Guide is an agent doing bookings of Panda Hug Project for travelers.

​

3.    About 20 Pandas

You can also visit this place without doing any volunteer work or donations. There are in total about 20 pandas usually at Dujiangyan Panda Base live in four different complex of enclosures: Panpan, Shuangnan, Diequan and Linze. All panda enclosures are within walking distance within 5 minutes. It is easy to navigate within the park.

​

4.    Red Pandas

There are in total about 6 red pandas living at Dujiangyan Panda Base. The red pandas look noting like the black and white Giant Pandas. Red pandas are much less picky on food and they surely have better skills survive in the wild and are better climbers. The red pandas are also kept in enclosures.

​

5.    The Neighboring Qingcheng Taoist Shrine and Dujiangyan Irrigation System
If you have extra time and wish to see more of Chengdu after your visit at Dujiangyan Panda Base, there are 2 places you can consider on your list: Qingchengshan Taoist Shrine and Dujiangyan Irrigation System. Both are world heritage sites and full of cultural significance. Qingchengshan Taoist Shrine (Qingcheng Shan) is only 5km from Dujiangyan Panda Base. The local bus Route Dujiangyan 102 can take you there from the panda base. It takes about 20minutes. Dujiangyan Irrigation System is located 19km north to the panda base. Local bus Route Dujiangyan 102 and transit to Route 101 can take you there. It takes about 1 hour. But the buses don’t run frequently waiting for the bus should take longer time.

​

How to Get to Dujiangyan Panda Base

​

Dujiangyan Panda Base is located at Daguan Zhen, Dujiangyan, next to the Qingcheng Taoist Shrine, 70km northwest to Chengdu downtown. Address in Chinese language: 都江堰市大观镇省道106，中国大熊猫保护研究中心都江堰基地。

​

1.    Public Transport

Step 1 to use the fast train from Chengdu and arrive at Qingchengshan, step 2 to use the local bus Route 102 for 9 stops to Dujiangyan Panda Base. This will usually take up to 3 hours in total.

2.    Taxi

Normally taxis in Chengdu don’t go that far to Dujiangyan from Chengdu. It is not a good idea to try taxi from Chengdu.

3.    Hire a Car and Driver

To hire a car is the most convenient and fast way to get to Dujiangyan. Chengdu Tour Guide provide private transfers to Dujiangyan from Chengdu.