Giant pandas
Among the bamboo.
Nyx Ning — CC BY-SA 3.0 · NoGhost — CC BY-SA 4.0 · zhanyoun — CC BY-SA 3.0 · zhanyoun — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nyx Ning — CC BY-SA 3.0 · C.M. Osman — CC BY-SA 3.0 · zhanyoun — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nyx Ning — CC BY-SA 3.0
A deep green canyon near the city of Ya'an in western Sichuan, where waterfalls tumble between cliffs and old forest, and home to one of the bases of the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda; it has been rated 5A since 2020. The place brings together two things: the panda base, where giant pandas live in wide enclosures among bamboo and trees and visitors watch them eat, play and climb, most actively in the morning; and the canyon, where wooden and stone paths follow a clear stream between red rocks past waterfall after waterfall, pools and bridges, with a tall lift fixed to the cliff to carry visitors up or down. The full ticket for the panda base and the canyon costs about CNY 185 with the park bus and the lift, with packages ranging from 100 to 185, half price for students and over-60s; it is open from 8.30 am to 4 pm with last entry at 3.30 pm, and the pandas are liveliest between 9 and 11.30 am, per visitor guides.
Among the bamboo.
One after another.
Above the forest.
Bifengxia town, Yucheng District, Ya'an, about 150 km by road south-west of Chengdu, Sichuan
Early morning above all, between 9 and 11.30 am, as pandas sleep a lot in the midday heat; it is best to arrive at opening time.
Choices are few in the area, so bring food; Chengdu has many restaurants run by Hui Muslims under the halal sign.