Chengdu: Giant Pandas & Leshan Buddha Day Trip

Why You'll Want to See Pandas Before the 1,300-Year-Old Buddha

You start with three hours watching giant pandas eat and play in their habitat, then either return to Chengdu or continue to the ancient Leshan Giant Buddha for a 2.5-hour visit that includes the option to see it from the river. Transport, entry fees, and an air-conditioned vehicle are all included. The full day takes eleven hours and returns you by evening, while the half-day panda option gets you back by lunchtime.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding3h · entry included
2. Leshan Giant Buddha2h 30m · entry included

Visit Chengdu Panda Base and Leshan Buddha

• Gather at Chengdu IFS panda sculpture
• Explore Chengdu Panda Base for 3 hours
• Travel to Leshan Giant Buddha
• Visit Leshan Giant Buddha for 2.5 hours
• Return to Chengdu

The experience

What is it about watching a giant panda actually eat that makes you forget to take photos? You stand there in the bamboo grove at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, and there's just this black-and-white creature munching away three meters from you, completely unbothered by the crowd. The tour gathers at 8:00 a.m. at the panda sculpture outside Chengdu IFS (right next to Taikoo Li, so you can't miss it), and from there it's straight into the base for about three hours. You walk through the groves, watch them play, watch them sleep in trees, and somewhere in that time you stop thinking about whether this was worth the early start.

If you pick the full-day option, you don't head back to the city after the pandas. Instead, the bus takes you toward Leshan, about two hours away, where the 71-meter Giant Buddha sits carved into a cliff face. It's been there since around 713 AD, and standing in front of it (or better yet, taking the boat ride that lets you see it from the river). You get why people have been coming here for thirteen centuries. You spend 2.5 hours there, which gives you time to walk around, maybe take the boat, grab lunch if you want. The whole day is eleven hours start to finish, and you're back in Chengdu by 7:00 p.m.

The half-day option gets you just the pandas: 4.5 hours total, back by 12:30 p.m., which works if you've got other plans or you're not sure about the long drive. Either way, there's no shopping stops, no hidden fees, and the vehicle is air-conditioned. Entry to both places is included, so you're not paying again at the gate.

What’s included

• Entrance fees to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Leshan Giant Buddha (full-day option only).
• air-conditioned vehicle transport.
• hotel or meeting point pickup and return to Chengdu.

Options for this experience

2 options

Chengdu Panda Park Bus Tour, with the Leshan Giant Buddha optionGuide in English · 08:00

Bus and tickets for the Panda & Buddha tourGuide in English · 08:00Panda Park and Leshan Buddha, full day. Length: 11 hours. Departs daily at 08:00. Returns to the city at 19:00.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

AgesAdult (18 to 80 years) · Youth (7 to 17 years) · Child (1 to 6 years)

GroupUp to 35

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Zanbus

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want to see both pandas and one of China's oldest Buddhist monuments in a single day without arranging separate transport or tickets: the fixed schedule and included entry mean you just show up at 8 a.m. and the logistics are handled.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (7 to 17 years); Child (1 to 6 years).

What time does the Chengdu panda tour depart?

Departure is at 8:00 a.m. daily from the panda sculpture at Chengdu IFS, near Taikoo Li.

How long do you spend at the Chengdu Panda Base?

About three hours, where you walk through bamboo groves and watch the pandas up close.

Is the Leshan Giant Buddha visit included in all options?

No. The half-day option (4.5 hours, back by 12:30 p.m.) includes only the Panda Base. The full-day option (11 hours, back by 7:00 p.m.) includes both the Panda Base and 2.5 hours at Leshan Giant Buddha.

What is included in the tour price?

Entry fees to both attractions and air-conditioned transport. Lunch is not included, though you have time to eat during the Leshan stop.

How far is Leshan Giant Buddha from Chengdu?

About two hours by bus from the Panda Base.

Are there shopping stops on this tour?

No. The tour has no shopping stops or hidden fees.

What happens if I only want to see the pandas?

Choose the half-day option: 4.5 hours at the Panda Base, departing at 8:00 a.m. and returning by 12:30 p.m.