Giant Panda and Leshan Buddha Day Trip from Chengdu
Landmarks in a day: pandas at dawn, a Buddha carved into a mountainside
A full-day private tour from Chengdu combines the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base with the Leshan Giant Buddha, the world's largest Buddha statue. Your guide picks you up around 7am, drives you 10 kilometers north to watch over 90 pandas eat and play in open yards and bamboo gardens, then heads two hours south to Leshan. There you hike down one side of the Buddha (carved into a hillside above the Minjiang River), and up the other, with views across three river confluences.
Step-by-step itinerary
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding Entry included 2h
- Leshan Giant Buddha Entry included 2h
Visit pandas and Leshan Buddha
- Pick up from hotel or airport
- Visit Giant Panda Breeding Research Base
- Drive to Leshan
- Have lunch with local Chinese cuisine
- Visit Linyun Temple
- Walk down left side of Leshan Giant Buddha
- Hike up right side for city views
- Optional cruise to see Buddha from water
- Drive back to Chengdu
- Drop off at hotel or airport
What’s included
- Hotel or airport pickup and drop-off in Chengdu.
- private air-conditioned vehicle with driver for the full day.
- private English-speaking guide.
- entrance tickets to both the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base and the Leshan Giant Buddha.
- lunch of traditional Chinese dishes.
- insurance per person.
- service charges and government taxes.
Times
- Every day 08:00
Information
Prices and times updated today
Operated by China Exploration
The experience
Your guide and driver collect you from your hotel or airport in the early morning, around 7am. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding sits just 10 kilometers north of the city, and that's where the day begins. More than 90 pandas live here, and the base is built around open yards and bamboo gardens where you watch them move, eat and play. The setting is designed so the animals have space to roam, not a confined viewing area.
After the panda base, you drive about two hours south on the expressway toward Leshan. Lunch is traditional Chinese cuisine at a local restaurant along the way. Once you arrive, your guide takes you to Linyun Temple first, which marks the start of the Leshan Giant Buddha site. The Buddha itself is carved directly into a hillside above the Minjiang River. The statue is so large that its head to shoulder span and leg to foot span each take about 30 minutes to walk. You descend a zigzagging trail down the left side, then climb back up the right side, where you can see across the three rivers that meet at Leshan: the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi. If time allows, Wuyou Temple is nearby, home to statues of 500 Arhats. A river cruise to view the Buddha from the water is available for an extra $12 per person.
The return drive to Chengdu takes another two hours on the expressway, arriving in the late afternoon. Your guide escorts you back to your hotel or airport. The full day runs 8 to 10 hours from pickup to drop-off.
Is this one for you?The day starts around 7am and involves roughly 30 minutes of hiking down and up the Buddha's carved form on steep stone steps, so an early start and moderate fitness suit this itinerary. The private format means your guide adjusts the pace at both sites and can skip Wuyou Temple if time runs short.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (2 to 12 years); Infant (under 2).
How many pandas will I actually see at the Chengdu Research Base?
The base is home to more than 90 giant pandas. They live in open yards and bamboo gardens where you watch them eat, play and move around during the morning hours when the tour visits.
What is the Leshan Giant Buddha and why is it called "the Buddha is a hill"?
The Leshan Giant Buddha is the world's largest Buddha statue, carved directly into a mountainside above the Minjiang River. The entire hillside forms the Buddha's body (from head to shoulder to leg to foot), so the mountain itself is the sculpture.
How much walking and hiking is involved at the Leshan site?
You walk down a zigzagging trail along the left side of the Buddha, then hike back up the right side. The descent from head to foot takes about 30 minutes, and the ascent is similar. The terrain is steep and involves a series of stone steps.
Is lunch included, and what kind of food will I eat?
Lunch is included and consists of traditional Chinese dishes served at a local restaurant in Leshan during the drive between the two main sites.
Can I see the Buddha from the water, and is that included?
A river cruise along the Minjiang River offers a view of the Buddha from the water, but it is an optional add-on that costs approximately $12 per person and is not part of the base tour price.
Giant Panda and Leshan Buddha Day Trip from Chengdu
8h–10h · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 198 per person