Giant Panda & Qingcheng Mountain tour from Chengdu: Private guide

Watch pandas eat and play, then climb above the mist on a sacred mountain

A full-day private tour from Chengdu that starts at the Dujiangyan Panda Base at feeding time, when giant pandas and their young are most active, then moves to Qingcheng Mountain for a cable car ascent through forested slopes. Your private English-speaking guide and driver handle transport and entry. The tour runs eight hours and includes hotel pickup and drop-off.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Dujiangyan Panda Base4h · entry included
2. Mount Qingcheng4h · entry included

Panda Base and Qingcheng Mountain

• Pick up from hotel at 08:00 am
• Visit Dujiangyan Panda Base
• Watch pandas feeding and playing
• Watch 20-minute panda research video
• Lunch at local restaurant (own expense)
• Drive to Qingcheng Mountain
• Take cable car up and down mountain
• Explore Taoist mountain and scenic spots
• Return to hotel

The experience

Your guide and driver pick you up from your hotel at 8 a.m. and drive to the Dujiangyan Panda Base, arriving in time to watch the pandas eat around 9:30 a.m., when they're most active. You'll see adults and babies feeding and playing together in the enclosure. After about an hour there, you watch a 20-minute video in the base's small theater that explains the research and breeding program. The kind of detail that makes the animals' presence make sense instead of just being a photo stop.

After lunch (which you arrange with your guide's help at a local Sichuan restaurant), you drive to Qingcheng Mountain. The cable car carries you up through dense forest and above the mist, leaving the city noise behind. Qingcheng is one of China's most important Taoist mountains, and the climb reveals temples, historic sites, and the combination of steep terrain and lush vegetation that made it sacred. You ride the cable car back down, then your driver returns you to your hotel.

What’s included

• Private transportation and driver.
• hotel pickup and drop-off.
• English-speaking guide for the full day.
• entrance fees to both Dujiangyan Panda Base and Qingcheng Mountain.
• cable car rides up and down the mountain.
• 20-minute video about panda research and breeding at the base.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

AgesUp to age 80

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

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

Prices and times updated 14 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effort

Operated by China Theme Tour

Is this one for you?The private guide and driver mean you move at a set pace and don't navigate between sites yourself, which suits travelers who want to see both the pandas and the mountain without planning the logistics. The tour runs eight hours with a cable car doing most of the climbing, so it works for anyone with moderate fitness who wants a full day of sightseeing without a strenuous hike.

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Top questions

What time do I see the pandas at their most active?

The tour arrives at Dujiangyan Panda Base around 9:30 a.m., when the pandas are feeding and most active. You'll watch both adults and young pandas eating and playing together for about an hour before the video screening.

Is the cable car included, or do I pay extra for it?

The cable car up and down Qingcheng Mountain is included in the tour price. You don't pay separately for it.

What's the physical demand like on this tour?

The tour requires at least a moderate level of fitness. Most of the climbing is done by cable car, but you'll walk around the mountain at the top to see the temples and historic sites.

Do I need to arrange my own lunch?

Lunch is not included in the tour price. Your guide will recommend local restaurants and help you order authentic Sichuan cuisine during the break between the panda base and Qingcheng Mountain.

What's Qingcheng Mountain known for?

Qingcheng Mountain is one of China's most famous Taoist mountains, covered in dense forest and dotted with temples and historic sites. The cable car takes you above the mist to see the combination of steep terrain, natural beauty, and cultural landmarks that made it sacred to Taoism.