1 Day Private Leshan with Panda Base, No Shopping

One day before the tour, the guide will confirm with you about the departure time in today’s morning. You will be picked up at the hotel on time and taken to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, the first stop of our Chengdu and Leshan tour, to see cute pandas.

● How important is the base to giant pandas and what to expect?
If it weren’t for the base, these chubby creatures today might just become a story of the past. Set up for ex situ conservation in the 1980s, it originally had but 6 giant pandas rescued from the wilderness, sick or starving when they were found. Now the number has increased to more than 150. Clumsy, vulnerable, they have to be taken good care of, and the base does it brilliantly. A forested living environment imitating giant pandas’ wild habitats, nursery houses, feeding area, scientific research center, veterinary hospital, even luxury villas… A series of efforts have been made. As to what to expect, there will be giant pandas at different life stages for you to spot, including baby pandas. You can also learn about their diet at Giant Panda Kitchen, and taste steamed corn buns if interested, which are snacks for the bamboo-eating animals. Additional draws here include lesser pandas and black swans. Souvenir shops, restaurants, and a café can also be found in the vast compound.

Afterwards, we will drive for about 2 hours to Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest Maitreya Buddha in the world carved into a cliff face by a river. To appreciate its majestic panorama, the guide will lead you to go for a cruise on the Min River, which the Buddha overlooks.

● The must-know stories behind the giant Buddha that add to fun
A monk named Haitong initiated the construction of this 71-meter-tall (233-feet-tall) Buddha to bless the ships passing by, as many shipwrecks had happened due to the fierce turbulence where the Min River converged with two other rivers. It was not that smooth in the beginning. When blocked by a corrupt local official, the brave monk gouged out one of his own eyes to show his determination, so that the project could continue. It’s a pity that he died when only 1/3 of the statue was completed. On and off, it took 90 years to finish, from 713 to 803 AD during the Tang Dynasty. 1,300 years have passed, and the Buddha is still safeguarding all within its smiling eyes.

Later in the afternoon, the guide will escort you back to your hotel.