A Special Treat
We looked forward to seeing panda bears since we booked our month long visit to China. At several stops along the trip we were teased with photos and souvenirs of panda bears. When we enjoyed a world class experience on our stay at the St Regis Chengdu, we even got a pair of stuffed panda bears as a welcome gift. But when we got up extra early to visit the cute panda bears from our stay in Chengdu, we were so excited.
It took us about an hour to get to the Chengdu Research Base Of Giant Panda Breeding. As soon as we entered, we knew we were at the right place. Buildings, statues and wall art were all covered in panda bears. There was even a panda post office with panda stamps!
Our guide had her route all mapped out. She ensured that we saw the maximum number of cute panda bears in Chengdu with the fewest number of people in our way. Different enclosures were used for different aged pandas. And we saw most of the enclosures on our visit.
Pandas Can Eat – A Lot !
The first panda bear we saw was lying on his back chewing on bamboo shoots. We soon discovered that the panda bears eat a lot. Panda bears were originally carnivores. But they ultimately grew too big to hunt and today they much prefer to eat bamboo. In fact, the word “Panda” most likely is derived from the Nepalese word that means “bamboo-eater.” A full grown panda eats for 10 to 12 hours per day and can eat about 25 to as much as 80 pounds of bamboo a day to meet their energy needs. We saw trucks laden with bamboo shoots all around the park.
The next time we saw an adult male panda in the trees, he too was chomping on bamboo. We wondered if that was all that they did!
Then we happened on a panda bear picnic. The group of toddler pandas sat and shared their bamboo. It almost seemed as if they were chatting at times.
The cute panda bears in Chengdu sure did seem to eat a lot!
Playful Pandas
When we walked through the park, we saw a wide variety of enclosures for the panda bears. And lots of different jungle gym type structures for them to play on. We visited a large enclosure with a number of pandas playing. They climbed up to various levels and rough-housed with each other. They seemed to be having a lot of fun.
When we looked close, we even caught sight of a panda curled up in the crook of a tree. He was finished eating and playing. And it must have been time for a nap!
The cute panda bears in Chengdu ignored us and played on.
Panda Youngsters
Most of the panda bears were in outside areas. But we visited a few buildings with panda bears inside.
Several times we got the chance to see baby panda bears. We saw them playing in a crib. And we saw them being bottle fed. The babies were all in rooms with glass on the front. We were hustled quickly past the babies with barely a chance to oooh and aaah.
The cute panda bears in Chengdu were of all sizes and ages. But the babies captured our hearts.
We Found Such Cute Panda Bears In Chengdu
We spent most of the morning as we wandered around and enjoyed great views of the panda bears. It was great to see pandas in different environments. And to see that they do more than just eat!
On the way out we saw a sign for the enclosures for the red pandas. We wished we had time to see those too. But it left us with something for a return visit!
On our travels around the world we have had amazing bucket list animal encounters! So we were so glad we saw the cute panda bears in Chengdu! Many people went home with bags of panda bear souvenirs as a reminder. The panda visit was certainly a highlight of our visit to Chengdu. And one of the things we treasured from our visit to China.
Did you see panda bears in Chengdu? Weren’t they just the cutest things?
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OMG they are so adorable! I saw the pandas at the zoo in Beijing and will never forget them. I’d love to see these pandas too!
Lesley, It was so great to see so many panda bears all at one time. They were all so cute! Linda
RED PANDAS??? I would have made time for that! I cant believe it, I am going to have to google it to see pics now! I would definitely love to explore the Chengdu Research Base Of Giant Panda Breeding. What a fun time to explore the fun panda world. I have seen several in zoos here in America but never so many. I bet the babies are too much fun!
Eric, We were sorry we did not see the sign for the red pandas until we were leaving. But it was great to see so many panda bears all in one spot. Definitely a place to visit. Linda
Like all the cat videos I see on You Tube, I want to shout out and say ahhhhhhhhhh. They are so cute and I would love to check this out on my next visit to China. They are just so cute!!
Danik, I know what you mean. We could have sat and stared for hours. For the baby enclosures, they knew that people would dawdle so they really moved us along. Definitely something to add to any plans to visit China. Linda
Your article brings back memories of our visit in 2004. At that time it wasn’t so crowded, but unfortunately they didn’t have so may cubs at that time. But as you mentioned, we also could have stayed for hours to watch them. We took some videos as memory, feel free to take a look if you like https://blog.myvideomedia.com/giant-pandas/
Ursula, I am glad I brought back good panda bear memories. It was certainly one of the highlights of our China trip. The videos are a great way to remember your visit. Linda
How cute are those baby pandas! I think I actually let out an awe sound. It’s silly but I never thought of pandas as carnivores before but of course, they are. It would be interesting to see this panda research base.
Melissa, It was so great to see so many panda bears all at one time. I am not surprised to hear you let out an awwww sound at the babies. They were the big hit. Linda
I would love to see the Pandas! In Australia, we saw the Koalas both in captivity and in the wild. All they do is eat and sleep. Sounds similar to the Pandas.
Those baby Pandas are so cute! I would go to Chengdu just to see the Pandas!
Wendy, We were so sorry we missed the Koalas and the Kangaroos in Australia. I am sure they were very similar in habits. The babies were the big hit! Linda
OMG, how adorable. The baby pandas, just so cute. Had no idea they were voracious eaters of bamboo. Fascinating. Looking at the pandas playing just brings a big smile to my face. What a wonderful experience, one I’d like to have as well.
Rosemary, I did not know that pandas ate so much either!! The babies certainly were everyone’s favourites. Great to visit a spot with so many panda bears! Linda
I adore pandas! They are gorgeous and those babies in your photos are so cute. I was lucky enough to be in Chiang Mai when a baby panda was born. They set up a video feed so you could see the baby with its mother. I saw it when it was 5 days old. It was amazing how small it was!
Janine, How fascinating to be able to see a new born panda bear. And to see one being born. Unfortunately birth rates are still very low for the pandas. Linda
OMG the pandas are sooo cute! I really enjoyed reading this post especially I really took my time to look each of your panda pictures because they are just too adorable! Also, pandas eats for 10 to 12 hours per day? Wow they must really love to eat a lot. I’m just curious though, is there a chance for visitors to take part in bottle feeding the panda babies? Hopefully I can visit Chengdu soon just so I can see them in person.
Carissa, I am glad you enjoyed our panda-fest. Wanted to share lots of pics. I am not sure if visitors can actually get up close with any of the pandas. We were kept far back or behind glass for many of the encounters. Linda
Wow! I did not know that Panda’s eat that much! But they are just absolutely adorable, the chatting and the playing pandas made me smile ?? Love the little Panda curled up for a nap in the tree ♥️
Lisa, Each panda area brought yet another smile to our faces. Loved to see them in everything they were doing. Linda
It would be so good to be a panda in my next birth. Eat, eat and eat… no worry about figure 😀 Great pics. So sad that I have not seen one in real yet. 🙂
Indrani, I am sure many of us would love the life of these pandas! Hope you get to see the pandas one day. Linda
What an amazing experience. I love pandas. They are so cute. Even reading your post and seeing your photos brought smile on my face.
Mansoureh, I am so glad that my post brought a smile to your face! Linda
Those pandas are adorable. I’m glad you had such a good time visiting them. I hope you’ll get to go back and see the red pandas soon.
Lydia, It was so great to see the pandas. We hope we do get back for the red pandas! Linda
You had such a fabulous trip! One of the reasons I would like to visit China are pandas. Chengdu China is of my top places to see there. Pandas are so cute, especially cubes. I would love to photograph them.
We were so glad we planned to visit the Pandas on our visit to China. It was great to find so many of them together in one spot.