1 Day Private Leshan with Panda Base, No Shopping

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up from your self-booked hotel in the city center of Chengdu and escort you to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Get ready! Your camera roll is about to overflow with photos of these roly-poly creatures.

Here, you’ll see giant pandas of all ages. Step into the nursery and you can see keepers bring the cubs out onto the grass to bask in the morning sun. While adult pandas can top over 100 kilograms, newborns usually weight a mere 90-150 grams, like a pink baby mouse. It takes about a week or two for them to put on their iconic back-and-white coats. Beyond baby pandas, morning is also when adult pandas are at their most active. You’ll see young pandas wrestling, rolling down grassy slopes, or splash in the water, while the elders just leaning against tree trunks and munching on bamboo. Unlike their remote kinsfolk of brown bear, giant pandas are absolutely “bamboo eating machines”, despite possessing a bite force powerful enough to crush an iron bowl. They spend over 14 hours a day consuming 14 kilograms of bamboo. This is not because of gluttony, but is dictated by their digestive system. Retaining the short intestinal tracts typical of carnivores, they can absorb only about 17% of the nutrient from the bamboo. Therefore, to gain enough energy, they have to eat more.

After bidding farewell to the adorable pandas, a 2-hour private car ride will bring you to Leshan City. Upon arrival, let’s board a cruise to admire the Leshan Giant Buddha from the middle of the water. The cruise will pause in front of the Buddha for 5-10 minutes. Just take your time to take pictures of this 71-meter-high (233-foot) red sandstone statue. Legend has it that the river was once treacherous here, submerging numerous ships. In 713 AD, a monk initiated the carving of this colossal statue into the cliffside, hoping the Buddha would calm the currents. Surprisingly, massive rock debris dumped into the river reshaped the riverbed, which coincidentally smoothed out hidden reefs and slowed the torrents. 
► FYI: At the entrance of the scenic area, you can discover more details of the Giant Buddha wearing AR device at your own expense (USD 6-8).

After disembarking, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel in Chengdu to conclude an unforgettable day. Thanks for travelling with us!► Palates Inspiration (at your own expense): 
If you will still stay in Chengdu tonight, just hang out for Bobo Chicken, aka Cold Skewers, which will surely bring a newfangled experience to your taste buds. Skewered into bite-sized pieces, a wide variety of pre-cooked ingredients are steeped in a savory bath of wither fiery red chili oil or numbing green Sichuan pepper broth. You can mix and match from dozens of choices, including sliced chicken, beef, crispy wood ear mushrooms, potatoes, lotus root, and bamboo shoots. If you prefer a milder flavor, a non-spicy broth version is also available. If you are eager to try, these savory skewers are ubiquitous throughout Chengdu, from street-side stalls to popular restaurants. You can completely stuff yourself for under USD 6 per person.