3 Days Classic Chengdu Giant Panda and Leshan Giant Buddha Tour

Welcome to Chengdu, the Hometown of Giant Pandas! Your private driver and guide will be ready for you when you arrive in Chengdu. Enjoy a trouble-free transfer to your hotel. The rest of today is yours to relax in panda city on your own.

Arrival Ideas:Chengdu is well connected by air and high-speed rail. There are two airports - Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and Chengdu Tianfu International Airport operating many international and domestic airlines. Travelers can go to Chengdu by air from most cities in China, like Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xian, Guilin, Hangzhou, Kunming, Lhasa, Lanzhou, Wuhan, Xiamen, Guiyang, Chongqing… In addition, travelers can take high speed train to Chengdu from Xian (3-4 hours), Chongqing (1.5-2hours), Guiyang (3.5-4.5 hours), Kunming (6-6.5hours), etc.

Free Time Ideas: You can pay a visit to Chengdu’s Renmin Park to witness the city’s slow lifestyle and how the local people are doing. Order a cup of fragrant green tea while sitting in the time-honored tea-house, chat with your friends and see locals playing mahjong and having fun. After that, take a relaxed stroll at one of the city’s “new old” walking streets- Kuanzhai Alley and feel the “new life” of Chengdu. An ancient block gathers buildings from the late Qing Dynasty, early Republic of China and the early western-style buildings. There are all kinds of Chengdu snacks, folk arts and crafts nightclubs, and coffee shops which makes it one of the most active places in Chengdu. (Optional Activity: You can enjoy a Sichuan Opera Show in the Culture Park for the amazing face changing (Bian Lian) Which is an art in which the performer will wear brightly colored costumes & ornate opera-themed masks.)

After breakfast, you are going to fulfill your panda dream with a 17-kilometer drive to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Also called Chengdu Panda Base, accommodated over 100 pandas, it is the base with the largest population of captive giant pandas in the world. You will see giant pandas of different ages there. It’s great fun to watch them playing, eating, climbing, sleeping... If you come in autumn, you will have the chance to see the pink newborn giant panda cubs in the Sunshine Nursery House and the Moonlight Nursery House. Discover the charming panda stars at this base, such as Hua Hua, the most adored and celebrated panda who has captured the hearts of the nation, and Zhi Ma, the real-life inspiration behind the panda mascot of the World University Games. Besides giant pandas, you can also meet the cute red pandas walking by your side in the Red Panda Playgrounds. Then follow your guide to discover more about pandas’ secrets through the Panda Museum. (Note: Pandas like cool weather, so we advise you to arrive there early as pandas are more active in the morning.)

Then be driven about 2 hours to Leshan and visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site - Leshan Giant Buddha which is the largest and tallest stone-carved statue of Buddha in the world. Standing at the confluence of two rivers, the extraordinary, monumental 1200-year-old Buddha image at Le Shan is carved directly into the rock face. The monument stands 71m (233ft) tall and 28m (92ft) wide making it the largest ancient Buddha in the world. His shoulders span 28m, and each of his big toes is 8.5m long. His ears are 7m. He is indeed grand. There is a local saying: "The mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a mountain".

You will walk down and up and watch the Buddha from a very close distance. It allows you to see each part of Leshan Giant Buddha closely and presents you with a surprising experience with many ancient Buddhist temples, sculptures, caves and religious relics on the way up to mountain top near the head of the Buddha. (Recommended Optional Activity: The plank pathways are steep and narrow. If it is not convenient for you to walk, you can take a cruise (Leshan Buddha Boat Trip) to get a panoramic view and fully appreciate this Buddha’s magnitude on the river.)After the tour, drive back to Chengdu and have a good rest.

This morning it is your free time to visit around Chengdu. After the tour, your guide and driver come to pick you and transferred your to the airport / train station for your flight or train to next destination.

Free Time Ideas: You can arrive in Chunxi Raod first, a famous commercial street in downtown Chengdu, for its bustling shopping and entertainment scene, modern architecture, and local culture and lifestyle of Chengdu. And don't forget to visit Chengdu International Finance Square (IFS) and take a photo of the giant panda sculpture climbing the building. Then go on strolling on Taikoo Li Chengdu which combines old and new, global and local, it is a good place to shop (include many luxury brands), relax, and people-watching. There is another highlight hidden in the busy streets - the Daci Temple. Surrounded by the towering skyscrapers of Tai Koo Li, the squat buildings of Daci Temple emphasize the stark contrast between modern and traditional China. Its location also explains a Chinese saying "An ideal hermit lives in a noisy market (the environment shouldn't affect one's ability to find inner peace)". Why not enjoy a peaceful time for a walk or a cup of tea inside Daci Temple?

If you have enough time and energy, you will not miss a trip to the famous Jinli Old Street. Known as the "Chengdu Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival Scroll", Jinli Street is more than a pedestrian street. Walking on Jinli street, you can appreciate brilliant ancient buildings (Qing Dynasty style), buy all kinds of souvenirs (Shu embroidery, lacquer products, folk handicrafts, calligraphies and paintings), try delicious local snacks (Dan Dan Mian, Egg Pancake, Bon Bon Chicken, Sweet Potato Noodles with Pork Intestines, Iced Jelly, Sour and Spicy Tofu Pudding), and discover the intangible heritages like sugar painting, shadow puppy play...

Then, it is time to end your 3-day Chengdu tour. Your guide will escort you to the airport/train station for your flight or high speed train to your next destination.

Thank you for choosing Asia Odyssey Travel(AOT) for your Chengdu tour, and we are always here working for you and hope to see you again for your next trip around China/Asia.