Giant Panda and Buddha 1 day tour

Our guide Wency was fantastic. We were the only 2 people on the trip so a car picked us us promptly at 730am and we headed out to see the pandas. Our driver had supplied us with bottled water and iced coffee which was a nice touch. It can get pretty crowded near the pandas even on a quiet day so be prepared to jostle for position when trying to take photos. Wency was very knowledgeable throughout and at the Panda centre we saw many pandas climbing trees, playing and eating. You need to go early as once they have eaten they just sleep. It’s is a beautiful area and very picturesque, be prepared for a good walk! From there we drove 2.5 hours to Leshan where we stopped for a dumpling lunch in the town before heading to the boat. It was a Monday and fairly quiet so there were no queues and we boarded quickly. We paid an extra 30 yen for a seat inside once on the boat, this is optional and they serve you tea or coffee in this price. We headed down the river to the Buddha which is spectacular, the biggest stone Buddha in the world. The boat stops for photos before returning back up the river the journey takes approximately 40 minutes. Our journey was by car so much quicker than if you were on a bus and waiting for others so we were very lucky. Wonderful day for us would highly recommend especially lovely Wency!

Chaotic and didn’t get the tour we paid for. Didn’t tell us they didn’t have the tickets until after 2.5 hour drive! No refund offered

Abby was a great tour guide and went above and beyond to ensure the trip was as much as possible customised to our needs. The was engaging and spoke English very well so we could ask here a lot of questions not only about the sights of the day but also about China and traveling the country in general. We not only had her but also a separate driver just for ourselves which we hadn't even realised when booking so definitely worth the money!

We did the panda park first which essentially is a large zoo with only pandas rather than a range of animals. It's quite large and would be confusing by oneself so following Abby who knows the place in and out was definitely a bonus. It filled up with people very quickly so keep that in mind when deciding what time to leave in the morning if you want to get the chance to take some (many?) cute panda pics.

We then went on to the Giant Buddha which was about 90 minutes drive away. This meant we saw a bit of more rural China on the way but also got quite tiring on the way back. While the pandas were definitely cute and are obviously a must see when in Chengdu, we liked the Buddha almost more. Just amazing how they built this into the mountain so many years ago and it felt like a bit off the beaten track, especially as a Western tourist.

All in all, an amazing day trip and if you can afford it, we'd definitely recommend this private tour!

Xiexie Daisy for a dream private trip to see the pandas! Daisy knew exactly what time to visit so that we could see pandas playing and posing for the cameras! I’m a teacher and her English was simply perfect, she knew so much about the pandas and could answer all my questions. Afterwards we went to see the biggest stone buddha in the world. Daisy knew the best shortcuts and made everything fit into a tight schedule without feeling rushed. Thank you again Daisy for a 5 star experience!

Our guide Shelley was excellent! She picked us up early to reach the panda park early enough and navigate us through the crowd to see many pandas! We were brought to a fun place for lunch with amazing cuisine and then head to the giant buddha area to get a ferry! An amazing site that can’t be missed. We were dropped off at the hotel with enough time to enjoy dinner in Chengdu.

Abby was an absolute delight. She really knew her way around the sanctuary and helped me get some great photos. We had some great conversations about our cultures and shared many laughs. She was also very knowledgeable about the history of the Giant buddah. We had a great lunch and made great time. Very fun and informative tour. I hope I get to take another tour with Abby some day and I wish that for anyone else visiting Chengdu.

Joy was very attentive. She contacted the hotel reception beforehand to make everything easy. Her explanations in perfect English were all very interesting, she told us about the history, traditions, religious beliefs and even science behind some local phenomena.
The chauffeur Zhou was also very nice, he taught us some Chinese and his driving was very smooth, making us comfortable on the way from one place to another.
I would totally recommend this tour ☺️

We recommend the services of Sheldon. Very nice and attentive guy. He brought us to a typical restaurant with delicious food.

If you go on this tour, I highly recommend you ask to leave Chengdu early (6:30) and tell the company what your priorities are -- I would think it should be relatively easy to customize as it is a private tour. We left at 8 a.m. and by the time we got to the pandas, 90% of them were napping because they are fed at 8 a.m., according to our guide. There is also a particularly famous panda that people were lined up to see. Our guide did not ask our interest in waiting to see this panda; we just walked by, probably because we needed to get on our way to see the Leshan Buddha. The crowds were extensive (as was our experience at every attraction in China), so that was not surprising but did make it a bit of a competition to see the pandas. We were able to see one panda awake and moving for about 20 seconds. The visit to the pandas felt rushed; having come thousands of miles to China, I would have gladly taken more time, so in retrospect, I would have shared this preference with the tour organizer ahead of time and gone earlier and/or skipped the Leshan Buddha. The buddha was interesting, but I am not sure it was worth the long drive and quick zip through the panda zoo. I also would have appreciated more information about the Leshan Buddha and Buddhism from our guide; Chinese tour groups on the boat appeared to be getting more information from their guides. Our guide was nice but reserved and maybe a bit rusty after years of pandemic-related lockdown. But my hunch is that the company has all the infrastructure to be able to create a great, customized tour, so I encourage you to give them a try.

Great tour. Fen knows about Pandas and Chengdu. She knew the perfect time when to see the Pandas.
Very knowledgeable and friendly.
I highly recommend this tour 👌

Lucy, Lisa & Mr Driver were great companions for my day in Chengdu! :) I really enjoyed the sights! Would recommend!

This was such a fantastic day of adventure and knowledge! Our guide (Lucy) knew exactly everything that was needed to be known and where to go when we saw the pandas in the morning. She truly loves to give you all the knowledge she can about where she grew up. She even gave us great recommendations on what we can do on our free day before leaving. Highly recommend doing this tour when in chengdu!

Tour consisted of visit to Chengdu Panda Research Base and a trip to Leshan to see the Buddha statue. Clara was our guide and was engaging throughout, and provided many insights into the region as well as the history of the landmarks that we were visiting. Overall an excellent day out with a great guide and driver!

Teresa is a friendly guide and conversational in English. Gave good recommendations during lunch and provide good explanations throughout the trip.

We've decided to engage this 1 day tour even though exploring Chengdu on our own is very easy by using their subway system because of the distance to the Leshan Buddha and all the attraction tickets already included. They even provided us with a private chauffeured car which is in a excellent condition. Our guide, Teresa is a wonderful lady and she's very informative and guided us through the entire tour smoothly. At the end, she's more like a friend to us than just a tour guide. Keep up the great work Teresa!

Our guide Judy was great. Pandas were amazing. I think the 3 hour drive each way for the Giant Buddha is not worth it. The local food on the Leshan Mountain was delicious. The Buddha was giant, as advertised. But I'd skip it next time. Just see the pandas and find something else to do for the rest of your day.

We had Lucy Liu as our tour guy for the one day trip to panda base & giant budda. First of all, she was very knowledgeable, not only about the tour itself, but a lot of other things, such as Chinese Literature. We chat a lot on the way to panda base & giant budda, which was very sweet during the long distant driving. But, Lucy knows very well when to stop so we could rest as well. Second, I like the way she treated us like we were her family. She would tell us what was the right price to buy local specialities. The whole day with her, we didn't feel pressured. We felt very comfortable with her, which we valued the most important thing when we travel around.

I would recommend Lucy to anyone who is going to visit Chengdu or other nearby cities.