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Bifengxia Giant Panda Base is a giant panda research and breeding facility in Bifengxia Town, Ya'an, Sichuan, China.
Bifengxia Giant Panda Base (or Green Peak Valley) has dense forest , numerous waterfalls and breathtaking scenery that make a visit very pleasant.
Bifengxia Giant Panda Base was established at the end of 2003, and has become a paradise for giant pandas, a national treasure, with the function of raising, breeding and rescuing giant pandas. It has over 20 giant pandas.
Here visitors can see pandas more in their natural environment than at the Chengdu Panda Breeding Center. At the base, the pandas are trained in a simulated wild environment and returned to nature once researches show that they are fit enough to survive in the wild.
Bifengxia Giant Panda Base is an option if you want to visit pandas in a less crowded environment due to fewer visitors. This option means you’ll have a longer drive and it’s more expensive.
Type: World Heritage Site, Nature Reserve, Wildlife & Animals
Best Time: All year round
Recommended Visiting Time: about 1-3 days
Open Hours: 08:30-16:00
Admission Fee: 50 RMB / Person
Address: Ya’an Bi Feng Xia Base of CCRCGP, Bifengxia Town, Yucheng District, Yaan City, Sichuan Province, China
Bifengxia Panda Base, short for Ya’an Bi Feng Xia Base of CCRCGP (China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda), is also known as Bifengxia Panda Reserve or Bifengxia Panda Center. For the safety and development of the captive population of giant pandas, China’s State Forestry Bureau planned and built the panda center in Bifengxia Valley in Yaan on December 28th in 2003. Being the “paradise” for about over 40 giant pandas of different ages, Bifengxia Center performs extraordinarily for the breeding, rescue, research, scientific education of giant pandas to save this rare and endangered animal species, together with Dujiangyan Panda Ark and Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base, and is reputed as the “World Natural Heritage - Giant Panda’s Habitat in Sichuan”.
What’s really heartening is that you can not only watch the female pandas nursing their pinky cute panda cubs in the nursery rooms, but see the infantile giant pandas enjoying milk in the pot as well. And this amazing lifetime experience can be available during July to October for it is the lying-in period of giant pandas, among which July and August offer more chances.
In 1869, the world first giant panda was discovered by the French biologist Armand David in Dengchi Ditch, Baoxing County in Yaan City, after it was transferred to the Paris Museum as a specimen, the whole world was in sensation. Through the great effort of the scientific researchers, Yaan has offered 136 giant pandas to the state of China, among which 18 were given as presents to the US, the UK, Australia, Japan, Germany, etc. and many giant pandas born in other counties came back to Yaan Bifengxia Panda Base to live in the hometown of their mother and father, like Taishan, Fulong, etc.
Volunteer programs gives a unique experience of getting close contact with the cuddly giant pandas. During the program, participants can work with skilled panda keepers to take care of the pandas.
Interesting activities include cleaning and weighing fresh bamboo to feed the pandas, cleaning panda enclosures and bathing the pandas. At the end of the program, each participant is issued a certificate which proves their volunteering at the base.
New Experiences for Bifengxia Panda Volunteers
● Panda Cleaner: take out the leftover bamboos, remove the drops of giant pandas, clean the enclosure of panda and have a better understanding about the living environment and status of giant pandas.
● Panda Feeder: feed giant panda personally with some fresh favorite food of pandas, like apples, carrots, etc.
● Panda Documentary: watch interesting documentaries about giant pandas to know how human beings protect pandas and some touching stories of pandas and people living in peace and harmony.
● Panda Nutritionist: know about the recipe of panda cakes and learn to make some delicious cakes for pandas under the help of the staff.
● Research Assistant: watch the excrement of giant pandas and do some research of it to know more about the data of pandas’ physiological data and feel the hard and difficulty of the research of wild populations of giant pandas.
● Panda Bamboo Planting: learn about bamboo types and plant bamboo trees at Bifengxia Panda Base to enrich the food supply for pandas.
● Thoughts Sharing: share your feelings and thoughts of being a panda volunteer and leave some words on the “Love Wall”.
● Souvenirs & Group Photo: after the volunteer activity, receive the panda volunteer certificate and souvenirs. Have a group shot together to record the wonderful moment!
Duration: 1 day or 3 days (besides, you are required to arrive at Bifengxia Panda Base 1 day in advance to participate in the pre-job training)
Note: Detailed and practical experience items for volunteers may be changed or cancelled according to the situations and weather conditions on your volunteer date.
1. Numbers & Ages: The center can accept up to 40 volunteers at one time (only 20 volunteers once in July and August) and the age should be between 12 and 65.
2. Strong Smells: For pandas have keen sense of smell, volunteers should avoid using perfume or other odorous articles like mosquito repellent liquid or nail polish, skin care products, makeups, etc. on the volunteering work day.
3. Healthy Bodies: To well protect giant pandas, volunteers are required to be healthy, and people who are suffering from illness, like a cold, fever, influenza, and other infectious diseases are not suitable to have body contact with the giant pandas.
4. Force Majeure: The panda volunteer program is to be delayed or inaccessible if there is Force Majeure like earthquakes, epidemic... Also, your program may be influenced by the inevitable requirement and control.
Bifengxia Panda Base in the Yucheng District (雨城区) in Ya’an (雅安) city is about 18km from downtown and about 150km away southwest from Chengdu city.
By self-driving
If you drive from Chengdu city, it will cost you about 2.5 hours to get to Bifengxia Panda Reserve with a major part on the expressway and a short section on the common cement road.
By long-distance coach & taxi
You can also take a long-distance coach from Shiyang Bus Terminal, Chengdu (成都石羊客运站) to the Tourist Bus Station (旅游车站) in Yaan (driving for about 2 hours), and then transfer to Bifengxia Panda Center by the local taxi for about 30 minutes.
You will have many choices if living near Bifengxia Panda Reserve when you visit there. Hongzhu Hotel (红珠宾馆) about 10km from the reserve enjoys elegant natural environment and convenient transportation, with comfortable high standard rooms and facilities to well serve both Chinese and western guests.
Besides, there are some other hotels, inns, hostels of high reputation and reviews from visitors for their good service, full equipment, spacious rooms, etc. available for your consideration.
Around Bifengxia Panda Reserve, you can find some restaurants serving delicious Chinese dishes, and if you like, you can try the local Yaan specialty food like Yaan fish. Only for panda volunteers, you can enjoy nutritious lunch together with the staff in the dining room at the Bifengxia Panda Base.
Yaan often rains with the annual rainfall of around 1,800mm, so this city is also famously called the “City of Rains”. Belonging to the subtropical monsoon moist climate, it has an annual average temperature between 14.1℃-17.9℃. Four seasons are distinctive greatly, with springs warm, winters not very cold, summers not so hot, and autumns in continuous rains. It rains frequently in summer seasons. And it is recommended to take your rain gear and antiskid shoes while visiting Bifengxia Panda Base in Yaan. Recommended Places to Go near Bifengxia Panda Base
Bifengxia Valley Scenic Spot covers Bifengxia Panda Base, wild animal area, and the scenic valley part. In the “V” shaped valley, lush plantations, multiple emerald peaks and mountains reaching up into the blue sky, various types of waterfalls and lakes, attractive natural sightseeing and refreshing air makes Bifengxia a top recommended place to go in Sichuan. Moreover, in the wild animal area, about 10 thousand wild animals of near 300 sorts are living there. You can see rare animals like Manchurian tigers, leopards, white lions, white tigers, golden monkeys, kangaroos, sea lions, etc.
Shangli Ancient Town, being one of the “Top 10 Ancient Towns in Sichuan”, is a National AAAA Tourist Area. It is very popular to savor the special charm of old wooden stilted houses of the flavors of Ming and Qing dynasties, idyllic hills, winding water. Also, this town is one of the must-go places to know about the history and culture of the South Silk Road and the Red Army. If you have enough time, don’t miss this poetic old town that is about 18km away from Bifengxia Panda Center.
If you are planning a giant panda tour, you can tailor-make your own unique tour by telling us your interests and requirements. We will help you design a perfect trip. Or see our popular tours below for inspiration.
1. Safety distance: although giant pandas are very adorable, they are still wild animals. So please keep a safety distance while watching them.
2. Keep quiet: Giant pandas like quiet. Please avoid making loud noise or speak too loud so not to make them frightened.
3. No private feeding: Giant pandas have their own suitable diet and staff in Bifengxia Panda Base does well in the feeding job to ensure them grow healthy. Please do not throw any food into the panda’s enclosure, or the pandas may get ill if they eat something not suitable for their body.
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