Your guide will be waiting in your hotel lobby (or designated location) at the designated time (usually between 7am and 8am).

Good to Know:

• In order to escape the crowds, the tour guide might inform you an earlier pickup time in the morning (at about 7am – 7:30am), you will be told by the tour guide in the welcome call.
• We offer free hotel pick-up and drop-off services if your hotel/airbnb/accommodation is within the 3rd ring road of Chengdu City. For further distances, there might be an extra cost for the transfer. Please provide your hotel information on the booking form.
• Our drivers are licensed and experienced with at least 5 years of driving experience to make sure you have a safe trip, while our vehicles are comfortable and spacious, equipped with a safety belt on every seat, air conditioners and unlimited bottled water.

To make sure you have a better experience, we have designed the best possible routes to avoid crowds and queues, and save your time, so you have more time to see pandas and take photos!

Pandas are more than good-looking and cute, they are special! Join us to find out a full story of how do they live and why do they live in Sichuan. You might not know, the giant panda has been downgraded from endangered to vulnerable species. Follow your tour guide to learn more about what we have done and how human being to protect these cute nature treasures.

Good to Know:

• The best time to visit pandas is in the morning, as they are more active in the morning and they usually rest in the afternoon.
• Some panda houses are a little away from fencing. We suggest you bring a telephoto lens if possible, so you can capture panda details.
• Please DO NOT use flashlight. Particularly baby pandas, their eyes are very sensitive to light. Flashlight may well hurt them.
• Please DO NOT feed them with your own food. Your food is not good for them. They have their own daily diet.
• Please DO NOT shout loudly at them, just still looking and respect their living habits, they don’t like being disturbed.

It’s about 40-minute driving back to Chengdu downtown. We’ll drive to a local restaurant to have a Chengdu Hot pot lunch. Lunch fee is not included in the pricing.

While in Chengdu you should not miss hot-pot! It is not only a meal but also a local cultural phenomenon. Because of the hot and humid weather in summer and cold and wet weather in winter, Chengdu locals love to eat hot-pot, especially spicy hot-pot, as hot-pot helps to remove the moisture in your body to keep you healthy.

Nowadays there are hot-pot restaurants in almost every street in Chengdu, more than 30,000 in the city, and now hot-pot is famous the world over. You may have seen hot-pot restaurants in your own country, right?

Today we’ll head to one of the most famous hot-pot restaurants in Chengdu, highly recommended by local people, to experience the original Chengdu hot-pot.

Good to Know:

• Don’t like spicy food? Don’t know how to use chopsticks? Don’t know how to order hotpot or understand table manners while having hot-pot? Don’t worry, we have considered all these questions. We can order two-flavor hot-pot, allowing you to taste both spicy and non-spicy flavors. Your guide will help you order food and help you eat hot-pot like a local.
• Locals in Chengdu like to eat hot-pot in the evening. That’s why you’ll see long lines of people queuing for food. But we’ll have hot-pot at midday so we don’t have to wait, and we’ll enjoy it in a more comfortable environment.

In the grass-root style opera house, lots of old fans gather round here everyday, meet up friends and enjoy the show. You can be one of them, watching the performance and drinking tea. But the most interesting part of this place, you have a chance to go into their backstage to see how the actors and actresses make up and rehearse.

Good to Know:

• What do they sing? Just some stories from ancient times down to now. Performers tell audiences about these stories in exaggerated and theatrical ways. The tour guide will make a brief introduction to you when the show is on.
• We usually call these venerable performers “Masters”. They are respected. And they’re happy to teach Sichuan Opera if you have great interest. You can also pay 128 yuan per person to try on opera costumes and do a little opera makeup (This part is optional and the fee is on your own expense.).
• You won’t see the celebrated artistic performances like changing faces, rolling light, etc, because Chengdu locals don’t watch these perfomances in every day life.

After the opera show, we’ll head to Chengdu People’s Park and you’ll see how Chengdu locals spend their free time and observe their unique culture and leisurely lifestyle.

You’ll see people gathering in tea houses, drinking tea, and playing mahjong. You’ll see earwax-cleaning services, old ladies singing and dancing, and parents putting advertisements in the marriage market for their adult children.

Slow down, and put down your burdens. Let’s have a cup of tea and enjoy life just as these Chengdu locals do!

After visiting Chengdu People’s Park our trip comes to an end. You will be dropped off at your hotel (or other appointed place).

Night Activity Recommendation: (This is not included in the itinerary)

Chengdu people have a colorful nightlife. In addition to all kinds of modern pubs and bars, you can see there are many theaters in Chengdu. Sichuan Opera is very popular in the city.

We recommend that you watch Sichuan Opera in Shu Feng Ya Yun. You’ll have a chance to experience the celebrated changing faces, hand concepts, suona horns and all kinds of distinctive local arts performed by local Chengdu artists. Amazing and funny!

Good to Know:

• This play starts at about 8 pm and lasts about 1.5 hours.
• In order have a better experience we suggest you book VIP ticket, which cost 320 yuan.
• If you would like to watch this opera please feel free to ask your guide to help you book tickets. Your guide will escort you for the whole show and finally send you back to your hotel in Chengdu. If you choose to watch the show, your guide can also recommend a restaurant for dinner nearby (this isn’t included in the price).
• Please note that if you decide to watch the show it means you agree to give up taking our vehicle back to your hotel. You’ll need to pay the taxi fee back to your hotel, which usually costs around 30–50 yuan.