One of our favorite recent travel experiences was hugging a young panda at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, China.
We were not aware that holding a giant panda was even allowed until we read about it while planning a trip earlier this year. Apparently, anyone can hug a young panda as long as you can get to Chengdu, China and are willing to part with a steep donation fee for a 2 minute hugging/photography session.
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (Chengdu Panda Base for short) is a non-profit research and breeding facility for giant pandas located 30 minutes by taxi from the center of Chengdu. The base is huge and is open to tourists for a general admission price of 58 CNY (less than $10 USD). At the base, you can see many giant pandas as well as some red pandas.
The opportunity to hug a panda is available at the base at only two specific times a day (either 10:30 am or 2:30 pm). You must sign up a half hour in advance (so either 10am or 2 pm). According to the staff, there is no guarantee a panda will be available for hugs since their first priority is the well-being of the pandas.
We signed up at the sunshine nursery and paid a donation fee of 2000 CNY (about $323 USD) per person. Payment is cash only and as there are no ATMs near the base you need to plan in advance and make sure you have enough cash with you. The fee was substantially lower a couple of years ago and since prices keep rising we recommend checking tripadvisor or contacting the panda base to ensure you have the correct fee. (Update: The nearby Dujiangyan Panda Base allows you to hold pandas at a lower price.)
Only 2 other people signed up to hug a panda at the same time we did. According to online reports the limit is 20 people per slot/per day. Since we visited the panda base in the winter the park was not crowded but if you visit during spring and fall you should probably show up earlier to guarantee you are able to sign up.
After paying our donation fee, we were given a tag and told to return in 30 minutes. At the designated time a staff member took us into a room for a mini orientation and video on giant pandas.
After about 20 minutes the lecture portion was over and we were taken outdoors to wash bamboo. We took turns cleaning the bamboo by spraying it with a powerful hose. (They take a photo of each person washing the bamboo and use it as one of the 2 photos in a frame they give you.)
Finally, it came time for us to hug a panda! We were led into a room and told to put on scrubs, plastic covers for our shoes and plastic gloves. We were also instructed to avoid touching the panda’s face. Suddenly, a panda named Oreo just sauntered out of a hallway and sat on a wooden bench. It was a bit surprising as we thought a staff member would lead or carry the panda to us but Oreo seemed perfectly happy to come over on his own.
We let the other 2 people go first and they took turns hugging Oreo while the staff was photographing them. There are at least 3 members of the staff and one will photograph you with their camera and another one will use yours. Oreo was busy eating an apple on his own while he was photographed and hugged.
Now it was our turn to hug Oreo! He had finished eating his apple so the staff gave him bamboo sticks dipped in honey to occupy him. Patti was first and she happily hugged Oreo for what felt like a quick 2 minutes. After the 2 minutes Matilda was allowed to join for a bit as the staff took photos of both of us hugging the panda. Finally, it was Matilda’s turn and Patti left so Matilda could enjoy some solo hug time with Oreo.
A staff member also took a cell phone video of our time hugging Oreo:
Time with the panda is only 2 minutes and it goes by so fast. The staff keeps asking you to look at the camera or kiss the panda as they are trying to take good photos. We wished we had at least another minute to hug Oreo without the distraction of posing for a photo.
When it was all done, Oreo got off the bench and walked off the same way he came in. We went back to the office where we originally signed up and waited a few minutes for the staff to print our photos. As a thank you for our donation, we were each given several gifts- a donation certificate, a glass framed photo of us with the panda, a panda pin, a DVD, a magazine, a Pierre Cardin tie (random!) and a panda tote bag to carry everything in.
One side of the frame has a photo of each of us with Oreo and the other side has a photo of both of us. (If you are not with another person, the one photo will be you hugging a panda and the other side will be a photo of you cleaning the bamboo.) Just a warning the frame is bulky so make room in your luggage.
Depending what time of year you visit, you may be able to hug a baby panda that is small enough to sit on your lap. We debated whether we should visit Chengdu Panda Base on this trip or wait since from our online research we deduced that we would be hugging a young panda (rather than holding a baby). The reason for this is that you can only hug a baby panda after it is 6 months old. Pandas are born around the same time- August or September so we knew that the baby pandas would not be old enough to sit on our lap in January. We googled Oreo and found some interesting articles (http://www.china.org.cn/china/2012-10/31/content_26955837.htm) about how he was named (he was the first panda at the base to be named as part of a contest and the winner chose the name Oreo because it means beauty in Greek and she likes Oreo cookies) so we learned Oreo was a year and half old. Even though we did not hold a small baby panda in our lap, we still think the experience was worth it and we loved Oreo’s personality.
If you want to hold a baby panda in your lap, spring would be the best time to go. The pandas would still be pretty young in the summer but we would avoid summer as the staff told us that when it is very hot (over 26 Celsius) the pandas are moved inside. If you visit in the fall you will be able to see the baby pandas soon after they are born. If you visit in the winter you will be hugging a 1-1.5 year old panda but the panda base will be less crowded.
Although hugging a panda is very expensive for only a 2 minute experience it was totally worth it for us! We would love to go back one day if we are in Chengdu in the spring so that we can hold one of the smaller baby pandas in our laps also.
Readers what do you think-would you travel to Chengdu, China to hold a panda?
Update: The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is no longer allowing visitors to hold a panda – but you can hug and hold a panda at the nearby Dujiangyan Panda Base right outside of Chengdu. Click here for more information and to book.
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What a cool experience!! Pandas are so adorable. I really love animals so I think that if I were traveling in China or even Asia in general, I would try to make it to Chengdu for this experience.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Lisa, thanks for reading. We did not originally plan to visit Chengdu and had no idea you could hug pandas until a few weeks before we went. As we were planning a trip to Taipei we randomly read about the panda reserve and added Chengdu on our itinerary at the last minute. We definitely recommend you try to make it!
I am sure it must have been a lovely experience to hug a panda. Even I want to have an encounter with a tiger in a jungle. I have heard there is a place in Australia where you can spend time with the baby cubs and hug them too.
Renuka,
Sounds interesting!
Hi renuka,
You can hug and feed tiger cubs in thailand (bangkok or chiang Mai) thought you might be interested in this info 🙂
This is so cute! I had no idea you could do this either and I didn’t realise it would be so expensive. I guess it’s a good thing though if it keeps the numbers down and the money goes back in to panda conservation.
Monica,
Thanks for reading. That is exactly why they keep raising the fee so much. Can’t have hundreds of people hugging the pandas!
Definitely a cool experience! Great pictures, is panda fur soft?
Hi Brianna,
To answer your question, Oreo’s fur was not particularly soft-it looked more soft that it felt. But we really only felt his fur a bit on our face because we had to wear plastic gloves.
This is so damn cute!!! Even though it’s only 2 minutes that 2 minutes would be the moment to remember for the rest of your life!!
Oh gorgeous this is my dream!
Hi Guys,
Interesting story. We visited the pandas in Chengdu way back in 2001 and you couldn’t get close then. As we were backpacking around the world I doubt we would have coughed up the cash had the opportunity been there though. Still to see so many including the babies was amazing and something that few people experience. I remember when they sent two out to Sydney Zoo in Australia and people traveled for miles to see them. Did you ask who named him Oreo? Where to next?
Cheers
James
Hi James,
Thanks for reading. We did not ask who named him Oreo but we googled him and he was named as a result of a contest. Here is an interesting article about how he was named: http://www.china.org.cn/china/2012-10/31/content_26955837.htm
Bet you’ll remember your hugs with Oreo for many years to come! We weren’t aware you could enjoy this experience either (until reading your post). It sounds like the Chengdu facility takes good care to ensure he’s protected from any germs he could contact from humans.
Thanks for reading. They really do try to protect the pandas.
Oh my gosh- Oreo! What an adorable name and a fun experience as well! When I lived in Beijing, I went down to Chengdu but missed the pandas! Couldn’t believe it! Really glad you got the opportunity and documented it so well!!
Thanks Phoebe!
looks fun, although that is rather pricey!
i played with some big orange kitties in thailand which was pretty reasonable. although much greater chance of being chewed on…
http://www.igobyplane.com/2014/03/08/playing-with-tigers-in-thailand/
cute little thing!
Nice. I’ve always wanted to hug a panda. I gotta go there.
This is just too cute!!! AND I LOVE HIS NAME!!!!!! Oh my goodness, Oreo-what a cutie!
Thanks for reading Karisa. Oreo was really cute-we did not want the experience to end!
Hello Sisters, I live in Beijing in I really want to hug a panda. I wanna do it in July (next month). What do you think?
Hi Regin,
You should be able to hug a panda in July. The panda should be fairly small so you will be able to have it in your lap. The only issue is that the pandas might be kept indoors because of the heat.
I truly am an idiot for not doing this myself. Now I need to go back.
It’s not something that is widely promoted. At least it gives you an excuse to go back!
Why did they make you wear plastic cover and plastic gloves? Does it have to do with not transferring your scent on the panda so other pandas dont find it foreign and atrack it or something?
Hi Tatiana,
We’re not sure if transferring our scent would be an issue. We were told that the plastic covers and gloves are to protect the pandas from diseases.
What an incredible experience! My younger daughter has been asking to go to China since she was three years old and one of the primary reasons is to see pandas – she is going to love this video!
That photo sure is a keeper! I would love to do this, seems like a lot of fun!
Hi Marissa,
It was fun but short! Definitely one of our favorite photos from our travels.
That sounds such a great experience, and I love the pics!
Thanks Sarah! It was definitely one of our most memorable experiences.
great experience! I think i’m going to add it to my bucket list 🙂
Shere y Paul
Cool! I did this back in 2009 and I see the price has doubled since then! Crazy. But at least the money is going towards breeding and caring for the pandas. 🙂 Even though it was brief, it was such an amazing experience – one I had dreamed of all my life but never knew was possible. Yet it was 😀
It really was a great experience! Glad you had the chance to hug a panda when it was less expensive.
I had similar experience of holding a panda in Chengdu back in February 2013. And it was she the same superstar Oreo!
Thanks for sharing the photo- you just made our day with this! So much fun seeing Oreo in action as a little guy:)
Oops, made a mistake calling Oreo a girl.
It is great to see him grow, and to remain so laid-back as he is.
Your article brought back some great memories from my trip to Chengdu. Thank you. I absolutely love that city with its pandas and spiiiicy food 🙂
OMG！Oreo is the king of the class 2012 in his kindergarten both for his age and popularity, well, also the heaviest one in his class(has graduated now). He is the most popular panda with the biggest fans club since a cub because of his extra round face and active personality. Love him so much! Lucky you!
I have wanted to do this for so long! Great post, with a lot of helpful information! It looks like an amazing experience!
Hi Patti and Matilda,
This must be a really amazing experience…
Prices have terribly increased, when I was there (back in May 2008), it was a 100 USD. I had not the cash, so decided to come back with the cash on the next day, but that was May 12th, 2008, the day of the huge earthquake (8.9 on Richter Scale), so I never made it back…
Cheers, Gilles
I’m definitely going to do this next year! It’s officially on my bucket list for 2016. 🙂
I was just at the panda base a few weeks ago, but I read that hugging the pandas was still banned! Though it’s probably a good thing I didn’t know, I would have wanted to do it for sure, and my travel budget wouldn’t have appreciated taking a $323 hit! Glad you enjoyed it, the photo looks awesome 🙂
This looks so amazing! I wanted to ask a queston. From your video it looks like you had 2.5 minutes in total, but in your description, it seems like you both got 2 minutes. Are we missing some of the video? 1 minute each seems like it would be extremely short!
The very beginning part is missing-the staff member taking video started about 1 minute into Patti’s time. We did have about 2 minutes each with the panda but our time overlapped. I agree 1 minute is too short but so is 2 minutes! We would have loved a little more time.
Hi there,
I came across your website when I was doing my research about going to Chengdu (just to hug a Panda!). I wanted to ask how you guys arrived at the base. Did you use a travel guide? From a hotel in Chengdu, can I easily get a cab to the base? I did not want to hire a tour guide just go there, specially knowing how ‘steep’ the fee to hug a panda is.
Any tips on it is very welcome. I will be going to China by myself in May.
Hi Patricia,
We did not use a travel guide and don’t think you need one. Our hotel hailed a taxi for us but the taxi did try to overcharge us (seemed to happen a lot in Chengdu) and the hotel employee talked him down. Other than that it was easy to get a taxi. If we were to go again we would try using Uber or taking a taxi again.
Thano you for sharing your story. This is something I would love to do is there any information you can give me directly in how to book this? I would highly appreciate it
I would recommend emailing or calling the base to find out if they are still allowing panda hugs. Here is the contact page: http://www.panda.org.cn/english/about/contact/2013-09-12/2420.html.
You can also book this at another nearby panda base here: https://www.getyourguide.com/chengdu-l1697/chengdu-full-day-panda-holding-experience-dujiangyan-t75771/?partner_id=YOWCJKK
Thought I would post a comment here given we recently visited the base and were inspired by your post! Thanks so much for going into so much detail. Unfortunately this base no longer offer the option to hug a panda (stopped in 2014) and there is only one other base in Chengdu which allows this in combination with some volunteering. Just thought it would be helpful to mention here to save people the time as we almost missed the opportunity given a few tour companies had some incorrect information on their websites. If anyone needs a contact to visit the base at a very reasonable rate let me know I’ll dig out the details – we visited in early July’16!
Thanks for letting us know. Updated the post with information about another nearby panda base that allows this: https://www.getyourguide.com/chengdu-l1697/chengdu-full-day-panda-holding-experience-dujiangyan-t75771/?partner_id=YOWCJKK
Hi again! Yes, I went to Chengdu hoping to interact with pandas, went to two different panda bases, and none of these have this option anymore 🙁 Loved the pandas anyways, and the work they do at these research centres to protect them. Still worth the while to visit.
Found another nearby panda base that allows this: https://www.getyourguide.com/chengdu-l1697/chengdu-full-day-panda-holding-experience-dujiangyan-t75771/?partner_id=YOWCJKK
Hi! was the 2000 yuan donation fixed by the research base or did you choose to donate that amount?
Hi Dani, The price was fixed by the research base.
Although hugging a panda is very expensive for only a 2 minute experience it was totally worth it for us! We would love to go back one day if we are in Chengdu in the spring so that we can hold one of the smaller baby pandas in our laps also.