Panda Research Base & Sanxingdui Archeological Museum Day Tour

9:00 a.m. Depart from hotel

10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Giant Panda Breeding Research Base

Chengdu's Giant Panda Breeding Research Base is home to over 80 of China's iconic pandas. Most are of the familiar black and white variety, but the Base is also home to a number of the smaller, lesser-known red pandas.

You'll view the animals eating and at play in a carefully maintained habitat that is as close to their natural environment as possible. You'll also learn how scientists and ecologists are working to protect the few remaining wild pandas and expand the captive population. On that last note, over 100 bears have been born at the Base since 1987.

The Base became even more important after the Sichuan earthquake of 2008, with eight bears sent here from the badly damaged Wolong reserve. Your visit provides both moral and financial support for the ongoing conservation effort.

12:00 p.m. Lunch

Enjoy spicy Sichuan cooking at a local-style restaurant near the Panda Base.

2:00-3:30 p.m. Sanxingdui Museum

North of Chengdu lies one of the world's most important archaeological sites, the remains of an ancient and forgotten Chinese civilization dating back some five millennia. Rediscovered in 1987 when a treasure trove of gold, bronze and jade was unearthed, work has been ongoing ever since. In the onsite Sanxingdui Museum, you may view many of the relics that have been discovered to date, learn what historians have learned about the origins of Chinese civilization, and tour a portion of the actual site itself.

4:30 p.m. Return to hotel