Qinling Giant Panda Research Centre Day Trip from Xi'an

Qinling Giant Panda Research Centre

The Qinling Giant Panda Research Centre sits in Zhouzhi County, about 70 to 80 kilometres southwest of Xi'an, where the plain meets the forested slopes of the Qinling Mountains. It is one of China's three major giant panda breeding and research bases, working on captive breeding, disease control and the study of wild panda habitats in Shaanxi. Visitors walk between landscaped indoor and outdoor enclosures, each with climbing frames, bamboo and shaded pools, and information boards explain the pandas' life cycle and the work of the keepers.

For many travellers this panda centre day trip from Xi'an is the highlight of their time in the city, because it shows a side of Shaanxi far from the ancient capital's walls and tombs. Plan on about three hours inside: enough to see several enclosures twice, since pandas that sleep at noon are often awake an hour later. Mornings and early afternoons are the liveliest times, which is why our schedule brings you here around midday.

The Qinling Panda and the Rare Brown Panda

The pandas of the Qinling Mountains are recognised as their own subspecies. Compared with the pandas of Sichuan, they have rounder heads, shorter muzzles and fur whose dark patches lean towards deep brown, so they look softer and almost teddy-bear-like. Fewer of them live in the wild than in Sichuan, which makes this centre one of the best places on earth to see them up close.

The centre is also known for its brown-and-white giant panda, a very rare colour form recorded only in the Qinling range, where the usual black is replaced by chestnut brown. It is the animal most visitors queue to photograph, so check the enclosure map on arrival and head there first. Is the Qinling panda centre worth visiting? If you love wildlife and are not going to Chengdu, the answer is a clear yes: it is quieter than the big Sichuan bases and the animals are easy to watch.

The Qinling Mountains and Their Wildlife

The Qinling range runs east to west across southern Shaanxi and forms the natural dividing line between northern and southern China: wheat and cold winters to the north, rice and subtropical forest to the south. Its peaks catch the rain that feeds the rivers around Xi'an, and its bamboo forests are the reason pandas survive here.

Chinese naturalists speak of the four treasures of Qinling: the giant panda, the golden snub-nosed monkey, the takin and the crested ibis. Depending on which enclosures are open on the day, you may see some of these other species too, but the pandas are the focus. On the drive in, look out for the foothills rising suddenly from the flat farmland; on a clear day the ridges stand blue on the horizon and make a fine backdrop for photos at the centre gate.

Huyi Stop and a Shaanxi Lunch

Between Xi'an and the centre the route passes through Huyi, the old Huxian county town, known across China for its colourful farmer paintings and for good, simple Shaanxi cooking. Here our driver picks up your lunch: Qin-style rice noodles, served cold with chilli oil, vinegar and bean sprouts, and a stuffed flatbread, the crisp bun Xi'an calls its own sandwich. You eat at the centre so that no visiting time is lost.

Shaanxi has a long Hui Muslim heritage and halal (qingzhen) restaurants are everywhere in Xi'an, above all in the Muslim Quarter near the Drum Tower. If you eat only halal food, tell us when you book so we can advise on the lunch, and plan your dinner in the Muslim Quarter after you return in the late afternoon.

How to Get to the Qinling Panda Centre from Xi'an

How to get to the Qinling Giant Panda Research Centre is the question most visitors ask, because public transport is slow and signs are in Chinese. Taking a car is by far the easiest way: the drive takes about one hour and a half each way along expressways and country roads, and this trip includes the vehicle, driver and entrance ticket in one booking.

The day runs about seven hours. Pickup is in the morning, with times between 09:00 and 12:00 available in the booking panel; you are back in central Xi'an in the late afternoon, in time for the City Wall at sunset or an evening in the Muslim Quarter. The best time to visit is spring and autumn, when the weather is mild and pandas are active outdoors; in the heat of July and August many animals rest in air-conditioned indoor halls, which are still easy to view.