Chengdu
Hometown of Pandas
Jiuzhaigou
Famous Fairyland
Emeishan
Sacred Buddhist Site
Leshan
Giant Buddha
Gonggashan
Best for Hiking
Daocheng Yading
Shangri La Views
Dujiangyan
Irrigation System
Siguniangshan
Eastern Alps
Some locations by different panda habitats require more driving and waiting while some locations require walking. It is better upi are physically fit for such trip esepcially if you choose to do the trekking up. You will also need good and strong cameras and lens, including a binocular, or a thermal scan. You are also recommended to stay strong mentally for expectation of not seeing a panda and for the frustration.
Make sure you are physically fit for a wild panda searching trip in order to do the long wait and/or hard walks everyday for multiple days. Train yourself before the trip. Prepare the right rainproof for yourself and for your gears. Prepare for wet and muddy conditions. Prepare medicines for any minor ailments.
Make sure you have sufficient batteries/memories for your camera. A pair of binoculars are essential. You will waste a lot of time if you don't have a pair of binoculars. They are the most crucial equipment you should bring for a wild panda trip. Drones are also helpful. If you want to maximize your chance of seeing/photographing pandas in the wild, bring a strong drone. You may question the feasibility of using a drone in a forest but some place it is quite open that you can use drones to scan/search for pandas and under lucky conditions even making vedios of pandas if seeing one.
This is not a recommendation to comfort you when you don't see a panda. Being mentally strong will help you to deal with frustrations when you don't see a panda in the wild. All things add up to very big hardship: exotic food you may not like, uncomfortable sleeping conditions, days of seach for nothing, etc. When you know you are committed and mentally prepared, you will have the energy and stay prepared to raise your binoculars and cameras at any moment in the trip, to catch the precious moment as short as 20 seconds or less to see/photograph a panda in the wild when it shows up. The window of a panda is shown/seen in the wild during searching is very short as short as 5 seconds. You are recommended to be ready to face your commitment by motivate yourself everyday by following closely behind a local guide and be ready in 2 seconds to take photos at any circumstances.
