The Shenshuping panda base at Gengda is where visitors actually see pandas. Rebuilt after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake destroyed the original facility, it holds pandas in large enclosures on the forested hillside and runs the captive breeding and release-training programme that is the reserve's core work.

The Balang Mountain road, climbing over 4,000 metres above the reserve, is the wildlife highlight for many visitors. Its alpine meadows and scrub hold blue sheep, Chinese monal, snow partridge and Tibetan snowcock, and the flowering in June and July is spectacular.

The mid-altitude forest holds golden snub-nosed monkey troops, red panda — a genuinely possible sighting with patience — takin, and a long list of pheasants including golden and koklass.

The bamboo understory is where the giant pandas are, and guided walks explain the signs: chewed culms, distinctive droppings and scent-marked trees. Treat any actual sighting as extraordinary luck.

April to October is the practical season; the high road can close for snow, and the mountains are frequently in cloud.

Practicalities

Wolong is around three to four hours from Chengdu by road through the mountains, a route that has been repeatedly rebuilt after earthquakes and landslides. Altitude is a real consideration on the Balang road — ascend gradually.

If your priority is simply seeing pandas rather than their habitat, the bases nearer Chengdu are easier. Wolong is worth the extra journey for the mountains and the birds as much as for the bears.