1.

Giant Pandas

Giant Panda Cubs

Giant pandas are unique to China and are China's most popular rare animal by far. They look cuddly.
Chengdu's number one tourist attraction are the pandas, and the four best places to see giant
pandas in China are around Chengdu in four breeding and research places.

If you want to get close to them and interact, we can arrange that as part of our Giant Panda
Volunteer Program or on a private visit with us.

2. Red Pandas

A red panda

Red pandas are a little bigger than cats, and they too are endangered. They are found in central
China and Himalayan areas of other countries. They are also found in the same habitat, but they are
shy and not easily seen in the wild.

Other than Chinese zoos, the best places to watch them up close is at the giant panda centers around
Chengdu. They are not commonly seen in foreign zoos.
3. Chinese Giant Salamanders

A giant salamander on  Cat Mountain

These are truly big amphibians. They look like big lizards like Komodo dragons, but they are not
reptiles. They can breathe underwater. They can also live on land!

They are the biggest species of giant salamanders, and bigger than the Japanese giant salamander.
They have bizarre behaviors, can live longer than 60 years, grow to almost 2 meters or 6 feet in
length, and weigh close to 60 kilograms or 130 pounds.

4. Tibetan Macaques

Tibetan macaques in Zhangjiajie

Tibetan macaques are found almost solely in Tibet and central and southern China, though they have
been seen in eastern India.

These are the largest breed of macaques in the world. Males commonly attain a weight of 13 to 19
kilograms (29 to 42 pounds) and are larger than females.

The best places to see Tibetan macaques in China are conveniently in some of China's most famous
scenic areas not far from big tourist cities. Monkey Valley in The Yellow Mountains Scenic Area is the
best place with troops of Tibetan macaques. It is the only place in China where observing monkeys in
the wild is specially arranged for tourists.
5. Golden Snub-Nosed Monkeys

A Golden Monkey

These are a smaller monkey species than the macaques that are only found in mountains in central
and southwestern China. They are distinctive because of their gold-colored hair and because they are
known as the primate species that live in the coldest climate. They are a national treasure.

They are also endangered, and except for a few zoos in Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan, the only
place to see them is in Chinese zoos or parks. An excellent place to go is the Yunnan Golden Monkey
National Park that is between the Yangtze and Mekong rivers. Our special 6-Day Shangri-La
Adventure Tour does just that.

6. Siberian Tigers

Siberian Tigers at Harbin Siberian Tiger Park

Siberian tigers are the biggest of the big cats and the largest breed of tigers. They were almost extinct
in the 1930s, but now there are about 600 in the wild in Russia and another 30 or so in the wild in
China. Chinese zoos and Siberian tiger breeding centers such as Harbin Siberian Tiger Park have been
successful in breeding them, and now there are thousands of them in captivity.

China's big safari parks and zoos are the best places to see them in the world since they have so
many of them along with other species of big cats.
8. Amur leopard

The Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is a leopard subspecies native to the Primorye region
of southeastern Russia and northern China. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
In 2007, only 19–26 wild leopards were estimated to survive in southeastern Russia and northeastern
China.[1] It was considered as one of the rarest cats on Earth.[3]