Can you see pandas at Everland?

Panda World at Everland

Panda World opened inside the park on 21 April 2016, according to Samsung C&T, the park's operator. When the first pandas settled in, the company said the area was open to all Everland visitors at no extra charge. That was the position in 2016, so check the current arrangements before you go. Wikipedia lists the pandas under the park's Zootopia zone, the animal area that also holds the safari rides. Panda World is therefore part of a day at the park, not a separate attraction with its own gate.

Ai Bao and Le Bao

Samsung C&T says the two adult pandas came from the Sichuan Dujiangyan Panda Habitat in China. Le Bao is the male and Ai Bao the female. Their names come from the Chinese name for Everland: Ai Bao means an adorable treasure and Le Bao means a treasure that gives pleasure. They are the pair at the centre of the story. Their first cub, Fu Bao, was born at the park in 2020, and in 2023 Ai Bao gave birth to twin daughters, as Wikipedia records.

Fu Bao, the cub who made Panda World famous

Fu Bao was born at Everland on 20 July 2020. Samsung C&T describes her as the first giant panda conceived and born by natural means in Korea. Wikipedia adds that her popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic doubled the number of visitors to Panda World. She left the park on 3 April 2024 for the Shenshuping Panda Base in Sichuan Province, in the Wolong National Nature Reserve. About 6,000 fans gathered at Panda World for the farewell. She is no longer at Everland, and no booking can bring her back.

The twins, Rui Bao and Hui Bao

Rui Bao and Hui Bao were born at Everland on 7 July 2023 to Ai Bao and Le Bao. The Korea Times reported in July 2026 that they had turned three and that Everland said it would keep monitoring their health and work with Chinese authorities to decide when they are transferred. The paper added that overseas-born pandas must move to China before reaching breeding age. A July 2026 report in Asia Economy said that, because of the pandas' health, they may be returned this winter, and that Everland said there had been no talks about postponing their return. Those are the facts as reported. Treat them as a reason not to plan a visit around seeing the twins.

Why the line-up changes

Giant pandas in other countries are on loan from China, and Samsung C&T says so in its farewell piece for Fu Bao. Wikipedia traces the system to 1984, when China moved from gifting pandas to leasing them, and says cubs born during a lease are the property of China. Its article on Fu Bao adds that cubs born to loaned pairs must be relocated to China within four years. The result is a changing cast. The park will always be a theme park first, with pandas as one part of it.

The lease behind Ai Bao and Le Bao

Asia Economy reported in July 2026 that Ai Bao and Le Bao came to Korea in 2016 on a 15-year lease that requires their return to China by March 2031. It quotes Everland as saying there was never a condition in the contract exempting repatriation or extending the lease after three births, and it describes online rumours to the contrary as false. The same report says cubs born under the lease must return to China before the age of four. A cub born at the park in June 2026 is covered by that rule too.

Where Panda World fits in a day

Panda World sits in Zootopia, the zone Wikipedia describes as an animal-themed area with a small zoo. The same zone holds the safari rides, where VisitKorea says you can see predators such as lions and tigers, and the Amazon Express raft ride. A day built around animals can therefore start and end in one part of the park. The rides and gardens in the other zones are a separate decision, and the zone guide on this site sets them out one by one.

Read next: The five zones of Everland

What the pandas eat

Wikipedia's article on the giant panda says about 99 per cent of its diet is bamboo. Samsung C&T said in 2016 that it provides 15 to 20 kg of bamboo a day, plus snacks such as nutrient-rich bread, apples and carrots, and that the bamboo is delivered regularly from Hadong, in South Gyeongsang province. That explains why the enclosures in the photographs on this page are planted with bamboo. A panda's food is a daily supply job for the park, and a visit can include a look at how the animals are fed.

Queues and the Q-Pass

Panda World is a popular stop, but this guide has no source for waiting times there, so it gives none. What Klook sells is the Q-Pass, an attraction fast-track in A and B groups with conditional cancellation. If pandas are your reason for going, open the booking page and check whether Panda World is in the group you are considering. Do not buy a Q-Pass on the assumption that it is, and remember that a pass for a busy period is a different thing from a promise about your own day.

Read next: How to get to Everland from Seoul

Booking so the pandas do not decide the trip

The All-Day Pass can be cancelled free of charge before you redeem it, which gives you room to change your mind. If a notice from the park changes what you expect to see, you can cancel before the day and decide again. The better plan is to treat the pandas as a bonus. The park also holds a safari bus ride, five themed zones and gardens, and a visit is worth booking only if some of that appeals to you as well.

Who this isn't for

If you want to see one particular panda, this is the wrong plan, because the residents change and a cub can leave when its lease terms require. If pandas are all you want, a full theme park ticket may be more than you need. And if you dislike crowds, remember that Wikipedia says Fu Bao's fame doubled visits to Panda World, which is a sign of how popular the pandas can be. The park gives no assurance about who is on show on a given day.