This 4-day tour is the ultimate panda tour specially designed for panda fans with the best combination to see and do panda volunteer program in one trip!!! It means you’ll have twice opportunities to get up close to giant pandas both in Chengdu Panda Base and Dujiangyan Panda Base. You may wonder why cover two panda bases in one go, right? To see as many pandas as possible ranging from different ages - from the newborn tiny panda babies, sub-adult pandas, adult pandas to the elders, Chengdu Panda Base is the ideal one to go! But the panda base in Chengdu cannot provide a volunteer program yet. To have plenty time to volunteer with giant pandas, it is a better choice to head to Dujiangyan Panda Base, the nearest one outside Chengdu. Here, travelers can join the one-full day program to do the volunteer work to fulfill your panda dream!
Day 1 Chengdu Arrival
Flight / Train to Chengdu
Ni Hao! Welcome to Chengdu, the hometown of Giant Pandas. Upon arrival, your guide will meet and escort you to your hotel in Chengdu downtown in a private vehicle. The rest of today is free to explore the leisure city on your own.
Optional Activity: In the evening, you can enjoy a delicious dinner of Sichuan cuisine at a local restaurant.
The Typical Sichuan Cuisine - Chengdu Hotpot
Day 2 Chengdu (B, L)
Chengdu Panda Base - Wenshu Temple - Renmin Park - Jinli Old Street
This morning you will make a stirring visit to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding which is not only the most important panda scientific research center, but also dwelling home to more than 100 Giant Pandas. Walk at leisure through the bamboo framed paths, and closely observe giant pandas of different ages eating bamboos, playing with each other, tumbling, climbing trees, etc. Don't miss the chance to visit the most adorable panda cubs in the panda kindergartens. If you are lucky, you may be able to see the precious panda babies in the nursery rooms. There is also a very informative Panda Museum where you can learn more scientific facts about Giant Pandas. Next, you will be taken to a hidden spiritual Buddhist temple in hustling downtown Chengdu, Wenshu Temple, where you will marvel at the exquisite Buddhist architecture, soak in the reverent atmosphere, and wander on the temple’s peaceful paths.
Chengdu is famous throughout China for its relaxing and leisurely pace and lifestyle, which will be demonstrated by a visit to the City’s People's Park. Sit down, order a pot of Chinese tea, have a casual chat with your friends and watch locals indulging themselves in different kinds of folk entertainment - napping, playing mahjong, disco dancing, and giving neck massages! Next will be an impressive visit to the famous Jinli Old Street. Time will steal away as you quietly walk on the lively streets full of delicious local snacks, delicate artifacts, interesting folk shows, and other activities.
Optional activity: In the evening, watch a wonderful performance of Sichuan Opera which includes folk opera, face changing, fire spitting, rolling lights, and other delightful entertainment (usually performs at 20:00~21:30).
Mama and Baby of Panda
Buddhist Monk at Wenshu Monastery
Enjoy A Cup of Tea at Renming Park
Day 3 Chengdu - Dujiangyan Panda Volunteer - Chengdu (B, L)
Round Trip to Dujiangyan Panda Base for Full Day Volunteer Program
In the early morning, our guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel in Chengdu around 07:00 am and drive 1.5 hours to Dujiangyan Panda Base to fulfill your once-in-lifetime panda volunteer work.
Arrive at Dujiangyan Panda Base around 08:30 am. Learn the safety announcement and sign the security agreement. Put on work clothes and gloves, wear volunteer pass card before go to the work place. You will be led by experienced keepers and told matters needed attention. The program usually include:Volunteers involve in panda volunteer work, including carrying out old bamboos, picking up droppings, cleaning up panda enclosures, carrying in fresh bamboos leaves and shoots, etc.
Take a visit to other panda enclosures, walk around the panda base for more giant pandas and red pandas. You may see them sitting on the grass, climbing trees, playing together and even fighting. Bring out your camera to take awesome photos and videos about them.
Have lunch with the staff and other volunteers in the restaurant and take a short break.
Watch a panda documentary that shows the scientific facts about the endangered species, to understand how humans protect them and how we may live in harmony with them.
Volunteers can personally prepare food for the pandas and also make the panda cake.
After the full day’s panda volunteer experience, you’ll get the panda volunteer certificate and souvenirs. Before you leave, catch the last moment to say goodbye to the lovely creatures. Later, your guide and driver will escort you to your hotel in Chengdu.
Clean panda enclosures & carry bamboos
Clean panda enclosures & observe pandas
Day 4 Chengdu Departure (B)
Flight / Train off Chengdu
After breakfast, seize the last moment to explore this leisure city on your own. After that, you'll be driven to Chengdu airport / train stations for your next destination. Service ends.
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1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2023.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 6.85. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.
Hi Wonder,
We are safely back in Guangzhou. Wonderful experience. All the planned events were highlights and the little extra side trips were a plus. Thank you for all your careful planning.
Hi Leo,
This is a very short customised arrangement during which the China border is not fully opened yet.
China Discovery charges a premium though, but it delivered without fail.
The VOA is very new to even the custom officers who were on duty when I cleared the immigration check at Shenzhen as well as the HK side. I must say that the agent did his professional service by always on the call to allow on-site changes of my arrival time because immigration clearance was so unpredictable. I can be assured that someone is just outside the arrival hall to pick me up and, I could tell the immigration officer that my local contact person is just waiting outside to pick me once I am cleared with this new procedure.
It is always safer to have a local contact to guide you and make arrangements for your local transfer when language ( Cantonese instead of Mandarin) is a problem in China .
Thx for the service . Thx to Matt too.
Rgds
Rita,
thank you for your arrangement. The tour and logistics were really good. We are very happy and look forward to the next trip in China with your company.
Dear Jack,
I have tried to leave the following review with tripadvisor several times now but somehow it is not accepted, I do not know why.
"Just back from our 9-day trip to Yunnan, long planned and waited for. It was our second time with China Discovery Tours. Once again they tailored the tour according to our ideas and interests - and succeeded in surprising us! Thanks to the local guides we learned a lot about history, traditions and customs, and, of course, food. We always felt in safe hands and the organization was just perfect with enough on spot flexibility. Big thanks to Jack who figured it all out so well and to the next time with China Discovery! Johannes (GER) & Elizabeth (GRC)"
Thanks again for an excellent trip, best regards, Johannes&Elizabeth
Hi Jack!
It's was great, we loved it! Our tour guide Frank was very kind, informative, and funny :) We loved how easy it was and how much we got to see in a day, I will definitely recommend to our friends!
We are one of the few China travel agencies who have kept active and received lots of feedbacks and reviews during pandemic years
"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.
Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.
Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!
After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.
Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.
We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.
Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.
Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.
Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!
Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!
Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.
Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!
In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!
The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.
If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.
Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.
We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.
The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.
There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.
All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!
Chengdu Hotpot
Mama and Baby of Panda
Wenshu Monastery Monk
Enjoy Tea at Renmin Park
Dujiangyan Panda Volunteer Work
Dujiangyan Panda Volunteer Work
The above arrangements will be adjusted according to the specific situations and the volunteer program may be delayed or inaccessible by inevitable requirements, control, and Force Majeure like earthquakes, epidemic...
Being a volunteer, you should apply it at least a week (usually 10 days) in advance with your Application Form and Health Examination Form.
(a) Health Examination Form: To do the panda volunteer program at Dujiangyan Panda Base, you need to have a valid Health Examination Form (valid medical certificate and signature which could be applied in your country or in China). Feel free to contact our travel consultant for more information or let them register for you. (This form is to ensure that you are not carrying the infectious diseases or other illnesses which endanger the health of pandas.)
(b) Age & Number Limitations: The center can accept up to 50 volunteers (aged between 10 and 70) at any one time.
(c) Avoid Using Strong Smell: For pandas have keen sense of smell, volunteers should avoid using perfume or other odorous articles like mosquito repellent liquid, nail polish, skin care products, makeups, etc. on the volunteer work day.
(d) Dressing Code: During the panda volunteer program, you are required to wear comfortable shoes, like sports shoes, that are suitable for the work. Try to avoid sandals, slippers, high-heels, and so on. Besides, wear trousers, avoid shorts and skirts, etc. (during the program, the panda base will provide working jumpsuits in spring and winter, and T-shirts in summer and autumn for you.)
(e) Healthy Bodies: To well protect giant pandas, volunteers are required to be healthy, and people who are suffering from illness, like a cold, fever, influenza, and other infectious diseases are not suitable to do the panda volunteer programs.
Essentially Speaking, the panda volunteer program belongs to panda conservation project designed with different kinds of activities to take care of giant pandas. During the full day volunteering, travelers need to involve in some physical work, like clean up the dirty enclosures, sweep panda droppings, break bamboo to prepare food for pandas, use your hands to make panda cakes...It will be physical demanding and somewhat tiring.
| Panda Base | Volunteer Length | Distance from Chengdu | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dujiangyan Panda Base | 1 day | 62 kilometers (1-1.5 hours) | the closest panda base from Chengdu; over 40 pandas live here. |
| Bifengxia Panda Base | 1 day / 3 days or longer | 155 kilometers (2.5-3 hours) | awesome site to do volunteer program for 3 days or more; over 40 pandas live here. |
| Shenshuping Panda Base | 1 day | 100 kilometers (2 hours) | located in Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries in primitive environment; the largest breeding center for giant pandas; over 30 pandas live here. |
| Hetaoping Panda Base | 1 day | 120 kilometers (2.5 hours) | the only base to attend Red Panda volunteer program. |
(a) For panda lovers who have very limited time in Chengdu, it is recommended to visit Chengdu Panda Base which is located in the northeast of Chengdu suburb with 30 minutes’ drive. Travelers can see nearly 120 giant pandas & baby pandas, as well as 76 red pandas. (PS: No panda volunteer program is provided in this base.)
(b) To experience the one-day volunteering work, you’d better go to Dujiangyan Panda Base which is chosen by 80% - 90% volunteers.
(c) If you want to experience something different in a relatively primitive environment, Shenshuping Panda Base or Bifengxia Panda Base is a good choice to do the volunteer program.
Every year during March to May, the pandas would seek for other pandas to mate by climbing the trees and fighting. In the late summer and autumn, they give birth to baby pandas and travelers can see the little cute being taken care in the Sunshine Nursery. If you want to see the active scene of giant pandas, come in spring. While to see the newborn pink baby pandas, it is recommended to visit Chengdu during August to September.
Besides the pandas bases in Sichuan Province, travelers can pay visits to see the adorable giant pandas in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Guilin, Guangzhou, and more cities of China. No matter is your first-trip to China with a few destinations, or your in-depth visit to see giant pandas, just feel free to tell us your ideas and likes, our professional travel experts will customize the China PANDA tour for you!
Dujiangyan
Dujiangyang Panda Base, Mount Qingcheng, Dujiangyan Irrigation System
Chengdu / Bifengxia Panda Base / Chengdu
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