Your tour - at a glance
Day 1 Pick you up in Chengdu
Your local guide and driver will pick you up at the airport / train station and send you to the hotel.
Day 2 Chengdu Tour & Pre-work Training of Volunteer at Bifengxia
You will visit Wuhou Temple to know about the famous story in the Three Kingdom period and Jinli Ancient Street to savor the antique flavor of old Chengdu. Then, transfer to Bifengxia to get the pre-work training about the volunteer program.
Day 3 Bifengxia Volunteer Program
Help clean panda’s enclosures, feed pandas, prepare panda food, watch panda documentary, etc.
Day 4 Bifengxia Volunteer Program
Do researches about giant pandas, clean panda’s enclosures, feed pandas, prepare panda food, watch panda documentary, etc.
Day 5 Bifengxia Volunteer Program & Back to Chengdu
Plant bamboos at the base, clean panda’s enclosures, feed pandas, prepare panda food, watch panda documentary, get certificate and souvenirs. Go back to Chengdu
Full Itinerary Day by Day
Day 1 Chengdu Arrival
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.
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The Typical Sichuan Cuisine - Chengdu Hotpot
Day 2 Chengdu Tour - Bifengxia Panda Base ( B, L )
After breakfast, start your sightseeing tour of Chengdu’s top attractions with your tour guide. You’ll first be driven to the Wuhou Temple, a cultural and historical relic dating back to the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280 AD). Follow your guide on a tour of the grounds and see the intricate architectural stylings of its front and interior gates, the Hall for Emperor Liu Bei, the Hall for Zhuge Liang and the Huiling Mausoleum.
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.
After that, you will be driven for about 2.5 hours to Bifengxia Panda Base to join in the pre-work training about your panda volunteer program. You will know how to do the daily work of the staff at the base, get the volunteer’s suit, gloves, passing card, and go through some relative procedures to get well preparation.
Stay overnight in Ya’an.
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Our dear guest strolling around Jinli Old Street
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Volunteer Service Center at Bifengxia Panda Base
Day 3 Bifengxia Panda Volunteer (B, L)
On this day, you will be transferred from your hotel to Bifengxia Panda Base, where you can see giant panda living happily in their real homeland city of Ya’an. Take your rare opportunity to start your meaningful first day of the 3 days giant panda volunteer activity and help protect them by your own contribution. Activities usually include:
Clean the enclosures of pandas, take out left-over bamboos, clean panda’s drops, and complete the task list.
Gather at the volunteer service center and enjoy your lunch together with staff in the dining hall. Then take a break or watch the science documentary about giant pandas.
Know about the recipe of panda cakes and prepare cakes for the giant panda with the help of the staff.
Your local guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel. Have a good sleep!
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Enjoy Time as A Panda Volunteer at Bifengxia Panda Base
Day 4 Bifengxia Panda Volunteer (B , L)
Good morning! After breakfast, you will visit the Bifengxia Panda Base again to continue your honorable panda volunteer program. Let’s start! You will also do some research about giant pandas and their poo poo to know more about their physical facts and feel the hardship of doing the research of wild population of pandas.
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Making cakes for the pandas
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Volunteer Cleaning Panda Enclosure in Bifengxia Panda Base
Day 5 Bifengxia Panda Volunteer - Back to Chengdu(B , L)
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Bifengxia Panda Base to enjoy the last day of your panda volunteer activity. Seize the last chance to closely watch giant pandas!
Observe the behaviors of giant pandas at the base and preliminarily learn the method of behavioral study.
Hand in the task list, and return your working suit, gloves, and card to the staff. Receive the panda volunteer’s certificate and souvenirs and have a group photo at the base to keep this good moment. Program ends!
Your local guide and driver will drive you back to Chengdu. Tour Ends!
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Volunteer Taking Out Old Bamboos at Bifengxia Panda Base
Trip Notes
1. The above arrangements will be adjusted according to the specific situations.
2. Requirements:
(a) Health Examination Form: Being a volunteer, you should apply it a week in advance with your Application Form and Health Examination Form (valid medical certificate and signature which could apply it in your country or in China). Interested people could feel free to contact our travel consultant for more information or let them register for you.
(b) Age & Number Limitations: The center can accept up to 40 volunteers at one time (only 20 volunteers once in July and August) and the age should be between 7 and 80.
(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) 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 have body contact with the giant pandas.
(e) Force Majeure: The panda volunteer program is to be delayed or inaccessible if there is Force Majeure like earthquakes, epidemic... Also, your program may be influenced by the inevitable requirement and control.
3. If you have got more questions and ideas, please feel free to contact our professional travel consultants.
Make an Inquiry for Free
Recommended Add-on Options
Travel Tips for Traveling China
Beijing Great Wall Hiking Tips
You need to pack some personal gears, such as light and comfortable walking shoes, outdoor coat
and pants.
You'd better also pack sun cream, sun glasses.
Tibet Travel Tips
1. A valid passport, a valid China visa and Tibet Permits are necessary documents for traveling
in Tibet.
2. In Tibet, we suggest you avoid strong activity; do not take shower at the first day; drink
more water
and avoid of alcohol; better not to take oxygen if your AMS symptoms are mild. Always remember
that
if you have any problems or feel uncomfortable, please tell your guide immediately or contact
our
travel consultant.
3. A windbreaker, a pair of durable and comfortable shoes, a down jacket (better with hat),
sunscreen
cream, sun block, skin cream and lip balm, sunglasses, medicine for urgent use.
Panda Volunteer in Chengdu
Chengdu Research Base of Panda Breeding is only available to see giant pandas. If you are interested in
giant panda volunteer experience, please extend to Dujiangyan Panda Base, Wolong Shenshuping
Panda
Base or Ya'an Bifengxia Panda Base instead.
High Speed Train Experience
Taking high speed train to travel around China will be unique and special experience for you.
Instead
of taking flight, you can take high speed train from Beijing to Xian/Xian to Beijing, Chengdu
to
Chongqing, Yichang to Shanghai/Shanghai to Yichang, etc. All are within comfortable traveling
time
to reach the destinations. If you are interested, please feel free to ask our travel
consultants
to arrange high speed train for you.
Practical Info about Traveling with Us
Restaurant & Food
Vegetarian food Requirement
Vegetarian food in Chinese cuisine culture is usually divided into 3 categories: the Monastery
Vegetarian
Food, the Court Vegetarian Food and the Folk Vegetarian Food. And the main ingredients are:
soybean,
taro powder, mushrooms, fresh vegetables and tofu (bean curd). It will be easier to find the
vegetarian
restaurants in big cities of china, such as: Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, HK, etc.
If allergic to some food
We suggest you to list any food or ingredients that you are allergic to and let our travel
consultant
know. Then your travel consultant will mark them in the guide’s itinerary, so that our guides
in
different cities can make some preparations and arrangements in advance.
Do our guide and driver join the meal with us?
The tour guides and driver will be at the same restaurants with you, but they will only join the
meal
when you invite. Sometimes the drivers are shy to join as they usually eat fast and could not
understand
English talk around the table, so the guide will be with you more often.
Will we be able to try some local foods during our visit?
Yes, you will. 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, if you
are
interested in local food tasting. But remember, some local snacks may not match your stomach,
so
ask your guided for more information before eating.
Shopping
What to buy in China?
In China, there are myriads of souvenirs for visitors, and each city has its own specialty.
Some of the best buys are:
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Beijing: Cloisonné; Fresh water pearls
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Xi'an: Replicas of the Terra Cotta soldiers; Tangsancai (Tang Dynasty hand
painted China);
Antique Furniture
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Shanghai: Silk carpets
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Hangzhou: Longjing Tea; Silk
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Suzhou: Silk
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Guilin: Scroll paintings; China Southern Sea Pearls
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Yunnan: Mounted Butterflies; Pure tea; Dali Batik (tie-dyed fabric)
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Xinjiang: Carpets; jade articles
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Tibet: Thang-ka(tanka)(Sheep skin wall hangings)
How to bargain?
Bargains are not acceptable in big supermarkets and department stores. But in some night markets
or tourist
shops, you can bargain for a lower price, since the vendors always ask for very high price for
a
certain item. You’d better ask the opinion of the guide first, and then the guide will tell you
the
real value and quality of the item. Please note that when the bargain is processing, the guide
will
be hesitate to help as it may annoy the bosses. Just try to let the guides know you will
bargain
in advance.
What to do with persistent vendors?
If you do not need something from them, just do not ask for price. Some of the venders are very
persisted,
and if they keep selling things to you, you can simply say “No, thanks.” (Chinese
pronunciation:
”Bu, XieXie”). If they do not give up, you just keep silence. Silence is sometimes useful to
handle
this situation.
More Tips for free-time shopping
- 1. If you think you have no desire or interest, you do not feel embarrassed to let our
guide know
DIRECTLY (since some of our guides are enthusiastic in taking you shopping)
- 2. Better to choose the shops run by the state when buying expensive articles.
- 3. Do not shop everything in one city, because every place has its unique local products
which worth
buying.
- 4. Do not feel obligate to buy anything only because the shop attendants are very kind to
you.
- 5. Be smart consumers. Do not spend big money on things you are not familiar with. Do ask
for shop
guarantee, contacts and certificates when purchasing big items like antiques, jade, arts
pieces.
- 6. Leave plenty of time for transactions. When you see something you like - buy it.
Usually, you
would not find it elsewhere and you would not have time to go back.
- 7. Always verify the date of antiques before you purchase them. Antiques dated before 1795
cannot
legally be exported.
- 8. Articles made from rare wild animals are contraband and will be confiscated by customs
without
compensation.
Private tour & Group Tour
A: Private tours
- 1. Private guide, driver and vehicle are for your exclusive use; no matter you are
individually,
or in a family or friends group. The tour is run exclusively for you without strangers.
- 2. Every itinerary can be customized to meet your specific interests/ wishes, that is, you
can choose
your favored hotels, sightseeing spots, the tour length, means of transportation, budget,
etc.
All are free of charge.
- 3. Start the tour on any date you want.
- 4. Escort you through the whole tour. All private transfers during the tour are offered,
including
airport/train station transfer, hotel-attractions round trip transfer.
- 5. The sightseeing during the tour could be based on your own timetable and pace. Flexible
to change
at your short notice.
- 6. Ideal for people who need considerate care and assistance, such as elderly, the
disabled, families
with small children.
B: Group tours
- 1. Low Price;
- 2. Share a guide and driver;
- 3. Share a clean, safe and air-conditioned vehicle;
- 4. Good chance for you to meet and make friends from all over the world;
- 5. Tour date is fixed and unchangeable.
Emergency calls
Call your guide, or if you can’t find your guide, call your travel consultant or our office
immediately.
All the phone numbers include in our confirmation letter. Keep the letter with your during your
trip.
Note: As our Beijing office is using the different guide arranging system, so
we will not
be able to provide the Beijing guide information until the day before you arrival, but once we
have
it, we will email you immediately.