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4-Day Wolong In-Depth Panda Tour

Discover the Habitat of Wild Pandas

4-Day Wolong In-Depth Panda Tour

Compared with Dujiangyan, Wolong Panda Center is much further away from Chengdu but is less crowded. Besides, Wolong National Nature Reserve is considered to be the real hometown of wild pandas.

Panda Volunteer
Wolong Panda Base night tour is not available now, the reopening time is TBA.

Tour Highlights

  • Observe the pandas' acts in the staff-only control room.
  • Enjoy private and peaceful moments with the pandas in the evening.
  • Explore the habitat of wild pandas with Tibetan guide.
  • Make panda cakes with your own hands.
  • Receive a unique certificate proving your love for pandas.

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Suggested Itinerary

Day 1 Chengdu Arrival

Your tour guide will be waiting in the arrivals hall of the airport with a nameplate and a welcoming smile. You will be transferred to your hotel by a private car and driver, and your tour guide will help you check-in and ensure everything is okay at the hotel.

Hotel options:
Lia! Chengdu Hotel
Shangri-la Hotel Chengdu

Day 2 Wild Wolong

It takes about three hours to drive the 120 km (75 miles) between Chengdu and Wolong.

A Short Break in Earthquake Memorial Site (½ Hour)

For a rest and to break up the long drive, you'll stop at the 2008 Earthquake Memorial Site, which is located at the ruins of Xuankou Middle School. You will feel introspective at this dark tourism site, which is both sobering and educational.

A Safari in the Wild Pandas' Backyard with a Tibetan Guide (2½ Hours)

Have a simple local lunch at about 11:30am and meet your guide for the day. To ensure authenticity and safety, we've been cooperating with a local Tibetan family who have been devoted to protecting the habitat for a long time.

The gorge is an authentic natural habitat for wild giant pandas as well as other wild and rare animals, such as white-lipped deer and red pandas. The well-paved hiking trail is 5 kilometers (3 miles) long and the hike takes about 2–3 hours.

If you're lucky, you will find evidence of wild giant pandas with the help of our knowledgeable and sensitive guide.

Dengsheng gorge Dengsheng gorge
Learn from local Tibetan guide Learn from local Tibetan guide

Visit the Staff-Only Control Room and Have an Evening Date with Pandas (2 Hours)

After dinner in the canteen at Wolong Panda Center, enter the staff-only control room in the breeding area. If you visit the base in late summer, you will be able to observe mother pandas and their babies via monitors, and learn more about them from the panda keepers.

Pay a nighttime visit to see the cute pandas without tourists and other noises, under the guidance of a panda keeper and your guide. We will arrange an overnight room for you in the hostel that's outside the panda center.

Observe pandas' acts in the stuff-only control room Observe pandas' acts in the stuff-only control room
Enjoy evening date with pandas without tourist and noise Enjoy evening date with pandas without tourist and noise
Day 3 Panda Volunteer Experience

Arrive at Wolong Panda Center at 8:30am so that your day as a panda keeper can begin. During the program, you will learn more about this endangered species and help to take care of pandas under the guidance of experienced staff.

Morning Cleaning

You will need to clean the panda enclosures then sweep out the leftovers and replace them with fresh bamboo, as well as clean out the feces. You will watch a keeper to feed a panda at a very close distance. Take a break and tour around the panda base. Our guides are veritable panda lovers — they are familiar with the base and know a lot about pandas. Some of them have even hosted live cam feeds about pandas on Facebook and YouTube.

Panda kindergarten of the base Panda kindergarten of the base

Afternoon Keeper's Activities 

Have a lunch in the canteen with the base stuffs and enjoy a special documentary movie about a panda's life cycle .

Later you will make cake for pandas with your own hands and cut the bamboo leaves into pieces for the old pandas . At the end of the program you will receive a panda keeper certificate.

The program ends at around 2:30 pm, when you will begin the drive back to Chengdu. You'll reach your hotel at around 4 pm.

Clean panda's enclosure Clean panda's enclosure
Get a certificate Get a certificate
Day 4 Chengdu Departure

After breakfast at the hotel, the tour wraps up with a transfer to the airport by private car and driver. Your tour guide will escort you to check-in and will wave goodbye at the security check point. It's time to say goodbye to the pandas' home province.

Trip Notes

All keeper programs in the area are flexible and can be customized.

This tour is very flexible. You can alter the itinerary, and extend or shorten it to suit your schedule.

For example, you can attend all the panda keeper programs (for giant pandas, red pandas, and panda cubs) during your Wolong trip.

Tour Price

FromCNY 5432/ USD 845p/p Based on a private tour for 2 people. Price varies depending on program, travel date, number of people and chosen hotel

Price includes:

  • Private air-conditioned business car with big windows and ample space
  • English speaking local guide
  • Activities, hotels, and meals listed in the itinerary
  • 24/7 helpline for while you are traveling

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