Dujiangyan Panda Keeper Tour - 1 Day
From: US$120 p/p

7:00-8:30 am

In the morning, your guide will pick you up from your hotel in Chengdu. Take a 1.5-hour car ride to the Dujiangyan Panda Base.

8:30 am

Arrive at the Dujiangyan Panda Base and sign up with the assistance of your guide. Get a uniform, gloves, and a volunteer’s card. Your guide will introduce you to the professional panda keepers. The panda keepers can speak simple English but your guide will be there for you at all times, helping to translate and taking memorable photos of you with the lovable pandas.

9:00-10:00 am

Clean the panda enclosures. Panda keepers need to supply fresh bamboo to these national treasures three times a day. The pandas usually eat only 30% of the bamboo, wasting 70% of it. You will need to sweep out the leftovers and replace it with fresh bamboo, as well as clean out the feces.

10:00-11:00 am

Take a break and tour around the panda base. There are about 10 pandas in the base and some of them were born abroad, including the most popular Tai Shan and Bao Bao, who arrived from the U.S. Have a relaxing walk in the well-paved base and listen to the legendary stories of these pandas. You will also have a chance to meet four naughty red pandas.

11:00-11:30 am

Feed panda! Pandas are supplied with panda cakes, apples, and carrots four times a day. Panda keepers will show you how to feed panda with your own hands at very close distance.

11:30-13:00 pm

Have lunch and a rest. A simple Chinese lunch is included in the panda keepers’ canteen. Usually there are two meat dishes and one vegetable dish. Rice and porridge are also provided. It is highly recommended for you to prepare some snacks in case you do not like the food there. After lunch, you can walk around to continue exploring or have a rest in the volunteer office or the resting room, where benches are provided.

13:00-14:00 pm

Watch a panda movie. You will see a special documentary about cute panda’s daily life and know more about panda caring.

14:00-14:20 pm

Feed panda with fresh bamboo, panda cakes and apples. It is the second chance to have an intimate communication with pandas.

14:20-15:30 pm

Make panda cakes. Having fed the pandas with panda cakes, aren’t you curious as to how they are made? It is time to make some panda cakes with your own hands. The ingredients will be prepared in advance. Get creative about the shapes of the cakes.

15:30-4:00 pm

Get a certificate. The volunteer work ends here and you will receive a certificate for this unforgettable day. Say goodbye to the pandas you take care of. Your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel in Chengdu and you will arrive at around 5:30pm.

Note:

1.The above schedule is for reference. Sometimes it will be adjusted according to health condition of the pandas.

2.The maximum number of participants is 20 for the Panda Keeper Program each day, so please book at least 15 days in advance.

3. Booking Panda Keeper Program

As the first tour company in China to operate the program, China Highlights has developed stable relationship with the Dujiangyan Panda Base. Sometimes the program is subject to change due to force majeure. Usually we are able to get the first-hand information that is very helpful for your tour arrangement. Your early booking is also useful to guarantee the availability of the program. Sometimes the activities listed in the description will be adjusted according to health condition of the pandas. Hope customers can understand this.

If your time is limited, you can only join the activities in the morning. The price is the same.

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

Physical Examination Record is required for panda keeper program application. Please click the link below to download the form. Feel free to contact our 1:1 travel expert for any questions.

4.Age Limit

The age restriction of volunteer is between 12 to 65 years old. Even though the pandas look harmless, they are carnivores. Parents must ensure that they prevent their children from coming into direct contact with the pandas. The cost for children of 12 years old and above is the same as the cost for adults. If your children are between 0–11 years old, you can still take them with you during the program. The children can not enter the room where the panda cage is. Your guide will help to take care of them.

5.Dress code

To protect yourself when carrying bamboo, please do not wear short pants or slippery footwear.

Also, pandas have a very keen sense of smell. As you will get very close to them during the tour, please do not wear perfume or nail polish. Our sincere thanks for your extra care and respect towards the pandas.

6.Transportation and Suggestions

If you need to catch a flight or train after the program, flights departing after 8 pm or trains departing after 7 pm are recommended. For international flights, flights after 9 pm are suggested. If your flight or train leaves earlier than the recommended times above, you may need to skip some arrangements in the afternoon and head earlier to the airport or train station.