Giant Panda conservation & holiday in China
| country: | China |
| location: | Sichuan |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | 2008: 6 Jul, 20 Jul, 3 Aug, 14 Sep 2009: 1 Mar, 5 Apr, 10 May, 7 Jun, 5 Jul, 2 Aug, 16 Aug, 30 Aug |
| price: | From £825 (15 days) excluding flights, plus donation £105 and local payment US $265. We can arrange flights from the UK |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Get up close to these black and white beauties - a symbol of endangered species throughout the world.
For lovers of wildlife, your days spent at the sanctuary will offer a thrill that you'll remember for a lifetime. Your onward travels through China are equally impressive - visiting the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, and the chance to cycle through some stunning scenery, will make you want to return to China again and again.
For lovers of wildlife, your days spent at the sanctuary will offer a thrill that you'll remember for a lifetime. Your onward travels through China are equally impressive - visiting the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, and the chance to cycle through some stunning scenery, will make you want to return to China again and again.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Beijing: Arrival day. |
| Day 2: | Beijing: A day at the Great Wall with a 3-5 hour hike along one of the less visited sections. |
| Day 3: | Beijing - Xi'an : Visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Overnight train to Xi'an. |
| Day 4: | Xi'an : Morning excursion to the Terracotta Warriors. Free afternoon to explore the Great Mosque and other sights. |
| Day 5: | Xi'an - Chengdu : Free time until the overnight train to Chengdu. |
| Day 6: | Chengdu - Woolong: We arrive Chengdu in morning then drive up into mountains, to Woolong Giant Panda Conservation Centre where we will be based for the next 4 nights. |
| Day 7-9: | Woolong: Assist staff with their regular duties. These may include cleaning out cages, feeding or playtime - but whatever they are, you can be sure of close contact with these adorable animals. |
| Day 10: | Woolong - Chengdu: Return to Chengdu. Free day. |
| Day 11: | Chengdu - Yangshuo: Fly from Chengdu to Guilin and transfer to Yangshuo, a picturesque town set amidst stunning karst scenery. |
| Day 12: | Yangshuo: Enjoy an optional bike ride in the countryside, take a lesson in tai chi or Chinese, or shop for local handicrafts. |
| Day 13: | Yangshuo - Guangzhou: Free time before we return to Guilin to catch the overnight train to Guangzhou. |
| Day 14: | Guangzhou: Arrive in Guangzhou and transfer to our hotel. The rest of the day is free to explore this cosmopolitan city. |
| Day 15: | Guangzhou: Tour ends. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Due to human encroachment, both the numbers of the giant pandas and their habitat have diminished significantly. They are now one of the most endangered animals in the world. By joining this tour you can assist the Wolong Panda Centre with their primary goal - to protect the Giant Panda and their habitat. This tour is one of a range of volunteer style tours that we offer. Others include community work, working with elephants or even cloud forest conservation. And it's not just the volunteer tours where we make a difference, but in our whole range of tours.
We employ both local and western tour leaders throughout the countries we tour in. All our guides are locally employed and we work with local agents and small family run hotels and businesses wherever we can. In each of our major destinations we have adopted at least one Responsible Travel Project to support. In China not only are we assisting the Panda Centre but we also support the Kind Heart Schools Programme where funds are used to cover the educational costs for children who would otherwise not be able to afford to study. We practice a responsible way of travelling and all our tour leaders will provide a briefing about this when you arrive on tour, covering topics such as littering, appropriate dress and behaviour, and information about any projects we are working on in the destination. We expect our travellers to respect these guidelines and join in with responsible attitude to travel. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |