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Tracking Giant Panda holiday in China

country:China
location:Sichuan 
departures:This trip can be tailor made all through the year and can be adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary
price:From €1400 (9 days) excluding flights, based on four people travelling (€1700 based on 2 people). Price includes all activities and accommodation as per itinerary, all meals, all local transport including airport transfers, English-speaking guide.
vouchers:Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
 
the amazing things you'll be doing
Although most people associate Giant Pandas with China’s Sichuan Province, the natural habitat of the Panda extends far into the bamboo groves of central China. Different from seeing these adorable animals in the zoo, it is definitely a once-in-a-life-time experience of tracking Giant Pandas in the wild at Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi Province.

Then we move on to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. Here we will be guaranteed to see the panda in China’s biggest Panda Breeding Centre, and attend special programs hosted by the scientists of the centre.

Along the trip, we visit a few cultural sightseeing highlights, including the Terra Cotta Warriors and Leshan Giant Buddha, the biggest stone Buddha in the world.
day-by-day itinerary
Day 1:Drive from Xi’an to Qinling Panda Nature Reserve. Overnight at eco-lodge.
Day 2:Track wild panda in the forest with our expert. Overnight at eco-lodge.
Day 3:Continue tracking wild panda in the wild and visit the Wild Animal Rescue & Medical Care Center and Pheasant Breeding Center. Overnight at eco-lodge.
Day 4:Farewell to our expert and drive back to Xi’an. Visit Muslim Quarter and try dumpling tonight.
Day 5:Morning visit Terra Cotta Warrior; fly to Chengdu after lunch. Try the famous Chengdu snacks tonight.
Day 6:Visit Panda Breeding Center and meet scientists at Giant Panda Preservation Foundation. Visit Wuhou Shrine and shop at Jinli Street.
Day 7:Visit Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest stone Buddha in the world.
Day 8:Visit the local park to learn about the local people’s traditional lifestyle. Try vegetarian cuisine at a Buddhist temple. Handicraft street visit.
Day 9:Fly out of Chengdu to connect with your flight home. Trip ends.
how this holiday makes a difference
Community
We hire local guides and drivers in each destination we travel to, and more importantly, we hire park rangers in Qinling Panda Nature Reserve to guide our trekking in the mountains, and we pay panda experts in Chengdu Panda Breeding Center for them to give our clients a talk. Although China is developing very fast, the funds allocated to nature conservation is never enough to raise the living standards of the park rangers or scientists. By paying for their service, we will help to make sure they are more content with their work.

In the nature reserve, most of the food supplies came from the local village at the foot of the mountain, which will help the local farmers, as well as the farmer-run restaurants to make more money by not leaving their hometown. We require all food supplied is green, without using fertilizer or pesticides.

Along the trip, we arrange visits to shops which sell local handicrafts: In Hanzhong, we visit a traditional paper making workshop, in Xi’an, a shadow puppet manufacturing studios, and in Chengdu, an opera prop store. In other tourist areas, we give clients suggestion booklets with local product introductions to encourage them to spend money wisely.

In Xi’an or in the nature reserve, we will have plenty of opportunities to visit a local family and understand their local customs or tradition. We encourage our clients to bring some meaningful gifts to thank the hosts, like books and stationeries.

Our tour managers will give detailed briefings to our clients, as well as our local staff on our policy of respecting the local culture, the different practices in each destination, so that clients will be able to adjust their behaviour accordingly.

Environment
Each departure will be limited to less than 10 people, as more than 10 people, we will generate too much impact on the lives of the wild panda and other wild animals in the nature reserve.

We will prepare reusable fork or chopsticks instead of using throwaway chopsticks. Our tour manager will bring along trash bags to make sure no littering on the journey.

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