Panda Volunteer | Chengdu Panda Base + Wolong Panda Base 2-Day Panda Volunteer Journey (Keeper's Daily Life + Certificate)

Welcome to Chengdu, the hometown of giant pandas. This morning, our guide will meet you in the hotel lobby and take you to start today's Chengdu-Wolong tour. First, you will take a car for about 17 kilometers to visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, located in the northern suburbs of Chengdu, to see China's adorable national treasure, the giant panda, and learn about their living habits and conservation status. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, or Chengdu Panda Base for short, keeps more than 100 giant pandas, making it the base with the largest number of captive giant pandas in the world. Here, you can see giant pandas of different ages playing, eating, climbing hills, climbing trees, sleeping, and other cute and interesting scenes in the park, and you can also follow the guide to visit the Chengdu Giant Panda Museum to learn more stories about pandas. If you visit in autumn, you may also have the chance to see adorable giant panda cubs in the Moon Nursery and Sun Nursery. In addition, the famous Chinese panda star Huahua lives here. She is known for her cute appearance and unique personality and is called the "top female star." Besides giant pandas, at the Chengdu Panda Base you can also see red pandas (rarer than giant pandas), Baer's pochards, golden pheasants, collared scops owls, and other rare animals. (Note: 1. Giant pandas prefer cool weather and are more active in the morning, so it is recommended that you arrive early to see more natural panda behavior; 2. Admission to the Chengdu Giant Panda Museum is free, but advance reservation is required, and it is closed every Monday.) After lunch, take a car for about 136 kilometers (about 2-3 hours) to Wolong (Wolong National Nature Reserve), the closest wild panda habitat to Chengdu and one of the famous World Natural Heritage sites, known as the "Hometown of Pandas." Here, like a forest ranger, you can hike and explore in a true wild panda habitat, encounter various plants and animals that live alongside pandas, such as arrow bamboo, dove trees, and golden snub-nosed monkeys, and enjoy scenery ranging from urban views at an altitude of 500 meters to natural landscapes at 2,700 meters, gaining a special travel experience. In the afternoon, visit the Wolong Giant Panda Museum (also known as the Wolong Nature and Earthquake Museum), hailed as the "exclusive palace of the national treasure giant panda." This is the world's only museum themed around a single species, the giant panda. Due to post-earthquake reconstruction, its exhibitions were adjusted and content related to nature and earthquakes was added, but it still focuses on giant pandas. The museum has rich exhibits, displaying more than 200 kinds of specimens of giant pandas and associated animals and plants, including 15 giant panda specimens and 3 skeletons, each carrying profound natural history and ecological stories. It also uses advanced multimedia technology to simulate the panda's natural habitat, allowing you to gain a deeper understanding of panda habits and evolutionary history through interaction, as well as learn about earthquakes and related disaster prevention and mitigation measures. Finally, return to Wolong Town to check into your hotel and rest. If time permits, you can stroll along the old street, admire the exquisite residential architecture blending Tibetan and Qiang styles, learn about the unique Tibetan and Qiang cultural customs, taste local snacks, and listen to the wonderful stories of the "panda guardians." Practical Tips for Wolong Travel 1. Altitude sickness prevention: Wolong is at a certain altitude. To avoid altitude sickness, please do not engage in strenuous exercise, such as running or walking quickly; in addition, the temperature difference between day and night is large, so keep warm and avoid catching a cold; keep your body adequately hydrated and drink warm water in small amounts several times; ensure sufficient sleep and rest well; avoid showering for one or two days after arrival to prevent accelerated blood circulation and oxygen deficiency; you may take preventive medicines such as rhodiola in advance (please follow your own physical condition and your doctor's advice regarding altitude sickness). 2. Seek help promptly: If you feel unwell or need help, be sure to inform your guide or hotel staff immediately. Their rich experience in dealing with high altitudes can promptly provide you with the best response.

This morning, our guide will meet you in the hotel lobby and take you to start today's Wolong panda volunteer tour. Since the giant panda volunteer activity starts at 8:30 a.m., we will depart at around 7:30 to go to the Wolong Panda Base to complete check-in and training. The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda Wolong Base, or "Wolong Panda Base" for short, is located in Gengda Town in Wolong National Nature Reserve at an altitude of about 1,700 meters. It is one of the world's famous original habitats of giant pandas, with a large number of wild giant pandas, most of which live in high mountain valleys at altitudes of 1,400 to 3,600 meters, and it is known as the "Hometown of Giant Pandas." The environment here is beautiful, covered with ancient trees such as firs and spruces, dense arrow bamboo under the forest, murmuring streams among the trees, fresh air, and extremely high negative oxygen ion content, just like a "natural oxygen bar." Combined with scientific management, it has created a rare original-ecology panda paradise in the world. It is a world-class giant panda research center integrating giant panda breeding, scientific research, wild release training, public education, and high-end scientific observation. It keeps 60-80 giant pandas of different ages and is a panda volunteer base with relatively fewer people, allowing you a more immersive experience of panda keeper work, close-up viewing of pandas climbing trees, rolling, eating, playing, and fighting, and other natural behaviors, as well as the chance to see panda cubs outsmarting their keepers. You can find the best spots to take heart-melting panda photos. In addition, the Wolong Panda Base is an excellent place to escape the summer heat and enjoy snow, and while watching giant pandas, you can also enjoy stunning natural scenery. Giant Panda Volunteer Activity Content After arriving at the Wolong Panda Base, you need to sign a safety agreement and receive a volunteer work card, clothes, and gloves. Under the guidance of the keeper, you will add fresh bamboo and bamboo leaves for the giant pandas and clean the enclosures. You can observe the pandas' daily behaviors such as eating and activities up close, learn panda feeding techniques and behavior analysis, and have the chance to participate in making panda cakes. If you are interested, you can also taste the keepers' lunch. Then, during a short break, you can watch a giant panda documentary to learn about the breeding and growth process of giant pandas. Finally, you will receive a panda volunteer certificate. After taking a group photo, remember to return your work card. If you are interested, you can spend some time learning more about the stories behind different pandas, such as celebrity pandas and returnee pandas. Panda Stars at the Wolong Panda Base 1. Fubao: Born in July 2020 at Everland in South Korea, her father is "Yuanxin" (Lebao) and her mother is "Huani" (Aibao). She is the first giant panda born in South Korea. She is widely known for mischievous behavior such as destroying gardens and getting her head stuck while climbing trees. She is very funny and cute and returned to China in 2024 to live at the Wolong Panda Base. 2. Xiao Qiji: Born in August 2020 at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., USA, his father is "Tiantian" and his mother is "Meixiang." He is the first panda successfully born in the United States through artificial insemination with frozen semen. His mother "Meixiang" gave birth to him at the advanced age of 22, making her the oldest panda among those traveling in the United States to give birth. He returned to China in 2023 to live at the Wolong Panda Base. 3. Shengyi: Born in May 2021 at Zoo Negara Malaysia, she is the panda commemorating the 47th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia. Her name means "sublimating friendship." She returned to China in 2024 to live at the Wolong Panda Base. Practical Tips for the Panda Base 1. Booking notice: The number of participants in the panda volunteer activity is limited each day. Please contact our customer service in advance to secure your place. 2. Age limit: The regular panda volunteer program accepts people aged 10 to 70, such as making panda cakes and watching panda documentaries. For some activities, children need to be accompanied by an adult, subject to official requirements. 3. Physical examination report: Applying for the panda volunteer activity requires a physical examination report. You can contact our customer service to obtain the relevant panda volunteer activity physical examination details, or download it through official channels. 4. Dress requirements: There are many slopes and slippery roads in the base, and there are many insects in the mountain forest. It is recommended that you wear long sleeves, long pants, and non-slip shoes. In addition, giant pandas have a very sensitive sense of smell, so it is recommended not to wear perfume or apply nail polish to avoid causing stress reactions in the pandas. After the tour, return to Chengdu. At this point, this wonderful and unforgettable 2-day Chengdu-Wolong panda tour will come to an end. Our driver will take you to the airport/train station or back to your hotel. If you want to extend this trip and explore more destinations in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Huangshan, Harbin, Yunnan, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie, Tibet, Guilin, Xinjiang, etc., you can also contact our customer service to arrange it for you.