14-day Panda Volunteering & Travel
14-day Panda Volunteering & Travel
14-day Panda Volunteering & Travel
14 Days Starting in Chengdu, Sichuan, China and ending in Beijing, China
Visiting: Chengdu, Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center Dujiangyan Breeding Yefang Research Center, Xi'an, Xi'An, Dengfeng, Shaolin Temple, Beijing
Tour operator:
Recommended For:
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
4 - 20
Age range:
18-55
Special diets catered:
Vegetarians, Vegans
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Active, Adventure Tours, Budget, Camping, Walking Hiking and Trekking
Interests:
Activities:
Tour Overview
There’s perhaps no more enduring image of China than the Giant Panda. On this China group tour, you’ll spend time volunteering to help with rehabilitation and conservation projects in Chengdu, before moving on to explore the beautiful Xi’An, Shaolin & Beijing. After spending time volunteering at a Giant Panda research center, you’ll explore the very best that China has to offer on this group tour. From the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’An to the Shaolin Temple, from camping on the Great Wall to exploring relaxed Chengdu – you’ll get the full taste of China on this 14-day tour.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Welcome To Chengdu
Location: Chengdu, Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center Dujiangyan Breeding Yefang Research Center
Accommodation: Hostel
Welcome to China! Your panda volunteering group tour starts today, with some
time to check into your local hostel. Ahead of meeting your group and beginning
your exciting fortnight tomorrow, spend some time exploring the beautiful Chengdu
under your own steam.
Day 2 : Dujiangyan Panda Research Centre
Location: Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center Dujiangyan Breeding Yefang Research Center
Accommodation: Hostel
This morning, you’ll meet your Adventure Leader and group bright and early in the
hostel, ready to transfer to Dujiangyan City for a guided day trip. It’s a beautifully
historic area about 50km from Chengdu, and you’ll see both of the area’s two
World Heritage Sites over the course of the day.
In the morning, you’ll hike Qingchengshan, a stunning mountain that’s considered
one of the birthplaces of Taoism. In the afternoon, you’ll head back into the city to
visit Dujiangyan’s ancient irrigation system – built over 2000 years ago, it’s the
oldest existing large-scale water project in the world. It plays an important part in
flood prevention and agriculture, and is the reason that Chengdu earned the name
‘the Land of Abundance’.
Day 3 : Dujiangyan Panda Research Centre
Location: Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center Dujiangyan Breeding Yefang Research Center
Accommodation: Hostel
Your panda volunteering project starts today! After breakfast, you’ll make your way
to the panda enclosures. Lasting for the next two days, your volunteer time will be
spent helping the rangers and center workers look after the pandas and their
enclosures. You can expect to help clean the enclosures, watch the pandas to
learn more about their habits, or help them prepare food for them – among many
other tasks.
Pandas like to have a siesta from late morning until early afternoon, so in this time
you’ll be able to grab lunch and explore your surroundings. You’ll finish
volunteering in the mid-afternoon, after which you’ll have free time to head into the
Dujiangyan countryside to explore everything the Sichuan province has to offer.
Day 4 : Dujiangyan Panda Research Centre
Location: Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center Dujiangyan Breeding Yefang Research Center
Accommodation: Hostel
After spending the day volunteering, you’ll receive a well-deserved certificate
marking your efforts helping the panda rehabilitation center before heading back to
Chengdu. It’s here that you’ll meet your new Adventure Leader and the rest of your
group, ready to carry on your China group tour .
In the evening, if you’d like you can enjoy a traditional Sichuan Opera & Culture
Show!
Day 5 : Visit The World’S Largest Stone Buddha In Leshan
Location: Chengdu
Accommodation: Hostel
After a busy couple of days, today you’ve got some choices of how to spend your
day.
If you’d like, you can leave for Leshan, where you’ll see the world’s largest stone
Buddha. Carved out of the hillside in the 8th century, it stands at 71m high and
looks down on the confluence of three rivers.
Alternatively, you can spend a free day exploring Chengdu at your leisure.
Chengdu prides itself on a relaxed way of life, so you can spend time wandering
between cafés, parks and forests.
In the evening, we dare you to sample Sichuan hot pot! It’s the region’s most
famous staple, known for its healthy doses of spice and deliciousness in equal
measure. Afterwards, if you’d like you can spend your evening out and about,
exploring what Chengdu has to offer of a nighttime.
Day 6 : Chengdu To Xi’An
Location: Xi'an
Accommodation: Hostel
In the morning, you can either get a well-deserved lie-in, or opt to join us on a visit
to the Autism Children’s Rehabilitation Center. Then, just after lunch, if you’d like
you can head about to explore Jinli & the People’s Park by public transportation.
Built as the city’s first public park in the early twentieth century, it’s renowned for
the beautiful landscaping, bonsai garden, winding streams and small tea
houses.
This afternoon, it’s time to bid farewell to Chengdu as you head off to your next
destination – Xi’An! You’ll grab a train, arriving into the city in the late evening –
just in time to check in and grab a good night’s sleep at your new
accommodation.
Day 7 : Bike Ride Across Ming Dynasty City Walls
Location: Xi'an
Accommodation: Hostel
You’ve got a free morning today, where you can either take it slow or opt to get out
and explore the city’s many shops, museums or temples.
In the mid-afternoon, you’re invited to join us on a spectacular bike ride across
Xi’An’s gorgeous Ming Dynasty city walls! [Note: in the hot summer, we may opt
to take the bike ride earlier in the day to avoid the heat.]
Then, in the early evening, you can opt to join us for a tour around the Muslim
Quarter and the Bell Drum Towers. Xi’An is renowned for its amazing architecture,
and here you’ll be able to admire some beautiful examples as you learn about the
city’s Silk Road History. While you’re in the Muslim Quarter, be sure to grab some
delicious local food from the many street food vendors, before relaxing at the
nearby Silk Road market into the evening.
Day 8 : See The Terracotta Warriors!
Location: Xi'An
Accommodation: Hostel
You’ve got a full day out today, with one of the China group tour’s most unmissable
activities – the Terracotta Warriors! Discovered in the 1970s close to the
mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang, the warriors were designed to guard the
Emperor in the afterlife. Here, you’ll find thousands of intricately carved stone
warriors that are over 2000 years old.
You’ll return into town in the evening – you can either choose to relax or head to
the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Here, you’ll find an amazing music and lights show
that illuminates the whole area!
Day 9 : Dengfeng
Location: Dengfeng
Accommodation: Hostel
This morning, you’re transferring to the next destination on your panda volunteer
group tour – Shaolin! You’ll spend the morning grabbing a couple of buses, arriving
in Dengfeng in the early afternoon.
In the afternoon, you can head to a local kungfu school – here, you’ll get a lesson
and a demonstration, run by a master from the Shaolin Temple!
You’ll have time to break for dinner in the evening, before joining your Adventure
Leader for a Mandarin lesson.
Day 10 : Visit The Home Of Kung Fu, The Shaolin Temple!
Location: Shaolin Temple
Accommodation: Hostel
Today, you’ve got two options for how to spend your day.
You can visit the home of kung fu, the Shaolin Temple! While here, you’ll be able to
hike to Dharma Cave, a spiritual spot for Buddhist pilgrims, where you’ll be
rewarded with stunning views of the shrines and temples, and across the whole
area.
Had your fill of temples for one day? Alternatively, you might want to visit the
Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with thousands of carved
Buddhas. They’re some of the finest examples of Chinese art, and stretch through
caves that span over a 1km. [Note: if you’re very keen, you can squeeze both
options into your day – please tell us about this before your trip starts if you intend
to!]
Back at the guesthouse, you’ll have a late lunch in the mid-afternoon, before
you’ve got a free afternoon and evening to explore Dengfeng. Be warned – you’ve
got an early start tomorrow!
Day 11 : Shaolin To Beijing
Location: Beijing
Accommodation: Camp
It’s a pre-dawn rise today, as we’re up to transfer to our next destination – Beijing,
the country’s capital! We’ll grab a bullet train this morning, arriving in the early
afternoon where we’ll head straight to a local farm for a delicious meal.
We’ll then prepare ourselves to embark on the showstopper of any China Dragon
Trip – camping on the Great Wall of China! In the afternoon, we’ll transfer to the
Wall, where we’ll hike off by hiking along some unrestored sections. We’ll walk
until we find a nice secluded spot, where we’ll set up camp to watch the sun set
over one of the world’s seven wonders. While you’re there, you’ll also get another
helpful Mandarin lesson from your Adventure Leader.
[Note: Due to cold weather, before the end of April and after the end of September,
we’ll return to a local guesthouse instead of camping outside.]
Day 12 : Wake Up On The Great Wall Of China
Location: Beijing
Accommodation: Hostel
You’ll get the wake up of your life this morning, with a stunning sunrise across the
Great Wall of China. After packing up, you’ll head back to Beijing to carry on
exploring the capital.
Once back, you’ve got some time to explore under your own duress. You can opt
to explore Tiananmen Square and visit the Forbidden City, the largest palatial
complex in the world. The grounds boast almost 1000 buildings, and has hosted
24 different Chinese Emperors over the course of the nation’s history.
You can also visit Jingshan Park, where you’ll be able to get incredible views of the
Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and Tiananmen Square.
In the afternoon, if you’d like to, you can enjoy an amazing acrobatics and circus
show. Performed by young talents recruited from all over China, the shows are a
guaranteed great night out.
It’s dinner time! Enjoyed exclusively by royalty in ancient times, why not try
Beijing’s signature dish – Peking roast duck!
Day 13 : Shopping In Beijing And Temple Of Heaven
Location: Beijing
Accommodation: Hostel
Today is a free day! You’ll have the option to visit the fake good markets for a spot
of shopping, as well as the nearby Temple of Heaven.
In the afternoon, you can visit the Nanluo district. Nanluo is one of the
best-preserved historical areas in Beijing, that’s famous for its hutongs and
siheyuan courtyards, as well as the bars, cafes and handicraft shops.
Day 14 : Farewell
Location: Beijing
Enjoy another free morning packing in the last few of Beijing’s sights, before your
panda volunteer group tour comes to an end. In the afternoon, you’ll bid farewell to
your fellow Dragons and get ready to head home!
What's Included
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Accommodation
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All Domestic Transportation (including internal flights)
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Entrance Fees
Check out our included activities for this group tour below: - Dujiangyan City day tour – including Qingchengshan hike and irrigation system visit. (Chengdu) - 2-day panda volunteering experience at the Panda Research Center in Chengdu. (Chengdu) - Terracotta Warriors visit (Xi’An) - 2x Mandarin lessons with your Adventure Leader - Great Wall of China hike & overnight camping experience (Beijing)
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Fully Guided
What's Not Included
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Airport Transfers at Destination
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Country Entry Visas
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International Travel
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Meals
Not included in tour price - ask your Adventure Leader for local recommendations!
Optional Extras
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Post-Trip Night in Chengdu (Twin/Double)*
*This price is per room.
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Pre-Trip Night in Chengdu (Twin/Double)*
*This price is per room.
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Pre-Trip Night in Beijing (Twin/Double)*
*This price is per room.
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Post-Trip Night in Beijing (Twin/Double) *
*This price is per room.
Accommodation
Includes hostel accommodation throughout your tour, and one night camping on the Great Wall.
Mode of Transport
All local transport throughout your tour is included.
Check out our Q&As
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Is there a limit to luggage that can be brought on the tour?
We advise to pack light (one big luggage plus a small bag)
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Are airport transfers included in this tour?
Available on request with extra charge
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Do you require a visa for this holiday?
A visa is required for China, so once you’ve made your booking with us, Dragon Trip will send you detailed instructions on applying for your visa, a visa invitation letter and a detailed itinerary, and a number of other items in your booking packet.
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Will passengers from another country be participating in the tour?
Yes, this tour is English-guided and opens for tourists from different parts of the world
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Majority of our clients are solo travellers and our prices are based on sharing in dorm style rooms. We do offer single room upgrades for those who do not wish to share a room.
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Can you guarantee same-sex dorm rooms?
We always strive to ensure the highest level of comfort and convenience for our valued clients during their travels with us. However, for our tours in Asia, we cannot guarantee same-sex dorm rooms in the hostels we use, particularly during high season, such as the cherry blossom season in Japan. Please rest assured that we do our utmost to accommodate our clients' preferences wherever possible. However, the availability of same-sex dorm rooms ultimately depends on the policies of the hostels we work with. In some cases, different genders may be allocated to the same room due to limited availability.
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What happens if I need to change my holiday date once I’ve booked?
Please speak to our sales team as soon as possible to see how we can help.
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
All our accommodation is check regularly to make sure it's a safe and clean environment.
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
We are not perfect but we aim to be, that is why year on year we aim to increase the proportion of local businesses we work with as well as reduce the average carbon footprint of all of our group tour adventures. We do this by measuring our performance and making small but positive changes to how we operate.
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What documents will I receive before I travel?
You will receive a booking pack with all the pick up times, accommodation and activities included.
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Who should I contact in the event of an emergency on tour?
Depending upon where you are travelling, the following emergency contact numbers are available for The Dragon Trip: China: +86 21 2206 4018 Japan: +81 50 1742 2696 South Korea (can only be used in Korea): 00308 491 0186 Singapore: +65 3158 0233 Southeast Asia, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka: +84 284 458 1410
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Passport Details
For most destinations we will require the details to be submitted on our online form (the link for which will be provided post-booking and prior to your travel date). Please note that this needs to be complete & accurate to avoid any late update fees for accommodation and transport bookings. IMPORTANT NOTE: China tours is the only destination where we require an actual copy of your passport. We require these in order to book travel tickets for clients and passports are used during the check-in.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
The Dragon Trip has been trading since March 2011
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
Yes, although you will have to make your own way to where the group is heading to out of your own expense.
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Why do the tours have an age range?
While we strive to cater to a diverse range of travellers, it is important to consider whether the tour aligns with your expectations and preferences. We want your travel experience to be enjoyable and fulfilling, and we believe that selecting a tour that matches your age group and interests is crucial in achieving that. Our tours are very active and jam-packed, including early starts and getting on and off local transportation. There will be a lot of walking, and activities such as cycling. You could be walking up to 20,000 steps per day!
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Who will be my travelling companions on the tour?
Our tours are aimed at fun, out-going and open minded individuals. We typically get people aged between 18 to 55 travelling on our trips. Feel free to contact us to see the ages of the people who are booked already. Some of our trips have an upper age limit because of the pace of the tour, style of accommodation and the average age of the group - please do not be offended if we check your age and perhaps recommend a different itinerary. Our premium trips are suitable for most.
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Low Deposit
The Dragon Trip requires a minimum deposit of 10% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 65 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of the dragon trip charges.
Up to 60 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 30 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.