IcelandPanda Bear Adventure in China

You’ll arrive in Chengdu after a long plane ride, ready to get out and stretch your legs. Chengdu is one of the largest cities in China, so take some time to walk around and take in the local culture.

To start your day, you’ll take a short ride to Leshan. When you arrive, you’ll immediately see the perfectly manicured grounds. You’ll walk up some steps to see the enormous statue of Buddha. It’s 233 ft (71 m) tall, making it the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world!

After, you’ll go back to the city and take a traditional Chinese calligraphy class. Your instructor can show you how to make any Chinese characters you like, including the one for panda! You’ll leave with a beautiful piece of artwork you can hang in your home!

The Giant Panda Breeding Research Base has about 50 giant pandas living in it, and you’ll be very close to them. You’ll see pandas of various ages, and if it’s the right part of the season, you might get a chance to see a baby panda. And one better: sometimes visitors can even briefly hold a baby panda! There’s also a red panda who lives here; hopefully, you’ll catch a glimpse!

Dujiangyan Panda Base of the Giant Panda Research Center is a little further out from Chengdu. Once you arrive, you’ll get to see some more pandas! This base works in panda rescue, disease control, and rehabilitation. You’ll get a tour with one of these scientists who can tell you about the important work they do at the center. After, enjoy some authentic Chinese food from a street vendor.

You’ve seen some pandas, but now you get a chance for a more intimate experience. Today, you’ll be volunteering at the research base, helping keepers care for the pandas. Giant pandas are no longer endangered, but they are vulnerable, and only about 2,060 pandas are alive in the whole world. This base develops research and conservation for giant pandas, and your volunteering helps make that happen. At lunch, you’ll get a chance to hand feed a panda!

Giant pandas can eat up to 40 pounds of bamboo a day! To see some for yourself, you’ll be visiting Wangjiang Park, a 1,000-year-old bamboo garden. You’ll walk through the yellow bamboo trunks and hear the leaves rustling in the wind. Later, you’ll experience an authentic Chinese tea ceremony. You’ll sip a cup of amazing tea and relax. An employee will explain the significance of the tea ceremony and how it originated, and you’ll receive a calming massage!

Your time in China may be over, but you’ll always be able to tell people about your experiences. And after you’re gone, don’t forget about the pandas! There are plenty of ways to help their conservation, even from far away.