China – Panda Conservation Adventure
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Overview
Highlights
- Venture behind the scenes of a panda rescue center for hands-on interaction with these gentle creatures
- Visit Xi'an and experience the unforgettable Terracotta Warriors
- Experience the unforgettable Great Wall of China on our trip extension to Beijing
- Experience a traditional cooking class and share a homemade meal with a local family
What's this trip about?
Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Attractions
Activities
Trip includes
- 3 nights lodging a 4-star hotel in Chengdu
- 2 nights lodging a 5-star hotel in Dujiangyan
- All meals during the duration of your trip
- English-speaking local guides that are there to support, inform and guide you throughout the trip
- Reliable in-country transportation with experienced drivers.
- All transportation within China including public transportation
- Admissions and entrance fees to national parks, historic sites and other scheduled events throughout the trip
- All land and water transportation during the trip
- $50,000 emergency medical evacuation insurance
- Trip literature
- Turnkey customer support
Popular Trips
Itinerary
Meals: Dinner
A warm welcome awaits at Chengdu International Airport where we’ll introduce you to your Discover Corps group. We’ll then whisk you away to your four-star hotel in Dujiangyan for a traditional welcome dinner. Enjoy a free evening to recharge before the morning's activities.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Your hands-on experience with the pandas begins today! We’ll introduce you to the conservationists at the Dujiangyan Panda Research Center who will introduce you to the pandas before your work begins. Your first task will be t...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
On your second day of volunteering, you’ll have the choice to help clean the enclosures before experiencing the magic of hand-feeding the pandas for a second time. These friendly animals will be familiar faces by now as you le...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Spend today joining a local family in the nearby markets gathering ingredients before a cooking class in their home. Learn how to make a number of Sichuan favorites before enjoying your lunch together. In the evening, watch a ...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Hit the road this morning for the 1.5 hour drive to the Terracotta Warriors. Marvel at the over 6,000 warrior sculptures, each with a different face, and learn more about their importance in teaching us about ancient China. For lunch, sample the unique flavores of Hui Muslim food before a bike ride around the top of Xi'an's ancient city walls.
Meals: Breakfast
It's time for those on the six-day trip to say their goodbyes before being transfered to the airport for their flight home. If you're staying with us for The Great Wall of China extension, you'll hop on a flight to Beijing for your first adventure.
Want a tailor-made trip instead?
Your trip, your way, planned by an expert:
- You choose budget, destinations, activities, transport & lodging type
- Expert designs the itinerary for you, and once approved, takes care of logistics
Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Discover Corps.
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
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Tour Operator
Discover Corps is a volunteer travel company that is pioneering a new way to explore life and culture around the world in a way that rejuvenates the human spirit.
Our vision is of a world where people value our shared humanity and promote global citizenship while celebrating our many unique cultures.
Our mission is to give travelers a deeper understanding of life in communities around the world while helping to improve the lives of the people we visit.
We accomplish this by operating enjoyable and safe, enjoyable volunteer vacation programs that provide real connections between travelers and the communities. We specialize in trips for adults and families.
Our Trips and Projects
Discover Corps volunteer projects are driven by the local communities — not by us. We respond to requests where our travelers can make a meaningful contribution in a short amount of time. In order to maximize your time, our local staff plan everything in advance and provide you with the support you need while you’re there. From building classrooms and improving water systems to creating eco-friendly homes, we partner with local communities to help them achieve their development goals.
While our trips only last a week or two, we strive for a long-term impact by partnering with organizations that have ongoing relationships with the communities where we volunteer. This allows each of our volunteer groups to become a link in the chain of our partner’s ongoing work.
We are a certified B Corporation, which means we have passed a rigorous independent audit of our social, environmental, and legal practices. B Corporations (or Benefit Corporations) are recognized by the State of California as providing a social good.
Discover Corps operates trips for the National Peace Corps Association as well as other non-profit organizations and universities.
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Logistics
What's excluded
- International airfare
- Visa
- Alcoholic beverages
- $200 domestic flight supplement (if you opt for the post-trip extension)
Accommodation
5 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches and 5 Dinners
Optional Extension: The Great Wall Of China
DAY 6: Beijing Summer Palace and Kung Fu Show
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Today, we’ll make the three-hour flight to Beijing where you’ll check into your charming hotel in the heart of the city. Join us on a trip to the spectacular Summer Palace, the former imperial garden and the largest, most well-preserved royal park in China. Between April and October, we’ll also take a scenic boat ride across the lake. For dinner, enjoy a peking roast duck and kung fu show.
Day 7: Tai Chi Class and Visit to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Join the locals who start each morning with a Tai Chi session in the park as you learn the basics from an expert instructor. After, relax in the Temple of Heaven, where you’ll be surrounded by stunning imperial Chinese architecture, and experience a traditional Chinese tea ceremony in a local teahouse.
After lunch, we’ll benefit from the expert knowledge of a local guide who will lead our visit to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Take in breathtaking views of historic Beijing from Jingshan Park before watching an astonishing evening performance by Chinese acrobats.
Day 8: Visit The Great Wall of China
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Today, you’ll experience one of the Wonders of the Modern World, the Great Wall of China. We’ll explore the wall’s Mutianyu section, where you’ll even have the chance to take an optional Toboggan ride. Next, take a cable car down from the wall before heading to Beijing’s old streets and hopping in a Hutong rickshaw. A tour in one of these open-air carts pulled by rickshaw drivers is the most exciting way to get to know this captivating city.
Dinner brings something truly special as we introduce you to a local family who will invite you into their home for a hearty, homemade Hutong-style family meal. It’s the perfect farewell before embarking on your trip home the next day.
Day 9: Return Home
Meals: Breakfast
Time to say a fond farewell as we bring you to the Beijing Internatiional Airport for your flight home having completed your epic adventure through Middle Kingdom!
Price Details for Optional Extension:
Adult $1,295
Child $1,195
Custom Groups
Have a group of 6 or more? We can operate a trip for your group. Whether it’s a family reunion, corporate group, alumni association or a professional or student organization, we’ll make it easy and turnkey for your group to have an incredible experience.
Please Note: Panda Encounters Are No Longer Permitted
In the past, you may have seen photos of people hugging pandas at this facility. As of June 2019, this experience is no longer legal according to new Chinese government regulations. The reasoning behind the change is three-fold:
- While the practice was deemed safe, there is always a liability when working with wild animals.
- The government is now providing funding as an incentive to avoid this practice.
- Many view this practice as a way to make a profit as opposed to support conservation. This is the primary reason that Discover Corps has never put this encounter in our formal itinerary.
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