Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve, Sichuan, China

5Hansen 5:00 PM Jul 2, 2017

This is the place to see pandas
We booked the volunteer program for our family of 4 which was quite expensive at 700RMB per person. However the profits do go back to the panda conservation program. AND you will never in your life get this close to pandas. To see a group of 8 two year old pandas a few metres away chomping happily on bamboo was amazing. To see 3 cubs playing like children surreal. We spent about an hour cleaning a few pens and putting in fresh bamboo. Fairly easy work. It allows you to be very close to the pandas. The staff were great, English was very good and they took many fantastic photos for us whilst we "worked". Then it was off to see the young pandas play and feed. We hand fed an adult panda through its cage. Had lunch. Watched a film and made panda cakes. Lunch was spicy. Bring water as it's not supplied. It is one of the best things I've ever done. 2,200 pandas on the planet and 30 are here. We hired a driver for the day. It took about 100 minutes each way from Chengdu. The program went from 9am to 2pm. There are some stalls outside the centre selling touristy things. They were not pushy and were relatively inexpensive so we bought a few items.

5Globe Traveler 5:00 PM Feb 11, 2022

A Bucket List Item - Done!
We booked a day trip with a local guide (Alvin) and it was a great experience. Not crowded at all compared to what we were expecting. We paid the extra to have photos taken with a baby panda seated with us. Would love to experience this again in our lifetime