Visiting Dujiangyan Yaan Wolong Panda Base Optional Volunteering

Posted By : purplebun
Panda Base Volunteer Experience - It was very assuring to have Mr Alvin Liu coordinate the Volunteer Experience at 2 Panda Bases. He has proven to be very prompt, experienced and helpful. Assigned Driver cum Guide Ms Nie is equally proficient with her knowledge of Pandas. She updated regularly on the sequence of programme (as per adjusted by Panda Base owing to weather, situation, etc). Perfect experience and highly recommended. A Certificate & some freebies are given by the Panda Base to mark the memories.
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Posted On : 2024-04-08

Posted By : GMT777
I did this tour before in 2019. The minute I could return to Chengdu, I contacted Alvin for a similar tour with my friend. We really enjoyed ourselves! Our guide was very knowledgeable and you could tell they all love pandas very much. I would highly recommend this tour.
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Posted On : 2023-12-11

Posted By : 10724
Alvin and his team are extremely helpful. We knew there were three panda bases but wasn't sure which one would be best to visit and he directed us well by advising us to go to one that would not be as crowded and would allow the volunteer program which we were interested in doing. The volunteer program was a great experience that gave us an opportunity to see the pandas from within 2 feet. One was actually trying to paw us to give him more food I guess. It was very cute. Another was watching us as we cleaned their enclosure. Alvin provided an english speaking guide which was extremely helpful and he gave us more insight into Pandas. I really realized how helpful Alvin was after we then subsequently visited other panda bases after visiting the one he recommended. The other ones were more crowded especially the Chengdu Panda base. However, the chengdu one had younger pandas which was a treat to see even if you had to fight to get a view. I highly recommend letting Alvin and his team help with making the plans to see pandas in china. You cannot really rely on what you read on the internet and in China almost nobody speaks english.
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Posted On : 2023-12-05

Posted By : joannajC4638VR
Nothing more to add, contacted Alvin very last minute, helped me (personally) to finish all tests I need. Punctual pickup, excellent knowledge, very nice company, was very lucky with weather and as was a week day not so much ppl, loooots of pictures HIGHLY RECOMMEND hopefully can do it once again ☺️
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Posted On : 2022-05-12

Posted By : HandOfGuido
This really exceeded my expectations. Alvin was very helpful with setting up everything through wechat and was very open and honest with pricing and setup. Since we speak Chinese, he even advised us that the tour guide was not necessary as the program includes a guide. Basically you take part in a 6-8 hour tour. The difference in timing depends on when the giant pandas want to eat. You start the morning with some cleanup (exclusive) then tour the complex with a tour guide explaining along the way, then you get to FEED A PANDA! This all happens at a leisurely pace until you reach lunchtime which you have at the canteen with the staff. After lunch, there's a video which you can skip but actually, it's a good time to rest a bit as the morning start is very early. Afterward there may be some more cleanup or you might directly FEED THE PANDA AGAIN! Then you make some panda cakes and call it a day. Extremely worth it!
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Posted On : 2022-02-01

Posted By : Adventure394611
Apologies that this review is little bit late. But it is a better experience if you had been to Chengdu panda base before. Nice guide and nice driver to stay with us for whole trip. Again, you are speeding lots of money and whole day time and your hard work to see the panda. If you don't have enough time, Chengdu panda base is another good choice. If you have time, you definitely could try it.
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Posted On : 2020-01-06

Posted By : girlya
Apologies that this review is half a year late. Going to on this panda excursion this past june was an experience of a lifetime. We were so excited to finally see these creatures up close and personal. My daughter has been a fan of pandas as early as I can remember so this is high on her bucketlist. We were in chengdu for a wushu competition my son was competing at so I took this opportunity to also fit in a panda visit at chengdu. After doing some research, we decided to book through viator. We decided to go for the full zookeeper experience. Alvin, the tour manager was super quick to respond after booking and even checked in a few days prior to the date to confirm our plans. He even tried to help me with some questions I had outside of this panda tour booking. I didn't realize that our booking ended up being a private tour with a dedicated tour guide and driver picking us up right at our hotel. I always thought it was a group tour. But perhaps it wasn't peak season because upon our arrival, we were one of very few groups at the facility and the only ones doing the zookeeper experience. The trip to the sanctuary takes 2 hours for chengdu city so I was glad we weren't on a crowded group van. The zookeeper experience was well worth the extra money. Since we aren't able to take pictures with the pandas anymore, being able to feed them was the closest interaction we can have with them. My two kids, though slightly grossed out by cleaning panda poop, really enjoyed the experience. Our tour guide, heather, was super knowledgeable, friendly and great with my kids. She also helped us take so many photos during our tour. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone traveling through this area.
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Posted On : 2019-12-30

Posted By : jbucktn
If you are thinking about this, do it. It is a little pricy, but where lease can you do something so amazing? I would like to break this down into two sections. 1-My Panda Tours and 2- China Conservation and Research Centere for the Giant Panda Dujian-Yan Base (CCRCGPDB). 1 - This is what you are really paying for on this tour. They meet you at your hotel and a guide is with you the entire day to make sure you are at the right place, right time, and they will take pictures for you. Personally, I would not consider attempting to do this alone, as you will not get pictures and will miss a lot. Our guide was Rosa and she was simply amazing. Rosa was obviously very interested in the pandas and knew them by name, their history, and knew the workers at the base. She is a true gem. Rosa speaks English well, but does have a slight accent and only a couple of words were off slightly during the entire day. We did have a slight mix up with the hotel we were at, but I think that TripAdvisor had something to do with it, as when I entered the place, I noticed that the address was not quite the same as where we were staying. Thanks to the excellent communication before the tour, this was worked out beforehand without incident. I would recommend getting a WeChat account before arriving in China, as this is how the country communicated with each other. There is still an issue with paying with WeChat for some credit cards, but they have been working on it and hopefully will resolve soon! I was unable to use (I could bind though) my American credit card to purchase anything. Oh well, have cash. Rosa was nice and tended to all of our needs. She was even thoughtful enough to get an umbrella for us from the hotel desk in the event we needed it. Thank you so much for elevation this experience for us Rosa! 2- The Panda base is nice. This is what the 700 RMB per person is for. You could conceivably do this trip on your own, but if you do not work and try to take pictures when you should be working, they will ask you to leave. What a business model though. Pay to work. Sounds like a Tom Sayer book! Anyway, the work is pretty easy, and does give you a vision into what it takes to care for a panda. Cracking bamboo, cleaning panda poo, sweeping, etc... we enjoyed it as the visitors of the park looked down on us in the pen. The park is very strict with safety and you have a chance to see the panda in a way that you would not otherwise. This was a once in a lifetime experience for us and so worth the money! Rosa took so many pictures for us! Too many maybe? Nooo... why not. You can always delete the ones you don’t want to get that perfect shot! I wish you could still touch the panda, but a few got sick a few years back with some human virus and they do not allow it anymore. Oh well, save the pandas! I saw where someone else was disappointed, but it is for panda health reasons! They are SO cute! As for the lunch, it’s not the best, but is what the workers and security staff eat, so it is what it is. Do not expect a gourmet , but there is plenty to eat and you will not walk away hungry. Think of a school cafeteria. I suppose you could bring your own, but the whole experience is to be a worker for the day and it seems to complete it. The day ends with a certificate and a souvenir that is nice. Thanks again for My Panda Tours and Rosa. What a great tour! - cheers.
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Posted On : 2019-12-19

Posted By : cwintersplatt
The Dujiangyan Panda Base is a wonderful place to see pandas. We very much enjoyed the Panda Keeper Volunteer experience as you are able to get quite close to the pandas and feed the adults. Petting and feeding the panda cubs was a once in a lifetime experience for my spouse. My Panda Tour was a great company for this trip. The office was very prompt in responding to questions and arranging the transportation. Our guide Alex did a superb job. He was very knowledgeable about the pandas, a very friendly guide, and good photographer as well.
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Posted On : 2019-12-08

Posted By : CarolPius
We loved our girl, Greenie. She was so helpful when it came to questions we had regarding other thing to do or how to get around. She even got us snacks to watch during the documentary. What a cutie pie! The other cutie pies were the pandas. My goodness, I've never had a smile that stretched so hard plastered all day long on my face. Such sheer joy. The part where you have to clean wasn't exactly our favorite but someone's gotta do it, right ;) Feeding those little munchkins was the best thing ever. Seriously one of the best days of my life. Nothing can come close. I will never forget this experience! I highly recommend it! Lunch was somewhat vegetarian friendly as well :)
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Posted On : 2019-12-05