We had a great time taking the 5-day Panda Volunteer Program with China Tour Guide. I actually just found them on the internet as I was looking for a short volunteer opportunity (not the 1-2 week one) but also not just visiting a panda zoo where you can just watch them from afar. China Tour Guide offer this 1 day Chengdu city tour and 2 days volunteer at the Bifengxia Panda Reserve out near Yaan city.
I inquired quite early all via email, maybe more than 6 months before and I contacted quite a number of agencies like them and they were one of the most responsive and most clear with their offer, which made me decide to go with them. Their price was reasonable unlike some that would charge almost $300 more per pax for the same itinerary. Even though they had the 5-day itinerary already set, they were quite flexible with adjustments that we wanted. We wanted to drive back to Chengdu for the last evening instead of staying in Yaan as we had a really early flight. Yaan was 2-2.5 hours drive away from Chengdu and the airport. They help arrange for that. They were also helpful to arrange for the first group to wait at a comfortable coffee shop while waiting for the rest of the group to arrive on another flight just an hour later. We were 6 in the group.
When we were there and we wanted to change our city tour to skip one of the temples and instead go to the Chengdu Panda Research Centre, they were able to accommodate that without additional charges. Then Chengdu Centre wasn't part of the itinerary since we were already volunteering at the larger panda reserve in Yaan, but we didn't want to miss the recently born 14 baby pandas which are still kept at Chengdu. We always stretched our day and went back home late each day and we didn't hear a complaint from the tour guide or driver. I've been with some tour services that are very restricted, with time and even with the route/stops.
What I also like about this agency is that they are very clear from the start even prior to booking, with details all written with each communication they have with me. There is one assigned sales person always which made it easier, but when he was not around, another person would take over quickly and seamlessly. I really appreciated this efficiency especially since we're just communicating over email all this time.
They specialize in this type of trip, so the tour guide is very knowledgeable of the volunteer opportunity itself. She would go with us at every step and served as our translator too in case the staff have difficulty speaking in English. She even knew the names of the panda already and are familiar with the staff there, as she has made several trips already during the year.
The panda reserve staff/mentors were quite nice, contrary to some reviews. Although they couldn't speak English really well, they would make an effort. And since we knew a tiny bit of Mandarin, we also made an effort. I think it's important to establish that relationship with your mentor to make the most out of your experience. They were also young folks who are enthusiastic and maybe sometimes they are shy to talk much because of the language barrier and use gestures more, and thus may appear to be rude to some visitors.
We get to meet and interact with other volunteers there too. We met a charming Australian couple who went there on their own, the husband was spending his 50th birthday there ;-) And we shared experiences too during our break times. There are a number of break times where you can visit other enclosures, we spent most of our time at the panda kindergarten ;-)
The panda volunteer opportunity is in itself a really unforgettable experience but the smooth arrangement and coordination of the tour agency and tour guide, made it extremely pleasant, giving us all the time to focus entirely on enjoying the experience.
For those not familiar with the places to see pandas in Sichuan, there are a couple of them. We did get confused too. Chengdu Panda Research Centre is just 30 minutes outside Chengdu city and it's where most people go to see the pandas. It's a zoo setting and you can't go near a panda. The Bifengxia Panda Reserve is in Yaan City, 2-2.5 hours from Chengdu where the international airport is. Most volunteer programs are here. The place is a lot bigger and the panda enclosures are more natural. You can get up close with them, and feed them, if you're part of the volunteer program. You can also just go to visit. Usually visitors that choose to go here, is visiting the Bifengxia Gorge then just pass by here because it is too far from the Chengdu to go for just that. Sometimes, you see the name Woolong, it's actually where the original and biggest panda reserve was and is up north of Sichuan province prior to the big earthquake. Like in our volunteer IDs, it still says Woolong but we were actually in Bifengxia, where all the pandas were transferred to at this time. Woolong is being renovated and there is a new one which is not yet open to public, so soon there will be 3 panda reserves in Sichuan on top of the panda research centre/zoo in Chengdu City.
