Superb & efficient service, great for custom tours in Sichuan

Me and my partner just returned from one of the best overseas trips we've ever done, thanks to Absolute Panda, and especially Vivian (our guide), Philip and Lily. 

Philip and Lily helped us chalk out a custom 8-day Sichuan itinerary, and were unfazed by the number of questions and changes we sent them. If you are clear about your interests and the pace you prefer, you can trust them to plan your perfect trip. Both were very quick to respond on email. They also helped us with the letter for the Chinese visa. Our impression from the emails was of a reliable and honest company that goes the extra mile, and our experience provided ample evidence of the same.

Our guide Vivian and our driver, Mr. Deng, met us as agreed at Jiuzhaigou with a large 7-seater car. We then set off on a 8-day tour that turned out to be an *absolutely* perfect mix of nature, wildlife, culture and food. We can't praise Vivian enough. Her English is very good and she is a natural conversationalist. She is the perfect tour-guide: cheerful, smart, and superbly resourceful. From keeping coffee ready for us at breakfast (she had brought coffee and a French-press along for the trip), to dispensing hand sanitizer and snacks, she seemed to materialise things for us even before we asked. We felt utterly spoilt.

With Vivian, Sichuan really came alive for us. We saw it through the eyes of a well-informed, well-travelled and sensitive young person from the region. She would dart into shops and show us interesting, everyday things (and the locals seemed amiable too). At the crowded Jiuzhaigou park, she found us quiet trails and spaces to sit. We realised just how many cultural references we would have missed without her.

This is our first time travelling with our own tour guide, and we can't imagine doing China again without one--without Vivian, to be precise. :)


We are both vegetarian and were a bit apprehensive about the availability of vegetarian choices, but with Vivian, it was a non-issue. We ate at small, atmospheric local restaurants as was our stated preference, and left it to Vivian to order for us. She made sure we never had the same dish twice during our trip. We would stop and buy things at local markets and then, at our next stop, Vivian would persuade the restaurant to cook it for us. If we discussed a certain vegetable or dish one day, Vivian would make sure we had it on the next. She shared her favourite dishes with us like a good friend would. In general, Absolute Panda are well-attuned to the global traveller (see the bit about coffee above), and seem familiar with food preferences and even allergies. In fact, Vivian brought along some Western snacks and soft drinks, for us but we didn't need them. We were, however, as South Indians and coffee-lovers, very grateful for the coffee.

In summary, I would recommend Absolute Panda to anyone who wants a real experience of China. About halfway into our trip, we realised that their excellent service made our trip seem luxurious in the nicest possible way. We can't wait to travel with them again!

One note about payment options since other reviewers have commented on it. They were flexible about payment options--we paid the advance via Paypal and the rest by credit card at their office in Chengdu. If, like us, you're from a non-tipping culture, I would recommend factoring in tips for the guide and driver into your costs, especially if you're doing a long trip. We checked with Philip about the usual range.

We are both vegetarian and were a bit apprehensive about the availability of vegetarian choices, but with Vivian, it was a non-issue. We ate at small, atmospheric local restaurants as was our stated preference, and left it to Vivian to order for us. She made sure we never had the same dish twice during our trip. We would stop and buy things at local markets and then, at our next stop, Vivian would persuade the restaurant to cook it for us. If we discussed a certain vegetable or dish one day, Vivian would make sure we had it on the next. She shared her favourite dishes with us like a good friend would. In general, Absolute Panda are well-attuned to the global traveller (see the bit about coffee above), and seem familiar with food preferences and even allergies. In fact, Vivian brought along some Western snacks and soft drinks, for us but we didn't need them. We were, however, as South Indians and coffee-lovers, very grateful for the coffee.