info@absolutepanda.comTrip Details
38 Days China Wildlife Tour
Date: May to Oct, 2025, 2026
Price: Upon Request
Trip Focus: Wildlife + Photography
Status: Open to Booking
Route: Beijing-Xian-Guangyuan-Panda Habitat-Pingwu-Baima-Wanglang-Diebu-Ruoergai-Wolong-Danba-Bamei-Ganzi-Dege-Xinluhai-Litang-Yajiang-Pamuling-Tagong-Kangding-Yaan-Chengdu
Trip Code: W001
Overview
Wild China in Photographer's Eyes
This itinerary is largely designed for a professional wildlife photographer who hopes to get as much chance as possible to photograph birds and animals in the wild. The highlights are mostly photographing animals, birds, flowers, sceneries, Tibetan houses, and costumes.
Highlights:
Following a list of some mammals, birds and flowers you might encounter during this trip.
• List of Mammals:
Giant Panda (very hard to see in the wild), Red Panda, Sichuan Takin, Asiatic Black Bear, Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, Wild Boar, Sika Deer, etc.
Wild Boar/Golden Snub-nosed Monkey/Sichuan Takin/Asiatic Black Bear
• List of Birds:
Golden Pheasant, Temminck's Tragopan, Golden Eagles, Snow Pigeon, Sichuan Partridge, etc.
Red-billed Blue Magpie/Temminck's Tragopan / Golden Pheasant/Hoopoe
• List of Flowers:
A variety of alpine flowers will be seen in some places include Primulas, Poppies, etc
Corydalis acuminata / Primula moupinensis / Kerria japonica /Vitex negundo L. var. cannabifolia
Introduction to Trip Destinations:
• Beijing City
The Forbidden City
Culture, people & architecture will be best photographing targets in Beijing when you tour the Forbidden City and Summer Palace.I suggest you stay in Hutong area near Wangfujin, you may some woodpeckers and white-cheeked starlings.
Mutianyu Great Wall
You may see some birds while hiking along the Great Wall at Mutianyu.If the weather is good, you can see the sunset in Mutianyu, though it will be quite late to get back to hotel in city, and you need to walk down because the lift or toboggan has been closed by that time.
Forbidden City / Mutianyu Great Wall
• Shanxi Province
Terracotta Warriors
Warriors are the most important attraction. But the light inside the museum is a little bit dark. If you have a light tripod, it will be really convenient.
Xian City Wall
Xian City Wall is the most complete city wall that has survived in China.It is one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world.
Terracotta Warrior / Xian City Wall
• Sichuan Province
Panda Habitat
The panda habitats are very good place to photograph animals mammals, pheasants and a rare bird called Grey-crowned Crowtit, Rusty-throated Parrotbill, Blood Pheasant, Golden Pheasant,Temminck's Tragopan, Spectacled Parrotbill, Brown Parrotbill, Blyth’s Leaf Wabler, Brown Dipper, Slaty Bunting. For the animals, they are known for Giant Panda, Takin, Asiatic Black Bear, Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys, Tufted Deer, Wild Boar, etc.
Panda Habitat
Golden Snub-nosed Monkey Reserve
Around Golden Snub-nosed Monkey Reserve, the sceneries on the way, in the mountains and the villages are also good targets to be photographed.
Golden Snub-nosed Monkey
Wanglang Nature Reserve
Following are some animal and bird resources you might see in Wanglang: Giant Panda, Red Panda, Takin, Chinese Hazel Grouse, Asiatic Black Bear, Tibetan Macaque, Hog Badger, Sambar Deer, Tufted Deer, Chinese Serow, Chinese Goral, Blue Sheep, Blue-eared Pheasant.
Jiuzhaigou National Park
Jiuzhaigou is very famous for its beautiful sceneries. Though is also a nature reserve, there are few animals we can see due to large number of tourists each day.
However, inside the park, besides seeing the world-class sceneries, we have lots of opportunity photograph birds, such as Common Pheasant, Long-tailed Minivet, Grey-backed Shrike, Coal Tit, Rufous-vented Tit, Elliot's Laughingthrush, White-throated Dipper, Chestnut Thrush, Plumbeous Redstart, White-capped Redstart, Blue-fronted Redstart, Chinese White-browed Rosefinch, etc. We will spend two days exploring the wonderful park.
Jiuzhaigou
Tiebu Sika Deer Narture Reserve
Tiebu Sika Deer Natue Reserve is located in the bordering area between Sichuan and Gansu. On the way to the reserve from Juzhaigou, we will see lots of alpine birds like White-rumped Snowfinch and Black-necked Crane, Tibetan fox and Wolf.
Danba Tibetan Village
Here we will see very special group of Tibetans whom the westerners know very little. Danba Jiarong Tibetans, These Tibetan are known for their beautiful costumes and unique architecture which is actually is a combination of Tibetan and Qiang buildings.
While we go from Wolong to Danba, we will pass very important birding place, called Balang Mountain, we will see lots of birds such as rosefinches, snow pigeons, Sichuan partridge.
Wolong Nature Reserve
Wolong Nature Reserve is the first reserve set up to protect giant pandas and their companions. We will hike to a very old temple to see pheasants and other small birds there. Besides most of animals you see in Wanglang, there are some other animals and birds you may see in Wolong such as eagle owl,white-eared pheasant, snow partridge, Chinese Monal.
Dege Printing House
Dege is one of the most important birth place for the Tibetan Civilization and definitely the cultural center for the Kangba Tibetans. We go to Dege largely because of its cultural importance instead of animal resources.
Dege, meaning "land of benevolence" in Tibetan, is derived from the "ten benevolences of the 4 orders" of Tibetan Buddhism. "This is the heart of Tibetan culture," says Se Jia, the director of the Dege Printing House.
White-lipped Deer Reserve
White-lipped Deer, Himalayana Marmota, Black-lipped Pika and so on.
Litang, Town Up in The Air
Surrounded by snow-capped peaks and resting on open grassland at an altitude of 4680 m, Litang will leave you breathless in more than one way. This is Sichuan's Wild West, where tall fur hats and silver embossed knives are the on-going fashion rage and where neighboring herdsmen can be seen kicking up a trail of dust at dawn. Tibetan culture abounds here.
Pamulin Reserve
Sichuan Pheasant Partridge，blood pheasant， robins，Derby’s Parakeet，rose finches，Tit-warbler, Lady Amherst’s pheasant, white-eared pheasant, giant laughing thrush, streak-throated Fulvetta, white-browed rosefinch, Rufous-vented Tit, forest musk deer, black bear, brown bear, macaque, Tibetan fox, serow. Palas’s fish eagle. Perny’s long-nosed squirrel.
Ya’an Bifengxia Base
We go there to see pandas. It is very beautiful park where we can have a really nice hike.
How Can We Make This Trip Special？
• A Team of Passionate Guides Specializing in Wildlife Fields.
• Can be Customized to Better Meet Your Travel Style.
What Makes AbsolutePanda Excellent?
We use AbsolutePanda as company brand because of our deep love toward panda and our determination to create your absolutely enjoyable panda trips.
Map
China Wildlife Safari Map
Itinerary
Outline：
Day 1. Arrive Beijing
Day 2. Beijing
Day 3. Beijing-Xian
Day 4. Xian
Day 5. Xian-Guangyuan-Panda Habitat
Day 6. Panda Habitat
Day 7. Panda Habitat
Day 8. Panda Habitat
Day 9. Panda Reserve
Day 10. Panda Reserve
Day 11. Panda Reserve
Day 12. Panda Reserve-Pingwu
Day 13. Pingwu- Baima
Day 14. Baima-Wanglang
Day 15. Wanglang-Jiuzhaigou
Day 16. Jiuzhaigou
Day 17. Jiuzhaigou-Diebu
Day 18. Diebu
Day 19. Diebu
Day 20. Diebu-Ruoergai
Day 21. Ruoergai- Maerkang
Day 22. Maerkang to Wolong
Day 23. Wolong-Danba
Day 24. Danba-Bamei
Day 25. Bamei-Ganzi
Day 26. Ganzi-Dege
Day 27. Dege-Xinluhai
Day 28. Xinluhai
Day 29. Xinluhai-Litang
Day 30. Litang -Yajiang
Day 31. Yajiang-Pamuling
Day 32. Pamuling
Day 33. Pamuling
Day 34. Pamuling-Tagong
Day 35. Tagong-Kangding -Yaan
Day 36. Ya'an-Chengdu
Day 37. Chengdu
Day 38. Depart Chengdu
Details:
Day 1. Arrive Beijing. (D)
Arrival at Beijing International Airport, met by AbsolutePanda Beijing guide and transfer to hotel in the center of the city. Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight: Beijing
Day 2. Beijing. (BLD)
In the morning we drive to the Forbidden City to visit the royal palace which houses many treasures of China. We walk into the palace from the south gate, and then spend the morning on a guided tour through this vast and magnificent seat of the emperors’ power.
In the afternoon, we visit the Temple of Heaven where emperors once prayed for a good harvest, making offerings of grain, silk and animals. Constructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), its harmonious proportions and bold colors make it a masterpiece of Chinese architecture. The highlight of the Temple of Heaven is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, built without a single nail.
Overnight: Beijing
Day 3. Beijing-Xian (BLD)
We drive to the Great Wall and visit Great Wall Mutianyu section. Though the underlying architecture dates from the Ming Dynasty, the original plan for the Great Wall and some of its construction date back to the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.). We will take a short and easy hike at Mutianyu and return to Beijing in late afternoon.In the evening, we take a train Z19 (depart21:24-arrive08:25) from Beijing to Xian.
Overnight: On Train
Day 4. Xian (BLD)
Upon arrival, we will be met by AbsolutePanda Xian guide and we go to Terre Cotta Warriors and spend the morning to enjoy the eighth wonder of the world. It was made to guard the tomb of Qinshihuang, the first emperor to unite China. This major archaeological discovery consists of three underground vaults containing a collection of nearly 10,000 terracotta figures of warriors and horses, each differing in features and facial expressions.
After lunch at a local restaurant, we drive back to Xi’an City. En route, we will visit the Old City Wall or Lesser Panda Pagoda. After dinner, we explore streets in Xi’an.
Overnight: Xian
Day 5. Xian-Guangyuan-Panda Habitat (BLD)
In the morning you take Bullet train to Guangyuan, then transfer to and upon arrival we will be met by AbsolutePanda Chengdu guide, we will have free afternoon to explore Chengdu City. If you have interests, we will take you to a local popular hot pot restaurant.
Overnight: Panda Habitat Hostel (LHG)
Day 6. Panda Habitat (BLD)
In the early morning we drive to Zhongwafang. We hike from Zhongwafang toward Shangwafang, we photograph birds including golden pheasants.
Overnight: Panda Habitat Hostel (LHG)
Day 7. Panda Habitat (BLD)
In the early morning we drive to Shangwafang, from where we hike to Lishiyan with a local reserve staff to photograph animals.
Overnight: Panda Habitat Hostel (LHG)
Day 8. Panda Habitat (BLD)
We hike to Heigou to find opportunity of photographing animals, such as Sichuan Takin, bear or golden monkey.
Overnight: Panda Habitat Hostel (LHG)
Day 9. Panda Reserve (BLD)
We drive to Panda Reserve, en route, we make a visit to Qingxi Old town. In the evening, we hike along eco-loop line to photograph wild animals, pheasants and possibly wild pandas around the reception center.
Overnight: Panda Habitat Hotel (TJH)
Day 10. Panda Reserve (BLD)
In the morning we drive and hike toward Motianlin, exploring wildlife and photographing en route.
Overnight: Panda Habitat Hotel (TJH)
Day 11. Panda Reserve (BLD)
Photograph birds and animals in one of the valleys near the reception center.
Overnight: Panda Habitat Hotel (TJH)
Day 12. Panda Reserve-Pingwu (BLD)
Photograph birds and animals along the eco-loop line and we drive to Pingwu. Visit Golden Monkey Reserve.
Overnight: Pingwu
Day 13. Pingwu- Baima (BLD)
In the morning we make visit to BaoEn Monastery, an over-400 year Buddhist temple known for its architecture, carving and fresco. We drive to Baima Tibetan Village in the morning and visit the village. After lunch in local Tibetan family, we stay in local Tibetan house.
Overnight: Baima Tibetan House.
Day 14. Baima-Wanglang (BLD)
In the early morning we drive to Wanglang Panda Reserve and photograph animals or birds to photograph animals and birds in the wild with a local staff.
Overnight: Wanglang
Day 15. Wanglang-Jiuzhaigou (BLD)
We spend most of the day photographing in the reserve. In the afternoon we drive to Jiuzhaigou county town.
Overnight: Jiuzhaigou
Day 16. Jiuzhaigou (BLD)
We spend whole day to photograph beautiful sceneries and birds in Jiuzhaigou. Which is one of the hottest destinations and most beautiful places in the world.
Overnight: Jiuzhaigou
Day 17. Jiuzhaigou-Diebu (BLD)
We drive to Diebu County, en route we will spend lots of time photographing birds and possibly some wild animals.
Overnight: Diebu
Day 18. Tiebu Reserve (BLD)
We will hike to mountain in the reserve to photograph sika deer.
Sichuan Sika deer are stronger and more handsome than those in the zoo. They range from 1.4 to 1.7 meters in length and weigh about 115 to 150 kilos. The deer have long black narrow line on the center of their backs with white spots on either side of the line. Adult male Sika deer grow light brown antlers that are made into a medicine called Lurong. The antlers serve as weapons during the autumn mating season and grow each spring. There are more than 600 Sichuan Sika deer in the Tiebu Nature Reserve, 100 more can be found in Baozuo, which is in eastern part of Ruoergai, and nearly 100 in Baihe Nature Reserve of Jiuzhaigou County. These 800 deer formed the largest wild Sika deer group in the world.
Overnight: Diebu
Day 19. Tiebu Reserve (BLD)
We hike to a local valley to photograph wild animals and birds.
Overnight: Diebu
Day 20. Diebu-Ruoergai (BLD)
Half a day hiking around the Tibetan villages to photograph Tibetan villages, people, and birds. After lunch we drive to Ruoergai.
Overnight: Ruoergai
Day 21. Ruoergai- Maerkang (BLD)
We drive from Ruoergai to Maerkang, en route we will be able to photograph black-necked crane, golden eagles and some eagles and vultures.
Black-necked Cranes breeding range includes much of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China, with a small breeding population occurring in adjacent Ladakh in India.
During the breeding season Black-necked Cranes use high altitude wetlands. Foraging occurs in shallow marshes, streams, and pastures. The cranes winter in lower elevation agricultural valleys where they feed mainly on waste grains. In both breeding and wintering areas Black-necked Cranes are quite tolerant of people and regularly feed near human settlements and domestic livestock, perhaps because local religious beliefs protect them across much of their range. In the afternoon we will drive to Maerkang via Tangke.
The scenery in Tangke is also great, known in China as the first bend of Yellow River.
Overnight: Maerkang
Day 22. Maerkang to Wolong (BLD)
Drive from Maerkang to Wolong. Most of our time today will be spent on Mengbi Mountain to photograph birds.
Overnight: Wolong
Day 23. Wolong-Danba (BLD)
Drive to Balang Mountain we will have good chance to photograph lots of alpine birds such as snow pigeon, rose finches and a varieties of pheasants.
Overnight: Danba
Day 24. Danba-Bamei (BLD)
Photograph the unique Danba Tibetan village, known as the one of most beautiful places in China. We drive along the scenic Yak Valley, we can get a majestic view of Yala Sacred Mountain, the most important holy mountain for local Tibetans. En route we will also make visit to Huiyuan Monastery, a lama temple built for Dalai Lama and related to three dalai Lamas.
Overnight: Bamei
Day 25. Bamei-Ganzi (BLD)
Drive to Bamei to Ganzi, en route we will visit Daofu Tibetan villages know as home to Tibetan architectures.
Overnight: Ganzi
Day 26. Ganzi-Dege (BLD)
In the morning we make a visit to Ganzi Dajin Monastery, and then we drive to Dege. Dege, meaning "land of benevolence" in Tibetan, is derived from the "ten benevolences of the 4 orders" of Tibetan Buddhism. "This is the heart of Tibetan culture," says Se Jia, the director of the Dege Printing House. "If you want to go to the heart of the Tibetan religion, you go to Lhasa and places like the Potala Palace. But Dege is the heart of the culture." It seems a bold claim considering that the entire county of Dege has only 61,000 residents, but it is hard to argue when monks travel for a week to get here. Dege Printing House is the largest traditional press in Tibetan parts of China, and it stores an estimated 70 per cent of the Tibetan literary heritage. Like so many other cultural relics in western Sichuan, it is a testimony to the way Tibetan traditions have survived a difficult half-century.
Overnight: Dege
Day 27. Dege-Xinluhai (BLD)
In the morning we make a visit to Dege Printing House, which is the oldest and largest of its kind in whole Tibetan area. Then we drive from Dege to Xinluhai Nature Reserve to photograph white-lipped deer and their companions.
Overnight: Xinluhai
Day 28. Xinluhai (BLD)
Whole day photographing in Xinluhai Nature Reserve.
Xinluhai Lake (Yilhun Lhatso in Tibetan) is located 11 km from Manigange just at the foot of Quer mountain. The lake, with an altitude over 4040 meters, is formed by the effects of glaciation, and measures 15 meters at its deepest point. This lake is a sacred place for Tibetan Buddhists, as the many stone piles and prayer flags suggest. In 1995 the 190 sq km region was established as a national nature reserve for white lip deer. The white-lipped deer is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau in China. It is a large deer, weighing up to 230 kg (500 lb). It is generally found in high hills and mountains covered with a mosaic of forest, rhododendron, and meadows. High, open pastures are preferred, usually above 3500 m (11,500 ft) up to the limit of vegetation above 5000 m (16,400 ft). Grasses comprise most of its diet.
Overnight: Xinluhai
Day 29. Xinluhai-Litang (BLD)
We drive from Xinluhai to Litang via Xinlong. Surrounded by snow-capped peaks and resting on open grassland at an altitude of 4680 m, Litang will leave you breathless in more than one way. This is Sichuan's Wild West, where tall fur hats and silver embossed knives are the on-going fashion rage and where neighboring herdsmen can be seen kicking up a trail of dust at dawn. Tibetan culture abounds here. Markets are filled with yak-skin coats, wooden and silver teacups and brightly colored woven cloth. 'Tashi delek', the Tibetan greeting, is more commonly used than 'Ni Hao' and traditional stone and dirt homes fill the northern half of the town. The Litang International Racing Festival in every 1st-7th August is the grand celebration of the grassland. We will have a nice hot spring in Litang in the afternoon.
Overnight: Litang
Day 30. Litang -Yajiang (BLD)
We drive from Litang to Yajiang. We can also photograph some birds and Tibetan houses on the way.
Overnight: Yajiang
Day 31. Yajiang-Pamuling (BLD)
We drive to Pamuling Reserve.On Mount Pamuling, Tibetan monks have put the famous sacred mountains in the Tibetan region under complete protection. The place has become the easiest site in China to see wild blood pheasants and buff-throated partridges roaming around.We stay in local Tibetan families and photograph pheasants in the reserve.
Overnight: Pamuling
Day 32. Pamuling (BLD)
Full day photographing pheasants and animals there.
Overnight: Pamuling
Day 33. Pamuling (BLD)
Full day Photographing pheasants and animals there.
Overnight: Pamuling
Day 34. Pamuling-Tagong (BLD)
Drive from Pamuling to Tagong Grassland.
Tagong Grassland is located at northwest of the Kangding city in the Kangba area, the Grassland is flat and wide, and it is very beautiful close to the God Mountain Yala.
Tagong Temple, a well-known landmark of the Sakya (Flower) Sect, was built during Qing Dynasty. In 1265, Phagspa, who was granted the title of Grand State Tutor by Kublai Khan, stopped here on his way back to Tibet from Beijing, and presented the temple with a statue of the Buddha. Ever since then, the temple has had a special place in the hearts of local Tibetans.
Overnight: Tagong
Day 35. Tagong-Kangding -Yaan (BLD)
Drive from Tagong to Yaan via Kangding, the prefectural capital of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. , en route we can get a very good view of Gongga Mountain Peak if the weather is good. After lunch in Kangding town, we will explore some streets in Kangding.
Overnight: Ya’an
Day 36. Ya’an-Chengdu (BLD)
We will visit pandas in Ya’an Base of China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in the afternoon we drive to Chengdu.
Overnight: Chengdu
Day 37. Chengdu (BLD)
In the morinig we pay a visit to Chengdu Panda Base. After lunch we will head to Leshan Giant Buddha. Then come back to Chengdu.
Overnight: Chengdu
Day 38. Depart Chengdu (B)
Depart Chengdu and flight back home. Our wild animal-photographing tour end.
Notes:
1. If you need help in arranging a flight to Beijing from Chengdu, Shanghai, Xian, or the trip out of Chengdu, please feel free to contact us.
2. This trip ventures into a remote area that features high altitude. Follow the advice from your doctor on altitude sickness before deciding to join this trip. In some events, high elevation can cause severe health complications for those with cardiovascular diseases or other poor cardiopulmonary function.
Dates & Prices
1. Dates
Upon Request
Email us for tailor-making a tour according to your time.
2. Prices
The AbsolutePanda team works hard to provide the highest quality tour experiences at a fair price. However, after working in the travel industry for more than 20 years, our team knows that no two travelers are alike in terms of their travel style, personal interests, choice of guides and preferences in restaurants and hotels. For AbsolutePanda, our client’s satisfaction is a top priority. To meet the needs of different clients and ensure they enjoy a trip suited to their preferences, you are welcome to email with specific requests ranging from trip themes, guides, the quality of vehicles, accommodations, and restaurants. Our group trip price has the following includes and excludes below.
This standard price is based on a minimum of four travelers. That means the trip size is at least four persons per group unless it becomes a customized trip for private clients.
The cost for four pax group:
Upon Request
Single supplement:
Upon Request
The cost includes:
1. Vehicles listed on the trip. A nice private vehicle including the cost of fuel and tolls, airport pick up and drop off;
2. An English-speaking wildlife guide for the whole trip;
3. A local ranger in Panda Habitat;
4. Meals listed above as BLD.
5. Bottled water and snacks;
6. Entrance charges listed in the trip;
7. China Domestic Travel Insurance;
8. Hotels listed on the trip.
The cost excludes:
1. Alcoholic drinks during the meal;
2. Extra charges due to change of itinerary from client-side or factors beyond the control of AbsolutePanda such as natural disaster and governmental policy change;
3. Discretionary tips to the guide and driver;
4. All personal expenses, such as laundry service or for personal shopping;
5. Train ticket or airfare to and out of Chengdu;
6. Any program not listed in the itineraries;
7. Entrance fee, car rental, or meals during your free time trip;
8. Single supplement.
Notes:
The price is based on occupying one room with two beds for two clients in the hotels. The hotels we picked for this trip are based on our years of running quality trips. If you prefer to use a private room or we can not find a person who is willing to share a room with you, you will need to pay the single supplement.
3. Experienced Wildlife Guides
• Bella: A fluent English speaker, Bella is a knowledgeable wildlife guide, birding expert and is well versed in Chinese food and local culture.
• Philip: A local guide born in the Sichuan Tibetan area with fluent English and basic Japanese, Philip is an exceptional photographer and had guided many Snow Leopard safari trips since 2017. As a wildlife guide, Philip also has a keen interest in Buddhism, birding, and Chinese cuisine.
• Shay: Shay is among the first group of professional bird guides with an academic background of ornithology. By now, he has successfully guided many avid birders and wildlife photographers from different countries including Norway, Britain, the US, Sweden, Israel, and Thailand.
• Cory: Cory is a plant expert and photo guide of AbsolutePanda. As a native of Chengdu, the place where he was born has beautiful mountains and abundant plant resources. Since his childhood, he has been deeply attracted by the beauty of nature and spent a lot of time exploring nature in the mountains surrounding his hometown. After many years of learning purely out of interests, Cory has accumulated rich knowledge about plants, mammals, and mountains. As a successful plant photographer, Cory has photographed more than two thousand species of wildflowers. His knowledge and passion for plants and photography will make your trip unique and enjoyable. With him as your plant and photography guide, you will be able to appreciate the beauty of the nature presented like a roll of traditional Chinese painting unveiled by Cory with his findings and stories behind those beautiful flowers.
Notes:
1. To AbsolutePanda team, our clients' overall satisfaction with their trip is the top priority. We can create a different option to make it easier for you to choose a tour that fits your style and budget. We feel it is difficult for our clients to enjoy this trip without the help of a guide. If you prefer to travel in a different style than the option we've provided here, please feel free to contact us.
2. For travelers who hope to tailor-make the day programs with their specific travel preferences in mind (transportations, hotels, exclusive privileges, and famous local experts), tailor-making a tour is the best way to ensure your desires are met. Please contact us with your specific needs and we will make an itinerary based on your expectations. Once you confirm, we work out the cost and send it to you. Please feel free to ask any questions to learn more.
Please note that this trip requires a high level of expertise on natural knowledge, we will block our best natural guides for the dates selected for this trip. For people who hope to customize this trip or hope to take it as a private trip, please be aware that good nature guides are very limited in China and are not always available, especially during our busy season from April to October. If you have an on-planning trip, please contact us as early as possible so that we will block the date of our expert guide for you.
When you put your trust in our team, we are certain to help you enjoy an unforgettable travel experience in China!
Accommodations
AbsolutePanda firmly believes travel is an art. To ensure every trip with us is a great travel art for our clients, the AbsolutePanda team does all we can to consider every possible detail. The choice of hotels is an essential part of making a great trip. After many years of running a travel business, we have built up our network of cooperative hotels at different levels. We understand people are different in the choice of hotels when they travel. If you hope to use some specific hotels, please feel free to let us know, we are delighted to book it for you at a competitive price for you to make the hotel choice better meet your taste, budget and travel style. We can either reserve a hotel with competitive price for you or simply include the hotel into your trip cost if possible. You are welcome to contact us and tell us your requests, we will do our best to create the best travel itinerary for your private use.
If you need help with hotel booking in other big cities of China at different styles and luxury levels (International-brand Hotels, Local Brand Hotels, Economical Hotels), please feel free to email our team at info@absolutepanda.com.
FAQs
1. What means of transportation will we use on this trip?
For our tour, transportation will vary from high-speed bullet trains to a chartered van driven by a professional driver. This will be helpful as the tour itinerary is especially long and will cover a lot of territories.
2. What level of accommodation will we have on this trip?
As we are traveling in a big city or a more remote area of China, the accommodation throughout this trip will vary. We make it our priority to provide our clients with good quality accommodation available.
3. What endangered species do we expect to see on the tour?
On this tour, we anticipate encountering several species that are under the protection of the Chinese government. These include animals such as the giant panda, red panda, golden snub-nosed monkey, and Sichuanese takin.
4. Will we see wild pandas on this tour?
While Sichuan is known as the Chinese province with the most substantial portion of the wild panda population (80%), it should be noted that spotting a wild panda is exceptionally rare. While visitors to Sichuan have seen these animals in places that we will visit on this trip, we feel your best chance to see pandas will be during our visit to the panda research and breeding bases in Sichuan.
5. What cultures will we interact with on this trip?
Throughout this itinerary, we will visit Tibetan communities in western Sichuan. This specific region of what is considered culturally Tibetan is often referred to as “Kham,” and the people are known as Khampa Tibetans. We anticipate stopping at destinations that hold significant value to Tibetans everywhere such as the printing block archives in Dege as well as some local temples and monasteries. Additionally, while we stay in Xi’an, we will have the opportunity to visit the famous “Muslim street” in town.
6. What is the likelihood of spotting the animals specified in the itinerary?
Southwestern China is comprised of a wide array of different habitats, teeming with a wide variety of different animal species. With animals ranging from the lumbering Sichuan Takin to the agile snub-nosed monkey, there is something for everyone. As is the truth with every animal safari, we cannot guarantee we will see any of the animals on the itinerary; however, we are confident that you will experience success in our search.
7. Will altitude become an issue on this trip?
While it is true that some parts of Sichuan are located at exceptionally high altitudes (i.e Litang), our team is experienced at guiding foreign clients in this region. We are confident that our plan to acclimate your group to the elevation gradually will help you avoid any symptoms of altitude sickness.
8. Will we use the assistance of local guides?
AbsolutePanda features a diverse team of guides from both the local region (Sichuan) as well as other parts of China. For instance, we will utilize the assistance of local experts during our stay at the panda natural reserve and our visit to the snub-nose monkeys.
9. Can you provide some more information on the high-speed bullet train?
China has one of the most effective high-speed railway systems in the world. These trains are not only comfortable but rival airfare in their ability to get passengers to their destination promptly. We enjoy utilizing the train system for this tour to minimize the overall price as well as providing you the spectacular opportunity to watch the landscape shift from the window of a train.
10. If I have dietary restrictions, will that be a problem for your team to accommodate?
Our team is experienced at making sure all of our client’s needs are met. If you or anyone in your group has specific requirements for food, we are happy to accommodate your needs.
11. What certifications does your team have in the event of an emergency?
Our staff has been trained with the necessary skills of the Red Cross for an emergency.
12. Does the AbsolutePanda team offer transportation to and from the airport?
With AbsolutePanda, convenience is a top priority when serving our clients. This tour itinerary includes pick-up and drop-off services.
Email us if you have some questions. Read our FAQ
Testimonials
The best travel company I have ever worked with.
Where to begin? I am an international tour leader. This team is our partner company, and for the last 5 years, they have proved time and time again to be by far the best, most meticulous, detail-oriented, experienced, and honest company I have ever encountered. These guys get it- travel is an art. They are focused on the experience, not the profit, and this is very rare in China. The founder, Philip, is one of the top birders and nature experts in Sichuan and is well respected throughout the province and beyond for all of his efforts to support local culture and conservation of wildlife. He is from a remote Tibetan region and understands how to operate in the wild, unexplored regions of china- the real china. He is an excellent teacher and judge of character and has built an amazing team of loyal guides who cannot be topped. If you travel with these guys, you have made a wise decision.
--Brad
Date of experience: May 2017
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