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A Day as a Panda Keeper: Wolong Volunteer Adventure

Discover Wild Panda Country

Set within the vast Wolong National Nature Reserve, the Wolong Panda Center is a scenic journey from Chengdu—and well worth the visit. Less frequented by crowds, it is celebrated as the true home of wild pandas.

Designed for conscious travelers and nature lovers, this day-long program combines the Wolong Panda Volunteer experience—led by an expert guide—with unique local activities: guided mountain walks, rural village visits, and bamboo planting for pandas.

Please note: To protect pandas and comply with regulations, direct contact is not included. Activities and timing are subject to on-site arrangements.

We can adapt the itinerary to your interests—just let us know what inspires you.

Tour Highlights

Panda Care Experience

Make panda cakes, prepare bamboo, and observe close-up panda feeding with a keeper.

Receive an Official Panda Guardian Certificate

Upon completing the program, you will be awarded an exclusive Panda Conservation Volunteer Certificate to commemorate this meaningful experience.

Receive an Official Panda Guardian Certificate

Join local villagers to plant bamboo saplings in the mountains. Watch your efforts grow—we'll send you updates, and one day these shoots will become meals for pandas at the center.

Itinerary Overview

Your guide will meet you at your Chengdu hotel at 6:30 am for a 2.5-hour scenic drive to Wolong.

Arrive at the Panda Center by 9:00 am to begin your immersive keeper experience. Throughout the day, you’ll learn about this endangered species and assist in their daily care under the supervision of expert staff.

Spend 3 hours assisting keepers with daily tasks: break bamboo and wash bamboo shoots for pandas, clean enclosure glass, and observe feeding sessions.

Afterward, enjoy a guided tour along the base’s scenic paths as our guide shares fascinating stories about these beloved creatures.

Share lunch with the staff in the canteen, then watch a documentary about panda life. Get hands-on making panda cakes and chopping bamboo for elderly pandas.

Receive your Panda Keeper Certificate before the program ends around 2:00 pm.

Visit a traditional farmhouse in Wolong Town to glimpse authentic rural life—from curing meats to tending fields—and feel the warmth of local hospitality.

Then, walk into the nearby forest to plant your own bamboo seedling. We’ll send you photos as it grows, and one day it will nourish pandas at the center.