Overview
For people who have only two or three days in Chengdu, this is the ideal trip which has covered two most popular things to do: visit the giant panda and go to visit the world-famous heritage site - Leshan Giant Buddha. To get better experience, you will go to Dujiangyan Panda Base to have a full day's panda volunteering project to contribute your own effort to protect our Giant Panda. On the second day, you will be taken to visit the world-famous Leshan Giant Buddha, which is only two hours' driving away from Chengdu.
Tips from local tour guide
Dujiangyan Panda Park provides panda works for volunteer workers. Its mission is to raise money for panda protection and to give people knowledge about giant pandas to raise the awareness of protecting wild lives and nature. And it also provides opportunities for visitors/workers to have experience with the lovely pandas.
It is actually a project rather than volunteer works. Please avoid July and August for this tour since by then the panda bases are very crowded.
- Spend a full morning as a panda keeper at a Chengdu research base – prepare bamboo, make panda cakes, clean enclosures and observe the bears up close
- Receive an official panda volunteer certificate signed by the base (great keepsake and proof of conservation support)
- Stand at the feet of the 71 m Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest stone Buddha in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Enjoy the classic frontal view of the Buddha from a river cruise on the Minjiang River
- Private English-speaking guide, door-to-door transfers and all permits arranged for you
- Flexible pacing – ideal as a Chengdu day-trip add-on or a relaxed 2-day break
- Learn from conservation staff about giant panda breeding, reintroduction and habitat protection
- Photograph red pandas, peacocks and other residents of the base between keeper sessions
Itinerary
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1 Panda Keeper Volunteer Experience
After an early hotel pick-up in Chengdu (around 07:30), drive about 1.5 hours to the panda research base. Following a safety briefing, put on your volunteer apron and join the morning routine: weigh and chop fresh bamboo, prepare panda "cakes" from steamed corn-bread and fruit, scrub and disinfect an enclosure, and watch the bears feed and play just metres away. A base photographer captures your moments. Around noon you receive your official volunteer certificate and enjoy a simple base lunch. The afternoon is free to explore Chengdu – the Wide and Narrow Alleys, Jinli Street or the Sichuan cuisine museum are easy additions before an overnight stay in the city.
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2 Leshan Giant Buddha & Return
After breakfast, drive roughly 2 hours south to Leshan. Reach the foot of the 71 m seated Buddha carved into Lingyun Cliff during the Tang dynasty. Choose to climb the 9-layer spiral staircase beside the statue for a close-up of its 7 m-long ear, or board a sightseeing boat on the Minjiang for the iconic head-on view where the Buddha appears to tame the river currents. Your guide explains the cliff carvings, the HaiShi Cave and the surrounding Lingyun Temple. After lunch at a riverside restaurant (local river fish and Sichuan classics), return to Chengdu by late afternoon with a drop-off at your hotel or the railway station.
What's included
- Panda volunteer permit, reservation fee and official volunteer certificate
- Private English-speaking local guide for both days
- One night of 4-star hotel accommodation in Chengdu (twin/double share)
- Daily breakfast and the panda-base volunteer lunch on Day 1
- All entrance fees: panda base, Leshan Giant Buddha and boat cruise
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with hotel / station transfers
- Bottled water and a panda-themed souvenir
Not included
- International or domestic flights / trains to and from Chengdu
- Some lunches and dinners (approx. USD 10–25 per meal)
- Travel insurance (mandatory for volunteer activities)
- Tips for guide and driver (appreciated but optional)
- Personal expenses, souvenirs and extra activities
