5 Days Wolong Giant Panda Research Camp

▲ Tour Map

Day 1：Get to know Wolong Nature Reserve.

In the morning, we will board our private tour bus at a designated place in Chengdu and drive to Wolong Nature Reserve, enjoying the landscape change when we drive from Chengdu Plain to the mountainous areas in southwest China.

In the afternoon, we will have an opening ceremony for our research camp followed by a tour to familiarize ourselves with the local environment. We will go to Wolong Nature and Earthquake Museum to know the local geographical environment and natural resources. Then we will have a nature guide practice. Then we will get our first bird-watching class at the lower elevation area of Wolong to learn how to find and observe birds in the field. We will try to find some common birds in the Pitiaohe River such as the Brown Dipper and Plumbeous Water Redstart.

In the evening, we will discuss and dispatch tasks for our scientific research camp.

Day 2：Giant Panda Exploration.

In the morning, we will drive to China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda to observe the body features and behaviors of Giant Pandas at close distance. We can also try to find the minor differences between different pandas. We will also get information about the body structure of the Giant Panda, and how their diet adapts to environmental change. We will also share lots of information about pandas you might not know.

In the afternoon, we will drive to a conservation station to learn the daily works of reserve patrol staff(rangers) and their interesting conservation stories. These will help us to think about the significance of the giant panda protection and establishing reserves.

In the evening, we will make some panda handicrafts.

Day 3：Scientific Research in the primeval forest.

In the morning, we will go to the natural habitats of the Giant Pandas along with reserve staff to learn how to install and use infra-camera, how to find and identify the animal traces, and how to understand the forest ecological system. We will learn how to make notes for our research report and how to improve it.

In the afternoon, we hike in the primeval forest with chances to encounter the companion animals of the giant panda such as the Golden Pheasant, Sichuan Takin, and Chinese Goral. We will also experience the fun of playing nature games and teamwork.

In the evening, we will improve our scientific report and discuss the natural resources and conservation status of reserves.

Day 4：Nature Observation in Balang Mountain.

We will spend the whole day in the field. In the early morning, we drive to Balang Mountain to look for the endemic birds in the west Sichuan including raptors such as Himalayan Griffons and Lammergeier, analyze the different ways by different bird species to adapt to the environment. We will also learn the identification of alpine flowers such as poppies and their surviving secrets of alpine flowers.

In the evening, we will watch a nature documentary film followed by a discussion on the harmonious relationship between people and nature, and photos of some common wildlife and plants in southwestern China. We will also update our scientific report.

Day 5：Community study and camp-closing ceremony.

In the morning, we will visit the neighboring communities and learn about co-existence and development between reserves and local communities. We will complete our Giant Panda scientific research report.

In the afternoon, the participants report on the findings and we summarize with a camp-closing ceremony before we drive back to Chengdu to conclude our research camp.

▲ Daily plays of panda cubs

▲ Handicrafts made in our past trips

▲ Natural Habitat of Giant Panda

▲ Balang Mountain

Logistics

Hotel Stay：Local hotels(one twin-bed room for one family, for children without a parent, arrange room-sharing according to the actual situation. In principle, we do not use one room for one single child. If parent hopes to use a single room, the single supplement is 118USD/pax).

Transportation：We will rent a registered tour bus during the whole trip starting from and ending in Chengdu.

Food：Sichuan dishes at local popular restaurant and Tibetan-style hotpot.

Safety Measures：

1. All around process control and safety check before the start of the trip.

2. Staff with AHA first aid certificate and first aid kit during the whole trip.

3. Detailed rules and reminders for the trip and ensure all the participating parents and children know them.

4. Measures for epidemic prevention: we will prepare epidemic prevention materials such as surgery masks, pure alcohols, hand sanitizer, and thermometer. We will have a temperature check before the start of our trip activities.

FAQs

Are there any we need to pay special attention to for the activities on Balang Mountain?

The temperature changes significantly at the higher part of Balang Mountain, please make sure you have warm clothes and comfortable shoes. Preferably, the inner clothing you wear breathable ones for avoiding catching a cold. Moreover, the high elevation areas have strong ultraviolet, so make sure you have suncream at hand. We will prepare an e-version departure book with much more detailed information and send it to each participant before the start of the trip for your better preparation.