17 Days Beijing Xian Lhasa Chengdu Panda and Dujiangyan Volunteer Tour with Yangtze River Cruise

Forbidden City

Tiananmen Square

Today you will first visit the noted Temple of Heaven, which is a royal sacred site where prayers for good harvests, prosperity and harmonious life are offered. Then we will head to the historic Tiananmen Square which is the largest city square in the world and the spiritual heart of China, and then the magnificent Forbidden City which located in the center of Beijing and used to be the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties with a history of around 600 years.

Stay overnight in Beijing

Great Wall

Ming Tombs

Today you will visit the majestic Great Wall (Badaling section) and the Chang Tomb of Ming Tombs. You will be taken on a group tour to the Great Wall, the most famous symbol of China and one of the world’s most remarkable architectural wonders. This section was first built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). The Ming Tombs is also known as the “13 Tombs”, and it is a collection of mausoleums of the 13 out of 17 of the Ming Dynasty emperors.

You will take flight from Beijing to Xian, our guides will pick you up at the airport.

Stay overnight in Xian

Grand Mosque

City Wall of Xian

Upon your arrival in Xian, you will be transferred to the reserved hotel and have a good rest. In the afternoon, you will be able to enjoy the Ancient City Wall of Xian by bicycle tour. The wall around the inner part of the city was built in the 14th century and is 14km long. It is an amazing example of ancient defensive structures. Then you will head to the Grand Mosque, a Chinese traditional Alhambresque architecture, with a great combination of Islamic and Chinese culture.

Stay overnight in Xian

Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

The next morning will see you visiting the Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, a must-see when in Xian. Around 8,000 ancient, life-sized figures were created to accompany the first Emperor of China to the afterlife, and were part of his mausoleum. Each figure has a unique facial structure and expression, as if they had been made from living people. The warriors were buried with the Emperor in 208BC and were not discovered until 1974.

After the warriors, you will head to another of the most visited sites in Xian, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Built in 652, the pagoda is a repository of Buddhist figures and scriptures brought to Xian from India by, Xuanzang, the first abbot of Daci'en Temple.

You will take flight from Xian to Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

The Splendid Potala Palace

Jokhang Temple

After your delicious breakfast, you will start your Tibetan Buddhist journey today. Certainly, the Potala Palace, reputed as the landmark of Tibet, must be the first site. It is enclosed with the White Palace and the Red Palace ancillary buildings of the Potala Palace which rise from Red Mountain in the center of Lhasa Valley (3700m). The most valuable burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and meditation Cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet are housed inside.

Having a lunch, you will continue to visit the "spiritual heart of the city" and the most sacred monastery in Tibet - the holy Jokhang Monastery. The monastery is located at Barkhor Square in Lhasa, in general, considered as the most important and sacred monastery by Tibetan. In fact, it is packed with pilgrims from four corners to pray. Therefore, not only will you see the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni at the age of twelve, also the pilgrims making prostrating in front of Jokhang Temple.

After visiting the monastery, you can stroll along the Barkhor Street surrounding the monastery where you can take part in the pilgrimage to do kora, a religious circle around a building or mountains, or wandering to buy some Tibetan handicrafts and so on.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Drepung Monastery

Scriptures Debating in Sera Monastery

Today, you will go on basking in Tibetan Buddhism. Drepung Monastery, as the beginning site of today’s journey, is one of the “great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet. It is founded in 1416 by Jamyang Choge, one of the Tsongkhapa’s main disciples, also the biggest monastery among Tibetan Buddhist buildings. Here, we will offer you an opportunity to visit the biggest monastery kitchen, and enjoy the rock paintings, then, the tour guide will lead you to see Buddhist Sculpture Carving workshop near Drepung Monastery.

In addition, after your meal, continue to visit another Gelug monastery in Tibet - Sera Monastery. As we all know, the highlight of touring Sera Monastery is to watch an excellent Monks Debate lasting from 3 pm to 5 pm. Then, you can explore the Choding Khang which is the hermitage located just behind the Great Assembly Hall (on the hill slope of Sera Utse).

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Today, you will be escorted to airport and take the flight to Chengdu, our guide will pick you up and take you to your hotel, after settling down, you will go to downtown Chengdu to see the capital of Sichuan Provence, you can have hot pot if you want!

Stay overnight in Chengdu

Jinli Ancient Street

Giant panda

In the morning, our tour guide & driver will pick you up from your hotel, and drive to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (known as Chengdu Panda Base) which is the best possible environment for rearing and breeding. Here, you can explore the daily life of the cute pandas, and see them eating bamboo at their active time (from 9 o’clock to 11 o’clock).

In the afternoon our guide will escort you to the Jinli Ancient Street, one of the oldest streets to appreciate the local snacks and artifacts. The elegant style of the architectures tells you what Sichuan looks like during the Qing Dynasty. Then visit Wuhou Temple, where people in Chengdu commemorate Zhu Geliang, you can learn many stories of this sagacious man.

After tour, be transferred back to your hotel.

Stay overnight in Chengdu

You may have a chance to feed the panda.

Pandas in Dujiangyan Panda Valley

7:00am Picked up by your tour guide
In the early morning, your tour guide & driver will pick you up from your hotel in Chengdu and then drive to the Dujiangyan Panda Base.

8:30am - 09:00am Arrive at the Dujiangyan Panda Base and sign up
In the base, you will get a uniform, gloves, and a volunteer’s card with the assistance of your guide. Your guide will introduce you to the professional panda keepers. The panda keepers can speak simple English but your guide will be there for you at all times, helping to translate and taking memorable photos of you with the lovable pandas.

9:00am - 10:00am Clean the panda enclosures
Panda keepers need to supply fresh bamboo to these national treasures three times each day. The pandas usually eat only 30% of the bamboo, wasting 70% of it. You will need to sweep out the leftovers, replace it with fresh bamboo, and clean out the feces.

10:00am - 11:00am Take a break and tour around the panda base 
Have a relaxing walk in the well-paved base and listen to the legendary stories of these pandas. You will also have a chance to meet four naughty red pandas.

11:00am - 11:30am Feed a panda 
Pandas are supplied with panda cakes, apples, and carrots four times a day. The panda keepers will show you how to feed a panda with your own hands at close proximity.

11:30am - 1:00pm Have lunch and a rest in the base

1:00pm - 2:00pm Watch a panda movie that lasts for about 40 minutes
You will see a special documentary about how the shy pandas mate, give birth, grow up, and are returned to the wild.

2:00pm - 3:30pm More cleaning and feeding, and making panda’s cakes
The bamboo you supplied in the morning will have become dry by the afternoon. Remove it and replace it with fresh bamboo. Then feed the pandas with some more panda cakes and apples. Having fed the pandas with panda cakes, aren’t you curious as to how they are made? It is time to make some panda cakes with your own hands. The ingredients will be prepared in advance. Get creative about the shapes of the cakes.

3:30pm - 4:00pm Get a certificate, and drive back to Chengdu
The volunteer work ends here and you will receive a certificate for this unforgettable day. Say goodbye to the pandas you take care of.

Your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel in Chengdu.

Notice:
A donation program that allows you to take pictures with a panda next to you for about one minute is not included in the Panda Volunteer Program. It is only available in Dujiangyan Panda Base and the donation amount is CNY1,800 per person. Only 30 tourists are allowed to take close-up photos with pandas each day. If you would like to do, please feel free to tell us or reserve 1 Day Dujiangyan Panda Holding Tour from Chengdu.

The age restriction of volunteer program is between 12 to 65 years old ( there is no restriction for holding a lovely panda ). Even though the pandas look harmless, they are carnivores. Parents must ensure that they prevent their children from coming into direct contact with the pandas.

If your children are between 2–11 years old, you can still take them with you during the program. Your guide will help to take care of them. If your children are under 2 years old and you take care of them throughout the day.

Stay overnight in Chengdu

Ciqikou Ancient Town

Hongya Cave

In the morning, you will take Bullet Train from Chengdu to Chongqing.

If time permits,you will visit the historical Ciqikou Ancient Town, an ancient town for over 1000 years integrated with Bayu culture, religious culture, Shaci culture, Hongyan culture and folk culture. You can eat special snacks and buy souvenirs here.

At night, Hongya Cave is the one you wouldn’t miss. The night view here is fascinating, you will walk down the sinuous stone road, with the yellow lights reflecting from the river, how intoxicating!

Stay overnight in Chongqing

Today, you will go to Jiefangbei Street, walk along this commercial pedestrian street, eat hot pot and other snacks. In the late afternnon, you will be transferred to board the cruise begin your cruise and begin your journey to Yichang.

Stay overnight on ship

Fengdu Ghost City

Shibaozhai

Getting up early, your Taichi teacher will wait for you at the deck, you can exercise Taichi for half an hour, and then enjoy your breakfast, while you are watching the grand views of the Yangtze River. At noon, get off the cruise to visit “Fengdu Ghost City”(optional). Legend has it that it is where souls end up after a death. In “Fengdu Ghost City”, there’re famous mountains towering with ancient trees, temples, in the vast underworld immortal Taoism Buddhism, the various gods and ghosts living in the temples with a strict hierarchy, and their own duties and harsh punishment of the rule of the ghost world in the legend of the law.

In the afternoon, you will reach Shibaozhai, a fortified mountain village built by some rebels in Ming Dynasty, built on the top of the mountain with the help of the iron rope on the stone wall, considered one of the seven wonders in China and one of the eight strange buildings in the world.

During the whole journey, you will see the full view of the Yangtze River, the magnificent looks.

Stay overnight on ship

In the morning you can practice Tai Chi with the professionals, and get off the cruise to visit White Emperor City (optional), see the view of Qutang Gorge and Wu Gorge on deck. During the whole journey you will see the full view of Yangtze River, the magnificent looks.

Stay overnight on ship

Today you will arrive at Yichang, before that you will finally see the Three Gorges on deck.

Then, you will take the flight to Shanghai. Upon your arrival, you will be transferred to the airport, take the flight to Shanghai.

Stay overnight on Shanghai

Yu Garden

Yu Garden

In the morning, you will visit to Yu Garden, a private garden built in the Ming dynasty, about 400 years ago. After meticulous care for over 20 years, the owner named it “Yu Garden”, expressing the wishes of safety and harmony. you can experience the ancient culture in Yu Garden, viewing the magnificence of wisdom of Ancient Chinese.

After half an hour’s drive, you will arrive at 1933, unique theme park transformed from slaughter house, the whole building integrates the characteristics of the east and the west, with the building structure of the outer circle and the inner circle and the crisscross corridor bridge, creating a maze like effect.

Stay overnight in Shanghai

Our guide will escort you to the airport, you will take flight off Shanghai, the tour ends.