Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival in ChengduOn arrival one of our representatives will be waiting for you and a transfer will take you to your hotel located in the centre of town and within walking distance from the backpacker guest houses unique to this area. The rest of your day is free to explore this charming little town. Visit Jinli Street in the afternoon; a charming, pedestrian district next to the Wuhou temple. This is a great area to visit and you'll enjoy walking through small, traditional streets, having a bite to eat on ‘Snack Street' and having drink at one of the lantern lit bars or Chinese tea houses. You won't know where to look, there's so much to see…. Including many Chinese tourists!

Day 2

Visitng the Giant Pandas If you'd like to experience a panda encounter while in China, the best place to see them is at the Panda Research Centre. If you go on a day trip outside of Chengdu to the Wolong National Park to see pandas in the wild, it would be quite an expedition to reach the area and the chance that you'll actually see the pandas is slim (even for professionals) since the animals are extremely shy. The research centre is a large bamboo filled park with a swan lake where pandas can be seen in large fenced in enclosures. We really enjoyed our visit here, especially because it's the only opportunity to see these mystical creatures up close. Of course it's still a zoo; however it's a very responsible and well maintained zoo. Seeing these funny, eating, sleeping and playing giant pandas is extremely moving. The panda museum located at the centre is very informative. You'll learn a lot about these animals, their breeding habits, their heritage and you'll even see panda embryos.

You will be picked up in the morning and arrive at the park in time to see the pandas being fed. After about 3 hours in the park you'll have seen all you'll want to see and you'll be back in your hotel by midday. The rest of the day is free to spend as you choose, we recommend visiting one of the many Chinese tea houses in Chengdu. China has the best tea houses in the World and Chengdu has the best tea houses in China and these are well worth a visit.
Our local agent can also arrange a fun morning or afternoon Sichuan cooking lessons (at an additional cost) for you and the cook will help you create six delicious (and sometimes spicy) dishes for lunch or dinner within 3 hours. You'll cook in small groups of 2-6 people on any day of the week. Be sure to sign up with our local agent as soon as possible. If you're travel partner is less interested in cooking than you are, perhaps he or she can take a Mah-jong lesson instead. After your visit to China you'll not only come home with incredible pictures of your trip, you'll also be able to cook wonderfully exotic dishes for your friends and family and teach them to play a game of Mah-jong afterwards. You can also choose to take a tour of the local countryside or visit the Sichuan Opera, a humorous event and well worth a visit! There is so much to see in Chengdu and therefore this trip can be extended if you wish.

Day 3

Your trip ends today and you will depart Chengdu.

Extra Information

Inclusions -

Transfer, 2 nights hotel and excursion to Panda Research Centre including entrance fee

Exclusions -

Meals and drinks, optional activities on location