This
spring trip to Sichuan, China is designed for Giant Panda lovers as
well as those who simply enjoy seeing the panda in captivity and a
chance (though slim) of seeing it in the wild. It visits the
home of the Giant Panda amidst spectacular mountain landscape
and villagers who are working to protect it, and journeys north to
highlands inhabited by Tibetan nomads, visiting their homes and monasteries
in a land seldom visited by Western travelers.
Led
by KarmaQuest Ecotourism Specialist Wendy Lama,this trip
promises truly privileged opportunities to learn from local experts
about natural and cultural conservation in a changing China. Wendy
has worked with World Wildlife Fund (WWF China) to develop an ecotourism
plan to protect the 31 panda that reside in and around Wanglang Nature
Reserve. Her contacts in the panda world and her knowledge about ecotourism
-- enhanced by local experts -- will bring greater understanding to
conservation and development issues in China today.
This
journey begins in Chengdu, with a visit to the Panda Breeding
Center and to Chengdu’s historical neighborhoods. Next
stop: Wendy’s favorite town in China: Pingwu, with its stunning
500-year- old Buddhist monastery and spicy Sichuan cooking.
Three
days are allotted to explore the primary forests and alpine meadows
of Wanglang Reserve, searching for sign of the panda
and identifying plants and wildflowers with reserve naturalists. An
afternoon with the Baima villagers, known for their colorful dress,
dance and song, gives insight into rural people’s struggles
in a fast changing economy.
From
Wanglang, the journey ventures north to visit several other reserves,
noted for their spectacular geologic formations and vividly colored
lakes. Driving excursions and walks on the Tibetan plateau
– enhanced with visits with families and monasteries –
introduce a land and culture little visited by Western travelers.
The trip ends with a return to Chengdu by air.
An optional
three-day extension is available to Wolong
Nature Reserve, a premier Giant Panda Captive Breeding Center,
and with many opportunities to see and photograph the panda up close.
Other options described in the itinerary can be worked into the final
itinerary. KarmaQuest will assist those wishing to travel before or
after the Sichuan trip on a customized trip elsewhere in China, such
as to Yunnan, Tibet, or Beijing.
Itinerary:
Please contact KarmaQuest
for a full trip itinerary and more information.
Trip
cost per person
4 - 5 pax: $5450
6 - 10 pax: $ 4850
Single supplement: $400
For more information about Panda conservation
and ecotourism development among the Baima people, please see Information.
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