Chengdu is the capital of the Sichuan province of China. Chengdu is the home of the most popular panda base or sanctuary but it is actually only one of the five sanctuaries in Sichuan region. These five sanctuaries work together to help save, bred and release giant pandas back into the wild. This is the perfect location for the panda bases as it is part of their natural habitat. We were lucky and we were able to spend a full day at Wolong Giant Panda Sanctuary volunteering with these wonderful animals. The volunteer program was our preferred way to spend our time with these animals as it included education, work and close encounters with giant pandas. 

We originally wanted to volunteer at the panda base closest to Chengdu but they did not have any availability. With the help of our hostel and our tour guide, Alvin, we found that Wolong Panda base had availability. It was a two hour car ride outside of Chengdu but by the end of the day we were convinced it was absolutely worth it! The two hour car ride took us into an area that pandas would live in naturally. We were surrounded by beautiful, dark green mountains. The area was stunning! - by Megan & Chris

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