Published on Mar, 2016
There are different listings for panda volunteering on Viator, but this one allowed us to book a Saturday tour with less than 48 hours notice in advance. The operator, Third Pole Tour, contacted me swiftly to ask if my group had recent health certificates, which we did not. Fortunately they were able to make assurances to Dujiangyan and we were allowed to volunteer. Confirmation of the tour was made in less than 2 hours altogether. Our guide Ruby was in the hotel lobby waiting for us at 7am the next morning. Unfortunately one of us thought pickup time was 7:30, so we were late leaving the hotel. We still arrived in comfort at Dujiangyan around 8:30. Ruby escorted us to the volunteer registration and came with us out to the panda enclosures to provide some information and translation for the keepers. The woman running the volunteer program for the base also spoke good English, so between her and Ruby we felt very comfortable. In the morning, my group and another volunteer cleaned 2 panda enclosures and fed one panda. My group also paid extra for the photo with the young panda. Lunch at the canteen was good, followed by some free time until 1pm, then the Pandas 3D movie, an afternoon feeding session, walk through the base past the different panda enclosures, and shaping of panda cakes. On the way back, the guide and driver graciously stopped to let us explore a street market for about 30 minutes. We were back at the hotel around 5pm after a good nap in the car. I definitely recommend the tour and this agency.
