Panda Keeper Program from Chengdu: Volunteer with Giant Pandas

Work alongside Giant Pandas, then take home proof you did it

A full-day panda volunteer program at Dujiangyan Panda Base near Chengdu puts you in the keeper's role: you clean enclosures, wash and carry fresh bamboo, prepare panda food from fruit and carrots, and distribute meals to the pandas. After lunch at the center, you return to help with afternoon feeding and enclosure maintenance, and you leave with a volunteer certificate and photographs of the animals you cared for.

Step-by-step itinerary

Volunteer at Dujiangyan Panda Base

• Meet guide at Chengdu hotel
• Change into uniforms and training
• Clean panda enclosures and take notes
• Wash and carry fresh bamboo
• Prepare and feed panda food
• Enjoy lunch at center cafeteria
• Stroll around the panda center
• Clean indoor and outdoor enclosures
• Make panda food or record behavior
• Take pictures and learn about pandas
• Receive volunteer certificate
• Return to hotel

The experience

The work starts the moment you arrive. After changing into special uniforms and receiving a short training session, you begin with the first chore: sweeping and cleaning the panda enclosures while taking notes for the keeper's records. This is not observation. You are doing the job the staff does every day, and the pandas depend on it staying done.

Next comes food preparation. You wash and carry fresh bamboo, then cut and arrange fruit, carrots and panda cakes, learning which pandas eat what and how much. Once the food is ready, you distribute it to the animals and watch them eat what you prepared. Lunch happens at the center's cafeteria, giving you time to walk around the grounds and absorb what you have seen so far.

The afternoon repeats the pattern with a variation: you clean indoor and outdoor enclosures again, or (depending on the keeper's schedule and the pandas' health that day). You may record panda behavior instead, noting what you observe. You can photograph the animals throughout, and the staff answers questions about each panda's personality and history. At the end of the day, you receive a volunteer certificate before your guide returns you to your Chengdu hotel.

What’s included

• Private transportation from your hotel.
• hotel pickup and drop-off in Chengdu.
• mineral water.
• entrance ticket to Dujiangyan Panda Base.
• English-speaking guide.
• local lunch at the center's cafeteria.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 07:00, 07:30 and 08:00

AgesUp to age 70

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 135

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by China Theme Tour

Is this one for you?Hotel pickup from Chengdu means you do not need a car or arrange your own transport to the Panda Base. The guide handles the full route and timing, so you can focus on the volunteer work itself.

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Top questions

What exactly do I do as a panda volunteer during the day?

You clean panda enclosures and take notes, wash and carry fresh bamboo, prepare food from fruit and carrots, and feed the pandas. In the afternoon you repeat enclosure cleaning or record panda behavior based on what the keeper schedule allows that day. Lunch at the center's cafeteria breaks up the work.

Do I need any experience working with animals to join this program?

No experience is required. You receive a short training session after you arrive and change into your volunteer uniform, so the staff teaches you how to handle the work safely before you begin.

What happens if the pandas are not well enough for the full program that day?

The volunteer program can be modified based on the health of the pandas, so your tasks may shift depending on what the animals need on the day you visit.

How long is the full day, and when do I get picked up from my hotel?

The program runs for eight hours total. Your guide meets you at your Chengdu downtown hotel in the morning to start the trip, and returns you there at the end of the day.

What do I receive at the end of the program?

You receive a volunteer certificate recognizing your work with the pandas, and you can take photographs of the animals throughout the day to keep as memories.