Arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport, where your Infuse Program Leaders will be waiting for you to begin this exciting student travel abroad program. You’ll take a chartered bus downtown, where you’ll take in your first glimpses of China as you’re carried through the bustling city streets.

As you travel through Beijing, note its distinctive old-meets-new architectural character. This multicultural metropolis is home to some 20 million people – it’s one of the largest cities in the world!

While Mandarin Chinese is the official national language in China, nearly 300 other distinct languages are also spoken throughout the country’s 23 provinces. Welcome to this captivating China student tour!

Rise early, grab your bags and catch a short flight to Chengdu. You’re heading to Southwest China! This is where the main action on this student tour to China takes place.

Upon reaching Chengdu, you’ll hop on a private bus that will take you to the Wolong Conservation and Education Center in Dujiangyan, less than 2 hours away.

Once you arrive, you’ll check into your guesthouse and enjoy a traditional Chinese lunch. Meals here are served family-style, so you’ll get to sample different Chinese dishes each day.

This evening, we will head into Dujiangyan to explore the town and see the beautiful squares lit up at night.

On the first day in Dujiangyan, we head over to the conservation center for an introduction and quick orientation–it’s time to meet the pandas! Your guides will tour you around the facility, which is home to around 50 to 70 pandas (depending on the time of the year). You will learn the background of the project and the goals of the conservation center. Then, you’ll be fitted for your panda volunteer uniform and assigned to the pandas that you’ll be working with over the next 4 days on this student travel abroad program.

The exact daily itinerary will vary based on weather and other factors, however, your time will be divided between direct interaction with the pandas, spending time with your group learning about general conservation topics, participating in in-depth discussions regarding the panda breeding program and performing behavioural observations to learn how scientists conduct research at centres like this one.
Each morning, you will usually enjoy a Chinese-style breakfast at your guesthouse (fruit, oatmeal, steamed bread, noodles, fried rice, or toast and jam). Your Program Leaders will go over the day’s schedule and divide you into groups of 4. Each group will be paired with specific pandas and researchers for your morning service work.

A typical schedule on the China student tour might look like this:

8:30-10 a.m. Clean the indoor and outdoor facilities that your group is assigned to, including sweeping up poop and/or bamboo leaves, picking up any uneaten bamboo stalks and mopping the indoor facility.

10-11 a.m. Read an article about conservation and participate in a group discussion on the topic.

11-11:30 a.m. Prepare and weigh food provisions and feed your pandas.

11:30-1:30 p.m. Take a lunch break at the restaurant, rest and play some local games like mahjong, dou di zhu and ping pong. You’ll be introduced to the intricacies of mahjong strategy and how to play your cards right in dou di zhu (which translates to “fight the landlord”). Spend time getting to know your fellow travelling companions on the student travel abroad program and trip leaders during lunch each day.

1:30-2 p.m. Prepare and weigh food provisions and feed your pandas.

2-3:30 p.m. Perform behaviour observations on the panda of your choice.

3:30-4 p.m. Prepare and weigh food provisions and feed your pandas.

As with your daily itinerary, your evening activities will vary depending on the weather and time of year. The activities will be different every night and always fun! For example, you may walk through the Dujiangyan National Forest Park to marvel at the unique flora and fauna of the area, explore the big city feel of Dujiangyan and enjoy some traditional Sichuan hotpot, visit Jiezi Old Town for some souvenir shopping, spend a relaxing evening by the river or learn how to make classic Chinese dumplings!

On the last day of this part of the student travel abroad program, you will return your volunteer uniform and badge as you say goodbye to your new friends (both human and furry) at the conservation center.

After all that time working at the panda conservation center, it’s time to stretch your legs with some hiking!

In the morning, we will visit Mount Qingcheng Park, which is both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most famous Taoist mountains in China. The park is both beautiful and historic - it’s considered one of the birthplaces of Taoism and one of the most sacred spots for the religion. Take a moment to appreciate the view of the area you’ve called home during this week of your student travel abroad program.

After lunch, we will make our way to Yingxiu to learn about the 2008 earthquake that severely impacted Sichuan Province. We will spend the night in Wolong, a region renowned as the natural habitat of wild pandas.

In the morning, we head toward Mount Siguniang, also known as Four Girls Mountain. Along the way, listen to the ancient Chinese tale of how the mountain got its name and how pandas acquired their black eyes.

Once you arrive, you’ll head to the stunning Siguniang National Park, founded in 1994. Home to more than 52 snow-capped peaks over 5,000 metres and a diverse number of animals, you will love hiking around the different areas of the park, taking in the jaw-dropping scenery.

After a full day of outdoor adventures on this China student tour, head home for a good night’s rest.

In the next phase of this student travel abroad program, we journey to Tibet. We’ll spend the entire morning travelling through picturesque mountains and valleys on our way to Danba Jiaju Tibetan Village.

Once you reach Danba, you’ll meet your Tibetan homestay family. The drive will seem well worth your time when you see the beautiful mountains and hidden pagodas in this village, often referred to as the most beautiful village in China

Today on the China student tour, we will relax and immerse ourselves in Tibetan culture. After breakfast, we’ll get to know Danba by exploring some of the very beautiful walks around the village. Locals are always excited to have foreigners come to visit their small village, so this is a great opportunity to interact with them and learn more about their culture and way of life.

In the evening, you will enjoy a large BBQ and learn some traditional Tibetan dances - don’t be afraid to get involved!

The journey continues! Hop on the bus to continue your China student tour to Ya’an. On the way, we will stop in Luding City to view the Luding Bridge – a suspension bridge built over the Dadu River during the Qing Dynasty. The bridge is a historical landmark and was an important strategic location for the Red Army during the “Long March” of 1935.

Today, you’ll head back to Chengdu for a bit of sightseeing in town. Stroll through the People’s Park, a central area in Chengdu known for its warm and friendly inhabitants who welcome you to take part in their activities. Grab a partner and join the traditional Chinese dances or the more modern group dances to the sounds of Michael Jackson! You may bump into locals playing badminton, practicing Tai Chi, or calligraphers writing beautiful characters on the ground with nothing more than a brush and water.

In the evening, you’re in for a treat – you’ll attend a traditional Sichuan-style opera. No visit to Sichuan is truly complete without experiencing the opera! This isn’t your typical Western opera: it’s an acrobatic show, comedic relief, modern and traditional dance performances and Chinese music all blended into a wonderful artistic performance. It’s always a highlight of the China student tour and we know you’ll love it!

After breakfast, enjoy your last morning in Sichuan Province before heading back to where your China student tour began, Beijing!

Once in Beijing, you will be able to explore the local hutongs to shop for souvenirs before enjoying the quintessential Chinese meal, a Peking duck dinner.

Today you will experience one of the most famous landmarks in the world - the Great Wall of China!

We’ll get up early and head to a remote section of the Great Wall, far away from the tourists and the cities. Enjoy hiking along this picturesque section and contemplate the history of this incredible landmark.

Your final evening on this student travel abroad program will be spent in a local guesthouse, sharing stories with your fellow travellers and reflecting on everything you’ve experienced over the last 2 weeks.

After enjoying a last morning in China, you’ll head to the airport and say goodbye to your awesome Program Leaders before you board the plane home. We hope you enjoyed your 2 weeks on this China student tour!