“The best travel company I have ever worked with.Where to begin? I am an international tour leader. This team is our partner company, and for the last 5 years, they have proved time and time again to be by far the best, most meticulous, detail-oriented, experienced, and honest company I have ever encountered. These guys get it- travel is an art. They are focused on the experience, not the profit, and this is very rare in China. The founder, Philip, is one of the top birders and nature experts in Sichuan and is well respected throughout the province and beyond for all of his efforts to support local culture and conservation of wildlife. He is from a remote Tibetan region and understands how to operate in the wild, unexplored regions of China- the real China. He is an excellent teacher and judge of character and has built an amazing team of loyal guides who cannot be topped. If you travel with these guys, you have made a wise decision.”
Testimonials
Feedback and stories from travelers who have joined AbsolutePanda trips.
“Thank you for creating such a thoughtful, authentic, and deeply human journey. You opened doors we never knew existed. We returned home not just with photographs, but with a new understanding and a piece of China's heart.”
“What an amazing experience!We just returned from a trip to China. Our time with Absolute Panda was the highlight of our trip! We were nervous about finding a company online, and paying for services out of the country. AbsolutePanda was completely honest with us. They were affordable.We had pretty specific interests. The staff at AbsolutePanda helped us through the planning process. They created something perfect for our family! They spent months offering free advice, suggestions, and help. They were flexible with the itinerary. Once in the country, we were treated well. They asked for and supported dietary requests. We got to try a great variety of healthy and delicious food. We had as much bottled water and snacks as we liked. All meals were included in the price. We received small gifts. The company owner checked in, to make sure we were doing ok. We felt like royalty! We stayed at beautiful, and clean accommodations, “off the beaten path.” We went to small mountain towns. They were gorgeous.Our guide, Bella, was exceptional! She was kind, friendly, interesting, reliable, and lots of fun. She spoke very good English. She had an extensive knowledge of local wildlife, as well as history, culture, and everything else we asked. Bella was able to identify any bird or creature she saw, by Chinese and English name. She has great eyes. She could spot wildlife in the distance, that were hard to see even with binoculars. She took us on hikes that matched our skill levels. We saw wild monkeys, gorals, muntjacs, and tons of beautiful birds. We were in highly competent hands. While we were in China, Sichuan had (unprecedented) heavy rains. Some roads were closed, due to mudslides and flooding. Despite this, we were able to travel the areas we wished. AbsolutePanda kept a close eye on conditions. They changed the travel plan/method multiple times, so we could be safe. They got us there still. The drivers were amazing, and I felt comfortable. We changed our own plans in China. This was due to unexpected medical issues we had there. AbsolutePanda worked with us, even with last minute adjustments. They were supportive, helpful, and flexible. They made sure each member of our family was well cared for. Our safety and well-being mattered to them. I can’t recommend AbsolutePanda highly enough! They gave us the trip of a lifetime!”
“My family and I (3 kids 11, 9 and 7) got to have the experience of a lifetime in the Panda volunteer program. Bella was an amazing tour guide and what a treat to be able to not only get very very close to the pandas but to also help in their daily routines and upkeep so that the world can enjoy these beautiful bears. I never thought that my kids would be so happy to clean and prepare animal enclosures, but it was a blast that they will never forget. Aside from cleaning we got to prepare bamboo for the pandas, make panda cakes, and the highlight of the trip - feed the pandas directly and take videos and photos the entire time. We had a very nice lunch with the staff (option to go offsite but this made the trip 100% authentic and I highly recommend). We did not do the irrigation tour but opted to go to a local park/tea spot near a lake where locals hang out with Bella. Here we had tea and people watched (as they watched us also lol). In Chengdu you can see some interesting things like people getting ear massages by professional ear technicians using all sorts of wild brushes and instruments (you can even get one if you are adventurous enough). All in all I highly recommend this tour and again thank you so much Bella for a wonderful day with our family.”
“Excellent private tour!We just returned from our second private tour with Absolute Panda and it was a fantastic experience. Our first trip with Absolute Panda in 2015 left us with a good impression of the quality of tour service provided, so very naturally we chose to travel again with Absolute Panda this time. Philip himself led our tour and that really set our minds at ease because our itinerary was pretty tough due to the winding roads and altitude sickness. I started my planning with Philip almost half a year ago and he was meticulous in his efforts and extremely receptive towards our itinerary ideas. Throughout the months, he constantly updated us about the travel conditions. Nearing our travel date, he followed up closely on any possible events that could thwart our travel plans, and made alternative suggestions to ensure that we still get to enjoy our trip. During the trip, Philip and our driver took great care of us and did their best to accommodate our requests. He also demonstrated his deep knowledge of his culture and Chinese history. He was quick to rectify any issues we encountered during the trip such as the hotels too. My family was truly pleased with the quality of service that has been provided by Absolute Panda, and would certainly travel again with them if we were to visit China again!”
“I would definetively recommend AbsolutePanda to anyone thinking in a custom made "Panda Trip"!”
“Pandas!Absolute Panda put together a custom tour for me and my boyfriend. I absolutely love pandas and knew I wanted to volunteer at the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Base. I heard you could organize it without a guide, but the logistics were more than I wanted to deal with - paperwork, transport, etc. I also wanted to hold a panda, which had just been suspend when I started looking. I hoped by booking a tour they would monitor the panda holding situation and take care of everything else. I came across AbsolutePanda after looking at several other groups and I'm glad I did. I worked with Melinda and she made an excellent recommendation to just volunteer in the morning (you basically do the same thing morning and afternoon which might have been more than my boyfriend could handle).Instead, she suggested we spend the afternoon at the irrigation ditch or Mount QingCheng. We decided on Mount QingCheng. It was a wonderful place to visit, but I don't recommend walking up unless you really like steps... Anyway, Melinda was great. She brought us gifts and snacks. She asked in advance about any dietary restrictions/preferences. She even helped us book a hotel in another part of China.I absolutely recommend working with AbsolutePanda”
“What an amazing experience! We just returned from a trip to China. Our time with Absolute Panda was the highlight of our trip! We were nervous about finding a company online, and paying for services out of the country. AbsolutePanda was completely honest with us. They were affordable.We had pretty specific interests. The staff at AbsolutePanda helped us through the planning process. They created something perfect for our family! They spent months offering free advice, suggestions, and help. They were flexible with the itinerary. Once in the country, we were treated well. They asked for and supported dietary requests. We got to try a great variety of healthy and delicious food. We had as much bottled water and snacks as we liked. All meals were included in the price. We received small gifts. The company owner checked in, to make sure we were doing ok. We felt like royalty! We stayed at beautiful, and clean accommodations, “off the beaten path.” We went to small mountain towns. They were gorgeous.Our guide, Bella, was exceptional! She was kind, friendly, interesting, reliable, and lots of fun. She spoke very good English. She had an extensive knowledge of local wildlife, as well as history, culture, and everything else we asked. Bella was able to identify any bird or creature she saw, by Chinese and English name. She has great eyes. She could spot wildlife in the distance, that were hard to see even with binoculars. She took us on hikes that matched our skill levels. We saw wild monkeys, gorals, muntjacs, and tons of beautiful birds. We were in highly competent hands. While we were in China, Sichuan had (unprecedented) heavy rains. Some roads were closed, due to mudslides and flooding. Despite this, we were able to travel the areas we wished. AbsolutePanda kept a close eye on conditions. They changed the travel plan/method multiple times, so we could be safe. They got us there still. The drivers were amazing, and I felt comfortable. We changed our own plans in China. This was due to unexpected medical issues we had there. AbsolutePanda worked with us, even with last minute adjustments. They were supportive, helpful, and flexible. They made sure each member of our family was well cared for. Our safety and well-being mattered to them. I can’t recommend AbsolutePanda highly enough! They gave us the trip of a lifetime!”