Travel Deep Into China's Wild

On my second trip with AbsolutePanda, we saw over 20 mammal species — including wolf, Pallas’s cat, snow leopard, and Eurasian lynx. What stood out most was how the guides were even more driven to find wildlife than we were. I’m already planning a third trip.

With Kevin’s local knowledge, sharp field instincts, and the use of thermal cameras, we saw five red pandas, a civet on a night walk, and far more than we expected. The entire journey felt thoughtfully handled from start to finish.

From the first inquiry, the team was responsive and thoughtful in shaping the trip. Traveling through panda habitats in Sichuan felt seamless, and Philip’s knowledge of both the wildlife and local culture made every day feel well considered and personal.

What stood out most was their care and attention. I always felt well looked after, and it was clear they were genuinely invested in making the experience as meaningful as possible rather than just following a set itinerary. The time spent exploring the forests and searching for wildlife felt authentic and unhurried, which made a big difference.

From a wildlife perspective, the trip was a big success too. While sightings can never be guaranteed, Philip’s expertise and local connections made all the difference. We saw an incredible range of species, including Tibetan fox, wolf, lynx, Pallas’s cat, kiangs, raptors, Przewalski’s gazelles, partridges, and more. An outstanding experience from start to finish – professional, thoughtful, and truly above and beyond.

Philip led us for 12 days, covering 4,000 kms, from Chengdu to Kunming seeing rural markets, terrace farming, and so much more. We enjoyed every minute of this trip! I can’t say enough about Philip’s guiding knowledge and the Absolute Panda’s response and support in planning and communicating setting up our trip. We would highly recommend Absolute Panda for any trips to China.

On the day we met, our guide Kevin and driver mr Yong were there waiting for us in a large, comfortable vehicle. All accommodation and food was excellent. Now to the important bit. The attention to detail for the trip was perfect but if we had any particular requests, Kevin was happy to adapt the schedule. His knowledge of the birds and animals was great and with the use of fantastic thermal camera, he enabled us to see all that we expected and so much more.

AbsolutePanda provided us with an incredible one-month experience traveling around Sichuan and Qinghai Provinces in China. We were happy with our hotels, even in remote places with not much choice. Our meals ranged from instant noodles in viewing areas, steaming dumplings for breakfast, hotel breakfast buffets, and nice restaurant meals, depending on the location and viewing itinerary. We would definitely travel with them again.

Philip was an amazing guide and very knowledgeable about every type of wildlife! I learned a lot about Pandas and their conservation, and also about birds and plants and the history and culture of the places we visited. I love how they care about ethical way to see and experience wildlife and make tourism the most sustainable possible. Also they adapted the meals to me since I am vegan with any type of problem which I really appreciate. Thanks so much.

Sichuan is the world's best kept secret, and this company is the best company to travel with. The team is specialized in nature travel- for bird and mammal watching, botany tours, scenery, and culture. The guides are fantastic, speaking excellent english and possessing genuine passion for the region and for their clients. I just completed a two week tour with them this fall and it was logistically flawless, well planned, and we saw so much stunning wildlife and scenery. These guys are the best, trust me.

This is now our sixth time with Absolute Panda, and again, it was another great experience of seeing people and places that are unique to China, particularly the Tibetan Plateau, We revisited a few places, but most of the trip was to new areas. These included both national geoparks or national forest parks, such as Kanbula in Qinghai , the Litang Tibetan Horse Festival, and a Tibetan prayer book printing press. As has been the case, we had flexibility to make changes along the way, since we were a small group. And Philip, the owner of Absolute Panda went out of his way to accommodate our needs .