Seven Days Through Sichuan’s Panda Country
From Chengdu’s famous panda bases to the forested mountains of Wolong, this seven-day journey is designed for travelers who want to see more than just one side of the giant panda.
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Featured Story
From Sichuan to Qinghai: Meeting a Wild Yak
After days of changing landscapes, the dark shape of a wild yak on the open plateau made the journey from Sichuan to Qinghai feel complete.
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Two Days in Jiuzhaigou & Huanglong
Turquoise lakes, limestone pools, cold mountain air—and two very different landscapes that stayed with us long after we left.
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14 Days Through Snow Mountains and Forests
For 14 days in western Sichuan, we photographed not only wildlife, but the forests, mist, snow peaks and long hours of waiting that made each encounter possible.
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That Look: A Pallas’s Cat on the Plateau
Through a long lens, the Pallas’s cat looked almost comically severe. In the cold plateau landscape, the same face made perfect sense.
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Behind the Photograph: Tibetan Sandgrouse on the Snow
A flock of Tibetan Sandgrouse on a snow-covered plateau gave us one of those photographs that looks simple only after the waiting is over.
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A Rare Encounter with Three Wild Red Pandas
A distant first day at Labahe gave way to something rare: three wild red pandas sharing one tree for nearly two hours.
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Face to Face with a Takin in Tangjiahe
A takin can look almost gentle in a photograph. Seeing one in the wild at Tangjiahe is a quick reminder of how large and powerful the animal really is.
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Into the Snow Mountains: Autumn Birding in Western Sichuan
Cool air, clearer peaks and changing mountain habitats made autumn one of our favorite times to follow birds through western Sichuan.
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You Never Know What You’ll Find on a Panda-Tracking Day
Fresh giant panda sign led us to wait beside a mountain creek. What followed was an unexpected afternoon with a Siberian weasel—and one last surprise near dusk.
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How AbsolutePanda Was Born
The idea for AbsolutePanda was born in the early 2000s from travelers' questions after visiting the panda base—and a commitment to journeys as unique as the guests themselves.
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