The giant panda is China's unofficial mascot, and these treasured creatures and Sichuan, a province near the country's centre, have been their home for a long time. Sichuan has established plenty of breeding centres, parks, and research facilities in order to help rescue the giant panda from extinction. These reserves provide the modern tourist with a variety of unique opportunities to see pandas in their natural environment.

Here are a few of our favourite "out of the usual" panda sightings in China:

Chengdu Panda Research Center

The Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center is located within Chengdu's city limits. This centre is mostly educational, and the keepers give a wealth of information to visitors. You'll discover how much bamboo a panda needs each day and get a sample of the cookies that keepers made particularly for the pandas to guarantee they have plenty to eat. You might be able to witness newborn pandas here, which would be an even better reward than the wonderful biscuits. Depending on the time of year, the keepers will be hand-rearing a number of adorable babies. At the Chengdu Breeding Center, you might be just a few metres away from some of the world's most beautiful newborn animals.

Dujiangyan Panda Reserve

The Dujiangyan Panda Reserve is located 1.5 hours outside of Chengdu in the Qingcheng Mountains. The facility was constructed with the primary goal of increasing the number of wild pandas, therefore the grounds were intended to seem like their natural habitat. The pandas in Dujiangyan are being prepared to live and thrive in the wild by their keepers. In Dujiangyan, you'll trek through bamboo-covered hills in search of pandas, and you may even volunteer as a panda keeper for the day. You'll get the opportunity to feed the pandas and clean their enclosures.

Laohegou Land Trust Reserve

Laohegou, a 325-acre Land Trust Reserve in Western Sichuan, is an important migration path for giant pandas. Although the reserve is not open to the general public, WildChina can arrange for you to have exclusive access, allowing you to learn about giant pandas in a unique way. While seeing pandas in the wild is extremely rare, you'll learn about the important work being done to conserve them with the help of a conversationalist. Golden snub-nosed monkeys, Asian golden cats, musk deer, and black bears are among the other species that may be found in Laohegou.

There are many more reserves that you can visit during your panda tour besides the ones mentioned. You may also take part in China photo trips and capture the stunning scenery with your camera. So, why wait any longer? Now is the time to pack your bags and begin your adventure!