Laoxiancheng Panda Reserve

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China Hike, Bike & Raft From rural roads through endless rice fields in southern China to the bustling streets of Beijing, ... 14 days, from £932 (Group tour). G.A.P Adventures »

Furry, friendly faced and huggable looking, Giant Pandas are the poster children of the endangered animal lists, but very difficult to meet in the wild. Their remaining high altitude bamboo forests are heavily protected and their dwindling numbers monitored closely by scientists with baited breath and the birth of every new panda cub is greeted with cheers the world over.

There are a few areas, run by conservation organisations being opened up to limited visitors, one of these is in the misty, green Qinling Mountains. Panda trackers escort hopefull visitors into the mountains, looking for tracks, droppings and panda sized disturbed vegetation. The region is untouched bamboo forests so visitors will have to be prepared to trek through difficult and wooded terrain and survive off a diet of packet noodles while staying quiet and still and waiting for the elusive flash of black and white. But many people would consider the opportunity well worth the inconvenience.

Review by expert member Graeme Harwood

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