Wonders of China

Most of the accommodations are hotels with flush toilets. When in hotels, there will be two or three students per room. All of those hotels will have showers and electricity.

When we stay in Danba, we stay in a guesthouse with squat toilets. The guesthouse is dorm style and there will be 4 – 6 students per room. This guesthouse is remote with little electricity, no showers, and no internet.

Throughout the days in China, public toilets will be squat toilets.

Rustic Pathways works with local community leaders and organizations to identify and prioritize the needs of each community. Please note that while we try our best to ensure we provide our advertised projects, some changes may occur due to the communities and project partners we work with.

Your days at the Panda Conservation will be divided between direct interaction with the pandas and spending time with your group learning about conservation, participating in discussions about the panda breeding program, and learning how scientists conduct research at centers like this one.
 Your staff members will go over each day’s schedule and divide you into groups of three or four with the other students on your trip. Each group will be paired with specific pandas and researchers for your service work.

This program involves service that requires students to be physically active.

We will be eating a variety of Chinese food on this program. When we are in the rural areas of China, there will be less variety in the dishes. Breakfast includes steamed buns, fried rice, and fried vegetables. Lunches and dinners are shared dishes of rice, vegetable dishes, chicken and pork dishes, tofu dishes, and noodles. Food in the Sichuan Province tends to be spicy, but your Program Leaders know how to order non-spicy food.

Dietary Requirements/Food Allergies – We can easily accommodate vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other common dietary requirements on this program. Please make sure to include this in your medical form so that our staff can prepare and we recommend bringing along some of your own favorite snacks!

Water from the tap is safe to use for brushing teeth etc, but, students will be provided as much bottled water as they can drink. Don’t forget to bring along your own reusable water bottle, so we can minimize our plastic usage.

Students should be prepared for hot, humid weather in the 90s (Fahrenheit) during the day with occasional rain showers. Since Danba is located in the mountains, the temperature will go down into the 60s in the evenings. The weather does not vary much between June and August. Make sure to pack sunscreen, bug spray, and your rain jacket.

Flights – The group flight is a direct flight from LAX to Beijing. The advertised dates for this program include travel time from the USA. The program within China runs from Thursday to Wednesday. Please refer to the itinerary for further details.

Visa – Students traveling on United States passports must obtain a Chinese visa prior to traveling to China. Information about acquiring your visa will be provided to you prior to your trip.
Students traveling with Rustic Pathways on passports not issued by the United States are responsible for determining their own visa requirements. Please check with the appropriate consulate or embassy.

Internal Travel – This program will have one flight within China from Beijing to Chengdu. It is included in the program price. This program travels to a few core places while moving every 3-4 days. This offers a good chance to get to know a few places well. Rustic Pathways’ program leaders will drive students in 8-seater or 12-seater vans throughout the program.

We want to encourage students to disconnect in order to fully immerse themselves in the experience and get the most out of their program. Thus, students will not have access to wifi. Reception for international plans is spotty and we do not recommend purchasing one for this trip. Parents will have access to our 24/7 emergency number and will also receive updates from our staff once your student is in country. Students can bring phones, but are not allowed to use their phones during group activities, nor at any other time where it is disruptive to the group dynamic. If students are unable to abide by this policy, disciplinary action may be taken.

Wifi in China can be spotty. With the internet blocks in China (not because of Rustic Pathways), students will not be able to access Google, Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or WhatsApp.

Personal gifts, laundry, phone calls, and snacks are not included in the program price. Students will have the chance to visit two markets during this itinerary, in addition to small snack shops and purchasing handicrafts from the local community. We recommend $150 per week to cover souvenirs and incidentals.

This is a fast-paced program and students will not have time to do laundry.

In general, Chinese dress modestly, and as polite visitors, we will dress accordingly. While Beijing can be a little more relaxed, it is important that we show respect at all times, particularly in the rural areas of Sichuan. The requirements are fairly straightforward and the same for any gender:

Shorts: Rule of thumb is that the bottom of the shorts should be mid thigh or longer.
Leggings or yoga pants: Only if paired with shorts over top because they are too form-fitting.
Loose-fitting pants, capris, and long skirts: Acceptable and preferred. While in rural Sichuan, you will want to wear pants because that is more culturally appropriate and it is chilly in the mountains.
Tops: Shoulders must be covered – No tank tops or spaghetti straps.

If you arrive and your clothing is deemed unacceptable by your Program Leaders, you’ll have to purchase appropriate clothing before service work begins in the village.