SCYTS-023: 9-DAY GOLDEN MONKEY AND RED PANDA WATCHING TOUR

Something about Golden Monkey: The soft golden colour of this rare
primate makes it one of the most beautiful of the animals at Wolong. Even if a troop is found –or more likely herd – or more likely heard as they crash through the trees breaking branches as they go –their agility and speed of movement make them difficult to follow. The species is found in Sichuan as well as Gansu, Hubei and Shanxi. Population estimates of the numbers in the wild indicate there are still over 4000 monkeys in these high forests.

The animal are about 75cm high and a rich golden brown. The belly is a softer, paler brown. The mouth and under the eyes are a pale bluish colour which
contracts with the brown of the rest of the animal.

In summer they travel in large groups of up to 300 individuals, particularly
roving over the higher ridges around 3000 m. In winter they move much lower and the large groups break up into troops of about 75 individuals which makes foraging easier as food becomes more scarce.

They forage very wildly, often moving more than a kilometre a day and the troop may have a whole range of as much as 30 square kilometres. In spring they eat buds and young conifer cones. In summer they feed on the younger leaves of the trees and shrubs, while in winter they subsist mostly on the abundant lichens,on birth buds and on the bark of various trees and shrubs such as Hydrangea and elder  ( Sambucus ) .Within each monkey troop there are a number of family groups of one male with two to five females and their children. Mating takes place in the autumn and after about seven months the babies are born, often in May when food is at its most plentiful. The baby is a softer, paler yellow with a distant blue face. They suckle for about five months and then progressively forage themselves, becoming sexually mature at about four years.

These attractive monkeys, although declared a first priority endangered species by the Chinese government in 1963, are still hunted for their beautiful skins which are used for the lining of winter jackets.

SOMETHING ABOUT RED PANDA: The lesser or red panda, while not so rare
as its cousin the giant panda is seldom seen in the wild. It is shy animal
spending much of its time in trees where it sleeps during the daytime; during the night foraging for food among the bamboo. It is perhaps most often seen during the early morning when it may come down to a stream to drink. It lives in the forests above 2500m and ranges over quite a large part of the Himalayas from Nepal, Tibet, Burma to parts of Yunnan and Sichuan in China.

At a quick glance (which is all you are likely to get) the red panda appears
like a deep red-brown fox or racoon with a body about 60cm long, but the
startling feature is its tail-nearly as long as the body and deep lustrous
blackish-brown with nine clear cross-stripes. The face has very pale marks
about the eyes which contract with the dark brown of cheeks.

The red panda feeds mostly, but not exclusively, on bamboo leaves, but fruits, seeds, roots, leaves and lichens are all eaten to a quite a large extent. It has powerful jaws and teeth, though, strongly, a digestive system which is more reminiscent of a carnivore. It is an agile mover and is a good climber but is equally at home on the ground or on snow as its feet are well-protected with fur. The mother leaves the blind and helpless young in a den quite frequently as she goes to forage for food. In twenty months they will be sexually mature. Like the giant panda, the red panda too is solitary and only come together at mating.

It is regarded as a threatened rather than endangered species but as it has disappeared from a large part of its former range in the Himalayas,
conservation measures at Wolong are increasingly important.

Day 1: Arrive Chengdu from Hong Kong or other places.  Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province-the most populous province in China. Chengdu has a history of more than 2,500 years.And it is one of the four most famous historic cities in China. In ancient times, Chengdu was the capital of the Kingdom of Silkworms, and about 2500 years, this kingdom was named Shu. In Western Han Dynasty, about 2000 years' ago, because every family in Chengdu produce Brocade, Chengdu was also named the City of Brocade.In Tang Dynastery of about 800 years' ago, people in every corner of Chengdu planted Hibiscus trees, so Chengdu was also named the City of Hibiscus since then. The first official school was founded in Chengdu in 156 B.C. In Song Dynasty of about 600 years' ago, the people of Chengdu began to use paper currency named Jiaozi. Even now Chengdu is still the cultural, economical and trade center of Southwest part of China.
                                           Overnight at Chengdu Hotel

Day 2: Drive to Wolong Nature Reserve (165km):(Admire the beautiful landscapes; visit the  Panda Breeding center and the Wolong Nature Museum.)                              
Overnight at Wolong Hotel

                                       
Day 3-6: (Bus and trekking) Try to watch golden monkey or red panda and other animals and Bolood Pheasants,Koklass Pheasants,Terminck's Tragpan and some other species of birds in nature in Wuyipeng Panda Observation House areas and Chou Shui Gou ( Hot Spring Valley) areas. 
                             Overnight at the Panda Observation House
Day 7:(Trekking and bus) Walk down the mountain in the very early morning; then drive to the top of Balangshan and try to some high mountain  (4480m at the top) animals and birds.      Overnight at Wolong Hotel
Day 8:(Bus) In the morning drive to Dujiangyan to see the 2200 year old
irrigation system, and then go to the Musk Deer Breeding Center.Back to Chengdu in the afternoon.          Overnight at Chengdu Hotel
Day 9(Flight) Leave Chengdu for Hong Kong or other places. END OF TOUR

Notes:1.The best time to watch golden monkey or red panda is from early March to late April or from late November to mid December.
      2:The accomodation conditions at Wuyipeng Panda Observation House are very simple.