A group of panda fans from Europe got up close and personal with giant pandas in the animal's home - Southwest China's Sichuan province, during a unique tour at the start of ancient Silk Road.

The group of 12 tourists from the UK, France, Spain, Belgium, Germany and Austria, arrived at Sichuan province, after traveling through 12 countries along the ancient international trade route, the Southern Silk Road, in a 50-day journey.

Sichuan is home to more than 80 percent of wild pandas in the world, and Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, named by the World Tourism Organization as one of China's three best tourist cities, is the first stop for panda lovers.

During their stay in Chengdu, the panda lovers visited China's largest conservation and breeding center of pandas, where they acted as keepers by preparing food for the animals and cleaning their rooms. At the panda center, they also visited new-born twin cubs.

The team also visited panda centers at Dujiangyan and Bifeng Gorge, two local tourist attractions.

"I am so lucky to have a zero-distance contact with panda at the base. It's such an interesting and exciting experience for me," said Malanie, a German traveler.

Malaine had good reason to be excited: she spent her birthday in the Bifeng Gorge panda base together with Hua Hu, a panda which shares the same birthday with her.

The European panda lovers went on to Ya'an city, a two-hour drive southwest of Chengdu, and where the wild panda was first found – Armand David, a French missionary, encountered giant pandas in Ya'an in 1869 and made the bear known to the West.

At Ya'an, they visited the church where Father Armand David worked as a priest, learnt about the history of panda's discovery and released two pandas back into the wild. They also planted a bamboo grove.

"It's a memorable day. I not only learnt about panda and planted bamboos with my own hands, but also enjoyed the unique welcoming ritual of local Tibetan people. I will sure come back with my friends, to see the cute pandas and the beautiful scenery here," said Alexandre from France.

During their journey at Sichuan, the panda lovers also visited some other tourist attractions and experienced the distinctive local cultures.

At Panzhihua, known as the "city of sunshine and flowers", they picked fresh fruits with locals and played mahjong, a Chinese traditional game; at Mengding Mountain of Ya'an, they picked up and made teas, and learnt about tea culture; at Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, they worn traditional costumes of Yi people and spent the traditional Torch Festivals with locals; and at Ganzi Tibetan autonomous prefecture, they visited local residents' homes, wore Tibetan clothing, ate local foods, and experienced traditional Tibetan dancing.

"This journey offers me a chance to get a deeper understanding of the panda, and also let me know that Sichuan is not only the home of the panda, but also the home of beautiful scenery, delicious food and hospitable people," said Malanie. "I have to say, this is an extraordinary trip and everything is simply amazing!"