Today you’ll travel from Chengdu (altitude 500m) to Songpan (altitude 2850m). Your trip will take 9.5 hours by bus; the bus will stop regularly at petrol stations with stores where you can buy food and drinks.

Songpan is idyllically located between green hills and low mountain ranges. The look and feel of the town is typically Chinese; many people on foot, on horseback or in a rickshaw, wooden houses, bridges and cosy tea houses. You’ll stay at a basic 3 star hotel where the water supply and electricity may falter at times, but that’s all part of the experience. Your room will have its own bathroom and there are thick blankets in your room for the colder evenings. It may take a little while to acclimatize to the high altitude, so take it easy and relax. Go out and see the town and prepare your backpack for the next few days. Any luggage you won’t need the next few days can be left in Songpan.

At 8:00 in the morning you’ll leave from Songpan. You’ll become acquainted with your new best friend for the next few days: your horse. After water, food and cooking utensils are loaded on the packhorses by the guides, you’ll head out. The guides will help you mount your horse and if you wish they give you a short instruction on how to manoeuvre your horse. Then you’ll leave the town through small streets and you’ll start to climb the mountain. The locals will send you on your way with a smile.

The ride will begin with a steep climb and a view of Songpan. Then you’ll ride through green forested hills, pastures and farmland for several hours. While sitting on the back of your horse all of your senses will be on holiday. You’ll see the snow topped Mountains behind the jade green valleys. Your horse will huff a bit before crossing a small babbling brook and the cigarette smoke smell coming from your Chinese guide may smell a bit unpleasant for a short while. After a short break with cookies and tea you’ll feel fine and won’t mind the horses tread and the rocking movement. Eventually you’ll reach the top of a hill where you’ll truly enjoy the panorama of the mountains stretched out before you.

Once you’ve reached the top of the hill, its time to descend the hill on foot. The guides will set up camp for the night in the valley near a mineral spring. The horses will be unloaded where the tents will be set up. The Chinese guides accompanying you are very resourceful and will have camp set up in no time; if you like you can help them a bit. The tents will be set up and something resembling a comforter will be taken out of the saddle bags for you to sleep under, the saddle will be your pillow. It may be cold in the double occupancy tent at night, however the warm sleeping bags and the blankets will help keep you warm.

Before lying down to sleep you’ll enjoy a simple yet tasty dinner of potatoes and large succulent pumpkins. Dinner, fine company and the large campfire will keep your mind off the cold; be sure to bring along enough warm (thermal) clothing. Imagine this, the water for your cup of tea will come from the mountain stream near camp.

You may wake up a bit stiff, so start off your day with a hearty breakfast and a cup of hot tea. Today you’ll climb even further up the Mountains and you’ll experience the true Chinese outback, which actually feels like you’re in Tibet. You’ll continue to ride for another four hours until you approach Ice Mountain. Once the sun climbs the heavens the temperature will rise swiftly. All at once you’ll see the glistening glacier top of Ice Mountain. You’ll continue on foot, further and further, higher and higher. When you reach the first lumps of glacier you’ll have climbed to an altitude of 4500m and it will feel like you’ve climbed Mount Everest. It’s quite impressive to finally reach the glacier wall and to actually touch the ice. The actual top of the glacier is 750m higher up. Enjoy the silence at of the moment and then return back down the mountain to base camp. Once you reach the wooded valleys you’ll start to feel better again. On reaching camp you’ll see that preparations for dinner will already be in full swing. A little later you’ll have dinner by campfire and afterwards enjoy a Chinese night cap with your guides. Then it’s off to sleep for one more night on your bed of branches and leaves and horse blankets.

The last day of the trip you’ll take it nice and easy and descend through the hills for about 6 hours until you reach Songpan. At the end of the afternoon you’ll ride into town like a cowboy over Songpan’s hanging bridge; tired, yet full of adrenaline from the incredible experience you’ve just had.

In Songpan, you’ll have the evening to spend as you choose. The population of Songpan is made up of a mix of Tibetans, Hui Muslims and Han Chinese. All religions and traditions coexist here. At times you’ll see someone walking with prayer wheel and other times you’ll see someone walking around wearing a kippah with a cell phone in hand. Even this remote part of in the world is feeling the effects of modernization. After your journey through the mountains you probably won’t feel up to doing much this evening. Perhaps you might stroll through the old town and visit some stands or look through some alleys, however chances are you’ll go to bed early and dream about all the adventures you’ve had the last few days. Most of all you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment at having made it and experienced this once in a lifetime trip.