Meet at the group hotel in Chengdu. A single timed transfer from Chengdu Airport will be provided. Depending on arrival times there may be some time to look around our immediate environs. Close to the hotel are many shops selling traditional goods as well as supermarkets, cafes and restaurants. In the early evening we will have a briefing from the tour leader and we will then head out for a dinner in one of the local restaurants serving traditional Sichuan cuisine.

Today the journey is definitely part of the experience as we set off on a 258 km drive (3.5hrs), travelling deep into the hill country. Arriving at our destination of Kangding (2550m) in the Eastern Tibetan province of Kham, we check into our hotel and have some time to relax before dinner. Kangding, known as the 'Gateway to Tibet', is an historical border town between Tibet and China, much fought over and eventually taken by Manchu troops in the 18th century. Once an important trading town where Chinese brick tea was carried by porters from Chengdu and other centres to trade for Tibetan wool, Kangding or Dartsedo to give it its Tibetan name, is now the capital of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The town is split by the Dadu River, which is channelled through a large square in the town centre. This is a lively place where folks of all ages gather in the morning and evening to dance Guozhuang (a Tibetan folk dance) or play games.

From the hotel we have a drive down to the central part of Kangding, which is the launching point for visits to two monasteries located in the Pao-Ma Hills. There is a tourist cable car here imported from Germany but as we are seeking acclimatisation we will spurn the ride and instead take a winding track that climbs up into the hills. Reaching the upper station of the cable car we enter a park and visit the first gompa. Behind this, a series of steps through woods adorned with prayer flags leads to a large stupa and beyond this, to a large amphitheatre. More stairs lead on up through woods to the second gompa (2900m), providing not only useful acclimatisation for us, but also a fantastic view over Kangding and the gorge of the Dardu River. Afterwards we descend the steps and trails back down to the town. We will take lunch in a local restaurant before we meet our driver and journey towards Laoyuling (3060m) where we will stay as guests of our Tibetan horsemen who will accompany us on the trek. Here we will get a first taste of our cook's fare and can enjoy a convivial evening before setting off on trek.

Today we have a relatively gentle introduction to the journey. The distance we can walk in a day is limited by our elevation gain while we are still acclimatising to the altitude. We may opt to drive some of the way today, or leave a walk of around 3 - 4 hours, partly along a farm track to reach our first camp near Da-Cao-Ba (3500m). This will be our first day settling into the camp routine and so it is convenient that we will have a relaxed start to organise everything.

Following the river on an undulating trail with the occasional steep climb, we trek through a wooded and hilly landscape surrounded by high cliffs and glimpsed higher peaks into more open country. At this stage of the journey we are still acclimatising to the altitude and it is important to adopt a relaxed pace. We also have plenty of stops for photographs and to take in the spectacular views. We make camp in the upper Riwoche Valley (3900m) by a new settlement of herders' summer huts.

Today the view opens out as we steadily gain height and we cross the river to its west bank on a wooden bridge. Ahead and to the southeast, we can still see the peak of 'Little Konka' and, to our left, Jiazi (6540m). A deep gorge running down to the main Riwoche valley from across the river marks the way to the climbing base camp for this impressive little cousin of our sacred peak. As we continue up to the head of the valley the trail starts to climb more steeply. We cross the river again on a simple wooden bridge and make a final climb to emerge onto a large open grazing area. There may yak herders' tents here at the time of our visit and they are sure to give us a warm welcome. We set up our own camp below the imposing face of Riwoche Feng (6376m) and within sight of our pass, the Bhuchu La. Altitude at camp is 4332m or at an alternative campsite further up the valley and a little higher still.

It is essential to make an early start to enjoy the sunrise and condition of any snow that might be below the pass. Setting off trekking we immediately cross the river on a plank bridge. We head up the valley with the going fairly level for the first half hour before we start to climb on a good trail that gradually ascends the rolling hills above a grazing area. Views open out as we rise higher with retrospective views of Little Konka and Jiazi Feng (6540m), while ahead the soaring cone of Grsvenor (6376m) draws the eye. As we go higher still, we overlook a blue lake at the snout of the Riwochie glacier. At last the serrated ridge marking the very head of the Riwoche Valley comes into view and if we look carefully, we can just see the line of prayer flags that mark the Bhuchu La. From this point we have a further 40 minutes or so of trekking and a final steep pull to reach the summit at 4900 metres. We should reach the top of the pass after 3 or 4 hours of trekking from camp. Cresting the ridge we are confronted with an array of peaks of the Daxue range lining the Moxi Valley, including nearby Leduomanyin, and a host of near 6000 metre peaks. From this vantage Minya Konka itself is hidden by the snow-fluted ridges of Daduomanyin (6380m), Lagemanyin (6394m) and Zhongshan Feng (6886m). After a picnic lunch on the summit we begin a long descent that is steep at first on scree but with a good trail made for us by the horses. Eventually we reach the grasslands of the upper valley and the headwaters of the Moxi River, which we now follow downstream to reach our night's camp at 4100 metres. This is the toughest day of the trek, but more than adequate compensation is provided by spectacular views and continuously interesting trekking.

We will make an early start for a long but gentle day of trekking as we continue down the long Moxi valley. The trek today is continuously interesting and at every turn, we encounter something new whether that be a lake formed by a natural dam in the river, a huge face of rock and ice glimpsed as we pass a side valley, or the many makeshift dwellings and chortens made by the people who inhabit the valley. The area is also teeming with birds of prey and small mammals. At one point we cross the river on a wooden bridge. If high water has swept it away we may have to call on the services of our horseman to escort us on horseback through the water. Tonight's is at 3660 metres and already we are benefitting from warmer climes and the added oxygen. Ahead we can make out the forests of the lower Moxi Valley but this evening we are still high in the 'alpine' zone.

A long but fascinating day of trekking today. We continue our descent of the Moxi Valley, passing further signs of habitation. For most of today we trek through a mixed woodland of rhododendron, juniper, beech and oak. As we descend the scale of the valley becomes giant. We cross several side valleys requiring the negotiation of small streams on a variety of bridges or stepping stones. After each gulley we have an interceding ridge, the climbing of which has the effect of popping our heads up above the forest for far-reaching views of the mountains to the south. During the October trek the colours of the forested hillsides are almost unbelievable as foliage of russet, ochre, rust and gold compete with one another to be the best dressed at the ball. After around 4 hours of generally downhill trekking we stop for a picnic lunch and afterwards the trail takes us back up and contours across the hillside as the river drops away far below us. Eventually we arrive at a trail junction with one path heading right and down to the valley and the other heading left and gently climbing. Taking the left turn we soon start to see religious symbols and chortens and within 30 minutes we see the monastery buildings with the sensational backdrop of Minya Konka. This is a very special place which makes itself felt by the hundreds of small shrines, chortens, mani stones and fluttering prayer flags and by the monastery itself. Tonight we will stay in simple accommodation within the monastery.

If the weather is clear this will be an undoubted highlight of the trip. Even if the monastery is shrouded in cloud it is well worth making the effort to climb up above the gompa as cloud inversions are quite common in the valleys of Minya Konka. Climbing just a couple of hundred metres will often be enough to get above the cloud and in these conditions the views of the peaks rising like islands above a cloud sea, are very special. The trail from the monastery to the viewpoint for Minya Konka heads up through the woods and emerges onto open hillside just below the 4000 metre contour. The view across to the pyramid of Minya Konka is sensational but even better from the ridge above, which is a further 20 - 30 minute climb. From the ridge we can look down onto Minya Konka's glaciers and the site of the original base camp. We can also see the Northwest ridge in profile and marvel at the feat of the four young Americans who climbed it in 1932, at that time setting an altitude record for the highest summit climbed. From our vantage, we can also see an array of jagged peaks stretching north and south and we can trace our route through the Moxi Valley. Having taken in the scene and captured it on camera, we descend back through the forest, possibly back into cloud, until we reach the gompa again and follow the trail back to the junction of the previous day. Now we begin a descent through the forest adorned everywhere with prayer flags, cross a substantial bridge and ascend on the zig zag track and then new road to Tsemi Village (3450m). We stay tonight in one of the village guesthouses.

A new road now links the settlement of Tsemi with the outside world and we take full advantage climbing the 1000 metres out of this remote valley on the top of the Tsemi La (4660m) in 11km of switchbacks. From the top, we can see Tsemi Village directly below but it is the view of Minya Konka that takes the eye and breath away. From the pass, we drive on more switchbacks past grazing yaks down to Shangmuju village at the base of the pass. We are now in the Yulongxi Valley and we encounter an ever improving road and road construction as we follow the river downstream through a landscape of forested hills passing villages made up of little clusters of houses with orange tiled roofs and curled corners - the China of ancient drawings and paintings. We pass the busy town of Xinduqiao and follow the Liqi River north through an incredible landscape where entire hillsides are rippling with colour from a thousand prayer flags and river rocks are carved with Tibetan script offering prayers and instruction in the teachings of the Buddha. Reaching the fabled grasslands of Tagong, we check into a hotel and enjoy a shower before sitting down to dinner. Drive time: 4 - 5hrs.

Before leaving Tagong we will visit some of the sights in this Tibetan Autonomous Cultural Area. Firstly we visit the Lhagang monastery, a collection of buildings which includes a temple dedicated to Princess Wenchen the wife of the great Tibetan King Songsten Gampo. This is one of a number of temples of Princess Wenchen which were built along the route the couple travelled from the province of Amdo to Lhasa culminating in the Jokang itself at the centre of the Tibetan capital. As well as the stunning art work and statues of the gompa, there are also an array of gift shops here including one run by the monks and this is a very good place to buy souvenirs of our journey through the Tibetan lands of Sichuan. We then visit the Tagong Golden Tower, another gompa with gold adornments surrounded by prayer wheels, chortens and prayer flags. From here we have a fine view of Yala Peak, another very distinctive and sacred mountain. A little further on, we make a detour from the highway to visit one of the most interesting sites in Tagong. Just below a sprawling village with labyrinthine streets of flat-roofed Tibetan houses, lies the great Mani Pile of Tagong. This structure built entirely of thousands upon thousands of intricately carved slates, piled one atop another is quite unique. The mani stones sit on top of gigantic prayer wheels which the faithful turn in their circumnavigations of the ‘Pile’ and as they do so, thousands of prayers are released to the heavens. The Mani Pile is overlooked by a gompa and a ridge above the monastery complex gives sensational views of Yala. Returning to the highway we follow this new smooth road which now climbs up above the grasslands with extensive mountain views to the Zheduo Pass (4200m). Here we have a fabulous final view of Minya Konka which now presents an almost conical shape with its flanking 6000-metre 'teeth' spreading out left and right. From the pass we make a long descent passing Kangding airport, one of the highest in the world and a series of switchbacks drops us down past lake filled valleys with the constant mountain backdrop, until eventually we see Kangding below. Entering the town we complete a circuit and we now follow the Dadu River back through its tremendous gorge until we reach the colourful Chinese market town of Luding where we check into our hotel. Drive time: 4 - 5 hrs.

Luding Bridge is an important part of Chinese heritage. When it was built in 1706 by the Emporer Kang Xi of the Qing Dynasty it represented the only way to cross the mighty Dadu River other than by Sampan and therefore was the key to the tea trade with Tibet. The bridge has a 103 metre span and is 3 metres wide. It consists of 13 iron chains fixed to stonework at each end of the bridge. Nine chains are covered with slatted planks as the walking surface and the remaining four form rails. There are a total of 12164 chain links. At each end of the bridge, elaborate timberwork in unique Chinese style forms entrances to the bridge. Luding bridge was of extreme strategic importance during several conflicts including the communist revolution when famously in 1935, during the long March, the 4th regiment of the Chinese Workers and Peasants' Army captured and secured the bridge for the Red Army who were fleeing from pursuing Chinese Nationalist forces. Today the bridge is a major attraction and many Chinese tourists come to cross it. It is possible to hire Red Army uniforms from gift shops in the bridge housing and have your photo taken heroically waving the red flag on the bridge. Luding also has an interesting market and several coffee shops and we can enjoy part of the morning here before we set off on our 230km journey back to Chengdu, a drive of around 3 hours. Arriving in Chengdu, we check into our hotel, and after freshening up, we can enjoy a celebratory dinner in a local restaurant.

This morning after breakfast we will visit the Chengdu Panda Breeding Centre. The total world population of Pandas is less than 1000 and 80% of these are found within Sichuan Province. Located approximately 10km from downtown Chengdu, the Panda Breeding Research Centre is a well laid out park which is designed to resemble the pandas' natural habitat. Wide walkways through the park facilitate easy access to several panda viewing points. The pandas are separated from the public only by a dry moat and low fence so the experience is reasonably intimate. This is definitely not a zoo and the well being of the pandas is the number one priority here. Visitors are expected to be quiet, walk slowly and avoid flash photography. There is also a museum which has lots of information on the breeding programmes and history of the panda and a small film theatre shows educational films about the pandas. Besides the cute black and white bears, there are red pandas and black swans on a picturesque lake. After the visit we take lunch in a restaurant and the afternoon is then free for independent sightseeing. Our guide will have lots of ideas of what to see in Chengdu and can arrange taxis as required. Places to see include the 339 metre high Chengdu telecommunications tower for glass-floored views over the city, the 'Peoples Park’ where you can take tea in the famous Heming Teahouse, the Wenshu Monastery complex with its 300 Buddha statues and over 500 pieces of exquisite painting and calligraphy, or the 17th century Wuhou Temple with statues of important figures in Chinese history. For shopping there are several interesting streets such as Jinli Old street and 'Wide' and 'Narrow' Alleys, where all kinds of arts and crafts and traditional Chinese artefacts are sold from restored buildings representing architecture from the Ming and Quing periods. After our free afternoon, we round off our Sichuan experience with another dinner of traditional cuisine and we spend our last night at the group hotel.

Our adventure ends after breakfast. A single timed transfer to Chengdu Airport is provided.