Songpan

Songpan (松潘; Sōngpān) is a small town in northern Sichuan. The city is mostly used as a base-camp for exploring the nearby national parks and Tibetan villages, and is additionally visited for its existing remnants of the old city.

By bus
There's a bus station at the north end of town, a few blocks north of the north gate of the wall.

The bus station serves major locations in Sichuan, and locations in Qinghai. It can also connect from Xiahe in Gansu, via Tongren and Hezuo. There are also buses from Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve and Huanglong National Park.

The place can take on a very touristic flair in the summer months overrun with bus-loads of foreign and Chinese tourists arriving eager to spend their money on fake knicknacks and souvenirs, give or take the odd cheeseball picture.

Get around
You can easily visit the town on foot, but there are a plethora of tricycle taxis if you get tired. Motor cycles and horses can take you for longer trips.

See

 * While largely a modern touristic recreation, tiny parts of the old city walls are still standing (the gates) and can be climbed.

Buy
There are dozens of shops in Songpan that sell locally made crafts including colorful textiles, silver jewelry, Tibetan hats, and fake antiques. Bargaining is a must. To get the best price on silver products go to the far southern end of the main street where there are silver smiths. You might get the opportunity to see a silver smith hammering away on a new piece. The prices in these shops are dramatically cheaper than stores just up the block. One product you should not buy are the many furs for sale. The skins for sale have been poached in China or in neighboring countries. Asia's wildlife is quickly disappearing as China's appetite for illegal animal products increases. Please don't contribute to this crisis.

Eat
No shortage of small restaurants, Tibetan and Chinese, in town.


 * Suan Can Mian Kuai is a Tibetan soup with square-shaped homemade noodles, potatoes, and yak meat. You'll recognize it as having an orange or red color.  There's an excellent small family restaurant run by friendly Hui people (Chinese Muslims).  If you walk out of Emma's Kitchen and cross the street, walk up the hill for a bit and it'll be on your left.  You'll see a pane of glass in front of the kitchen that allows you to watch them make the noodles.
 * Suan Can Mian Kuai is a Tibetan soup with square-shaped homemade noodles, potatoes, and yak meat. You'll recognize it as having an orange or red color.  There's an excellent small family restaurant run by friendly Hui people (Chinese Muslims).  If you walk out of Emma's Kitchen and cross the street, walk up the hill for a bit and it'll be on your left.  You'll see a pane of glass in front of the kitchen that allows you to watch them make the noodles.
 * Suan Can Mian Kuai is a Tibetan soup with square-shaped homemade noodles, potatoes, and yak meat. You'll recognize it as having an orange or red color.  There's an excellent small family restaurant run by friendly Hui people (Chinese Muslims).  If you walk out of Emma's Kitchen and cross the street, walk up the hill for a bit and it'll be on your left.  You'll see a pane of glass in front of the kitchen that allows you to watch them make the noodles.

Drink
There is not much nightlife in town. To have a beer, visit a restaurant.

Splurge
There are a couple of (relatively) upscale hotels in town and one or two just north of the bus station. They are mostly aimed at Chinese tourists, but word on the street is that they're pretty nice.

Stay safe
Beware of altitude sickness if travelling here straight from the Sichuan Province lowlands.

Internet
There is an internet bar located just across the southern most bridge. If your heading south the internet bar is immediately on the right after crossing the bridge down a few steps along the river. It is ¥6 for one hour.

Supposedly SongPan horse trekking now has a small internet bar. Emma's Kitchen has a computer with internet.

Visa extension
As of June 2017, it is impossible to extend your visa in Songpan PSB. According to Emma's Guesthouse, they stopped since 2015. If you want an information update please contact Emma's Guesthouse: Emma speaks very good English and will help you. If coming from Danba you can do your extension in Maerkang (Barkam). Other PSB in the area: Lanzhou, Kangding, Chengdu & Leshan.

Go next
From the bus station in the north of the town, there are buses to Chengdu (11 hours), north to Zoige and Langmusi (5 hours) on the border of Gansu province, and to Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve (2 hours) and Huanglong National Park.