Tour Code: SPT010
Price from: $US237
Duration: 4 Days 5 Nights
Tour route:
Hanoi - Lao Cai - Sapa - Y Linh Ho - Lao Chai - Ta Van - Giang Ta Chai - Su Pan
- Ban Ho - Nam Toong - My Son - Thanh Phu - Sapa – Hanoi.
Tour overview:
This 5 days trip
offers a chance to explore the most stunning area of Sapa district which is
under protection of Hoang Lien Son nature reserve. You will Trekking from 6 to
7 hours every day follow foot paths up and down mountains, through forest,
terraced rice paddies, crossing river and water streams by suspension bridges…
from village to village of different ethnic minorities including H’mong, Zao,
Tay, Xa Pho,... Final, visit to local
homes, witnessing daily life activities and especially village home staying
will bring the interesting insight of local life.
Detail Itinerary:
Night 1: Take overnight train from
Hanoi to Lao Cai
Be ready at
your hotel lobby at 8:00 p.m, our tour guide and driver will meet and pick you
up for a short transfer to Hanoi Station to take the overnight train to Lao Cai
City.
Overnight on
the train.
Day 1: Sapa - Y Linh Ho- Lao Chai -
Ta Van- Homestay (B, L, D)
Picked up at
Lao Cai Station upon your early arrival for over an hour drive uphill in a
shared mini van to Sapa. After freshen up and Breakfast in a local restaurant,
transfer 6km along the main road to a beautiful spot where your village trek
begins.
This part
offers spectacular scenery of the highest part of Hoang Lien Son mountain range
and in a nice day, Fansipan Peak can be seen. Crossing the river by a
suspension bridge you will challenge your feet uphill to Y Linh Ho village.
Here you will pay visiting to some H’mong families, watching them doing their
daily works. After picnic Lunch, the trail continues up and down hill for about
2 hours as you reach to Lao Chai, a large village of the H’mong and then
following the river bank to Ta Van of the Zay people, paying visiting to local
homes, village schools… you will enjoy much your cultural discovery of local
ethnic peoples as well as breathtaking scenery of the Muong Hoa Valley. Tonight
you will enjoy a home stay in Ta Van Village for an unique life experience.
Overnight at
homestay in Ta Van Village
Day 2: Ta Van - Giang Ta Chai - Su
Pan - Ban Ho - Homestay (B, L, D)
Leaving Ta
Van village after Breakfast and following the foot path uphill, you will pass
through impressive terraced rice paddies on the hill slopes before getting
through a bamboo forest, a huge waterfall to Giang Ta Chai village of the Red
Zao peoples. Walking around the village you will meet many women with their
embroidery work to make their traditional dresses, occasionally you can see the
blacksmiths making farming tools and even hunting riffles. Passing the Muong
Hoa river again and then trek uphill to Su Pan village passing the rocks field
with unique carving which is believed to be the messages of the ancient
peoples. In this village you will see the special technique to build houses on
the steep rocky land. From Su Pan trekking downhill for an hour, Ban Ho valley
will opens wide in your sight. Arriving to Ban Ho of the Tay late in the afternoon,
check in the spacious local house built on stilts for Dinner and Home stay.
Overnight at
homestay in Ban Ho Village
Day 3: Ban Ho - Nam Toong - My Son -
Thanh Phu (B, L, D)
After
Breakfast we spend an hours walking to explore a part of Ban Ho, a large
village of the Tay peoples who live on spacious wooden houses built on stilts
and very well organized before ascending uphill to Nam Toong village of the Red
Zao. The trail of this part is really steep but the higher you reach to, the
more stunning scenery will open in your sight. The village locates on the top
of a hill and almost isolated and the houses are rudimentary but the peoples
are very welcoming.
After Nam
Toong, the trail winds its way up and down hill slopes for an hours to Nam Keng
and My Son, the two small villages of the Xa Pho ethnic whose population is
only about 4000 in Vietnam. Most of the Xa Pho is still living the most
primitive way basing on forest gathering, hunting and practicing slash and burn
agriculture. Every family here built a small house on stilts away form their
living house to avoid catching fire for store their food and valuable property.
Leaving this
poor village, walking downhill to the river for a crossing and then uphill
again to Thanh Phu, another Tay village where you will spend about one hours
wandering around the village.
Overnight at
homestay in Thanh Phu village
Day 4: Thanh Phu - Sapa free day -
Overnight train to Hanoi
Breakfast
before car takes you back to our office in Sapa. Leave your luggage at our
hotel.
Today is set
free for your own plan to explore Sapa town. Our recommend is to take a walk to
Sapa market, where you can meet tribal ethnic peoples such as Black H’mong, Red
Zao, Zay… from nearby villages come every day selling their farming, gathering
products: Vegetable, bamboo shoot, mushroom… and of course handicrafts for
souvenir. Continue walking the steps from the market to the church and then
onto the top of Ham Rong Mountain where you can visit an orchid garden and a
small museum about ethnic peoples of the Northwest.
Picked up in
the afternoon at about 16.00 by mini bus for a transfer downhill to Lao Cai
station for taking the night train back to Hanoi which arrive early next
morning and your trip ends.
Overnight on
the train.
Day 5: Hanoi arrival
You arrive in Hanoi station around 05.00am. Tour
finishes.
