Sapa Trekking Tour 10 Days

 Hanoi - Sapa - Tavan - Seomiti - Ta Trung Ho - Xa Fo - Nam Sai - Sin Chai - Suoi Thau - Thanh Phu - Ban Ho

Code: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, G = Guide

Day 1: Arrival at Hanoi (D, G)

Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you'll be met and driven to your hotel.

17.15: You'll be picked up to watch the Water Puppet show an art form unique to northern Vietnam, and a good, light-hearted introduction to its rural culture.

18.30: Your Welcome Dinner will be served at one of the best local restaurant.

You'll spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi city tour (B, L, G)

9.00: Pick up at your hotel

9.30 - 10.30: Visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, his simple stilt  house where he lived

10.30 - 11.00: You'll visit the Tran Quoc pagoda, the oldest pagoda located on West Lake

11.00 - 12.00: Visit Temple of Literature - the first university in Vietnam

12.00 - 13.15: Lunch at local restaurant

13.15 - 15.30: Visit the Ethnology Museum for an overview of Vietnam's 54 distinct ethnic

15.30 - 16.15: Visit Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart of city.

16.15 - 17.15: You'll have around 1 hour to walk around the Old Quarter. You'll drive back to your hotel. You'll drive back to your hotel for your refreshment before boarding a night train to to Lao Cai. 

You'll spend the night on the train.

Day 3: Lao Cai/Sapa (B, L, G)

5.15 - 6.30: You'll be met by your tour guide at Lao Cai Station and have a breakfast at the local restaurant.

6.30 - 11.30: You'll be picked up to visit a market frequented by ethnic minority peoples. You'll enjoy the customs of the minorities people. You'll have time for shopping in the market.

11.30 - 12.30: You'll have picnic lunch at local restaurant.

12.30 - 15.30: Drive to Sapa, a scenic mountain area with high peaks, rivers, valleys and hillside terracing. The villages are traditional and are typically tucked away at the bottom of the hill slopes. Most of the villagers wear traditional costumes. Rest of the day will be free to explore Sapa town by yourself. You'll spend the night in Sapa.

Day 4: Sapa/Tavan/Seomiti (B, L, D, G)

8.30 - 9.00: Breakfast at the hotel

9 a.m., where Russian jeeps will drive us into the valley south of Sapa. The trekking begins from the Day village - Ta Van - where we ascend the mountain and cross a pass in the altitude of 1,700 m. From here we have a magnificent view to the minority villages and terraced rice fields beneath us. The walk is about 16 km along the track that the Vietnamese used for fleeing, when the Chinese invaded Sapa in 1979.

You'll spend the night in tents near the remote Black H'mong village - Seomiti.

Day 5: Seomiti/Ta Trung Ho (B, L, D, G)

After breakfast we start the adventure of the day. The trekking is beautiful and easy seasoned by the crossing of two rivers by both a primitive aerial ropeway and an old suspension bridge. You'll spend the night in Ta Trung Ho.

Ta Trung Ho, which is inhabited by the Red Dao minority. Both the valley and the village received its first foreign visitors in 1996 in connection with a special project in the area.

Day 6: Ta Trung Ho/Xafo (B, L, D, G)

We are now at the fringe of the rain forest by the Hoang Lien Son mountain range. With 3,143 m the highest mountain in Vietnam - Fan Si Pan - is located in this mountain range. Crossing a mountain pass in the altitude of 1,180 m. we descend to Nam Sai. The Xafo Hill tribe, who inhabits Nam Sai, is one of the smallest minorities in Vietnam. Your overnight stay will be in a local house in Nam Sai.

Day 7: Xafo/Nam Sai/Sin Chai (B, L, D, G)

We trek further through the valley and pass Thanh Phu village, where we stay for lunch. After a minor ascend we arrive to the Red Dao village - Sin Chai. We enjoy our dinner in a private Red Dao house. You'll spend the night in bamboo huts.

Day 8: Sin Chai/Suoi Thau/Sin Chai (B, L, D, G)

We leave our huts in Sin Chai behind and walk by the track around the mountain to Thanh Phu. We cross the river and trek by the riverbank to Ban Ho village - inhabited by the Tay minority. It is possible to enjoy a refreshing evening swim in the river nearby the village. You'll spend the night in a friendly local Tay family.

Day 9: Sin Chai/Thanh  Phu/Ban Ho/Sapa/Hanoi (B, L, D, G)

We leave Ban Ho after breakfast and ascend to Su Pan, where Russian jeeps are awaiting us. The jeeps will drive us back to Sapa. We arrive in Sapa in the early afternoon. You'll then transfer to Lao Cai Railways Station for your overnight train back to Hanoi.

Day 9: Hanoi departure (B)

Arrive to Hanoi in the early morning, you'll be picked up to your hotel for refreshment, you'll then be free until your driver arrives to take you to Noi Bai airport for your departure flight. 

Prices per person in US$:

Valid until December 31, 2008

Surcharge for peak season of hotels are not inclusive in the prices above.

Contact Us for more details

Prices include:

• Breakfast and accommodation sharing a twin or double room.

• Return train tickets: Hanoi - Lao Cai - Hanoi, air-conditioned soft four-berth cabin

• Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced driver.

• Jeep transfer in Sapa as mentioned in the programme.

• The services of experienced English-speaking guides as indicated in the itinerary

• Where necessary, entry fees for all visits as mentioned in the programme.

• Lunches and dinners, as specified

• Government taxes

Price do not include:

• Flight tickets and airport tax.

• Visas.

• Dinners except as specified above.

• Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses.

• Insurance.

Hotel list for Five Stars standard 

• Hanoi: Sofitel Plaza Hotel (***** overlooking the West Lake, indoor swimming pool)

• Sapa: Victoria Hotel (**** the best hotel in Sapa, Superior room)

Hotel list for Three Stars standard  

• Hanoi: Army hotel (*** city centre with swimming pool) or similar

• Sapa: Hoa Sua Mini-hotel (local standard, attractive and comfortable)