Trekking tour 12 days

 Hanoi - Cuc Phuong - Mai chau - Perfume Pagoda - Ha Long - Cat Ba - Sapa

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/Cuc Phuong/Hoa Binh (B, L, D, G)

8.00 - 10.00: Pick up at your hotel and then drive to Cuc Phuong National park

10.30 - 16.30: Hike up through a subtropical forest, rich in flora and fauna. You'll arrive the village of ethnic of Muong people. You'll have lunch box on the way.

You'll spend the night at the home stay in the Muong village.

Day 3: Hoa Binh/Mai Chau (B, L, D, G)

8.00 - 11.00: You'll walk around the village and trek to the main road where your car and driver will take you to Mai Chau.

11.00 - 12.30: You'll check in to a stilt house in Lac village, the home of a Thai ethnic minority group and have lunch at the same house on stilt.

13.00 - 16.30: You can wander around the houses to see the daily life of local people. They specialise in weaving brocade products, and are happy to show visitors their skills. The village is operated as a community co-operative, set up by the people themselves.

16.30 - 19.30: Back to the village for refreshment and free time for shopping brocade products and a dinner will be served by the house holder.

20.00 - 21.00: You'll enjoy with the performance of dancing of White Thai minority people.

You'll spend the night at house on stilt in Lac village.

Day 4: Mai Chau/Xa Linh/Hanoi (B, L, D, G)

8.00 - 8.30: You can have breakfast at local family or alternatively wake up very early to enjoy the fresh air of the mountain valley.

8.30 - 12.30: You'll trek through the mountain to Xa Linh village, the home of Black H'mong people to enjoy a custom of one of a famous ethnic in the Northwest of Vietnam.

12.30 - 14.30: You'll be driven to Hoa Binh to have a brief visit Hoa Binh Hydro Electricity. YOu'll then return to Hanoi for overnight accommodation.

Day 5: Hanoi/Ha Long/Cat Ba (B, L, G)

7.30: You'll leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world's largest marine limestone karst landscape.

9.30: You'll take a short break at Hong Ngoc Embroidery workshop.

10.00 - 11.30: You'll continue driving to Ha Long Bay.

11.30: You'll board your boat, a wooden junk built from the model of the old Vietnamese court vessels. It will take you first to the World Heritage area where you'll visit Amazing Cave. You'll have time for swimming on the emerald water in Ha Long Bay. Your lunch will be provided on board, usually based on fresh seafood.

17.00: On arrival to Cat Ba Island, you'll picked up by bus to your hotel. You'll spend the night in Cat Ba.

If you don't like seafood during this trip, please let us know what you like so we can arrange for you.

Day 6: Cat Ba (B, L, D, G)

7.30 - 9.00: Breakfast at your hotel and then drive to Cat Ba National Park

9.00 - 15.30: Your guide will take you to the National Park to hike through the forest. Although the distance is only about 18 km, it will take at least 6 hours to cover the undulating terrain. On the way, you'll have a break for a picnic lunch at Viet Hai village.

15.30 - 16.30: You'll follow the path through some the farm, village and then to the harbour on the south of the island.

16.30 - 17.30: You'll finally find a boat is waiting to take you back to the town's harbour. On the way you can enjoy your swimming on Lan Ha Bay. Your dinner will be served later on at the local restaurant.

You'll spend the night in Cat Ba.

Day 7: Cat Ba/Hanoi/Lao Cai (B, G)

8.00 - 8.30: Breakfast at your hotel, you'll then be free to relax at Cat Co Beach.

15.00 - 16.00: You'll take a short walk to the other harbour where you'll take a hydrofoil to Hai Phong

16.00 - 18.00: Arrive in Hai Phong, you'll take a vehicles back to Hanoi. You'll have time to refresh at you hotel before boarding a night train at 22.00 to Lao Cai.

You'll spend the night on the train.

Day 8: Lao Cai/Sapa (B, L, D, 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 - 7.30: You'll 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 then have whole day hike down a scenic valley calling in at the H'mong ethnic minority villages to visit Lao Chai village. You'll take walk to visit Ta Van village - the village of Day people. You'll spend the night in Ta Van village.

Day 9: Sapa (B, L, D, G)

7.30 - 10.30: Breakfast in the village of Day people. You'll then hike up along the valley around 6km to Giang Ta Chai - a village of Red Dzao people.

10.30 - 17.00: You'll continue trekking around 4 hours to Ban Ho village, a village of Tay people. You'll have lunch box on the way. On arrival in Ban Ho village, you can walk around Ban Ho and swim at the stream near by. You'll be served dinner at the local family which was prepared by your tour guide.

You'll spend the night in Ban Ho.

Day 10: Sapa/Hanoi (B, L, G)

8.00 - 10.00: Breakfast in a local family of Tay people and hike up to the mountain to visit waterfall near by the village.

10.00 - 13.30: Walk around Ban Ho and enjoy the fresh air and drive back to Sapa for your lunch at local restaurant.

13.30 - 16.00: You'll hike up to visit "Dragon Mouth Mountain". It's good chance to visit and enjoy a lot of flowers.

16.00 - 17.00: Escorted to Lao Cai station. You'll have dinner by yourselves and then take an overnight sleeper train back to Hanoi.

You'll spend the night on the train.

Day 11: Hanoi/Perfume Pagoda/Hanoi (B, L, G)

8.00 - 9.30: Pick up at your hotel and drive to Perfume pagoda

9.30 - 10.30: On arrival, you'll be rowed through rice fields along a gently flowing scenic waterway to the Perfume Pagoda, a complex of pagodas and shrines built into the limestone cliffs of the Mountain of Fragrant Traces.

10.45 - 13.30: You'll hike up to visit Perfume Pagoda and Huong Tich cave.

13.30 - 15.00:  You'll have a a picnic lunch and have a brief look at the Thien Tru Pagoda (Heaven Kitchen).

15.00 - 17.45: Take rowing boat back to Duc Harbour and and drive back to the city

You'll spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 12: Hanoi departure (B, G)

You'll be free to shop at some of the local market before being driven to the airport for your international departure flight.  

Prices per person in US$:

Valid until December 31, 2008

Contact Us for more details

Prices include:

• Breakfast and accommodation in twin or double room.

• Return train tickets: Hanoi - Lao Cai - Hanoi, air-condition soft four Beth cabin.

• Private boats cruise as programme.

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

• Experienced English-speaking tour guide as indicated in the itinerary.

• Entry fees for all sightseeing as mentioned in the programme.

• Lunches and dinners, as specified, in the best local restaurants and on the boat in Ha Long Bay.

• 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 Three Stars standard 

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

• Cat Ba: Holiday View (*** the best local standard, overlooking the sea)

• Mai Chau: House on stilt of Thai people (clean and basic accommodation)

• Sapa: Home-stay with western toilet