 The northwest is still very unspoiled and is a captivating blend of dramatic landscapes and colorful hill tribes. This holiday is the most exciting and spectacular adventure in Vietnam, it takes you through a stunning and isolated area, which has changed little over the centuries and is steeped in history...
Day 1: Ha Noi - Mai Chau (150 km)
Depart from your hotel at 8:00 am and hit the road through some traffic of Hanoi, as soon we get out of town (10 km), and we will already view the country life of Vietnam. As we head toward Hoa Binh province, we pass through a region of spectacular limestone mountains, passes and wind our way down hills to Mai Chau valley of the Thai people. We spend the afternoon to walk around the village, learn about the Thai and experience their hospitality. Dinner and enjoy the traditional dances and try the rice wine drunk with a rod. Sleep in their traditional house on stilts.
Inclusion: transfer, guide, homestay, lunch, dinner
Day 2: Mai Chau – Moc Chau - Son La (160 km)
Today, we will drive about the same distance as we made to Mai Chau, the road to Son La is lined with fruit orchards, tea plantations, towering mountains and chance to meet and talk to the black Thai, white Thai, H’mong and Muong hill tribe people on their way to work or local markets. In the afternoon, we visit the Prison Museum in Son La, which remains as a poignant reminder of the inequities of the former French colonial rule. Dinner and sleep in a standard hotel in town.
Inclusion: transfer, guide, hotel, breakfast, lunch
Day 3: Son La - Dien Bien Phu (170 km)
The further we drive the more impressive the mountain scenery will be, we will be visiting villages meet more tribal people here along our journey to Dien Bien Phu city. Stop for lunch in Tuan Giao. Continue on to Dien Bien, enjoy the wonderful scenery in Pha Din pass Afternoon, Dien Bien Phu - the last base of the French power in Indochina, we will visit monuments, museums… and preserved bunkers tell the story of the final and victorious liberating battle of 1954. Dinner and free to explore nightlife in this remote mountain city. O/n in hotel in town.
Inclusion: transfer, guide, hotel, breakfast, lunch
Day 4: Dien Bien Phu – Muong Lay - Lai Chau(200 km)
With about 6 – 7 hours today, our drive is often steep and sometimes rugged, the road through the Lai Chau valley is both breathtaking and dramatic, hugging rice terraced mountainsides and fording turbulent rivers, our road travel today are visually spectacular. On this day you´ll have a chance to see the most beautiful hill tribes in Northern Vietnam such as H´Mong, Black Thai, Black Dzao, Pazi. Dinner and overnight in town of new Lai Chau (or Tam Duong)
Inclusion: transfer, guide, hotel, breakfast, lunch
Day 5: Lai Chau – Sapa (90km)
A small walk around this peaceful town and the market before hitting the road up hills as we wind through Tram Ton pass, the highest mountain pass in Viet Nam. As rewarded, we will have the magnificent views of the great mountains, passes and valleys and experience a dramatic change of climate as we mount approaching Sapa – an old French hill station, a busy market town for the regional minority groups, the town is encircled with towering peaks, often shrouded in cloud, and the air is cool and crisp. Check in a hotel with comfort and free to explore this famous town of Sapa.
Inclusion: transfer, guide, hotel, breakfast, lunch
Day 6: Sapa, trek and homestay (4 hours)
The morning to walk around the town on your own after your breakfast served in hotel. Our guide will meet you at 10:30 am, take short ride from Sapa to our trekking base where we start our trek through terraced rice fields and Hmong villages. Chances to meet and talk with locals working in the fields are plentiful. We will break for a picnic lunch en route then continue trekking to Ta Phin village of the Dao people. Your Dao host family will warmly welcome you to their traditional home where we will share in an ethnic style dinner and stay the night.
Inclusion: transfer, guide, homestay, entrances fee, breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 7: Trek back to Sapa, then night train back to Hanoi
At the first of gleam of daylight, you will see and hear the sounds of morning village life. After breakfast, we will complete our trek on a valley route to the main road (4 hours). Alternatively, for this long trek, you can choose to take a short morning wander around the village for about 1 hour, resulting in more time spent with the host family. For both options, you will be supported by our car / van back to Sapa (30 minutes). When we arrive back in Sapa you will have the afternoon for shower and then spend some free time to discover the secrets of this colorful town. At 5:30 pm your driver will bring you to the train station in Lao Cai. We depart at 8:15 pm on an AC soft sleeper class to Hanoi – a safe train journey will bring you back to Hanoi at 5:00 am. Your adventure ends here with a lifetime´s worth of memories.
Inclusion: transfer, guide, train ticket, breakfast, lunch
Price in details:
2 persons: $US 595 /person
4 persons: $US 519 /person
Notes:
Exclusion: Visa, insurance, drinks, personal expenses, others not mentioned in details, tips are welcome!
What to bring: Passport, change of clothes, sun-glasses & hat, toiletries, sun-block, insect repellent, flashlights, good shoes, personal first aid kit & medicines, small VND notes for buying drinks. If you feel the need then sleeping bags, cable lock for your bags is recommended.
- Homestay condition is very basic, please visit our website for FAQs on www.iExploreVietnam.Com
- Hotels are at a standard level, not like in the big cities and twin shared room (s).
- Meals: Vietnam food.
- Guide: English speaking guide
- This tour itinerary and tour prices are subject to change without prior notice, please refer to our terms and condition before booking.
- Please travel responsibly, the small things you do will make a big difference!
- Time to travel: Good to travel year-round but best from September to April.
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