Day 1: Hanoi – Night train to Lao Cai
Pick up at your hotel in Hanoi and transfer to the railway station. Overnight on a shared 4 berths cabin with A/C to Lao Cai.
(If you don't want to share cabin with the other passengers, please let us know to book a whole four berths cabin or a cabin with two berths. Surcharge is applicable)
Meals: N/A.
Accommodation: Soft Sleeper Cabin with AC.
Day 2: Lao Cai – Hilltribe market – Sapa
Your train arrives at the Lao Cai station in the early morning. Lao Cai is a charming hilltop town near the Chinese border. Explore downtown and have breakfast at a local noodle house. After breakfast, your driver and guide will take you to one of the local markets (Coc Ly on Tuesday/ Sin Cheng or Cao Son on Wednesday/ Lung Khau Nhin on Thursday/ Can Cau on Saturday and Bac Ha or Muong Hum on Sunday). Wander through the stalls packed with hand-crafted goods peddled by the various hill tribe peoples who come here to buy and sell their wares. In the afternoon, continue on your journey to Sapa: Northwest Vietnam’s premier travel destination, famous for its breathtaking views of cloud-woven mountaintops and gaping valleys.
(Our travel consultants will design a detailed program including one of those special markets based on your travel dates).
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa.
Day 3: Sa Pa – Cat Cat Village
Northern Vietnam was previously known as Tonkin, and the Sapa area was named “Tonkinese Alps” by the French.
Breakfast at hotel. At 10:00 A.M, leave the hotel and start trekking. Walk through the local market and leave the town behind. After a couple of minutes, you will follow a road going downhill to Cat Cat Village. The Black Hmong's village is famous for its brocade weaving craft as well as its gold and silver jewelry making. The walk to Cat Cat Village and its nearby hills provide an opportunity to see farms and techniques used by the people in the area. Short stop at a waterfall and a hydroelectric station. Afterward, trek up back to the town and spend rest of the day at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa.
Day 4: Sapa – Y Linh Ho – Lao Chai – Ta Van
After breakfast in the town, descend down the valley on a trail through rice paddy terraces, enjoying the spectacular scenery on the way. Once reaching the narrow river running on the bottom of the valley, you will walk along its bank for a while and eventually arrive at the Black H'mong minority village of Y Linh Ho. You will get a first-hand look into their lives and traditions, hear stories, and enjoy a great social interaction.
Take a rest and then head to the Muong Hoa Valley. You will pass through Lao Chai Village of Black H’mong minority and Ta Van Village of Zay minority by following more rice terraces with spectacular mountain scenery. Weather permitting you can even take a swim in the river nearby. Emerge on the main road to meet your driver. Spend a couple of hours to relax in Sapa Town before transferring to Lao Cai, where you will take a night train back to Hanoi.
Meals: Breakfast, Pinic Lunch.
Accommodation: Soft Sleeper Cabin with AC.
Day 5: Arrive at Hanoi Railway Station
Arrive in Hanoi early morning. Check out the cabin. Tour ends.