Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Hanoi - Lao Cai - Sapa, trek to Ta Phin. The Night Before: Transfer from your hotel to the Hanoi Train Station for boarding at 9:30 pm. You will be in shared AC soft sleeper cabins of 4 to travel North to Lao Cai town. Today’s Morning: The train arrives in Lao Cai at about 6:30 am where your Footprint guide will welcome you. Look for the "Footprint Travel" sign when you exit the train station. Then take a morning drive through the clouds by car/van to Sapa (about 1.5 hours). When you arrive in Sapa you will be taken to a local restaurant for a morning shower and breakfast.
Then we will take a 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 (4 hours). 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.
Day 2: More trekking and back to Sapa. At the first of gleam of daylight, you will see and hear the sounds of morning village life. You can join them in some of their activities, like feeding the animals, cleaning the houses, gardening or preparing breakfast. After breakfast, we will complete our trek on a valley route to the main road (4 hours) linking Lao Cai and Sapa. 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 and other villagers.
For both options, you will be supported by our car/van back to Sapa (30 minutes). When we arrive back in Sapa we will check in to the hotel, shower, and break for lunch. At 2:30 pm we will visit the gardens of beautiful Ham Rong mountain and take part in a traditional ethnic music performance put on by the ethnic minority people. Then return at your own leisure with free time to discover the secrets of this colorful town. Overnight at the hotel in Sapa town.
Day 3: A visit Sin Chai village, Sapa – Lao Cai and night train to Hanoi. Wake up in Sapa town, breakfast at the hotel then enjoy the morning with some of your new friends that you may have met the afternoon before. You have the entire morning and lunch for free time and visiting the lively markets. At 2:00 pm travel by car/van to visit the Hmong village of Sin Chai to learn more about the Hmong people in an area close to the tourist path but still untouched. You will return to Sapa in late afternoon and finally depart for the Lao Cai train station at 5:30 pm. The train leaves Lao Cai at 8:50 pm and arrives after a pleasant sleep in your first class, shared AC soft berth to Hanoi by 4:30 am. Please find your own way to your hotel, a taxi normally costs you a set of 50,000 VND.
Notes:
- Hotel:
* First class is Sapa Bamboo or Royal View hotel
* Superior is Chau Long hotel
* Deluxe is Victoria hotel
- Car/Van Quality: Using new AC car or van depending on your group size.
- What to Bring: Passport, change of clothes, sun-glasses and hat, towels, toiletries, sun-block, insect repellent, flashlight, proper footwear, sleeping bag, camera, raincoat or umbrella, cable locks for luggage, personal first aid kit and medicines, small VND notes for buying drinks.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- 1 Day: Transfers, train tickets, tour guide, morning shower, all meals, entrance fees, home stay
- 2 Day: Transfer(s), tour guide, breakfast, entrance fee(s), hotel
- 3 Day: Breakfast, transfer(s), entrance fee(s), tour guide, train tickets
Price Excludes:
- Insurance
- Drinks
- Other personal expenses
- Tips are welcome!
Also see tour packages in:
Asia
Vietnam
Hiking & Trekking
Cultural Journey
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