Sapa Trekking and Colorful Markets

Drive from your hotel to Hanoi Railway Station
This evening, you will be picked up and transferred by private car (no guide) to Hanoi Railway Station to board a soft sleeper train with AC to Lao Cai (sharing a soft sleeper cabin with AC, 4 berths per carriage).

Overnight on the train.

Visit Cat Cat village; Admire the Muong Hoa valley; Trekking through ethnic villages of Y Linh Ho, Lao Chai and Ta Van

At around 06:00, we will arrive in Lao Cai. Your chauffeur will be waiting to drive you by private car for 45 minutes from Lao Cai Station to Sapa. Enjoy a light breakfast upon arrival.

We will start our journey to Cat Cat village. After a short drive, you will follow a downhill road to Cat Cat village. You will stop briefly by a waterfall and a hydroelectric station before trekking on a dirt trail through rice paddy terraces.

As you walk along a narrow river, you will enjoy spectacular scenery. Eventually, you will arrive in Y Linh Ho village of the Black Hmong minority, where you can rest and have lunch by the river.

After lunch, you will head to Muong Hoa valley. You will pass through Lao Chai village of the Black Hmong minority and then Tavan village of the Giay minority, following a popular trekking route. You will spend the night in a local house of the Giay minority. You will have the opportunity to take a walk to enjoy the valley view and swim in the nearby river.

Overnight at the homestay in Ta Van village.

Leaving Ta Van village to Giang Ta Chai; Trekking through bamboo forest and ethnic villages

After a delicious breakfast to fuel your final day of trekking, you will set out for Giang Ta Chai village, home to the Red Dao minority. Your trek will take you through a bamboo forest that is part of Hoang Lien National Park.

Along the way, you will stop by a waterfall, where you can rest and take in the beautiful surroundings. You will find a pleasant spot to enjoy lunch.

After lunch, you will continue towards Su Pan, a small village situated by the roadside. From there, you will begin your journey back to Sapa by car.

Overnight at a hotel in Sapa.

Visit Bac Ha Market; Walk to Trung Do village; Taking a boat cruise upstream the Chay River; Back to Lao Cai

After breakfast, we begin our journey to Bac Ha. Located in the heart of the small town of Bac Ha, the market is the largest in the area. Every Sunday, various colorful ethnic minorities, including Hmong, Phu La, Black Dzao, Tay, and Nung, gather here to sell their homemade products or buy supplies for their families. Some of these ethnic groups can’t be found in other regions.

Lunch will be provided at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, we will drive downhill towards Lao Cai for about half an hour. On the way, we will stop to take a short walk to Trung Do village, inhabited by Tay people. Tay villages are typically situated at the foot of a mountain or along a stream and are named after a nearby mountain, field, or river. Each village consists of about 15-20 households, with larger villages divided into smaller hamlets.

The houses are either built on stilts or level with the ground. We will stop by a traditional Tay house for a cup of tea before taking a boat cruise upstream the Chay River. The scenery on both sides of the river is very beautiful. The boat trip will end at Bao Nhai bridge, where your vehicle will be waiting to take you back to Lao Cai for the overnight train journey to Hanoi.

Drive from Hanoi Railway Station to your hotel at Old Quarter

Early this morning, you will arrive at Hanoi Railway Station. After checking out of your cabin, our driver (no guide) will welcome you and transfer you to your hotel, the tour ends.