9 Days Lao Cai-Ha Giang Trekking Tour from Sapa to Bac Ha

Sapa – Bac Ha Hard Trekking Tour Experience. Trekking through the mountains and valleys of rural Northern Vietnam and truly engaging with local hill tribes. Starting from your pick up at the Hanoi to Sapa you will be taken on an adventure through tiny villages, home to many of the different ethnic groups in Vietnam. We will be your base to set out on a trek of a lifetime through the jungle. Visit the emerging towns in the area where farmers and local artisans come to trade their wares before reaching the former

Day 1: Hanoi to Sapa ( L  )

7:30 AM our tour guide and driver pick you up from your hotel in Hanoi and transfer you to Sapa in about 5 hours. Arrival local lunch and afternoon free to explore Sapa on your own. Hoang Lien Son is the Queen of Mountains, Sapa sits regally overlooking a beautiful valley, lofty mountains towering over the town on all sides. Sapa is a French hill station that was built in 1922. Overnight in Sapa and explore dinner tonight on your own

Activities: • Transfer 5 hours

• Meal: Lunch

Day 2: Sapa Valley – Trekking to Lao Chai and Ta Van villages ( B, L, D )

After breakfast, explore Sapa. Start trekking to visit Lao Chai Village and then walk through hillsides and along Muong Hoa River, visit Ta Van village. Explore the daily life of the Dzay minority and spend a night with a Dzao family. From Lao Chai we will walk to Ta Van Village where the island of Giay ethnic minority people, we enter the homestay, you can walk around in the village and have taken part in the local Giay people’s activities such as farming or cooking class. Have a homestay at Giay Family, enjoy dinner and have the exchange of talking and enjoy dinner time and home-stay with Giay Family.

Activities: Trekking  – 6 Hours – Home-stay

• Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 : Ta Van to Giang Ta Chai village to Ban Ho village – Sapa ( B , L , D )

Good morning Ta Van village, Leave Ta Van village then trekking with up and down via the rice terraces and bamboo forest to Giang Ta Chai village, Then trek via the Giang Ta Chai village which is home of Red Dao people to Su Phan village, Have lunch at Su Phan village, Trekking down to Ban Ho village, Arrival Ban Ho village with exploring the land of Tay Ethnic minority people, Driver picks us up back to Sapa.

Day summary,• Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Activities: • Accommodation: Sapa Hotel

• 6 hours trekking

• Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Sapa – Lao Cai – Regional Tribal Market – Bac Ha  (B, L, D)

After breakfast, you will be transferred by road to one of the famous regional markets: Coc Ly or Ban Cam on Tuesday; Cao Son on Wednesday; Lung Khau Nhin on Thursday; Can Cau on Saturday; Bac Ha on Sunday., Spend 2 to 3 hours joining the locals at the market place where tribal people in their best traditional costumes come once a week not only to shop but also to socialize. Transfer to Bac Ha Townlet, check into the local hotel for a short rest and freshen up.,The rest of the afternoon is set aside for trekking around the stunning Ban Pho Valley. Clients may choose to take the shorter loop for 1,5 hours or the longer loop which offers better views of Ban Pho Valley and takes nearly 3 hours.

Day summary:

Road transfer 2,5 to 4 hours depending on the regional market/ Walk 1,5 to 3 hours

A: Hotel room and dinner tonight in Bac Ha.

Day 5: Bac Ha – Quan Hoa – Lu Suoi Tung Village – Ta Cu Ty Village (B, L, D)

After breakfast, check out of your hotel at 08.00 am. Leave Bac Ha and transfer for an hour to the starting point of the trekking trail in Lung Phin Commune. There will be several photo stops along the way. There are 2 options for trekking from here:

Opt 1: Hard trek: Start trekking along a narrow trail on steep hillsides from Quan Hoa Hamlet for 2,5 hours to Lu Suoi Tung Village of the Flower Hmong. Lunch break here for an hour., Trek uphill for 1,5 hours through the forest to the top of Ta Cu Ty Mountain range(hard trek) and then downhill for 2 hours to Ta Cu Ty village of the Zao and Tay ethnic people. Here you will pick up and transferred 3 km to your homestay near the centre of Ta Cu Ty Commune.

Opt 2: Medium trek: Start trekking from Ta Chai Village of the Phu La tribe along a narrow valley through Quan Hoa Hamlet for 3 hours. Lunch break., Continue trekking for one more hour and arrive at Lu Suoi Tung Village of the Flower Hmong. Spend 2 hours exploring this isolated village, paying a visit to the local school and several Hmong families to experience first-hand their way of life. You will be picked up at Lu Suoi Tung for the 8 km road transfer to your homestay near the centre of Ta Cu Ty Commune. This stretch of the road offers spectacular landscapes of the Ban Gia Valley with several photo stops along the way before arriving at the next homestay.

Day summary:

Road transfer 1 hour/ Trekking 5 to 7 hours, grade 3 or 4/ Homestay at Ta Cu Ty Village of the Tay

Day 6 : Ta Cu Ty – Song Ngam Village – Nam Dan Commune (B, L, D)

After breakfast says goodbye to the local host family at 08.30 am. On leaving Ta Cu Ty, there are 2 optional treks to choose from:

Opt 1: Hard trek: Spend the whole morning trekking along a wide path with great views of the Ban Gia valley to the Song Lam village of the Nung ethnic people for 3 hours. Take a lunch break at Song Lam near the village school., In the afternoon following a narrow footpath for another 2,5 hours (hard trek) up and downhill the Nam Dan mountain through the thick bamboo and rain forest. Suddenly the panoramic view of the Nam Chien valley opens up wide in front of us, as the trail proceeds downhill to the Nam Dan village of the Nung ethnic people. We pay a visit to the famous rock field where scripts have been carved by ancient people. Continue trekking along a wider trail for 1 more hour to your home-stay at Nam Chien Village of Nam Dan Commune.

Opt 2: Medium trek: Spend the whole morning trekking along a wide path with great views of the Ban Gia valley to the Song Lam village of the Nung ethnic people for 3 hours. Take a lunch break at Song Lam Village of the Nung., After lunch continues trekking for 3 hours following the same trail along the Ban Gia Valley via Sin Chai Village of the Flower Hmong, Zao to the centre of Ban Ngo Commune, where you will be picked up and transferred to Nam Dan village to visit the famous rock field where scripts have been carved by ancient people. Arrive at your home-stay in Nam Chien Village at about 05.30 pm.

Day summary:

Road transfer 1 hour/ Trekking 5 to 7 hours, grade 3 or 4/ Homestay at Nam Chien Village of the Nung.

Day 7 : Nam Dan – Nam Nhung Village – Nam Choong Village (B, L, D)

Breakfast and then leave Nam Chien Village at 08.30 am. Transfer along the paved road for 14 km over the Gio mountain pass. through the thick rain forest to the southern side of the valley. From here, enjoy a leisurely walk for 3 hours through Nam Nhung and Khau Rom villages of the Tay and Zao peoples along the narrow valley of the Nam Li River. Take a lunch break near a suspension bridge., Cross the Nam Li River to the southern bank, trek uphill to Quang Thuong Village and then downhill to Nam Choong Village of the Zao peoples which are beautifully set on the southern bank and endowed by nature with a mineral hot spring.

Day summary:

Road transfer 14km/ Trekking 5 to 6 hours, grade 3 of 5/ Homestay at Nam Choong Village of the Zao.

Day 8 : Nam Choong – Quang Nguyen – Trung Son – Ho Thau – Bac Quang (B, L,D)

Today is the most interesting day of the whole trip! The superb natural scenery changes every quarter of an hour, but trekking today is also the biggest challenge so far. Trek for almost the whole day uphill through the Chieu Lung Thi mountain range from Nam Li Valley, to Cao Son Village of the Hmong and Zao. Continue through the thick forests to Trung Son Village of the Nung people and then to Tan Minh village of the Zao people and then along the trail for 20 minutes to the centre of the Ho Thau Commune., You will be picked up at Ho Thau for an hour’s transfer to Bac Quang – Hagiang for Hotel stay.

Day 9 : Bac Quang – Hanoi (B )

Local breakfast and coffee and then transfer to Hanoi. Arrival Hanoi at noontime – Drop at your hotel or airport. End The Tour.