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Sapa
is a former French hill station situated in the
sweeping valleys near the Chinese border. Its
high elevation of 1600 meters creates its cool
climate which inspired the French to build
villas there as a summer retreat. Today,
Sapa
still attracts visitors for its stunning scenery,
comfortable climate, colorful markets, and a
variety of ethnic hill tribes who live in nearby
villages. This program has increasingly become
popular through the years with improvements in
the road conditions and the new 4-star Victoria
Sapa Hotel making travel today much easier and
more comfortable.
Day 1:
Hanoi - Sapa
Our trip starts with an
overnight train
journey from Vietnams capital city to
the border town of Lao Cai. Our soft
sleeper train departs at 22h.00
Day 2:
Sapa
village
The train arrives at the Lao Cai train
station at approximately 07:00. There
will be a vehicle waiting to transfer us
to Sapa.
The drive to Sapa is only 33 km but it
takes around 1.5 hours to make our way
up the mountains. Once at Sapa, we will
check into our hotel, have breakfast and
then enjoy a free morning to explore
around town. This afternoon there will
be a walking tour to the hill tribe
villages of Cat Cat, home to the Hmong
hill tribes minority peoples. As we walk
to the villages nestled in the valley
below Sapa, we will meet some of the
local minority people on their way to
and from Sapa. Here we have the
opportunity to share cultural
experiences with the families that live
in the area. Overnight at a tribal
family in Sapa village.
(Breakfast and diner included)
Day 3:
Sapa village
Following breakfast we embark on our
six-hour trek that will take us along buffalo paths and trails and through
several hill tribe villages. This is an absolutely spectacular walk through
stunning scenery inhabited by some of the friendliest people you will meet.
Stopping for a picnic lunch on the way we will spend the night with a family
in Ta Van village, inhabited by the Tay people who are Vietnam’s largest
minority group, numbering more than one million. They have become very adept
at rice cultivation and, in marked contrast to the H’mong, they have a
higher living standard as a result. Overnight at tribal village.
(Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
included). |
Buffalo is cooling off in front of
his family 's home |
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Scenic
rice paddy terraces |
Day 4:
Sapa - Hanoi
After enjoying breakfast we depart
for a 2-hour trek to Su Pan village
where we rendezvous with our waiting
vehicle that will take us back to Sapa.
Arriving back in Sapa around lunchtime
we will have a free afternoon to relax
or wander around for further exploration
of the town.
This afternoon we transfer back to
Lao Cai for the train journey back to
Hanoi. The train departs at 1830.
(Breakfast and lunch included)
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Day 5:
Arrive Hanoi
The train arrives Hanoi around 5am. The
trip concludes |
