Sapa Discovery - 2 days / 3 nights
(With homestay!)
This 3 night - 2 day tour takes you through gorgeous mountain scenery, terraced rice paddies and small villages, where you will have the opportunity to talk with the local minority people and learn about their way of life.
Night 1: Overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai You’ll be taken by our staff to the Hanoi Railway Station at 20:00 PM and escorted to your train cabin. Then relax in your first class, air conditioned cabin (soft-sleeper, 4-berths with locking door). You’ll arrive in Lao Cai, near the Chinese border, early the next morning. Day 1: Sapa - Thanh Kim - Sin Chai (B, L & D) Trekking: 9-15 kilometers Your guide and driver will meet you at the Lao Cai train station. Drive for one hour up the Hoang Lien Son Mountains until you arrive in Sapa. Enjoy the spectacular views of the mountains, valleys and terraced rice fields along the way. After a short discovery of Sapa, we’ll trek to the nearby villages of Thank Kim and Thanh Phu. These villages are home to the Tay ethnic minority people, and the surroundings are beautiful. You’ll have the opportunity to learn about their very traditional ways of life. Afterwards, we’ll stop at one of the villages along our way for a picnic lunch before we reach our day’s end destination at the village of Sin Chai. Tonight, you’ll sleep in a traditional home of the Dao ethnic minority. Day 2: Sin Chai - Suoi Thau - night train return to Hanoi (B, L & D) Trekking: 12-16 kilometers Enjoy the beautiful mountains around the Sin Chai region as we resume our hike through several small villages, taking in the views of the stunning terraced rice paddies along the way. We’ll visit the Red Dao village of Suoi Thau, and you’ll have the opportunity to talk with them and observe their colorful dress and traditional way of life. At last, it is time to return to the railway station in Lao Cai for the trip back to Hanoi. Return to Hanoi in your soft-sleeper 4-bed air-conditioned cabin, arriving around 5:30 AM the next day. PRICE: - $165 USD per person WHAT TO BRING: -Passport with valid Vietnamese visa -Some cash in Vietnamese Dong or USD for personal expenses -Sturdy walking shoes -Small day pack -Insect repellent -Sun hat and/or sunscreen -Raincoat -Warm clothing -Pack lightly, keeping most of your luggage at your hotel WHAT’S INCLUDED: -Pick up from your hotel in Old Quarter to the train station -Transportation as indicated in the day-by-day itinerary -Return overnight train to and from Lao Cai. Accommodation in a soft-sleeper, 1st class -air-conditioned cabin (sleeps 4) -Accommodation: 1 night in local home -2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners (vegetarian available with advance notice) -All entrance fees, taxes and service charges -Local, knowledgeable English or French-speaking tour guide -Return from train station to your hotel in the Old Quarter WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED: -Any meals not indicated in the above itinerary -Drinks and personal expenses |