Night 1: Hanoi – Lao Cai (Rail)
Overnight train ride in the luxurious Sapa train to Lao Cai.
Day 1: Lao Cai – Sapa – Lao Chai San – Lao Chai – Ta Van (Road, Trek 14 km)
Morning pick up at the station then a drive up an enormous terraced valley to Sapa by we jeep. Pick up your local guide who speaks the hill tribe dialects and head out into the mountains after lunch. Hike along small paths and visit two H’mong villages at Lao Chai San and Lao Chai. Enjoy a one-hour musical performance by H’mong children. Continue along small village paths to a Giay village in Ta Van. Free time in the afternoon to explore the village. Overnight in Ta Van. (B, L, D)
Day 2: Ta Van – Cau May (Road, Trek 18 km)
After breakfast you trek through forest past waterfalls and over bamboo bridges to quiet streams where you can rest and swim. Then you trek through rice terraces to a Red Dao village for lunch. Afternoon trek over spectacular mountainsides to Cau May village. Free time on arrival to explore the village on your own. Dinner and overnight in Cau May. (B, L, D)
Day 3: Cau May – Thanh Phu (Trek 7 km)
Morning trek through forest to Seo Trung Ho village for lunch. Afternoon trek on village paths past a quiet swimming hole to the Tay village of Thanh Phu. Dinner and overnight in the village. (B, L, D)
Day 4: Thanh Phu – Nam Thang (Trek 15 km)
Nine km morning trek to the Red Dao village of Nam Cang for lunch and a swim. Afternoon trek six km to the Tay village of Nam Thang. Dinner and overnight in Nam Sai. (B, L, D)
Day 5: Nam Thang – Ban Ho (Trek 7 km)
Morning walk to two villages populated by Xa Pho people, a very small and distinct ethnic group. After lunch, journey through forest to the Tay village of Ban Ho. Afternoon free to explore the countryside around the village. Overnight in Ban Ho. (B, L, D)
Day 6: Ban Ho – Sapa – Lao Cai – Hanoi (Road & Rail)
Morning walk to the countryside around Ban Ho. Jeep ride back up to Sapa for a farewell party. Afternoon shuttle back down to Lao Cai for the Sapa night train to Hanoi for departure. (B, L, D)
