Early morning, the guide and driver will pick you up at hotel for transfer to meeting point for express bus transfer to Sapa. The total transfer time is around 5.5 hours with one stop break en route.
Upon arrival Sapa town, your guide will welcome you and walk with you to your hotel for check in. A short brief for the tomorrow trekking will be presented by your guide before your having your free time for relaxing and exploring the town on your own.
Overnight at hotel in Sapa
Summary
Transfer Hanoi - Sapa: Express AC Bus, 5.5 hours
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa
Meals: None
Day 2: Sapa – Heaven’s Gate – Mt Fansipan trek up to 2800m ~ 6hrs hiking up
In the morning, we travel by car for about 30 minutes toward the Silver Waterfall. You may stop there for photos of the sparkling-silver color stream pouring down from mountains after heavy rains. On dry days, we will skip this because the waterfall is not that spectacular. We will then drive further to Heaven Gate, the highest road in Vietnam to the sea water level. Right from there, in clear weather, we can see Mt. Fansipan, the highest peak of Indochina mountains as well as enjoy the stunning view of the Binh Lu valley. Get ready to take this peak down to our feet.
Start climbing here while the trek will be relatively moderate until lunchtime. You will cross some streams with cold, clear water. The trekking, water-proof boots are strongly recommended. After 2,5 hours hiking on rocky, dirt trails, we arrive the resting stop at 2200m. Enjoy picnic lunch. With new energy, we get into a harder adventure from here. The trail starts the real mountain hike with climbing up and up and up then finally descending towards the campsite for next 3,5 hours. The trek is truly breath-taking with its all meanings. Right at moments, you feel the exhaust, the magnificent views to Sapa and beautiful landscape of Lai Chau province show up and wipe it all. We will trek to Mt Fansipan's campsite at 2800m ASL in afternoon around 4 pm. Now it is time to relax and enjoy a well-prepared dinner by our support crew.
Summary
Trekking: 6 hours/ascend 2,800 m from 1,900 m
Accommodation: in a basic lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: 2800m – trek up Mt. Fansipan 3143m – down to 2200m ~ 6hrs hiking
After having breakfast, we climb to Fansipan's peak at 3143m, where we can celebrate your victory. You can touch the stone-flagged this is the highest place in Vietnam and Indochina as well. Don't forget to take a photo here. Standing on the top, we can enjoy the best views of beautiful scenery that none of the place in Vietnam can offer: cloud, mountains, valleys, jungles are all created an awesome picture.
Enjoying your victory for 30 minutes then we start descending. We stop on the way to a nice spot for lunch. In afternoon, we start the hard hiking trip today, which is all the way downhill through the rainforest. The climb up consumes much of your energy while the climb down requests you to stay very high focus. This part of our mountain conquering tour requires a great concentration to step on the steep trail until we meet the campsite at 2200m ASL. Here we spend another night in the basic lodge.
Summary
Trekking: 6 hours/ascend 3,143 m and descend to 2,200m
Accommodation: in a basic lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: 2200m – trek down to Y Linh Ho Village ~ 8hrs hiking
We wake up in the fresh and pure morning in wild nature, where we can take a deep breath before we start the other tough trekking day while keep hiking down to the slopes. We need you very concentrating and keep right space with our tour guide and porters. We descend through well-protected forest and after a couple of hours of hiking, we stop for lunch.
We will then continue our walk descending toward the valley. On the way, we will be able to enjoy valley views and beautiful surrounding. We arrive in Y Linh Ho village of Black Hmong minority in the late afternoon. Here we spend the night at a campsite nearby Muong Hoa River.
Summary
Trekking: 8 hours/descend to 1,600m
Accommodation: homestay
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Y Linh Ho Village – Seo Mi Ty Village ~ 5hrs hiking
Today’s trek will be mostly uphill until lunchtime in a beautiful part of Hoang Lien National Park - this park includes a vast jungle covering Hoang Lien Son mountain range of which Fansipan is the top peak. On the way, we have many opportunities to enjoy valley views. After hiking for a couple of hours, we stop at a nice spot for lunch. The trekking part will be softer in the afternoon. But the scenery becomes even more beautiful. We pass by Seo Mi Ty village of Black Hmong minority before we arrive at a campsite, which locates nearby a river outside the village. While porters put up tents and cook dinner, we can take a walk to stretch the legs.
Summary
Trekking: 5 hours
Accommodation: homestay
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Seo Mi Ty – Den Thang – Ta Trung Ho Village ~ 7hrs hiking
The hike today takes us through beautiful rice paddies and over old suspension bridges. We will trek on small trail sneaking through the rainforest. We arrive in Den Thang village of Black H’mong by noon. Here we stop for lunch either nearby a river or in a local school according to the weather. After lunch, the trek will become tough on tiny footpath going up and down, which requires a lot of concentration. We will reach to Ta Trung Ho village of Red Dzao minority where we spend the night in local house. Both the valley and the village have just received few foreign visitors. The night will be even more interesting when we are in the wonderful hospitable atmosphere of the Red Dzao ethnic group.
Summary
Trekking: 7 hours
Accommodation: Home-stay
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7: Ta Trung Ho - Nam Toong – My Son – Thanh Phu ~ 7hrs hiking
You are now at the fringe of the rain forest by the Hoang Lien Son mountain range. Fansipan, the highest peak in Indochina with its 3143 m, is located in this mountain range. You will start the trek today by ascending to Nam Toong village of Red Dzao minority. Here your lunch will be prepared by a local school.
After lunchtime, you walk descend to the valley where locates My Son village of Xa Pho minority, one of the smallest groups ethnic in Northern Vietnam. From there you take a short walk to Thanh Phu village of Tay minority. Here you spend the night in the traditional house of the Tay. You can take a walk to explore local daily life while your dinner will be served with Vietnamese dishes.
Summary:
Trekking: 7 hours
Accommodation: Home-stay
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 8: Thanh Phu - Nam Cum – Sin Chai ~ 3.5hrs trekking
Today’s trek will be relatively short and soft. Once leaving Thanh Phu, you follow the trekking route built in the bottom of the valley, which offers the best view of the surrounding mountains. You stop at a nice spot for lunch. After lunchtime, you continue the walk toward Sin Chai village of Red Dzao minority where the night will be spent in Red Dzao family.
Summary:
Trekking: 3.5 hours
Accommodation: Home-stay
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9: Sin Chai - Nam Ket –Ben Den – Lao Cai ~ 7.5hours hiking
You wake up for an early breakfast and repack your luggage for the long trek heading toward Lao Cai. Once you leave Sin Chai, the trip takes you into a fabulously mountainous area, the most remote part of Sapa. En route you meet children’ curious eyes as you are very first tourists passing by. Red Dzao ethnic minority inhabits the entire area. You will enjoy the freshness of bamboo forest and jungle until you make a stop at Nam Ket for lunch.
After lunch, your trek will be mostly downhill. After about half an hour, you will have an opportunity to enjoy one of the most beautiful views of days over a green valley lying along the Red River. You eventually arrive in Ta Thang village of Tay minority. Here you will be transferred by car to Lao Cai.
Upon arrival Lao Cai, we can celebrate our achievement, taking shower and relax until transfer to Lao Cai Railway Station for the night train back to Hanoi.
Summary:
Trekking 7.5 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: Night train back to Hanoi
Day 10: Back to Hanoi
Arrive in Hanoi early morning. You may need our support for transfer to airport for next adventures in Cambodia, Laos or Myanmar (Burma) with Active Travel Asia.
Our very challenging trekking to Mt Fansipan and Hoang Lien Son National Park ends up at Station arrival.
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