Day 1: Hanoi -Sapa (L, D)
In the morning we depart to Sapa at about 8am, for a 5hrs road journey with high way. overnight in a Sapa hotel.
Day 2: Sapa Trekking (B, L, D)
In the morning: After breakfast, your guide pick up at your hotel in Sapa . Firstly, going through the Sapa market and trekking to Y Linh Ho village of Black Hmong minority where you can take a rest, enjoy the beauty of Muong Hoa valley. Then, You will pass through Lao Chai village of Black H’mong minority and get the lucnh in the local house close river. After having lunch, you walk to Tavan village of Giay minority by following a very popular trekking route. Ending the jouney, You will return to Sapa from Tavan Village by car. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 3: Sapa – Ha Giang (B, L, D)
On the way from Sapa to Ha Giang we stop over and visit the village of Chang, inhabited by Tay minority people. Enjoy the beautiful scenery of the mountainous area, featuring palm tree hills. spend the night in Ha Giang
Day 4: Ha Giang – Dong Van (B, L, D)
After purchasing the mandatory permit at the Immigration Office, we will take the first spectacular road on the journey, which leads to Dong Van, through a series of long passes and deep valleys. Lunch will be taken in the small mountain town of Tam Son.
We then cross a landscape of pine forest and arrive at the King of the H’mong’s Palace, a fortress built by a local chief allied with the French against the Vietminh and evacuated in 1950, his descendants now live in France and Canada. Arrive in Dong Van around 6:00pm. Diner in a local restaurant and spend the night in a hotel.
Day 5: Dong Van – Meo Vac – Cao Bang (B, L, D)
Begin with a visit to the market of Dong Van, where the locals shop before returning to their homes in the mountains. We then climb a pass up to the old French Fortress of Pu Lo, built in 1890 and evacuated in 1945, from where we gain a spectacular view of the entire region. Then we travel up 15 km to the top of the Ma Pi Leng Pass, through a gigantic maze of lime peaks, known as “stone forests”, and canyons very unique in the world. We then go down into the valley of Meo Vac, before continuing on roads winding through the mountains, cross the river, and arrive in the village of Bao Lac, where we stop for lunch. Then we take the mountain road Bao Lac – Cao Bang, and enjoy some free time on arrival. Overnight at a hotel in Cao Bang.
Day 6: Cao Bang – Ban Gioc Waterfall (B, L, D)
In the morning: Drive to visit the Ban Gioc waterfalls, the highest and most spectacular falls in the area. Enjoy the imposing scene of Ban Gioc waterfalls, then visit Nguom Ngao Cave, and return to Cao Bang where you will spend the night in your Cao Bang Hotel.
Day 7: Cao Bang – Ba Be lake(B, L, D)
Today we travel through Ma Phuc Pass and continue on to Ba Be National Park for a boat ride along the Nang River, with time to explore the huge Ba Be Lake, the caves of Puong Grotto, the rapids of the Dau Dang waterfall and Widow Island. You will also visit the stilt houses of the Tay community in Bo Lu Village, where you will spend the night in a homestay situation.
Day 8: Ba Be lake – Hanoi (B, L)
We stroll along the riverfront, visiting some villages and hike the upper reaches of the lake, in an area off by massive limestone cliffs and mountains. We travel through a pass which we call “Dog Flower Pass” then stop to take amazing photos by some terraced fields. After lunch in a local restaurant we also visit the Thai Nguyen Minority and Culture Museum where we can learn something about the culture and traditions of the different minority groups in Vietnam, before we journey back to Ha Noi, arriving there at around 5pm, and your 8 day tour ends.
Our Vietnam holiday was enhanced by the eight day tour of the northern extremities of the country. The countryside was mind boggling and the scenery stunning, our guide was excellent and it was a very humbling experience meeting the ethnic tribal people along the way. We had to have a permit to travel in some places but it was no hassle to obtain one. We explored many different places including villages, a palace, markets, caves, waterfalls and cruised on the largest lake in Vietnam. It was a very well run tour and the guides provided were first rate and explained every move we made and site visited. It was a really intense but very enjoyable tour of the north of the country.