Departure date: Wednesday or Thurday

Sapa is the most popular place to go in the Far Northwest amongst budget travelers and packages tourists alike. By using Sapa as a base you can hike off to more remote ‘traditional’ hill tribe villages and sometimes you will be offered a bed in a village for the night. Sapa was originally built as a hill station in the early part of this century and, in winter, gets bitterly cold.Sprawling near the banks of a river, Can Cau Market is a clearly defined shantytown, packed with crude stalls covered with thatched roofs. The start of a few simple settlements can be seen high above, many of whose residents now make their weekly pilgrimage to the market. We are only 9kms from the Chinese border and some traders make the journey across from China on horsebackThe Sunday market in Bac Ha is where you'll want to stock up on water buffalo, pigs and horses. Once you're all set, you can browse for bottles of local firewater (made from rice, cassava or corn) or handicrafts made by some of the 10 Montagnard groups living near here - Flower Hmong, Dzao, Giay (Nhang), Han (Hoa), Xa Fang, Lachi, Nung, Phula, Thai and Thulao.Bac Ha is a less crowded alternative to Sapa, and arriving midweek makes for a relaxing visit. Around 700m above sea level, the highlands around Bac Ma are somewhat warmer than Sapa.

Tour Highlights:

• See stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

• Visit the lush forests belonging to Hoang Lien National Park

• Uphill to Heaven's Gate

• view the magnificent scenery of Lao Cai and Lai Chau provinces

• Visiting the Red Dzao in GiangTaChai villages and Tay in Ban Ho villages

• CanCau – a small market situated in a valley surrounded by mountains.

• Bac Ha Market and Chay river

Night 1 : Hanoi -Laocai

Vietnam GoldenHolidays’car pick up you from your hotel to Hanoi Railway Station for the night train  to get to Laocai Station. Sleep on the train.

Day 1 : Silver waterfall-Tramtron Pass Fanxipang valley, SinChai, Catcat.(B,L,D) 

Picked up at Laocai Railway station  early in the morning by private car. Arrive at Sapa round 8:00 AM. Check in hotel, breakfast and shower. You will be taken by  car to the Silver Waterfall; from there you can see stunning views of the surrounding mountains and the lush forests belonging to Hoang Lien National Park. continue by car uphill to Heaven's Gate, the highest stretch of road in Vietnam as well as the provincial border of Lao Cai and Lai Chau provinces. Here you will have a fantastic opportunity to view the magnificent scenery.

After the Pass, take off the car to trek down to Fanxipang valley. You follow the paths of the local people in the mountain & reach Sin Chai village. Visit Sin Chai & Cat Cat village of the H’mong people. Then the car wait for you in Catcat & take you back up to Sapa . Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Meals : Breakfast, Luch, Dinner

Day 2 : Lao Chai - Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai-BanHo Villages(B,L,D)

Get the show on the road in the morning from the hotel to head for the valley where to visit 2 villages of the H’mong and the Dzay. Picnic lunch on the way or in a local family. Go on visiting the Red Dzao in GiangTaChai village, visiting a waterfall and a suspension bridge.Get off the road to go down hill to BanHo village.Get back to Sapa byVietnam GoldenHolidays's car in late of the afternoon.Overnight at hotel in Sapa.

Meals : Breakfast, Luch, Dinner

Day 3 : CanCau – BacHa

Picked up at your hotel after breakfast and transfer to CanCau market. It takes more than 3 hours to get to CanCau – a small market situated in a valley surrounded by mountains and only 7 km from China. The market deeply shows the typical cultural features of the minorities in remote mountainous areas in Vietnam. Further more, you can enjoy seeing boys and girls in colourful costumes – different colours of the mountains. They attend the market in the hope of finding “the other halves of their lifves” and this is also the time for them to chat, to exchange everything among different ethnic peoples through cups of wine sold in the market. Say goodbye to the market and transfer to BacHa. On the way, spend time visiting a village of the Flower H’mong and then check in hotel in BacHa. Free to explore the town. Lunch in CanCau or in BacHa and dinner in BacHa.

(Note: 2* hotel only)

Meals : Breakfast, Luch, Dinner

Day 4: Bac Ha - Trung Do  - Chay River –Lao Cai

A walk to BacHa market. Visit one village and an old building called The H’mong king’s house. Breakfast and the beginning of the day on which you visit a big market filled with many different hill-tribe peoples. This is the most colourful market in North Vietnam. At the market, you have chance to enjoy BacHa people’s simple but unique kinds of food with special wines made from rice, cassavas, corn and different sorts of fruits such as plumps, apples, peaches... talking to the minorities through the guide’s interpretation. Leave the market for the H’mong King’s house (King Hoang A Tuong) built by the French colonists and the Chinese in 1920. Return the town for lunch. In the afternoon, spend time visiting another village (BanPho village) Say good bye to BacHa and get back to Trung Do village, visit the Tay then get on boat along Chay river. Get off boat for jeep at Bao Nhai then continue to Sapa. On the way back, drop in to see the Vietnamese and Chinese Harbour Mouth in LaoCai. Dinner at Lao Cai Station.Overnight on the train.

Meals : Breakfast, Luch, Dinner

Day 5 : Hanoi Arrival

Getting back to Hanoi from Sapa trip so early at around 5am.Private car pick up then transfer to your hotel.Tour ends.

VietnamGoldenHolidays can arrange additional customized trips for you if the above itinerary does not match your expectations.

Trip Included :

• Private car pick up from your hotel to Hanoi train station.

• Returns train tickets in  04 berths canbinet, A/C Wooden Softsleeper

• Local English speaking guide, Other languges upon your request

• Twin /Double sharing Room at Hotel Sapa

• Meal as mentioned in program ( B= Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner )

• Sightseeing fees

• Purified water and wet towel

• Transport as programe

• Taxes

Trip Excluded :

• Insurance

• Personal expense (drinks, telephone…)

• Tips and gratuities

What to bring :

• Sun Block

• Wide brim hat

• Camera + Film

• Comfortable shoes

• Rain gear

• Warm clothes

• Insect Repellent

• Original Passport