| Day 1: Hanoi Arrival |
| Meet & Greet at Noi Bai international airport and transfer to your hotel in Hanoi city. Our guide will provide you with a welcome kit which contains all the necessary information about your journey. Free at leisure and overnight in Hanoi city. |
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| Day 2: Hanoi – Lao Cai |
| Today we enjoy a half day city tour, seeing the mausoleum of the nation’s founder Ho Chi Minh, the Presidential Palace and Ho Chi Minh’s House. Close to this complex is the One Pillar Pagoda. We also visit the Temple of Literature and the peaceful lake of Hoan Kiem with its sacred temple before continuing on to the impressive Ethnologic Museum, dedicated to Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minorities, some of which we will see on our forthcoming days. The reminder of the day is free for your own exploration of Ha Noi until transferring to the rail way station for a night train to Lao Cai. The train conditions are very basic however we will travel in soft sleeper class which is compartment for 4 passengers. Overnight on the train. |
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| Day 3: Lai Cai – Sapa - Ta Phin Village |
| On arrive Lao Cai railway station around 6.00 am. The bus will pick you up and leave to Sapa city 1 hour) for breakfast. Check in hotel and relax. Sapa is located at the extreme north of Vietnam, near the Chinese border. The Sapa plateau was identified in 1901 during the first topographic plotting of the area. A military post was built in 1903. Originally, Cha Pa was created for medical purposes. Its bracing climate was beneficial to westerners exhausted by a long stay in Vietnam. The military sanatorium, completed in 1913, was built on the hill on which the municipal cistern now stands. After lunch, we trek to Ta Phin Village to meet friendly Back Hmong and Red Dao minorities, explore their famous handicrafts making and the old French catholic church, the peace grotto. After visit Ta Phin village, we come back Sapa by jeep for dinner and free at leisure. Overnight in Sapa city. |
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| Day 4: Sapa - Fansipan |
| We start out together with our team of Black Hmong porters from Sa Pa around 9.00 am and head for the Black Hmong village of Sin Chai in the bottom of the valley. Soon thereafter the ascend starts and we will walk for about three hours before our cook serves a well prepared lunch in the forest. We continue our climb and around 4.30 pm we arrive at our campsite at approximately 2500 m. The tents are raised for your comfort and the cook is already busy preparing a well deserved dinner. It is time to enjoy the fresh air and the nocturnal sounds of nature. |
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| Day 5: Fansipan Trek |
| Today we spend a full day trekking mountain sides. The walk is very strenuous at times so some physical preparation will enable you to maximize enjoyment from the trip. On arrival at the ridge of 2200m we stop to have lunch, stretch our legs and catch a breathtaking views over the valley of Sapa. The next stop of our trip is the peak of 2900m where will set up our tents. |
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| Day 6: Fansipan – Sapa |
| Maybe your body feels a bit busted, but a refreshing cup of coffee and some breakfast gives new energy to the descend from the mountain. After the camp has been packed down we start walking around 9.00 am. We enjoy lunch in the forest before reaching Sa Pa in the early afternoon, rushing for a cold drink and a hot shower. |
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| Day 7: Sapa – Hanoi |
| Today is set aside for our relaxation, either to stay at our hotel or walk down to the local market to take some pictures. In the afternoon, we will return to the Lao Cai train station to catch the night train back to Hanoi (the train departs at 21.15). Overnight in train. |
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| Day 8: Hanoi - Departure |
| On arrival Hanoi railways station at 5.30am, we will be picked up transfer to hotel for early check in and relax. Free at leisure in Hanoi until time transfer to airport for departure or extension. |
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