Itinerary in brief

Day 1: Hanoi - Lao Cai

The first night, guide and car pick you up from your hotel in Hanoi , transfer to Hanoi Station for LC5 Train, soft sleeper, AC. Overnight on train

Day 2: Lao Cai - Bac Ha – Nam Khanh.

Arrive in Lao Cai at 05.30am. You’ll have breakfast in the restaurant, and then the bus ride uphill to Bac Ha takes about 2 hours, giving you a glimpse of the stunning vistas and impressive rice terraces. Arrive at the Bac Ha tourism office and prepare to start at 9.00am from Bac Ha by car for 10kms before climbing to Dao’s village. The way to Dao’s village is really difficult to climb so that you should carry as least luggage as possible. After about 3 hours, you’ll arrive the village. It’s time for relaxing and having lunch on green fields. After lunch, you’ll have to go through the cinnamon forest. Having a breath at foot of baamboo bridges before continuing your tour by climbing for more than 1 hour. Then walking for 45mins to Nam Khanh and stay here for a night.
Meals: (L;D) ; Trekking distance: 12 km.

Day 3: Nam Khanh – Ban Lien.

 Starting at 9:30am from Nam Khanh to Ban Lien. On the way, you can see many hills which is used for planning tea. In addition, there’re palm forest, green fields and primeval forest which combined to make a place of natural beauty. Staying in at Tay village for a night, you can discover their living in this highland. Tay’s houses which are called houses of stilts, it’s made from baamboo and woods. Their houses used to be bigger than houses of other different manorities and can be 160 square meters. Roof’s used to make from palm leaves to protect their houses from hard weather in this area. A roof which made from palm leaves can be used for more than 30 years.
Meals: (B;L;D) ; Trekking distance: 15 km.

Day 4: Ban Lien – Na Lo.

Starting at 8.am from Ban Lien to Na Lo, you’ll begin your trip back to Bac Ha through roads along the moutain, through many fields in stairs shape. And the 3rd day’s finished at Tay village. Tay is a ethnic group who live in the valleys and planning rices on highlands for living. They use to live in groups near the sources of water. Their tranditional clothes are in light colors, all most in various colors in contrast. Tay is the most populous of the hill tribes. Because of the development and adaptation to the Vietnamese society some of them have started wearing Vietnamese clothing. But most women still wear the traditional checkered headscarf. We stay overnight in a wooden Tay stilt house.
Meals: (B;L;D) ; Trekking distance: 23km.

Day 5: Na Lo – Bac Ha.

After having breakfast at 8:30am, you’ll begin your last day from Na Lo to Bac Ha. There’re 2 ways back to Bac Ha to choose depends on you: the first way is going on main road for 45mins and the second one is going on the moutnain road for 2 hours. If choosing the moutain road, you’ll have to cross terrace fields and villages of H’Mong. On this way, you’ll meet the Hoang A Tuong palace before coming back to the hotel.
Meals: (B) ; Trekking distance: 8 km.

Day6: Bac Ha - Hanoi

Today we have free time hold all day explore Bac Ha by your self.
3.pm Then take car/bus back to Laocai Station for the night train to Hanoi. Arrive in Hanoi roughly 4:30 AM. The end of tour.

Contact Lotussia Travel for more details and Book this tour.

Tour highlights: - The chance to see the magnificent, beautiful landscape of the Bac Ha Highland and the Chay River Massif as well as the fabulous land of the remote far north.

- Discover the unique cultures and ways of life of the ethnic tribes who inhabit this region. Join the local hill tribes people at one of their regional markets.

- Meet tribal people from different ethnic groups in their homes and at their work. Experience their way of life.
Day 1: Hanoi – LaoCai. Overnight train.

You will be met at your hotel in Hanoi by our team and transferred to Hanoi Railway Station, where you take the night train to Lao Cai. Overnight on the train. Acc: On the train in 4 bed compartments with A/C.

Day 2: Lao Cai – Regional Tribal Market – Bac Ha (B, L, –)

You will be welcomed by the local tour guide on your early arrival at Lao Cai station. After freshening up and having breakfast, you will be transferred by road to one of the famous regional markets: Coc Ly or Ban Cam on Tuesday; Cao Son on Wednesday; Lung Khau Nhin on Thursday; Can Cau on Saturday; Bac Ha on Sunday.

Spend 2 to 3 hours joining the locals at the market place where tribal people in their best traditional costumes come once a week not only to shop but also to socialize. Transfer to Bac Ha Townlet, check into the Sao Mai hotel for a short rest and freshen up.

The rest of the afternoon is set aside for trekking around the stunning Ban Pho Valley. Clients may choose to take the shorter loop for 1,5 hours or the longer loop which offers better views of Ban Pho Valley and takes nearly 3 hours.

Day summary: Road transfer 2,5 to 4 hours depending on the regional market/ Walk 1,5 to 3 hours/ Acc: Hotel room and dinner tonight in Bac Ha.

 

 Day 3: Bac Ha – Quan Hoa – Lu Suoi Tung Village – Ta Cu Ty Village (–, L, D)

After breakfast, check out of your hotel at 08.00am. Leave Bac Ha and transfer for an hour to the starting point of the trekking trail in Lung Phin Commune. There will be several photo stops along the way. There are 2 options for trekking from here:

Opt 1: Hard trek: Start trekking along a narrow trail on steep hillsides from Quan Hoa Hamlet for 2,5 hours to Lu Suoi Tung Village of the Flower Hmong. Lunch break here for an hour.

Trek uphill for 1,5 hours through the forest to the top of Ta Cu Ty Mountain range(hard trek) and then downhill for 2 hours to Ta Cu Ty village of the Zao and Tay ethnic people. Here you will picked up and transferred 3 km to your home stay near the centre of Ta Cu Ty Commune.

Opt 2: Medium trek: Start trekking from Ta Chai Village of the Phu La tribe along a narrow valley through Quan Hoa Hamlet for 3 hours. Lunch break.

Continue trekking for one more hour and arrive at Lu Suoi Tung Village of the Flower Hmong. Spend 2 hours exploring this isolated village, paying a visit to the local school and several Hmong families to experience at first hand their way of life.

You will be picked up at Lu Suoi Tung for the 8 km road transfer to your home stay near the centre of Ta Cu Ty Commune. This stretch of the road offers spectacular landscapes of the Ban Gia Valley with several photo stops along the way before arriving at the next home stay.

Day summary: Road transfer 1 hour/ Trekking 5 to 7 hours, grade 3 or 4/ Home stay at Ta Cu Ty Village of the Tay
 
Day 4: Ta Cu Ty – Song Ngam Village – Nam Dan Commune (B, L, D)

After breakfast say good bye to the local host family at 08.30am. On leaving Ta Cu Ty, there are 2 optional treks to choose from:

Opt 1: Hard trek: Spend the whole morning trekking along a wide path with great views of the Ban Gia valley to the Song Lam village of the Nung ethnic people for 3 hours. Take a lunch break at Song Lam near the village school.

In the afternoon follow a narrow footpath for another 2,5 hours (hard trek) up and downhill the Nam Dan mountain through the thick bamboo and rain forest. Suddenly the panoramic view of the Nam Chien valley opens up wide in front of us, as the trail proceeds downhill to the Nam Dan village of the Nung ethnic people. We pay a visit to the famous rock-field where scripts have been carved by ancient people. Continue trekking along a wider trail for 1 more hour to your home-stay at Nam Chien Village of Nam Dan Commune.

Opt 2: Medium trek: Spend the whole morning trekking along a wide path with great views of the Ban Gia valley to the Song Lam village of the Nung ethnic people for 3 hours. Take a lunch break at Song Lam Village of the Nung.

After lunch continue trekking for 3 hours following the same trail along the Ban Gia Valley via Sin Chai Village of the Flower H’mong, Zao to the centre of Ban Ngo Commune, where you will be picked up and transferred to Nam Dan village to visit the famous rock field where scripts have been carved by ancient people. Arrive at your home-stay in Nam Chien Village at about 05.30 pm.

Day summary: Road transfer 1 hour/ Trekking 5 to 7 hours, grade 3 or 4/ Home stay at Nam Chien Village of the Nung.

Day 5: Nam Dan – Nam Nhung Village – Nam Choong Village (B, L, D)

Breakfast and then leave Nam Chien Village at 08.30am. Transfer along the paved road for 14 km over the Gio mountain pass. through thick rain forest to the southern side of the valley. From here, enjoy a leisurely walk for 3 hours through Nam Nhung and Khau Rom villages of the Tay and Zao peoples along the narrow valley of the Nam Li River. Take a lunch break near a suspension bridge.

Cross the Nam Li River to the southern bank, trekking uphill to Quang Thuong Village and then downhill to Nam Choong Village of the Zao peoples which is beautifully set on the southern bank and endowed by nature with a mineral hot spring.

Day summary: Road transfer 14km/ Trekking 5 to 6 hours, grade 3 of 5/ Home stay at Nam Choong Village of the Zao.

Day 6: Nam Choong – Quang Nguyen – Trung Son – Ho Thau – Panhou (B, L, –)

Today is the most interesting day of the whole trip! The superb natural scenery changes every quarter of an hour, but the trekking today is also the biggest challenge so far. Trek for almost the whole day uphill through the Chieu Lung Thi mountain range from Nam Li Valley, to Cao Son Village of the Hmong and Zao. Continue through the thick forests to Trung Son Village of the Nung people and then to Tan Minh village of the Zao people and then along the trail for 20 minutes to the centre of the Ho Thau Commune.

You will be picked up at Ho Thau for an hours transfer to the Panhou Ecolodge, check in and then you are free to explore the surrounding area.

Day summary: Road transfer 45km/ Trekking 5 to 6 hours, grade 4 of 5/ Dinner and ACC at Panhou Ecolodge .

Day 7: Panhou – Hanoi (–, L, –)

You will be transferred from Panhou for about 1,5 hours to Tan Quang Junction with a stop at Hoang Su Phi Heaven Gate. Then you follow national road 2 for over 5 hours via Tuyen Quang and Viet Tri to Hanoi with some breaks along the way. Lunch in Tuyen Quang. Arrive in Hanoi at about 06.00 pm, where the trip ends with the drop off at your hotel.

Day summary: Road transfer 325km/Lunch included.

TREKS

We have a range of trekking tours available for you to choose from that have been specifically designed to enable you to experience some of the very best landscape and scenery that Vietnam has to offer. During the treks you will have the opportunity to sleep under the stars in a tent or in a local family house.

Most of our treks start with a jeep ride to take us out of town to where the real adventure starts. Your English speaking, Vietnamese guide will be able to answer questions about the countryside as well as local ethnic minority cultures and customs. During the treks you will only have to carry a small daypack with your personal belongings and of course your camera. Porters from the Black H’Mong ethnic minority hill tribe will carry the rest of your luggage in special watertight bags.
 Inclusive

• English or French speaking guide

• Porters (to carry food and luggage)

• Cook (for group sizes of 6 pax)

• All necessary transport

• All indicated meals, plus snacks (B as breakfast; L as lunch; D as dinner)

• Water for the whole trip

• Sleeping bags and mattresses

• Waterproof bluebag for luggage

• Tents if needed

• Mosquito nets

• All entrance fees and permits

• Overnight in local houses or tents

• Train Tickets from Hanoi - Lao Cai

 Exclusive

• Personal Pocket Money

• Soft drinks (beer, coca cola…)

• Insurance

• All other services not indicated above

 Notes:

• This is a hard trek tour for clients who are fit and have good mobility plus some trekking experience. Heavy rain may cause difficulties and cause the paths to become dangerous at some stages of the trek.

• The trip can be organized the whole year around. The landscape is at its most beautiful from May to September thanks to rice and corn farming. Unfortunately it is hot and wet then with especially heavy rainfall in July and August. The weather is nice in October, November and the first half of December. January and February are cold and foggy, but it does get better from March to April.

• Personal luggage should weigh no more than 6kg while trekking. Good trekking shoes, rain gear and warm clothes are needed, especially in Jan and Feb and insect repellent should be brought.

• We reserve the right to change our tour plan when and where necessary in the interests of the safety of our clients.

Important: Before you travel please check your Tour Voucher and Arrival Information for the

latest joining instructions. This will be sent to you upon receipt of final payment.
Contact Lotussia Travel for more details.