Sapa Hike & Homestays

Hanoi - overnight train to Lao Cai

Make your own way to Hanoi Railway Station to board your night train to Lao Cai. Overnight on train in a 4-berth cabin, soft sleepers.Note: Voucher to pick up the train ticket will be sent to you via email or delivered to your hotel in Hanoi. Upon arrival at Hanoi Railway Station (1 Tran Quy Cap street, Dong Da district) please proceed to the counter of your carriage name and show the staff your voucher to get the ticket.Overnight: Train - soft sleeper

Lao Cai - Weekly local market (or Ta Phin) - Sapa

Arrive at Lao Cai Railway Station in the early morning. Met by your guide and transfer to a restaurant for local breakfast. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday: visit a colourful tribal market. Bask in the vibrant colours of the region's hill tribe people's costumes. This is a great place for photos and learning about the culture of the hill tribes living in the area. Meet the friendly people, buy some souvenirs and enjoy lunch before making the 1 ½ hour drive to Sa Pa. Check in to your hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure to explore the old French Colonial retreat.Overnight: Sapa - hotel

Sapa - Sin Chai - Cat Cat - Y Linh Ho

After breakfast transfer to Sin Chai Village to begin your walk along the Muong Hoa River. After around an hour, you will reach the picturesque Cat Cat Waterfall where you can enjoy a short break. Cross the the suspension bridge and follow the steps uphill to the southern edge of Cat Cat Village from where you follow a good path for another hour, gently wnding downhill (1,212m to 1,188m). Across the Vang Stream is a great spot for your lunch break. After lunch, the trail winds up steep hills to 1,227m through rice paddies, corn fields then rain forest before gradually descending towards Y Linh Ho Village (1,018m), a village of the Black Hmong and our final destination for the day. Relax and put your feet up or explore this charming village.Day summary: Trekking aprox. 5-6 hours, grade 3 of 5.Dinner and homestay in Y Linh Ho Village.

Y Linh Ho - Lao Hang Chai - Ta Van

Enjoy a local breakfast before bidding your farewells. Take a large dirt track uphill to Lao Chai San 2 and Lao Chai San 1 villages before following the narrow undulating path to Lao Hang Chai Village, another Black Hmong village (at 1,146m). Take some time to explore this village and enjoy a local lunch. After the lunch break, we continue along a trail round a high mountain side which provides fantastic panoramas of the Muong Hoa Valley. We proceed on past Giang Ta Van (1,029m), a small village nestled in the valley near a bamboo forest and gradually descend to Ta Van Village (989m) of the Giay. This village sits at a beautiful location on the bank of Muong Hoa. Similar to the Tay, the Giay peoples are sedentary subsistence agriculturalists whose primary crop is rice. You will be greeted by your hosts for the evening with whom you will share a home cooked meal. Explore and meet the villagers or simply relax and enjoy the sunset by the river.Day summary: Trekking aprox. 5-6 hours, grade 3 of 5.Dinner and homestay in Ta Van Village.

Ta Van - Giang Tu Chai - Hoa Su Pan - Topas Ecolodge

Have breakfast with your hosts before trekking out from the village. The trail will lead you uphill from Ta Van before snaking its way along the high hill-side amidst terraced rice paddies then through the rustling bamboo forest. We pay a visit to Giang Ta Chai – a small hamlet of the Hmong isolated amidst the bamboo. We descend out from the forest then reach the waterfalls, a perfect place for lunch and a rest. After a deserved rest, continue along a well worn dirt path to Giang Tu Chai Village, home of the Red Dao. Take your time to explore this village - visit the homes and learn about their rural lifestyles. Later we depart from Giang Tu Chai and follow a narrow trail leading to Hoa Su Pan village. Here we an take our time to learn about the Hmong and see multiple processes used for making fiber from hemp. After learning about the rural lifestyle and traditions, we walk down the hill to the road from where we transfer to Topas Ecolodge. Check in to your comfortable bungalow and enjoy the spectacular views of the valley and surrounding mountains.Note: Topas Ecolodge is located 18 km from Sa Pa, deep in the Hoang Lien Mountains. The 25 bungalows overlook the entire valley with the ethnic minority villages of Ban Ho and Thanh Phu, 400 altitude meters beneath. Day summary: Trekking aprox. 5 hours, grade 3 of 5.Overnight: Topas Ecolodge.

Topas Ecolodge - Hanoi

Enjoy breakfast and the morning at leisure in this comfortable lodge located inwith spectacular views of the valley. At 15:00 you will join the shared Topas Mountain Express bus directly to hotels within the Old Quarter of Hanoi. Our tour concludes upon arrival in Hanoi.Airport transfers can be arranged if necessary. *Please note if you would like to stay on in Hanoi, your reservations staff would be happy to assist in booking additional accommodation for you.