Homestay in Ta Van Village & Bac Ha Market – 5 Days

Day 1: Hanoi – Lao Cai
In the evening, our car will arrive at the hotel in good time to take you to Hanoi Railway Station to board the overnight sleeper train ride to Lao Cai.

Day 2: Lao Cai – Sapa – Cat Cat – Y Linh Ho – Ta Van Homestay (B, L, D)
Arrival in Lao Cai Station in the early morning, we will be met and driven to Sapa. After breakfast in a good restaurant, we will sneak through the market, and leave the busy town behind. After a couple of minutes, we will follow a road going downhill to Cat Cat village. We will stop by a waterfall and a hydroelectric station for a while before you trek on a dirt trail through rice paddy terraces. We will also enjoy spectacular scenery while walking along a narrow river. We eventually arrive in Y Linh Ho village of Black Hmong minority, where we can take a rest while lunch are served nearby the river.

Cat Cat Village, Sapa, Lao Cai province.

After lunch, we head to Muong Hoa valley. We will pass through Lao Chai village of Black Hmong minority and then Tavan village of Giay minority by following a very popular trekking route. We will spend the night in local house of Giay minority. We will be able to take a walk to enjoy the valley view as well as swim in the river nearby.
Approx: 5 hours walking/ 1-hour lunch.

Day 3: Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai – Su Pan – Sapa (B, L)
Once we get energy for our last day trek by having a delicious breakfast, we leave for Giang Ta Chai village of Red Dao minority. We will trek through bamboo forest, which belongs to Hoang Lien National Park. On the way, we will pass by a waterfall where we will have time to take a rest and enjoy the surroundings. We will find a nice place to enjoy lunch.

Ta Van Village.

After lunch, we continue toward Su Pan, a small village located by the road. Here we start our journey back to Sapa by car. We will spend the second night in Sapa in a hotel.
Approx: 1-hour driving/ 3 hours walking/ 1-hour lunch.

Day 4: Sapa – Bac Ha Market – Lao Cai (B, L, D)
After an early breakfast at hotel, we will be driven to Bac Ha to visit Bac Ha market, the biggest Sunday market in the area. Every Sunday, the different and colourful ethnic minority come all here to sell their homemade products or buy something for the family. They are Hmong, Phu La, Back Dzao, Tay or Nung minorities. Some of these ethnic minorities can’t be met in any other areas. Your lunch will be provided in a local restaurant.

Bac Ha sunday market.

In the afternoon, we drive downhill towards Lao Cai for about half an hour. We stop on the way (before reaching Lao Cai) to take a short walk to Trung Do village inhabited by Tay people. Tay villages are always set up at the foot of a mountain or along a stream and are named after a mountain, a field, or a river. Each village contains about 15-20 households. A large village is divided into many small hamlets. The houses are built on stilts or level with the ground. Stop by a traditional Tay house for a cup of tea before taking a boat cruise upstream the Chay River. The scenery is very beautiful on both sides of the river. The boat trip will end at Bao Nhai Bridge where your vehicle will be waiting for you for the journey back to Lao Cai where you will board your overnight train back to Hanoi.
Note:
• Approx: 2-hour driving/ 1 hour’s walking/ 1.5 hours boat cruise
• The trip to Bac Ha market must be on Sundays

Day 5: Hanoi (B)
Arrival at Hanoi Railway Station in the early morning, we will be met and transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day will be free on your own. Tour ends.