Vietnam Sapa Trek & Ha Long Bay

Welcome to Vietnam and Southeast Asia! Get ready for new sounds, smells, and sights as we enter a unique, vibrant and colorful culture. Our team will pick you up from Noi Bai International airport in Hanoi, Vietnam and transfer you approximately 45 minutes to our elegant 4-star accommodations in the popular historic district of Hanoi. After joining the group at an orientation meeting, you will enjoy dinner with your guide(s) and the rest of the group. Here we can further get to know one another and talk in more detail of our upcoming adventure together on this Vietnam trek.

Today will serve as a sightseeing and rest/acclimatization day from our International travel. After breakfast, your guide will host you on a tour of this historic city. Among Hanoi’s sightseeing highlights is the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where we will see ‘Uncle Ho’ (Ho Chi Minh) laid out to rest. Ho Chi Minh was the founder and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and a very important figure in the development of Vietnam. We will also visit the Hanoi Hilton museum where John McCain and other prisoners were held during the Vietnam-USA War; the Ethnology museum and the Temple of Literature, which serves as an excellent example of Vietnamese architecture. We will have lunch during the day and return to the hotel in the late afternoon. We will have free time until meeting up for dinner. After dinner, we will return to the hotel and pack our bags to head to the train station for our departure for Sapa around 10PM. No Vietnam adventure would be complete without taking a deluxe overnight sleeper train. (ours has air conditioning and very clean nice bathrooms)

This morning between 6 and 7 AM our train will arrive at the Lao Cai train station in the mountain city of Sapa. Our driver will be waiting for our arrival and transfer us roughly 1 hour to our hotel, the Aira Boutique Sapa Hotel and Spa. After check-in, we will have breakfast at the hotel. We will meet up for lunch and dinner, and between meals you will have time to explore this amazing town. Sapa is known for its colorful markets, friendly people and beautiful textiles. You will love and be intrigued by this amazing place!

• Hiking Mileage: 9 miles (14.5 km)
• Elevation Gain: 1,355 feet (413 m)
• Elevation Loss: 2,775 feet (846 m)
• Trekking Duration: 6-7 hours

This morning after breakfast we will begin our hike. We will meet our local Black H’mong guide and begin our beautiful trek through the mountains. Expect there to be many local women walking with the group, asking to sell us goods. It is awesome to get to know the people, their culture and how they live their daily lives in Sapa. We will have lunch along the way and continue trekking through beautiful terraced rice fields, until we reach Ta Van Village. This village is nestled in the mountains and provides a great opportunity to be immersed in the local culture and daily routine of the Black Hmong and Red Dzao people. The majority of people in Ta Van are rice farmers and our local guide will be able to answer all of the questions we have. Upon arrival at our Home-stay, we will be welcomed by our ‘host mother’ who will be in charge of cooking dinner and breakfast for us. We may even have the option to help prepare spring rolls or appetizers! Getting to know the local people is one of our favorite things about this trek!

• Hiking Mileage: 9.5 miles (15.3 km)
• Elevation Gain: 1,680 feet (512 m)
• Elevation Loss: 3,392 feet (1034 m)
• Trekking Duration: 7-8 hours

This morning after more amazing food and hospitality, we will pack our bags and begin walking to the village of Giang Tai Chai. The rolling hills and rice terraces of this area shape the local people’s culture and it is evident how the environment plays an impact on the people’s lives. Along the way, we will have lunch and then continue on to Ban Ho village where we will stay for the second night of our trek. Ban Ho is one of the most interesting and diverse villages in the Sapa area. Black Hmong, Red Dzao, White Tay and other minority hill tribes all live together here. Ban Ho is a lovely village surrounded by rice terraces, glistening streams and traditional stilted houses. We check into our accommodation at tonight’s Home-stay. We will have free time for showers, rest or village exploration before our delicious traditional meal is served. Our guides will provide the plan for the next day.

• Hiking Mileage: 6 miles (9.7 km)
• Elevation Gain: appx 600 feet (183 m)
• Trekking Duration: 5-6 hours

This morning after another hearty breakfast, we pack our backpacks and set off for the village of Thanh Phu. Our trek today starts off by climbing roughly 600 ft until we level off near Nam Tong village. The terrain is sub-tropical and the trails are used by local people to connect the villages. We will have lunch in route and continue trekking until we reach the village of Thanh Phu. Upon arrival at Thanh Phu, we will be picked up and transferred to our luxurious unique Ecolodge accommodation for the night! We will have free time for showers, village exploration or rest until dinner is served. Our guides will provide the plan for the following day.

• Hiking Mileage: 4.3 miles (6.9 km)
• Elevation Gain/Loss: 800 feet (244 m)
• Trekking Duration: 3-4 hours

This morning we have a leisurely breakfast, pack our day packs and hike to Lech, a Red Dzao minority village. Upon arrival at Lech, we will visit with the Red Dzao people and learn about their culture and daily life in their village. After our visit with the Dzao, we will head back to our Ecolodge, have free time until lunch is served. We will then board our private mini-bus for our 5 ½ hour scenic ride back to Hanoi. It will be roughly 8:30pm when we arrive back to Hanoi, so we will have some snacks and drinks planned in route during our drive. Once we arrive back to Hanoi, we’ll check into our hotel and all go to a late dinner together. Our guides will provide the plan for the next day.

This morning we will enjoy waking up in our elegant accommodations in Hanoi. An outstanding buffet breakfast will be available and after we will depart Tuan Chau Harbor. Around midday, we will transfer by a smaller boat to the main cruise ship. We will enjoy a welcome drink and receive a safety and orientation briefing from our cruise manager. Our cruise will set sail through the amazing Ha Long Bay and lunch will be served in route on board. After our meal, we continue sailing past thousands of amazing limestone karst formations rising out of the water; making this journey so spectacularly picturesque. It is absolutely stunning scenery! We will continue toward Lan Ha Bay for time to kayak, swim and relax. Back on board, we will have an afternoon tea ceremony. We will then have dinner and you can enjoy the landscape of Ha Long Bay, while relaxing and soaking up all the views. After dinner their are multiple optional activities to choose from.

This morning you can sleep in or rise early to witness Ha Long bay at sunrise! After a light breakfast, we will continue our journey and head out among small, wooden rowing boats to explore the bay, local fishing culture and enjoy more time paddling in sea-kayaks. After the optional morning of activities, we will return to the boat to complete the check-out procedure and enjoy a delightful brunch while cruising back to port. Once at the port we will meet our driver and begin the drive back to Hanoi and our hotel. We have the afternoon free to do any last minute shopping and/or site seeing before gathering back for our final celebratory dinner.

After breakfast, your Wildland guide will meet you in the hotel lobby for your transfer back to Noi Bai International Airport. We will ensure that you arrive in time for your flight back home or you can continue your adventure in Vietnam. We hope you have had an amazing time and thanks for choosing Wildland Trekking!