Sapa 2 Days Minority Trek /1 night Ta Van village
Tour Overview
Tour code: SET3 – 2DD1N
Duration: 2 days/ 3 nights
Departure: Every evening from Hanoi
Pick up: At your hotel in Hanoi
Grade: Medium
Night 1: Hanoi to Lao Cai by the night train 4 berth soft sleeper cabin with AC
Day 1: Sapa – Cat Cat – Y Linh Ho – Lao Chai – Ta Van
Day 2: Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai – SuPan – Sapa
Night 3: Lao Cai to Hanoi by 4 berth soft sleeper tourist sharing cabin
Night 1: Hanoi to Lao Cai by the night train 4 berth soft sleeper cabin with AC
At 7:30 pm transfer from your hotel to the Hanoi train station for boarding at 9:15 pm. You will be in shared AC soft sleeper cabins of 4 to travel North to Lao Cai town. The next morning: The train arrives in Lao Cai at about 5:00 am where your Sapa Ethnic Travel guide will welcome you. Look for the “Sapa Ethnic Travel” sign when you exit the train station. Then take a morning drive through the clouds by car / van to Sapa (about 1.5 hours). When you arrive in Sapa you will be taken to Fansipan View Hotel for a morning shower & breakfast, then prepare for the trek as detailed below:
Day 1: Sapa – Cat Cat – Y Linh Ho – Lao Chai – Ta Van
After freshening up and having breakfast you are free to take a walk around the charming little town of Sapa. Pay a visit to the fascinating market and or the old cathedral where you can meet and greet some of the local ethnic minority people. The Black H’Mong and Red Zao come into town daily to sell their farming produce and hand made crafts – you will spot them easily in their bright traditional dress.
At 9:30, back at the Sapa Ethnic office we will set off to begin trekking and exploring the Muong Ho valley.
We begin by driving approximately 3 kms to Cat Cat village – here we start walking. This village is home to the H’Mong. There is a pretty waterfall to enjoy and an old hydro power station built by the French is nearby. A further 12kms of trekking will see us visit Y Linh Ho and Lao Chai villages. Here we will have lunch with a local family or in a drinking shop by the river, we continue hiking to Ta Van village (here resides the Dzay people) where we settle for the night in a local village family home. This provides a great opportunity to share their customs and home life. Your tour guide and host family will set up a temporary cooking class so you can share a Vietnamese cooking experience!
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included
Accommodation: Home stay in Tavan
Day 2: Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai – SuPan – Sapa
Leaving Ta van village after breakfast, you will head off on an uphill trail, past fascinating terraced rice fields and small pockets of H’Mong housing before walking through a bamboo forest to a picturesque waterfall. Here, we rest briefly and admire the scenery, following this we continue walking for about half and hour to Giang Ta Chai village, home of the Red Zao people- this sits on top of a hill and overlooks the Muong Hoa River. After spending time with the villagers and enjoying their genuine hospitality we will cross the river via a suspension bridge and head upwards again to visit a local handicraft centre where H’Mong and Zao women gather to share their crafts and skills and have a good chat!
A late lunch will be prepared for you near the craft centre and then it is time to relax and become acquainted with the local school children and their teachers. Later, a short drive will return you to Sapa, you are free to shower and enjoy a couple of hours free time in town before transferring down the mountain to Lao Cai station.
Breakfast & Lunch included., Dinner on your own
Overnight on the train
Night 3: Lao Cai to Hanoi by 4 berth soft sleeper tourist sharing cabin
At 6:00pm, you will be transferred by a shared bus to Lao Cai station, where you will then take the night train back to Hanoi. We hope you have enjoyed your time in Sapa and your experience with Sapa Ethnic Travel.