Sapa Vietnam Hard Trekking Two

 Day 1 // Sapa // Y Linh Ho // Lao Chai // Ta Van // Homestay   
Picked up at Lao Cai Station upon your early arrival for over an hour drive uphill in a shared mini van to Sapa Vietnam. After freshen up and Breakfast in a local restaurant, transfer 6km along the main road to a beautiful spot where your village trek begins.
This part offers spectacular scenery of the highest part of Hoang Lien Son mountain range and in a nice day, Fansipan Peak can be seen. Crossing the river by a suspension bridge you will challenge your feet uphill to Y Linh Ho village. Here you will pay visiting to some H’mong families, watching them doing their daily works. After picnic Lunch, the trail continues up and down hill for about 2 hours as you reach to Lao Chai, a large village of the H’mong and then following the river bank to Ta Van of the Zay people, paying visiting to local homes, village schools… you will enjoy much your cultural discovery of local ethnic peoples as well as breathtaking scenery of the Muong Hoa Valley. Tonight you will enjoy a home stay in Ta Van Village for an unique life experience.   

     • Breakfast and Lunch and Dinner included   
     • Accommodation: Homestay in Ta Van Village   
 
     Day 2 // Ta Van // Giang Ta Chai // Su Pan // Ban Ho   
Leaving Ta Van village after Breakfast and following the foot path uphill, you will pass through impressive terraced rice paddies on the hill slopes before getting through a bamboo forest, a huge waterfall to Giang Ta Chai village of the Red Zao peoples. Walking around the village you will meet many women with their embroidery work to make their traditional dresses, occasionally you can see the blacksmiths making farming tools and even hunting riffles. Passing the Muong Hoa river again and then trek uphill to Su Pan village passing the rocks field with unique carving which is believed to be the messages of the ancient peoples. In this village you will see the special technique to build houses on the steep rocky land. From Su Pan trekking downhill for an hour, Ban Ho valley will opens wide in your sight. Arriving to Ban Ho of the Tay late in the afternoon, check in the spacious local house built on stilts for Dinner and Home stay.   

• Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included   
• Accommodation: Homestay in Ban Ho Village   

Day 3 // Ban Ho // Nam Toong // My Son   
After Breakfast we spend an hours walking to explore Ban Ho, a large village of the Tay peoples who live on spacious wooden houses built on stilts and very well organized before ascending uphill to Nam Toong village of the Red Zao. The trail of this part is really steep but the higher you reach to, the more stunning scenery will open in your sight. The village locates on the top of a hill and almost isolated and the houses are rudimentary but the peoples are very welcoming. After Nam Toong, the trail winds its way up and down hill slopes for an hours to Nam Keng and My Son, the two small villages of the Xa Pho ethnic whose population is only about 4000 in Vietnam. Most of the Xa Pho are still living the most primitive way basing on forest gathering, hunting and practicing slash and burn agriculture. Every family here built a small house on stilts away form their living house to avoid catching fire for store their food and valuable property. You will stay overnight in this village.   

• Breakfast, Lunch included, Dinner on your own   
• Accommodation: Homestay in My Son Village   

Day 4 // My Son // Thanh Phu // Sapa   
Wake up early for fresh air watching local life before Breakfast. The amazing thing here is watching children walking some kilometers up and down hill to school and it seems that they enjoy their school hours very much! Leaving this poor village, walking downhill to the river for a crossing and then uphill again to Thanh Phu, another Tay village where you will spend about two hours wandering around the village before Lunch. In the afternoon, continue trekking for few hours along the way back which offers panorama view of Ban Ho valley before picked up and drive back to Sapa by jeep. Check in hotel and your evening is free.   
    
• Breakfast, Lunch included. Dinner on your own   
• Accommodation: Basic hotel in Sapa Town   

     Day 5 // Sapa free day // Overnight train to Hanoi   
     Today is set free for your own plan to explore Sapa town. Our recommend is to take a walk to Sapa market, where you can meet tribal ethnic peoples such as Black H’mong, Red Zao, Zay… from nearby villages come every day selling their farming, gathering products: Vegetable, bamboo shoot, mushroom… and of course handicrafts for souvenir. Continue walking the steps from the market to the church and then onto the top of Ham Rong Mountain where you can visit an orchid garden and a small museum about ethnic peoples of the Northwest.
Picked up in the afternoon at about 16.00 by mini bus for a transfer downhill to Lao Cai station for taking the night train back to Hanoi which arrive early next morning and your trip ends.   

• Breakfast, Lunch included. Dinner on your own   
• Overnight stay on the train