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Travel block - Vietnam

Excursion to the mountain villages of Sa Pa

Highlights

  • Get up close and personal with the Black H'Mong and Red Dao hill tribes

  • Arrive relaxed by night train in the sleeping compartment

  • Experience the unique scenery of the rice terraces on several hikes

  • Tour guide and all transfers included

  • Privately managed & customizable trip

Description

Slowly the train rolls down the track. The doors open, you get off, and you immediately feel the pleasantly cool mountain air on your skin. Welcome to Sa Pa! In the coming days, your guide will show you the far north of Vietnam. In the "cradle of Vietnamese culture," you will meet the exotic mountain people of the Red Dao and Black H'Mong. On several hikes along artfully laid out rice terraces, you will get to know the locals’ authentic way of life.

Destination

Asia

Hanoi - Sa Pa

The best time to travel to Sa Pa is from March to May and September to November. During these months, it’s mostly dry and not too cool. In the winter months, from December to February, it can get frigid. In the summer months, from June to August, it is usually very wet.

Your adventure to the remote mountainous region of Sa Pa begins with a train ride to Lao Cai. Your guide will pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi and take you to the train station in the evening. The train ride is also your accommodation for the night. After you get comfortable in your sleeping compartment, the steady rhythm of the train will lull you to sleep.

Train ride duration Hanoi - Sa Pa: approx. 8 hours

1 night on the train in an air-conditioned 4-person sleeping cabin

Good Morning Sa Pa! Your train will stop in Lao Cai around 06:00. Get off and enjoy the fresh mountain air. You will have your breakfast at a local restaurant. To wake up, we recommend a Ca Phe Sua - a strong Vietnamese coffee with sweet condensed milk. Strengthened and satiated, you will transfer by car to Sa Pa. On the way, you will stop at Sin Cheng market. Stroll past the stalls where local hill tribes offer their various goods.

2 nights with breakfast in Sa Pa, Vietnam

Your destinations today are the mountain villages of Ban Khoang and Ti Giang Phing.

During the 30-minute drive, you will enjoy the sweeping views of the Hoang Lien Son Mountains. Your path will take you along switchbacks past waterfalls through the dense rainforest.

Once you arrive in Ban Khoang, you will have plenty of time to look around the village. You will quickly notice that the inhabitants mainly wear red headdresses - you are a guest of the Red Dao! Get an insight into the daily life of the villagers. Familiarize yourself with wet rice cultivation on the sunny terraced fields and cultivate cardamom plants in the dense forest.

After about an hour, continue to Ta Phin Giang valley, ten kilometers away, where you will meet the Black Hmong people. You can already guess - mainly black clothes are worn here.

Enjoy your picnic lunch near a babbling brook. Freshly strengthened, continue along a trail that connects the two villages. On the way, you can observe the daily hustle and bustle of the local population. The excursion will end in the next town in the afternoon, where your driver will take you back to Sa Pa.

Your last day in the enchanting mountain region of Sa Pa is dawning! In the morning, you will leave Sa Pa for Sin Chai - a small isolated village at the foot of Fansipan Mountain, where the Black H'Mong people also live. Once in the town, you will embark on a scenic hike. Follow the trails and march through rice fields and corn hills along a fertile river. At the end of the trail, you will pass a suspension bridge that will take you to a small village. There you will have the opportunity to visit a Black H'Mong family.

Afterward, you will make your way back to Sin Chai, and then you will drive back to Sa Pa. The afternoon is at your leisure. Stroll around the local market, relax at the hotel, or - if you haven't yet had your fill of the beautiful scenery - take one last walk.

In the afternoon, return to Hanoi by car.

Travel time Sa Pa - Hanoi: approx. 5 hours / approx. 300 km

Overnight with breakfast in Hanoi, Vietnam

Welcome back to civilization! Depending on the itinerary, your guide will take you to your hotel or to the airport.

Victoria Sapa****, Sa Pa, Vietnam

Nestled in the natural surroundings, Victoria Sapa Resort & Spa offers guests spectacular views of the eponymous Sa Pa Lake. Stay in a traditional mountain chalet with a private balcony overlooking the surrounding forest. All rooms come equipped with heating, a seating area, flat-screen TV, and a minibar. A bathtub, shower, and complimentary toiletries await you in the bathroom. Vietnamese, Asian and European dishes are served at Ta Van Restaurant, open all day.

Hong Ngoc Dynastie Boutique Hotel & Spa****, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Hong Ngoc Dynastie Boutique Hotel & Spa is located in Hanoi's Old Quarter, minutes from Hoan Kiem Lake. Amenities include an on-site restaurant, a fitness, and wellness center, and air-conditioned, soundproofed rooms.

Duration of the trip: 4 days / 3 nights

Minimum number of participants: min. 1 / max. 4

Including

  • 4 nights in the above-mentioned hotel or similar
    • 1 night on an overnight train with breakfast in an air-conditioned 4-person compartment (2-person occupancy bookable at extra charge)
    • 2 nights at Victoria Sapa**** with breakfast and 1x lunch in a superior room in Sa Pa
    • 1 night at Hong Ngoc Dynastie Boutique Hotel & Spa**** with breakfast in a Superior Room in Hanoi
  • Local tour guide
  • All transfers and transportation as per program in private air-conditioned vehicles
  • Entrance fees for listed sightseeing
  • The starting price is valid in the travel period 01.10.21 - 31.10.21

Excluding

  • International flights
  • Meals and beverages not mentioned in the scope of services
  • Personal expenses, such as minibar and tips
  • Travel insurance

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