7:30 AM, you will meet your driver and guide for around 5 hours transferring to Sapa town. Check in at the homestay on arrival, and then you will do a short hike through the villages.

Lao Chai and Ta Van Village

The short journey will commence with a drive southward to Muong Hoa valley. You will then start your descending walk into the valley, which is the largest paddy terrace in the Sapa area. The guide can provide you with interesting information about rice and rice growing. If you visit the valley sometime between May and October, you will be able to experience how the locals do planting and harvesting, one of the most important activities in their daily life. The walk takes you from Lao Chai village of the Black H’mong minority to Ta Van village of Giay minority, including a visit to one of the local schools. After visiting Ta Van, the vehicle will take you to the homestay and free at your own leisure.

Note: This is the only place in Sapa where you can meet Giay minority. Be aware that the trail can be muddy and slippery during rainy times. You often be followed by the children trying to sell their souvenirs.

Approx: 16km driving/ 45 minutes; 4.5km walking/2 hours.

Overnight at a homestay in Sapa.

Early morning, at 7 AM, you will travel by car to Bac Ha, which is 70 kms Northeast of Lao Cai. The ride is relatively flat from Lao Cai to Bao Nhai, where you will be taken through a rural area. Bac Ha is the largest market in the area, situated inside the small town of Bac Ha. Arrival in Bac Ha, you will trek through the mountain path to Ban Pho Village - home of Flower H'Mong people; get in touch with authentic communities and learn about their traditions and local life.

Keep driving to Panhou village located in Ha Giang. Then a scenic drive along the main road of Hoang Su Phi district, overviewing the valleys of stunning rice terraces in golden colors with a special love for this untouched destination Hoang Su Phi to Panhou village in Ha Giang.

Check in at your room, have dinner with the host, and enjoy the rest of the day free at your own leisure.

Approx.: 7.5-8 hours for driving + 1 hour for lunch + 1 hour for sightseeing

Overnight at Panhou Village.

Pan Hou village is located right in the bottom valley of Thong Nguyen commune, Hoang Su Phi district. The region is famous for its high mountains, beautiful rice terraces, and homes of different ethnic. Your hike day starts at 9 am after your breakfast. At the beginning of the walk, you pass through a village of Yao with long tunics who have settled their house on pillars on the mountainside. You will go through the rice fields in terraces, and the bamboo forests. The group stops at a Red Dao House. The family is welcoming you with a cup of local tea. You can either rest while waiting for lunch or join your local guide to assist him in the preparation of the meal. The walk will continue in the afternoon to a Tay village in the valley. You will then follow the river to return to Panhou Village.

Approx.: 4.30-5 hours hiking

Overnight at Panhou Village.

Today’s trip is mostly driving from Panhou to Dong Van along the mountain road through different villages and beautiful landscapes. Pho Cao and Sung La village of White H’mong are recommended for your visit along the ride. Before reaching Dong Van Karst Plateau, you will visit the Vuong Family Palace where the former H’mong King and his family used to live in the past when he was the landlord of the Dong Van region. The palace is located in the small valley of Sa Phin and was carefully selected according to feng shui.

Dong Van Karst Plateau was recorded in 2010 by UNESCO as the World’s Geopark. It is located in a large area of 2.350 square kilometers with an average elevation of 1400 -1600m above sea level. The entire area is covered with thousands of rocky mountains, standing as pyramids. The mountains are mainly limestone formed by environmental conditions in different development stages of nature.

Leaving Dong Van town, you will cross Ma Pi Leng Pass, located in the Dong Van Geoparks which are recognized as the global geoparks. The road along the mountainside has romantic, spectacular scenery that is an ideal destination. Ma Pi Leng pass is considered a unique regional heritage of landscape and geomorphology; the pass peak area is considered one of the most beautiful viewpoints to enjoy the panoramic in Vietnam, the “King” of Vietnam’s pass or Great Wall of Vietnam or the Pyramid of the Meo. At the top of Ma Pi Leng mount is the “happiness” road, there has a stone stele recording the marks in the construction process. Next to the road is an abyss; below is the Nho Que River, one of the most unique tectonic valleys in Vietnam.

Check-in at the guesthouse on arrival in Meo Vac and free at your own leisure.

Approx.: 8-8.5 hours driving + 1 hour for lunch + 1.5 hour for sightseeing

Overnight in Meo Vac

This morning, at 7 AM, you will drive southward from Meo Vac to Cao Bang along the beautiful plateau with the great rock formation. Along the way, you will visit the retreat Lo Lo village of Khuoi Khon, located on the mountainside beyond the valley’s view. The Lo Lo is one of the smallest ethnic groups in North Vietnam. They still keep the traditional culture, simple life, and limited communication with outside, and most elderly villagers could not speak the common Vietnamese language.

Hiking to Phia Thap Village

Upon arrival at the foot of Ma Phuc Mountain, you will do the short hiking to Phia Thap Village, home to 50 families from the Nung ethnic minority in Cao Bang Province, which is surrounded by green rice paddy fields and mountains. The village offers you a fresh living environment with Nung ethnic culture including food, living lifestyle, and experiencing a traditional handicraft which is incense making.

Have dinner and overnight at the local house of Nung people in Phia Thap Village. From the house, you have a beautiful view of rice paddies and corn fields. The ground floor serves as a living room as well as a spacious, airy dining room. The house is made of 100% wood with yin and yang roof tiles making it a very beautiful and spectacular house.

Approx.: 7 hours driving + 1 hour for lunch + 1.5-2 hours hiking

Overnight at the local house of Nung people in Phia Thap Village, dorm without en-suite.

After breakfast, you will visit Ban Gioc waterfall, the breathtakingly majestic falls that demarcate the border between Vietnam and China. It is time to enjoy the view and soak up the sublime atmosphere of Vietnam’s most beautiful waterfall before making your way to the Nguom Ngao Cave known for its wonderful limestone formations.

Khuoi Ky village is your next destination. The village is located close to the cave in a small valley, inhabited by Nung ethnic. Here will meet friendly villagers, visit their ancient houses with Yin and Yang clay roofs, and experience their culture as mainly growing rice and rich traditional custom.

After lunch, you will check in at your homestay located in Quay Son village. In the afternoon, you can cycle around Quay Son village or do kayaking on Quay Son River.

Approx.: 1.5 hour driving + 3 hours for visiting + 1 hour for lunch + 1 hour for biking & kayaking

Overnight at a local house of Tay People in Quay Son Village, dorm without ensuite.

This morning, you will leave the village with a memorial experience for Ba Be Lake, an amazing green lake in the middle of a natural green forest. We then travel to the Tay village of Pac Ngoi, with its beautiful stilt houses and friendly population of Tay people, who make their living by fishing in the stunning Ba Be lakes and farming.

From Buoc Lom boat station, the boat will take you through the entire length of the 3 connected lakes (Ba Be - "3 bays") and up the Nang River, to an astonishing site: Dong Puong, an enormous tunnel (300m long by 30m high) that the river has cut through a lime mountain. Continue to Dau Dang Waterfalls, a series of spectacular cascades between sheer rock walls. You may continue the trail to arrive at a large river bend full of colorful local life, with a small "harbor". Here the locals unload goods to bypass the falls by motorbike and then reload them on boats to go through the lake.

Optional: Paddle on your SUP board along the great Nang River, and admire the natural beauty of rock formations, caves, and wander through the emerald water of the biggest natural lake in Vietnam.

Disembark at Pac Ngoi Village where you will stay in the homestay of a local family here that has been resident in Ba Be for many years, enjoying their wonderful hospitality, and have some time in the evening to explore the beautiful surroundings.

Approx.: 5 hours driving + 1 hour for lunch + 4 hours for boat and sightseeing

Overnight at homestay, private room without ensuite.

After breakfast, we will stroll along the riverfront, visit some lovely Pac Ngoi villages where most Tay people keep traditional houses, and hike the upper reaches of the lake, in an area marked by massive limestone cliffs and mountains. Later our car driver will take you to Amazing Hua Ma cave and “Pass” then stop so you can take amazing photos of the terraced fields. After lunch in a local restaurant at your cost, we continue our journey back to Hanoi, arriving there at around 5.30 PM.

Approx.: 5 hours driving + 1 hour for sightseeing + 1 hour for lunch

Overnight in Hanoi.

Today you will have free time until your driver picks you up 3.5 hours before your departure time and transfer you to the airport for your flight back home. Hotel check-out time is at 12:00.

**NOTE: The standard check-out time is 12:00 (A late check-out is on request and subject to availability, the extra cost will be applied to guarantee this service).