Scenic hike and ethnic village in Sapa: Cat Cat - Lao Chai San - Ta Van - Hang Da - Sa Xeng

Sapa
Duration: 3 days 2 nights
Theme: Markets, Rice Fields, Live Local, Trekking, Ethnics

Code of tour: VTRE03

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Scenic hike and ethnic village in Sapa: Cat Cat - Lao Chai San - Ta Van - Hang Da - Sa Xeng

Overview

Sapa has long been known as a popular highland destination for tourists, with magnificent mountain landscapes, terraced rice fields, where a multitude of ethnic minorities reside.

This excursion offers panoramic hiking through the villages of Cat Cat - Y Linh Ho - Ta Van - Giang Ta Chai - Hang Da - Sa Seng.

You will travel by night train from Hanoi to Lao Cai round trip for an incredible experience.

Scenic hike and ethnic village in Sapa: Cat Cat - Lao Chai San - Ta Van - Hang Da - Sa Xeng
  • The Northern Ethnic Minorities and homestay accommodation
  • Scenic hiking in Sapa
  • Discover breathtaking landscapes in an exceptional region with warm-hearted inhabitants.
  • Ethnic villages and terraced rice fields of the Muong Hoa Valley
  • Hanoi - Lao Cai round trip by night train, an original and atypical experience that will leave you with unforgettable memories

Itinerary Expand All

Departure in the evening to catch the night train from Hanoi Railway Station to Lao Cai.

The departure will be around 9:00 PM or 10:00 PM. You need to be at the station one hour before the train departure time. And please have dinner before boarding. Lao Cai Railway Station is the terminal, so you can sleep peacefully without worrying about going further than Lao Cai.

Overnight on board the train.

Trek through the villages of Cat Cat, Y Linh Ho - Lao Chai - Ta Van, encounters with Black Hmong and Dzay, Admiration of the most beautiful viewpoint over the Muong Hoa Valley.

Arrive at Lao Cai Railway Station early in the morning. Your guide will be waiting for you and will accompany you by private car to Sapa where you can freshen up and have breakfast at a local restaurant.

8:30 AM: Trek to Cat Cat village. You will pass by the waterfall and a hydroelectric plant before continuing along a trail towards Y Linh Ho village. Enjoy the beautiful view of the terraced rice fields surrounding Y Linh Ho village, the stronghold of the Black Hmong. Lunch at a local homestay.

Afternoon: Continue your trek through the rice valley of Muong Hoa where, depending on the season, you will witness the rice harvest or transplanting. You will meet friendly Hmong women and children living in houses nestled in the valley. Stop along the way to chat with locals, exchange about their culture and way of life.

You will follow the Buffalo Trail along mountain slopes that offer breathtaking landscapes. For those who prefer an easier hike, opt for a peaceful stroll along the Muong Hoa River.

Continue your trek to Ta Van village, where the Dzay and Hmong ethnic groups coexist. Enjoy the breathtaking view of the terraced rice fields and the Hoang Lien Son mountain range.

You will spend the night in a bungalow, with a beautiful view of the rice fields and the stream.

Optional: Your hosts will offer you a foot bath with medicinal plants to recover from your day's efforts, a pure moment of well-being or a Black Hmong Batik workshop to better understand the beeswax technique for decorating clothing with traditional Hmong indigo.

1h00, 40km
5 to 6h00, 16 km, difficulty level 2 out of 5
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Wake up at dawn to admire the sunrise over the terraced rice fields. Breakfast at the homestay.

Short transfer by vehicle to Hang Da, a Catholic Black Hmong village at an altitude of 1700m overlooking the Muong Hoa Valley. Visit this village, then follow a wide rocky trail through small woods, the narrow valley between two high mountains to the villages of Sa Seng and Sau Chua. Enjoy the most beautiful panoramic views of the mountains and terraced rice fields. At the bottom of the valley, you will see vegetable crops: cabbage, artichokes, lettuce.

After a 2-hour downhill walk, you will arrive at the meeting point with the driver at National Road 4D, transfer by car to Sapa.

2:00 PM: Take the collective Dcar Limousine bus back to Hanoi. You will arrive in Hanoi around 8:00 PM - 8:30 PM.

6h00
2h00
Breakfast, Lunch

Prices and Accommodation

  • To find a property that suits your whole group at the exact same price, we need to know the children's ages at check-out
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How to book?

  • Enter your travel date, the number of adults, and the language

  • Click "Book this tour" for price, then "Book now" to reserve.

  • "Pricing is for up to 6 adults. For larger groups, please request a customized offer in your 'special requests'

Included

  • Accommodation: Homestay
  • Transportation from Sapa to Hanoi by collective Dcar Limousine
  • Meals as mentioned in the program: B = breakfast, L = 1 lunch, D = dinner
  • English-speaking guide
  • Entrance fees and admission charges for sites to be visited
  • One liter of bottled water per person per day
  • Administrative fees
  • Night train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, in a cabin with 4 soft berths

Excluded

  • Travelers' personal insurance
  • Bank fees
  • Beverages, phone calls, personal expenses, and anything not clearly mentioned in the "What's Included" section,
  • Tips

Useful Information

  • The terraced rice fields in the high mountains of Sapa, cultivated in May and harvested before mid-September, are nevertheless less beautiful during the winter period, between November and April.
  • During the winter season (December to January), the weather is often cold and foggy early in the morning and late in the afternoon, and sometimes all day long on certain days.
  • For your safety: bring hiking shoes, a flashlight, and mosquito repellent. The train to Sapa is very traditional with a soft bed, but there are a lot of vibrations and sometimes it can be noisy and uncomfortable for some clients. Bring earplugs for a better sleep.
 

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