8-Day Hiking Sapa to Lao Cai

On this 8-Day Hiking Sapa to Lao Cai you have an opportunity to explore one of the most beautiful parts in Sapa area, which is under protection of Hoang Lien National Park. The trip also takes you to one of the most remote area where you can meet very friendly locals. The night you spend in bamboo hut built by Topas in the hilly ground of a Red Dao family will be a good experience. The trip also offers you opportunity to enjoy wonderful scenery, which is still well protected.

Itinerary

DAY 1: SAPA - TRAM TON - SIN CHAI VILLAGE

You travel by car toward the Silver Waterfall where you will be able to take a short walk to the waterfall. You will then drive further to Heaven Gate, the highest peak of roads in Vietnam. From there you can see Fansipan, the highest peak of Indochina mountains as well as enjoy stunning views. We start descending nearby the waterfall. The trail takes you all the way downhill through bamboo forest, which belongs to Hoang Lien National Park. Your lunch will be served at a nice spot nearby a river. After lunch, you continue the trek to Sin Chai village of Black H’mong minority, where Community Based Tourism in Sapa takes place. You will have opportunity to explore daily life of one of the largest group ethnic minorities in Sapa area. Here you spend the night in local house.

DAY 2: SIN CHAI VILLAGE - CAT CAT VILLAGE - Y LINH HO VILLAGE

After having breakfast, you start heading up the mountain. Once you get to the top, you will trek on a small trail with spectacular view and then gradually descend to Cat Cat village, where you will have lunch nearby a waterfall. In the after noon, you take a trail sneaking through mountain. You also will enjoy spectacular scenery while walking along a narrow river You eventually arrive in Y Linh Ho village of Black Hmong minority, where you can take a rest in a nice spot nearby the beautiful river before climbing toward a road, where you return Sapa by car.

DAY 3: Y LINH HO VILLAGE - LAO CHAI VILLAGE - TA VAN VILLAGE

Today’s trek will continue along Hoang Lien mountain range, which offers you many opportunities to enjoy view over huge rice paddy terraces in Muong Hoa valley, the largest one in the area. After lunch at a nice spot, you descend into the bottom of the valley. You will pass through Lao Chai village of Black Hmong minority and then Tavan village of Giay minority by following a very popular trekking route.  You spend the night in a traditional house of Giay minority. You will be able to take a walk to enjoy the valley view as well as swim in the river nearby.

DAY 4: TA VAN VILLAGE - SEO MI TY VILLAGE

After having breakfast, you start today’s trek, which is mostly uphill until lunchtime. Whenever you stop for a rest, you will be able to enjoy valley view. Before noon, you stop again at a nice spot for lunch. The trek will be softer in the afternoon. But the scenery becomes even more beautiful. You pass by Seomity village of Black Hmong minority before you arrive in a campsite, which locates nearby a river outside the village. While porters put up tents and cook dinner, you can take a walk to stretch the legs.

DAY 5: SEO MI TY VILLAGE - DEN THANG VILLAGE - TA TRUNG HO VILLAGE

The trek today takes you through beautiful rice paddies and over old suspension bridges. You will trek on small trail sneaking through rainforest. You arrive in Den Thang village of Black Hmong by noon. Here you stop for lunch either nearby a river or in a local school according to the weather. After lunch, the trek will becomes tough on tinny footpath going up and down, which requires a lot of concentration. You will reach to Ta Trung Ho village of Red Dao minority where you spend the night in local house. Both the valley and the village have just received foreign visitors. The night will be even more interesting when you are in the wonderful hospitable atmosphere of the Red Dao.

DAY 6: TA TRUNG HO VILLAGE - NAM TOONG VILLAGE - MY SON VILLAGE - THANH PHU VILLAGE

You are now at the fringe of the rain forest by the Hoang Lien Son mountain range. Fansipan, the highest peak in Indochina with its 3143 m, is located in this mountain range. You will start the trek today by ascending to Nam Toong village of Red Dao minority. Here your lunch will be prepared in a local school. After lunchtime, you descend to the valley where locates My Son village of Xa Pho minority, one of the smallest groups ethnic in Northern Vietnam. From there you take a short walk to Thanh Phu village of Tay minority. Here you spend the night in traditional house of the Tay. You can take a walk to explore local daily life while your dinner will be served with Vietnamese dishes.

DAY 7: THANH PHU VILLAGE - NAM CUM VILLAGE - SIN CHAI VILLAGE

Today’s trek will be relatively short and soft. Once leaving Thanh Phu, you follow the trekking route built in the bottom of the valley, which offers the best view to the surrounding mountains. You stop at a nice spot for lunch. After lunchtime, you continue the walk toward Sin Chai village of Red Dao minority where the night will be spent in bamboo huts. The wonderful hospitable atmosphere of the Red Dao will attract you.

DAY 8: SIN CHAI VILLAGE - NAM KET VILLAGE - BEN DEN - LAO CAI

After a good sleep in bamboo hut, you wake up for an early breakfast and repack your luggage for the long trek heading toward Lao Cai. Once you leave Sin Chai, the trip takes you into a fabulously mountainous area, the most remote part of Sapa. En route you meet children’ curious eyes as you are very first tourists passing by. Red Dao ethnic minority inhabits the entire area. You will enjoy the fresh of bamboo forest and jungle until you make a stop at Nam Ket for lunch. After lunch, your trek will be mostly downhill. After about half an hour, you will have a opportunity to enjoy one of the most beautiful view of days over a green valley lying along the Red River. You eventually arrive in Ta Thang village of Tay minority. Here you will be transferred by car to Lao Cai.