High light: Hanoi - Vu Linh - Luc Yen - Bac Ha - - Sapa - Xin Chai Village - Tam Duong - Lai Chau - Son La - Mai Chau

(TRAVPR.COM) VIETNAM - December 26th, 2011 -
Price: Contact Us
Duration: 11 days / 10 nights
Tour route: Hanoi, Bac Ha, Son La, Sapa, Lai Chau, Hoa Binh
Transportation type: MotorcycleTour code: IET - VN 6.2

Day 1: Hanoi - Vu Linh. ~180 km, ~7 h. Easy drive to on the sealed road to Thac Ba Lake and follow the little road to Vu Linh. Vu Linh is a Dzao village by the side of the lake, very friendly people and the welcome is exceptional.

Day 2: Vu Linh - Luc Yen. ~70 km, ~ 2 h. Walk around in Vu Linh to discover the area in the morning. Lunch in Mr. Boi's family. Ride to Luc Yen in about 2 hours around the lake on a small road lined by palm trees and scenic mountain views.

Day 3: Luc Yen - Bac Ha. ~130 km, ~5 h. The 20-km drive from Luc Yen to Road 70 is quite bumpy and takes about one hour. Then sealed road again all the way to Pac Ngam, where we turn right and drive up the mountain 26 km to Bac Ha. Walk around Bac Ha for the rest of the day.

Day 4: Bac Ha - Sapa - Xin Chai Village. ~80 km, ~4 h. Beautiful ride at slow pace up to Sapa. Lunch. A cook and a porter are ready to join us for the 3-day trek to different villages. We go to Thanh Phu village by jeep (30 km, ~2 hours). From Thanh Phu, we walk for 4 hours, with a 2-hour stop for lunch in between, to Xin Chai village where we meet Dzao people.

Day 5: Sapa. Trekking. ~20 km Change valley from Xin Chai to Nam Khen village (Xa Pho people) in 7 hours walking with picnic lunch. We provide mattress (small), sheets, blankets and mosquito nets to sleep in a family house in Nam Khen.

Day 6: Sapa. Trekking. ~10 km From Nam Khen, we walk to Ban Ho in 4 hours. Lunch in Ban Ho. Swimming on the clear river if the weather is nice. Then return to Sapa by jeep and check in Cat Cat Hotel.

Day 7: Sapa - Tam Duong. ~100 km, ~5 h. Walk back to Sapa in the morning to pick up the bike and drive to Tam Duong. The distance is short but the road is narrow and lots of blind corner. However, the landscape is very beautiful with the view of Fansipan Mount.

Day 8: Tam Duong - Lai Chau. ~150 km, ~6 h. We meet Tay, Thai, H'mong, and Mang peoples. We drive through Tam Duong plain which is covered in shark's teeth-like limestone karst. We would visit a village of Mang people near Sin Ho.

Day 9: Lai Chau - Son La. ~200 km, ~7 h. 15 passes. Very nice road and stunning landscape. Probably the most beautiful journey of the whole trip even the road is in poor condition.

Day 10: Son La - Mai Chau. ~180 km, ~7 h. We follow a long valley floor covered in a sea of rice surrounded by Black Thai villages with its bargain-filled market, descending into a mountainous tea-growing region and head down into a forested region populated by H'mong people before descending into the hidden valley of Mai Chau where we spend the night with friends in a traditional Thai stilt house.

Day 11: Mai Chau - Hanoi. ~165 km, ~5 h. Trek around Mai Chau in the morning. Lunch in Mai Chau before driving back to Hanoi on karst road via Hoa Binh to Hanoi. Arrive in Hanoi around 5 pm.

TOUR PRICE: This is a sample itinerary so the cost really depends on your hotel choice, number of people in your group and time of travel. Please contact us to customize this itinerary and price to meet your needs and budget.

INCLUDING

- Motorcycle(s), all fuel; - Tour guide/Translator; - Standard hotel and/or homestay (sleeping bags, mosquito nets, sheets, pillows...are provided); - Third party motorbike insurance; - All food; - All entrance fees, permits, tickets, boat trips, ferries, bamboo rafts, etc; - Vietnamese tea and rice wine.

NOT INCLUDING

- Personal expenses, personal medical insurance; - Drinks other than tea and local rice wine; - Motorbiking protective pants, jacket, gloves, helmet, rain gear and other safety equipment at favourable rental rate; - Train or flight tickets; - Breakfast on the departure day and dinner on the return day; - Accommodation in Hanoi; - Tips

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