Destinations: Hanoi – Sapa – Ha Giang – Dong Van – Meo Vac – Cao Bang – Ban Gioc – Ba Be.
Duration: 8 Days

Day 1: Hanoi – Sapa (L, D, G)

Our guide and driver will pick you up around 7:30 AM for your 5-hour drive to Sapa. Simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery as it transforms from a bustling metropolis to rolling hills and endless rice paddies.

Around midday, you’ll arrive in Sapa and enjoy a local lunch. For your first excursion, you’ll experience the longest cable car system in Asia, departing from Sapa Town to the summit of Fansipan, known as the ‘Roof of Indochina.’ The highest point of the mountain reaches 3,143 meters above sea level.

The cable car ride takes about 30 minutes and offers stunning views of terraced rice fields as far as the eye can see. Once you arrive, you can visit the temples and complete the climb either by foot (600 stairs) or by funicular. Afterward, you’ll return to Sapa Town by car for an overnight stay in a hotel.

It is recommended to bring a jacket as the temperature drops and the wind blows at this altitude.

Day 2: Sapa trekking (B, L, D, G)

Today, you’ll explore the best off-the-beaten-path areas of Vietnam as you trek through the rice paddy fields of Ý Linh Hồ, flower valleys, and Black Hmong villages, all set in the mountains with stunning panoramic views. You’ll visit a local home to meet the villagers and learn about their daily life. After lunch at a local restaurant, continue your trek through the rice terraces to Lao Chai and Ta Van Village, home to the Zay people, to discover their culture. This region boasts the largest and most impressive rice terraces in all of Sapa. You’ll have dinner and spend the night in a homestay in Ta Van Village.

Around 15-17 km trek.

Day 3: Sapa – Ha Giang (B, L, D, G)

Today, we’ll leave Sapa in favor of Vietnam’s final frontier, Ha Giang. On the way, we’ll make a stop at Pho Rang for lunch before taking a walking tour of Vinh Yen, which is inhabited by Tay communities.

We will continue our drive deeper into Ha Giang, enjoying the spectacular scenery along the way, before finally reaching the Tay village for another walk. We’ll arrive around 18:00, just in time for a home-cooked dinner. You’ll spend the night in a traditional Tay stilt house..

Around 6-8 km walk.

Day 4: Ha Giang – Dong Van (B, L, D, G)

Once we have obtained the mandatory permit at the Immigration Office, you will begin the journey to Dong Van, following a spectacular series of passes that wind through mountains and valleys. En route, you’ll enjoy exceptional views of the rolling landscape and interesting flora and fauna.

We’ll have lunch in the small mountain town of Tam Son and visit the villages of the H’mong, including Lung Cam B. You will also have the chance to see the former palace of the H’mong King, Vuong Chinh Duc, who was an ally of the French.

You will arrive in Dong Van around 18:00, where you will have dinner at a local restaurant and spend the night in a hotel.

Day 5: Dong Van – Meo Vac – Cao Bang (B, L, D, G)

You’ll start the day off with breakfast and a visit to the Dong Van Market, where locals come from all the surrounding villages to purchase and trade for essentials they cannot produce themselves.

Then you’ll be making the trek up to Pu Lo fortress which was built in 1890 and evacuated in 1945. From here you can enjoy spectacular views of the entire region, before climbing 8 km to the top of Ma Pi Leng Pass, through a gigantic maze of limestone peaks, stone forests, and canyons (the Sky Path at the Nho Qué River Viewpoint) before descending into the valley of Meo Vac. Winding our way through the valley, we’ll eventually reach Bao Lac village, where you’ll rest for a bit and have lunch before being driven to Cao Bang where you’ll spend the night in a hotel.

Around 8-10 km trek.

Day 6: Cao Bang – Ban Gioc Waterfall (B, L, D, G)

This day is likely to be the highlight of your off-the-beaten-track tour of northern Vietnam as we take you to one of the most incredible natural wonders in the region: Ban Gioc Waterfall. The drive from Cao Bang takes roughly two hours, and this breathtaking 300-meter-wide cascade sits right on the border between China and Vietnam, amidst a beautiful mountainous landscape.

While you’re here, you can relax and take in the natural beauty, capture amazing photos, and board a bamboo boat that will take you so close to the falls you’ll feel the spray on your face. You’ll be practically sitting at the very edge of Vietnam, so close to China that you can actually touch it.

After enjoying the waterfall, you’ll venture deep underground into the magical Nguom Ngao Cave to discover the rock formations that have been sculpted by erosion over millennia.

After visiting the waterfall and cave, you’ll travel along a beautiful, lesser-known road that winds through the mountains before reaching the Nung village of Quang Uyen.

You’ll be welcomed by Mr. Hung Dao, a remarkably friendly blacksmith, before having dinner at his house and settling in for the night in a cozy traditional Nung house.

Day 7: Cao Bang – Ba Be Lake (B, L, D, G)

Today, you’ll leave Quang Uyen behind and drive through Ma Phuc Pass on our way to Ba Be National Park. Once in the park, you’ll have time to explore its many wonders, such as the lake itself, the caves of Puong Grotto, the rapids of Dau Dang Waterfall, and the small Widow Island located on the lake.

You’ll be staying overnight in a traditional Tay stilt house with a local host family.

Day 8: Ba Be Lake – Hanoi (B, L, G)

After breakfast, you’ll take a stroll along the riverfront to visit some surrounding villages, followed by a hike up one of the higher points around the lake. This hike will offer impressive views surrounded by limestone formations and mountain peaks.

Next, you’ll explore Hua Ma Cave, famous for its thousands of stalactites and stalagmites, and known for being the largest dry cave in Northeastern Vietnam. After lunch at a local restaurant, it will be time to head back to Hanoi and say our goodbyes, arriving at your hotel around 17:00.

What’s included

Breakfast and accommodation sharing double/twin room.
Pick-ups and transfers by private air-conditioned vehicle as specified in the itinerary above .
Travel in an appropriate private air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced safe driver.
Boat cruise as programme.
The services of experienced English-speaking guides as indicated in the itinerary.
Where necessary, entry fees for all visits as mentioned in the programme.
Lunches and dinners (as specified in the itinerary) in the local restaurants, or picnics where no suitable restaurant is available.