David Leenson

David Leenson

David Leenson

2 day

Overview Local - Real Sapa Experience 2D1N by Morning Bus

After a really comfortable drive with the morning coach bus from Hanoi we arrived in the early afternoon in Sapa. Such a colorful town thanks to the H’mong and Dzao people from the local hill tribes who head into the town’s market every day to trade their produce. The region is also known as “the Tonkinese Alps”, Sapa is just a lovely hill station town in Northern Vietnam near the Chinese border.

Enjoy a very warm welcome from our local (Hmong or Red Dzao) tour guide who will guide you through this stunning piece of Vietnam. From the lush terraced rice paddies to the rustic charm of the native dwellings, Sapa is a place you’re sure to fall in love with! Many diverse groups like the Dzay, Dzao, Tay, Xa Pho or Hmong populate this richly cultural northern territory.

You’ll sample their unique delights as you pass through each village, trek 2 days and overnight with the local Hmong minority family in a homestay, enjoy cooking with locals & lovely herbal medicine bath.

We hope you are ready for our non-touristic trekking.

Itinerary

Itinerary day by day

• Day 01: Hanoi - Sapa by Morning bus. Sapa - Ma Tra - Ta Phin Village (L,D).
• Day 02: Ta Phin - Trung Trai - Sapa (B, L).
  

The information below is intended to assist you to have a clear view in expectations as you consider your travel options for Vietnam with us. In addition to the detailed itinerary each tour has been supported with some useful information to provide you with an overview of your accommodation & meals, all things money, passports, visas, vaccinations, insurance, clothing, personal equipment and much more to help you with your travel preparations.

Day 01: Hanoi - Sapa - Ma Tra – Ta Phin Village (L, D)

• Route 1st Day trekking: Sapa - Ma Tra – Ta Phin Village, unique route non touristic mountain area & on the rice paddy fields and buffalo tracks, 12 KM+/-.
• 6:30 - 7:00 Pick up from your hotels in and around Hanoi Old Quarter. Otherwise we will pick you up from our Meeting Point: Friends Travel Vietnam No. 15 Ly Nam De, Hang Ma, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi. When booking is made, we will confirm the pick up location with you. We will give the instruction via whatsapp (+84 90 432 92 89 ) connection or meet up at our office at No 15 Ly Nam De, Hang Ma, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi.
• Take a break on the way to Sapa, and arrive at Sapa at around 13:00.
• The bus is air-conditioned and doesn't have toilets on board. Your luggage can be stored under the bus. Food and drinks are not available for purchase on the bus. The bus might stop 2 times on the way.
• On arrival in Sapa, after lunch the local guide picked us up for trekking, then we began through the breathtaking landscape to the village of Suoi Ho, home to Hmong minority. From here you can enjoy views over endless rice terraces, and you will have the opportunity to see some of the animals used by the locals.
• Arriving at Ma Tra Village you will come across the impressive ruins of a church dating back to the French occupation in the early 1900s. Take a minute to explore this intriguing sight and take some photos.
• Continue trekking to the village of Ta Phin you will be able to meet both Black Hmong and Red Dao minorities. The Red Dao are known for their expertise in herbal medicine as well as usage of plants from the land to treat many illnesses. Your guide will be able to introduce you to some Red Dao women who can tell you more about their many remedies.
• We will end up at our local homestay with our guide family. Dinner with family and a Red Dao herbal medicine bath will be arranged for you to experience.

Day 02: Ta Phin - Trung Trai - Sapa (B, L)

• Route 2nd Day trekking: Ta Phin - Trung Trai - Sapa, unique route non touristic on the rice paddy fields and buffalo tracks, 17 KM+/-.
• After breakfast, you will begin your trek to Trung Chai Village, with a choice of routes depending on the weather and your preferences. Trung Chai is home to Red Dzao and Hmong minorities, and they have chosen a location with an exceptional landscape! You will be provided with a picnic lunch on route to the village and upon arrival to Trung Chai, you will be transferred back to our meeting point at Sapa town.
• The afternoon bus will pick you up at around 14:30 and will arrive in Hanoi at around +/- 21:00. Here your tour ends.
• The bus will drop you off at your hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter or please discuss with us the location you wish.

Please note

• Itinerary Disclaimer
• This information has been compiled with care and good faith. They give an accurate illustration of the proposed arrangements for this holiday. Occasionally our itineraries are updated during the year to incorporate improvements stemming from past travelers' comments and our own research.
• The information given in your itinerary may be slightly different on the day of your departure. It's very important that you print and review a final copy of your Itinerary & Trip Notes a couple of days prior to travel, in case there have been changes that affect your plans, we always handover before your departure our latest updated itinerary. If you have any queries, please contact us directly and we are here to help you!
• While we operate different options for all our “Real Sapa Experience” trips in this region throughout the year, some changes may occur in our itineraries. Circumstances beyond our control such as changes in local conditions, inclement weather to timetables and transport routes or other reasons could force us to make changes to this itinerary. Any costs shown are subject to change, though are an accurate reflection of costs at time of writing.
• This can happen with little notice so please be prepared for modifications to the route. The order and timing of included activities in each location may also vary from time to time.
• Is this trip right for you?
• Our basic trips include one night or more in simple homestay accommodation with local families, and there are a few ways to better understand a country and its people. You might sleep on mattresses on the floor in a mixed-gender dormitory style. If this is not your cup of tea we will advise you to book the hotel option. All our private experiences will have a private room with a shared bathroom.
• This trip includes a moderate level of hiking in the hills and mountains during this trip, ranging from 6 to 8+ hours. Although this hiking is possible for most travelers, a good level of fitness will help increase your enjoyment of this experience.
• Weather conditions might affect the level of hiking into challenging to difficult level tracking. We strictly advise to be prepared for the weather conditions with the right gear, our tracks can be on muddy roads where it might be slippery where in some situations the track can be classified as dangerous.
• In very bad weather conditions such as thunderstorms, storms or typhoons we have the right to cancel a part or the whole tour, with heavy rain or rainfall we might delay the trip and adjust the road depending on the weather forecast.
• Pregnant women will be advised not to join this trip, people with heart diseases or heart problems or weak fit level are not advised to join this trip.
• Please note many of our Adventures tours operate with a minimum of 1 person, so there may be instances where you are the only person on the trip.
• The average group size for our trekking is limited to 6-8 persons who join in our group tour, this all to create a unique experience. For private group tour bookings it will be only you and your own group.
• This experience is a ‘join in’ group departure, which means for some portions of this trip, such as at the homestay, you may join-in with other travelers who have booked on a different style of trip, or through other companies we work with. If you booked a complete private tour with a private homestay this will not be applicable.
• Important Notes
• We found expectations of our travelers very important, therefore we daily monitor all our travel services to guarantee the expectations in quality & service. If we are not sure about our set standards we will have the right to amend your booked travel services to similar service on last-minute notification without any extra cost for the traveler. There will be no refund for amending the booking in the same price category.
• Programs & itinerary schedules might be subject to change without prior notice, alternative refunds are not applicable.
• No shown or belated arrivals are subject under our terms & conditions policy.
• The cancellation decision made by local authorities or by us when safety is an issue on the day of the trip in case of bad weather conditions as strong wind or storm might occur on last minute notification. In such a case, we will make alternative travel arrangements for you on request or offer a refund in accordance with our policy.
• Trip Notes
• We recommend that you take a moment to read through this information before traveling, and would appreciate any feedback on how well it's being implemented in the field.

Tips

• Next departing destination directly possible:
• Halong Bay - Bai Tu Long - Lan Ha Bay
• Ninh Binh
• Cat Ba Island
• Mai Chau - Pu Luong
• Ha Giang
• If you are planning your next destination please let us know as we can assist you to start directly from our office to it.