SAPA ADVENTURE AND TREKKING (5 days and 4 Nights)

SAPA ADVENTURE AND TREKKING
(5 days and 4 Nights)

Day 1: HANOI - O/N TRAIN TO LAO CAI (-/-/-)
20h00: Pick up at your hotel in Hanoi, transfer to Hanoi Railways for overnight train to Lao Cai.
O/N on board.
Day 2: LAOCAI RAILWAYS STATION - SAPA - YLINH HO - LAO CHAI - TAVAN (B/L/D)
06h00: Arrive at Lao Cai Railways Station, transfer to Sapa. Breakfast and have a short walk inside the town.
At 10 am: we leave the hotel and start trekking. The first part is on the road but we soon turn to the right and walk on a small path down the valley to the Muong Hoa River and from here to the Black H’mong village Lao Chai San, Lao Chai. Black H’mong is one of the biggest minority groups in the Sapa area. They are proud of their culture and keep their traditions and way of living. They have their own language and wear traditional indigio blue clothing. After this you continue to Ta Van village (1.200 m) to visit Zay people. Zay is a fairly small minority group of about 38.000 people who live mainly in the mountains in Northwest Vietnam. The development has meant that some of their old customs have been lost but many women still wear traditional shirts with a purple, blue or green colour. The Zay houses are build in wood and bamboo with clay floor. We stay overnight with a local family in Ta Van and have our dinner here.
* Trekking distance: 15 km
Day 3: TAVAN - GIANG TA CHAI - BAN HO (B/L/D)
After the breakfast we continue to visit Red Dao people at Giang Ta Chai where we also see a waterfall. The Red Dao women have very colourful red embroideries and coins on their clothing. On their head they wear a red scarf. Some of the women have shaved off their eyebrows because of a nice Red Zao’ Legend.
We continue along small paths in the rice fields, cross the Muong Hoa River and arrive to the Tay village Ban Ho (900 m). Tay is the most populous of the hill tribes. Because of the development and adaptation to the Vietnamese society some of them have started wearing Vietnamese clothing. But most women still wear the traditional checkered headscarf. We stay overnight in a wooden Tay stilt house. If we reach Ban Ho in the early afternoon you will have time to swim in a nearby river. In the evening we have dinner with the Tay family.
* Trekking distance: 25 km.
Day 4: BAN HO - NAM TOONG - NAM KEN - MUONG BO (B/L/D)
After breakfast you trek up to to the Red Dzao Village at Nam Ken & the Xa Pho the village of Xa Pho tribe the smalest group in Sapa who have very little contact with modern Vietnam. Overnight in Muong Bo Village of Tay people.
* Trekking distance: 20 km
Day 5: MUONG BO - BAN DEN - SAPA - LAO CAI - O/N TRAIN BACK TO HANOI (B/L/-)
After breakfast you trek up to Ban Den place (10 km). From here you will be picked up and transferred back to Sapa. In the afternoon you will have time to experience the colourful Sapa market where women from different ethnic minority groups come into town to sell their products.
17h00: Transfer back to Lao Cai Railways Station for overnight train back to Hanoi.
O/N on board.
Day 6: HANOI RAILWAYS STATION (-/-/-)
Arrive at Hanoi Railways Station, transfer back to your hotel.

Cost in US$ per person in the party (valid until 30 Sep'09)	SAPA ADVENTURE & TREKKING
	Standard	First	Superior
2 pax	250	NA	NA
3 - 6 pax	232	NA	NA
7 -10 pax	190	NA	NA
11 - 14 pax	180	NA	NA
Single supplement	NA	NA	NA

INCLUDING:
• Accommodation at village huts
• Transportation in private Russian jeeps in Sapa
• Train tickets Hanoi - Lao Cai - Hanoi (sharing 4-berth A/C cabin)
• English or French speaking guide
• Meals as mentioned: B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner
• Entrance fee and permit to indicated sights

EXCLUDING: Other meals, tip, drinks, airport tax, single room, personal expenses, insurance...