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Itinerary:
Day 1: Hanoi Arrival
Day 2: Hanoi – Mai Chau
Day 3: Mai Chau – Hikking
Day 4: Mai Chau – Nghia Lo
Day 5: Nghia Lo – Tu Le
Day 6: Tu Le – Mu Cang Chai
Day 7: Mu Cang Chai – Sapa
Day 8: Sapa – Bac Ha – Quang Binh
Day 9: Quang Binh – Ha Giang
Day 10: Ha Giang – Dong Van
Day 11: Hikking in Dong Van
Day 12: Hikking in Dong Van
Day 13: Market Dong Van – Bao Lac (Sunday)
Day 14: Bao Lac – Babe Lake
Day 15: Babe – Hanoi
Day 16: Hanoi – City Tour
Day 17: Hanoi Departure
Itinerary details:
Day 1: HANOI ARRIVAL
Transfer to the hotel. Briefing with your guide and free time. Night in hotel.
Day 2: HANOI – MAI CHAU
A mountain road leading to the bowl of Mai Chau which has long dominated the white Thai. Hoa Binh marks the entrance to the Northwest region. At the edge of the road, Thais, Muong, Dzao, Hmong ... Women retain (but for how long?) Their flattering attire. Rice terraces and traditional stilt houses: typical scenes of Vietnam. The afternoon bike tour, the best way to discover these beautiful landscapes. Visit a brick kiln. Accommodation in a house on stilts in the village of Ban Lac. Dance and local music. Straws Wine tasting (called "Can") Fermented rice! Overnight homestay. 140 km. 4 hours drive. 2 hours of cycling.
Day 3: MAI CHAU – HIKKING
Short transfer by bus to reach the village of Pa Co. Hike to the day. Populated hills of White Hmong and Thais. Easily mounted on a track, the village of Hang Kia (Green Hmong). Limestone peaks, At their feet, small traditional wooden houses, built in the forests of bamboo and plum trees. Return by bus to the village of Van. Overnight homestay.
6 hours of walking. M: 400 m. D: 800 m.
Day 4: MAI CHAU – NGHIA LO
We leave the beautiful valley of Mai Chau after breakfast prepared by the family. A short drive, arriving in Moc Chau, famous region for its tea plantations. The temperate climate allows dairy farming (one in Vietnam!). At the edge of the county, are scattered villages Mong, Muong and Thai. A large reservoir lake is crossed by ferry. The road follows the lake. Picturesque landscapes: rice cultivation in terraces, farmed aquatic products in bamboo rafts ... And always charming traditional wooden houses ... Stroll in Phu Yen valley.
Lunch at a local restaurant. Then the road continues in full thai region. Flooded rice fields, vegetable gardens, peaceful villages at the foot of the mountains, photographers give heart to joy. Arrival at Nghia Lo end of the day. Overnight homestay.
230 km. 6 hr drive. 2 hours easy hike.
NB: lack of water, between mid-April and late June, the tray is not working. To get from Mai Chau in Nghia Lo, additional diverting two hours.
Day 5: NGHIA LO – TU LE
The road winds in the chain of Hoang Lien Son, in the heart of the highest mountains of Indochina. The village of Tu Le, marks the beginning of our hike. Mu Cang Chai A, you discover the most beautiful rice paddies of Vietnam, or even Southeast Asia. The path winds through rice fields and villages (Thai and mongs). Women, fine lines and slender, still in traditional costumes, are surprised at our passage. Few Western visitors v1enture to these remote hamlets. Back in the late afternoon at Tu Le. Overnight homestay.
50 km. 1 hour drive. 5 hours of walking. M: 400 m. D: 300 m.
Day 6: TU LE – MU CANG CHAI
The road continues in the chain of Hoang Lien Son. Stop at the village of Kim Nga Ba. Hiking. The mongs women weave linen on the immutable loom. Local inn in night or homestay Mu Cang Chai.
40 km. 1 hour drive. 5 hours of walking. M: 400 m. D: 400 m. Highlight of the day: 1550 m.
Day 7: MU CANG CHAI – SAPA
Final day in the Hoang Lien Son. The road winds and climbs to the highest pass in Vietnam (2047 m), dominated by the Fanxipan (3143 m), the roof of Indochina. Arrive in Sapa around noon. Visit the multiethnic Sapa market. Strolling through the old town with beautiful colonial houses. A pleasant stroll around Sapa concludes the day: mongs villages Dzaos, dzays ... Overnight at hotel in Sapa.
150 km. 4 hours drive. 2 hours of walking. M: 100 m. D: 500 m.
Day 8: SAPA – MARKET BAC HA– QUANG BINH
Early, we leave Sapa and tourist animation. A Lao Cai, capital of the province and border town, a simple bridge between us and China. Smuggling and trafficking of all kinds contribute to the richness of the city. The road creeps again between the hills to reach Bac Ha. One of the best markets is held every week. Local tribes come to sell their animals, colorful fabrics (do not miss the preparation of indigo), sugar cane, incense sticks and corn alcohol. Young villagers who meet there ... Route Quang Binh. Overnight homestay.200 km. 6 hr drive.
Day 9: QUANG BINH – HA GIANG
Early morning road to Ha Giang. Arriving at the village of Tay, near the city of Ha Giang. A short rest before your new ride to visit the villages of Zao. Night in hotel.85 km. 2 hour drive. 5-6 hours of walking.
Day 10: HA GIANG – DONG VAN
Breakfast and drive to Dong Van Karst Plateau. Located 1,050 meters above sea level, Tays, Han Chinese, Lolos colorful, Nung and especially Hmong cohabit in harmony ... Off to the heavenly gate Quan Ba, Yen Minh arrival, beautiful valley surrounded by mountains. In the village of Can Ty, we abandon our vehicle to hike along a stream. Arrive in Dong Van in late afternoon. Splendid site, dominated by an old French fort. The bravest may go up (motor road, no cars) to attend the sunset. View over the valley. A few miles away, the northernmost tip of Vietnam is inserted into Chinese territory. Night in hotel.135 km. 3 hours 30 minutes by car. 1 hour walk.
Day 11& 12: HIKING IN DONG VAN
Unique in Vietnam, the karst plateau has unusual panoramas. Here, no limestone towers as in Halong Bay. But hundreds of vertical scales from five to twenty meters high cover the hills. At the bottom, the slightest gap between each block of rock is covered with crops: flax, corn. A titanic work done over the centuries by the Hmong people, fiercely independent. Two days trekking permit to travel the shelf: you do not come across other groups. Return each night to a comfortable step in Dong Van. Night in hotel.5-6 hours daily hiking. M: 300 m. D: 300 m.
Day 13: MARKET DONG VAN – BAO LAC (SUNDAY)
The weekly market in Dong Van is one of the highlights of this great crossing of North Vietnam. Early, men and women h'mongs accompanied horses loaded with goods, down ridges. The exchanges are going well. Around one (or more) local glass alcohol, gaming tables and various eateries come alive.
Khene a player (organ of Southeast Asia mouth, polyphonic instrument) sounded its dissonant echoes our Western ears. Taste the thangcô (soup of meat and vegetables), favorite dish of the mountain. In conversing, women load their purchases on the backs of horses and follow with a light step on the way home.
The afternoon drive to the neck of Ma Pi Leng, Vietnam famous for its outstanding karst landscape. The road overlooking a steep gorge. Rice fields appear hung over the void. The road is reminiscent of those built in the Alps in the early twentieth century. By late afternoon, arrive in Bao Lac. Night in local hostel.110 km. 3 hours drive.
Day 14: BAO LAC – BA BE LAKE
We begin the road back to Hanoi. To cut the trip, stop at Ba Be Lake (Lake of Three Seas, national park). Attraction, yet relaxing. At 145 meters, it offers a postcard landscape. The park is home to a rich biodiversity: 65 species of mammals, 214 species of birds, 46 species of reptiles, 87 species of fish and 160 species of orchids! A short sampan ride concludes the day. Accommodation in a house on stilts in the lake. Overnight homestay.170 km. 6 hr drive.
Day 15: BABE – HANOI
After breakfast prepared by the family, drive to Hanoi. Stop at the roadside to see tea plantations and sugar cane. Overnight at hotel.250 km. 6 am.
Day 16: HANOI – CITY TOUR
In the morning, Temple of Literature, dedicated to Confucius and his disciples; Little Lake or Lake of the Restored Sword, the small bridge The Huc or "bridge where rests the mind," the Tortoise Pagoda and its legend; Tran Quoc Pagoda. In the afternoon, History Museum
Finally, walking tour in Hanoi's Old Quarter with 36 streets and grouped by specialty corporation - the Silk Street, the street of the Goldsmiths - we discover the lives of residents and puppet show on the water. Overnight at hotel.
Day 17: HANOI DEPARTURE
Depending on flight schedules, transfer the morning or afternoon at the airport and flight back
