Local - 6D5N The Real Extreme Sapa Experience

2 day

Overview Local - Local - 6D5N The Real Extreme Sapa Experience

The Fansipan mountain, also known as 'The Rooftop of Indochina', is the perfect challenge for visitors who like actively exploring. It's located in the Lao Cai province, the northwest of Vietnam, and popular among ecotourists, photographers and travelers trying to escape the overcrowded standard touristic spots. Make sure you don’t miss out on this spectacular wonder of nature, and experience Vietnam like you will nowhere else. They say it's one of the most fascinating spots in the north, it’s your task to find out!

The Fansipan Mountain arose 100 million years ago out of the platonic depths in the area which these days is called the Lao Cai province. As you climb your way up, the changing landscapes make you doubt if you're still on this planet. The flora and fauna create a unique atmosphere, and evolve every day, like they have been doing for a long time. Rise above the clouds as you reach the rooftop of Indochina, we'll promise that you'll love the view.

Then Sapa! With our "Real Sapa Experience", 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 in an homestay, enjoy cooking class & 30 min herbal foot massage.

Itinerary

Itinerary day by day

• Day 01: Hanoi - Sapa by Sleeper train.
  Day 02: Sapa - Fansipan - Giang Ta Chai (B, L,D)
  Day 03: Giang Ta Chai Easy Rider (B, L,D)
  Day 04: Giang Ta Chai - Y Linh Ho - Lao Chai (B, L,D)
  Day 05: Lao Chai - Ta Van - Sapa - Hanoi (B, L,D)
  Day 06: Arrive Hanoi (B)
• 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

• Tonight we are departing from Hanoi, by overnight sleeper train. You will have a Meet & greet at 15 Ly Nam De Street before 18:30 for instructions about your Sapa trekking. We will pick you up at our discussed meeting point for your train departure, our guide will guide you to the train station all the way to your cabin, you will be required to be on time at the meeting point.
  It’s possible to leave & store your luggage not needed for your Sapa trekking at our office and before your departure. You can use our lounge area to refresh yourself. You will receive from us a train ticket or voucher for Hanoi to Sapa and return.
• The sleeper train throughout Vietnam are quite comfortable and an experience on its own. We booked standard a berth in 4-berth cabin, each of you will have your own sleeper berth. All bedding is provided. The sleeper train is air-conditioned and has Western style toilets your luggage can be stored under the berth. Though restaurant carriage is not available, food and drinks are not available for purchase . Each carriage also includes one toilet at the end.
  Our guide will pick you up from meeting point and will guide you to the train station all the way to your train cabin.

Day 02: Sapa - Fansipan - Giang Ta Chai (B, L,D)

• We'll start our climb up the Fansipan Mountain in the morning, at a height of 2000m. Enjoy the flora and fauna as we climb our way further up. After lunch we'll continue to climb, until we reach "The Rooftop of Indochina" . Your final climb to the 3143m high top of Fansipan mountain will be rewarded with an incredible view. Return by cable car, sleep local homestay.
• After arriving in Sapa in the early morning as we will arrive around 7:30, on arrival at our hotel you'll be offered a refreshing shower and enjoy breakfast on the top floor with stunning views of Sapa town and the Muong Huo valley. Your local private Hmong tour guide and porter will meet you after your great energy breakfast at around 8:30. We drive you up for a short drive at “Park Rangers Station” where our adventure will kick off.
• We'll start our climb up the Fansipan Mountain in the morning, at a height of 2000m. Enjoy the flora and fauna as we climb our way further up. After lunch we'll continue to climb, until we reach "The Rooftop of Indochina ''. Please prepare your backpack light as possible!
• We go back by cable car to reach the feet of this incredible mountain. We will drive you to our homestay to relax from this victory.
• Return by cable car, sleep at the local homestay in the village.

Day 03: Giang Ta Chai Easy Rider (B, L,D)

• Today we go on an adventure, for an Easy Rider motorbike on the back of a driver on a non-tourist route. When we are going on the pavel & unbeaten track for a 27 KM ride, sleep at the local homestay.

Day 04: Giang Ta Chai - Y Linh Ho - Lao Chai (B, L,D)

• It's time to explore the beauty of Sapa! With our unique "Real Sapa Experience" on a less non-touristic unbeaten track. Today's trekking will take us through a bamboo forest, a beautiful waterfall and more spectacular scenery.
• Our local tour guide will take you after breakfast and the unbeaten tracks for a 12 KM trekking today. Make sure your camera is charged! We'll have lunch at a local family, see how they live and learn how they cook their food in a traditional way. Cooking with locals and enjoying a 30m massage as well, after your amazing dinner. So you'll be ready for some more trekking tomorrow!

Day 05: Lao Chai - Ta Van - Sapa - Hanoi (B, L,D)

• Visiting the Red Dao people, and seeing how they fabricate their own clothes is next on the agenda. Several other villages will be visited, where we will see their old-fashioned weave techniques and of course green rice paddies. There will be more enormous rice fields to see as we walk along and eventually cross the Hoa River. It's possible to take a shower, before we head back to Sapa Town. Overnight train to Hanoi.

Day 06: Hanoi (B)

• Arriving back Hanoi by sleeper train, you will be required to find your way back to our office yourself, pick up service not included. 
• Note: We advise you to take the Hanoi Taxi group (white taxi with red stripes), or Mai Linh Taxi (green taxi) and go on the meter, the train station small taxi's are famous for the taxi scams. The price to our office is around 60-80.000 VND (3-4 $USD).
• 05:30 - 06:00 Arrive at Hanoi Train Station. 
• Tour end & we would like to thank you for choosing us! No, really, thank you! We believe and hope that we lived up to your expectations in every way! We really appreciate you choosing Friends Travel Vietnam for this experience. We look forward to welcoming you, or your family and friends, the next time you visit this wonderful country! Finally, we wish you a happy journey through Vietnam, and many more amazing memories!

Know before you go

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.

What to bring

The following experiences suggestions for the packing list are based on our and feedback from our past travelers. Our packing list should be used as a guide only and is not intended to be a complete packing list. Any other items that you wish to pack are at your own discretion; Most travelers carry their luggage in a day backpack, though an overnight bag with a shoulder strap would be fine if you travel lightly. Smaller bags or backpacks with wheels are NOT convenient.

Packing list for Sapa

• Small Bag-pack: You will also need a daypack/bag to carry water and a camera etc and personal stuff.
• Walking / hiking shoes: Comfortable walking shoes with good grip/profile, Sandals/flip-flops (for evening), Hiking poles/walking sticks, Trekking socks.
• Sightseeing: Binoculars, Camera equipment, Film or memory cards, Spare batteries/charger, Dust proof camera bag.
• Personal items: Toiletries, Rubber flip-flops for showers, Small sewing kit & safety pins.
• Winter or extreme weather: Thermal underwear or base layers, Beanie/wooly hat/balaclava, Gloves / Hand warmers.
• Wet weather: Raincoat, Small Umbrella, Waterproof bags for rain protection while walking, waterproof & windproof jacket, Waterproof trousers.
• Personal health: First aid kit, Personal medication/prescriptions, Prescription glasses, Contact lenses and solution High protection sunscreen (25+), Lip balm/lip salve, Hat/wide brim hat, Sunglasses, Insect repellent, Antihistamine/insect bite cream, Antibacterial gel/wipes, Travel sickness tablets, Travel vaccination certificates, After-sun moisturizer, Anti-malaria pills (if recommended by the doctor), Aspirin and/or paracetamol, Dehydration powder (salts & glucose), Anti-diarrhea pills (consult your doctor for more detailed advice).
• Luggage: On the vast majority of our trips you are expected to carry your own luggage also during the trekking.
• Packing Tips: Remember to bring a plastic bag for dirty clothes.

Note: Again our advice will be to travel lightly and store your luggage at our office or leave at your hotel!

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.

David Leenson

David Leenson

David Leenson