Every part can be changed to suit your group.

1. Day 1 Hanoi to Lao Cai by overnight train

   We meet in the early evening for a short transfer to Hanoi Railway Station, where we board the overnight train to Lao Cai. The train leaves Hanoi around 22:00 and reaches Lao Cai at about 6:00 the next morning, giving a quiet night of travel before the mountains come into view. The train has shared four-berth cabins with soft beds, bedding and air-conditioning. Please bring a small bag for the trek and leave larger luggage at your hotel in Hanoi. Our team gives you a short list of what to pack, including rain gear, a warm layer for the evenings and good walking shoes.

   
2. Day 2 Lao Cai to Sapa, villages of Hau Thao and Giang Ta Chai

   Arriving at Lao Cai in early morning light, we drive through the mountains to Sapa. After breakfast we set out on foot toward Sa Seng and Hau Thao, home to the Black H'mong, walking paths that cut through terraced fields and small settlements. The day's walking covers roughly 9 to 12 km and ends in Giang Ta Chai, where we spend the night in a stilt house, sharing dinner with the family who hosts us. The Black Hmong women of these villages are known for their indigo-dyed hemp clothing, and you may see them dyeing cloth or embroidering outside their homes. The stilt house is simple but comfortable, and the family cooks dinner with vegetables from their garden.

   
3. Day 3 Rice terraces to Sin Chai and O Qui Ho

   We start with a longer walk, around 12 to 15 km, through lush rice terraces and hillsides back toward Sapa. There is time in town to see its unhurried pace, visit the local market, and learn something of the regional cuisine. In the afternoon we continue on foot through Sin Chai and O Qui Ho, two Black H'mong villages set among sculpted terraces, before returning to Sapa for the night. Sapa town has a lake, a stone church from the French period and a busy market where you can taste local dishes such as grilled meat skewers, rice cooked in bamboo and corn wine. The terraces of Sin Chai and O Qui Ho are especially beautiful before the harvest, when they turn gold.

   
4. Day 4 Bac Ha market and return to Hanoi

   We drive from Sapa to Bac Ha in time for its Sunday market, where Flower H'mong, Zay, Tay and Dao traders gather to sell textiles, livestock and produce. After exploring the stalls we take a short hike, around 4 to 6 km, through nearby villages to see rural life away from the market crowds. In the evening we drive to Lao Cai for the overnight train back to Hanoi, arriving around 5:00 am. Bac Ha market only takes place on Sunday and is one of the most colourful in northern Vietnam, with Flower Hmong women in bright embroidered clothes and a lively buffalo and horse trading area. The train back to Hanoi has shared four-berth cabins with soft beds and air-conditioning.