Sapa Eco Retreat

Our team will deliver the train vouchers to your hotel reception. On the train vouchers, there are instructions of the station address and map to get to the station as well as the train carriage, the cabin and your bed number. We suggest you leave your hotel 2 hours prior to train departure time. Make your way to Hanoi’s train station (22:00pm) for your overnight train to Lao Cai, the transit town for Sapa - famous for its stunning scenery and rich cultural diversity. Once at the train station please proceed to the counter of your carriage name and show the staff your voucher to get your ticket. Please note: a snacks trolley will be on the train and come past your cabin so we suggest having dinner prior to leaving for the station as no meals are served on the train. You can also purchase drinks / water/ tissue paper and snacks at the train station before you depart.

Meals:  Nil

The train arrives at Lao Cai Station in the early morning (approx at 05h30). From here you will be picked up and transferred to Sapa. After breakfast, you will commence the excursion today with a walk through the town of Sapa and along a dirt trail through vegetable gardens and rice paddy terraces. The spectacular scenery of Muong Hoa valley gradually appears within your eyesight. You will then reach the river running at the bottom of the valley and continue the walk on the bank of the river. You eventually arrive in Y Linh Ho village of Black H'mong minority, where you will take a rest and have lunch at a nice spot. After lunch, the walk from Y Linh Ho village to Lao Chai village of Black H'mong minority is almost on the hillsides. The view of the valley is more and more extending and stretching to the horizon. You take a stop at Lao Chai village to visit a local house, before following the dirt path linking the village with Ta Van village, the only one in the valley inhabited by Giay minority. From Ta Van, you will have a transfer to Topas Ecolodge. You check in to your bungalow and enjoy the view into the valley and dotted mountain surroundings. Overnight at Topas Ecolodge. The ecolodge is located deep in the Hoang Lien Mountains. The bungalows overlook the entire valley with the ethnic minority villages of Ban Ho and Thanh Phu, 400 altitude meters beneath. Approx: Grade 2 of 5/ 30 minutes driving/ 5 hours walking/ 1 hour lunch

Meals:  B,L

Your excursion today begins with a transfer deeper into Hoang Lien National Park to the starting point near Sin Chai Village. Take the path less travelled to Nam Nhiu Village, home of Red Dao. Here you will meet the villagers, enjoy a cup of tea in their houses, and learn about their daily way of life. Leaving the village behind, you will turn into a small dirt trail and soon be inspired by the spectacular views of the terraced rice paddy valleys dotted with bamboo huts used by farmers as overnight lodges during the harvest season. Passing by rice terraces and a river, we will walk on a quiet road which brings you to Nam Cang Village. Here, with a jungle backdrop and the river in front, you will enjoy lunch at a riverside lodge. Nam Cang Village is located in one of the most remote area of Sa Pa. The Red Dao women wear some of the most colorful and diverse costumes of all Vietnam’s ethnic groups. Herbal baths, local medicines and embroidery are some of the skills the Red Dao are renowned for. Accompanied by your guide, you will explore the village and learn how the local villagers make rice paper, jewelry and embroidery. In the mid-afternoon, you will be transfered back to Topas Ecolodge. Overnight at Topas Ecolodge. Grade: Moderate / approx. 3-3.5 hours walking

Meals:  B,L

The morning is free at leisure to enjoy your spectacular surroundings. At 15:00 you will take the Topas Mountain Express bus directly to Hanoi. Our tour concludes on arrival in Hanoi. Guests will be dropped off at hotels in Hanoi. Please speak to your World Expeditions consultant if you would like us to arrange accommodation for you. Note: 1 way bus back to Hanoi by their Topas Mountain Express (TME) bus (max 7 pax/bus). The TME departs from Topas Ecolodge at 15:00 then departing directly for Hanoi, arriving at around 20:15-20:30. Guests will be dropped off at hotels in the old quarter area. However, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays some roads in the old quarter were blocked for night market/walking so guests will be dropped off at nearest possible place and they will have to walk for the rest to their hotel.

Meals:  B