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This tour is designed for those who are already in Hanoi, or for those who will be arriving in Hanoi in the afternoon. In the evening you board a deluxe sleeper train for Lao Cai. From Lao Cai you are transferred to your deluxe resort hotel in the former French hillside resort of Sapa. After a leisurely exploration of the town, we visit the picturesque village of Cat Cat in the beautiful Muong Hoa Valley, to learn about their age-old culture and traditions. The following day we return to the Muong Hoa Valley driving through the magnificent landscape high in the mountains. We visit other ethnic villages, where the locals will invite you to visit their homes. Here, Home-Stay can be arranged if desired. The next day there are two options: You can visit the colourful and bustling ethnic markets in the area, which provide many great photo opportunities; or you can go to see Mount Fansipan and experience the fantastic natural scenery of the highest mountain pass in Vietnam. Both are unforgettable experiences. In the evening, you return to Lao Cai for the sleeper train back to Hanoi.
Moderate - Suitable for travellers with an average level of fitness and mobility. However, some walking and hiking is required.
Undoubtedly, weather is one of the determining factors for your traveling decisions. If you are heading to Vietnam, then, take it easy to make up your mind. Vietnam’s climate is not just steamy hot as what you are frequently exposed to on movies. All year round here, there is always a perfect place where it is pleasant to stay. Basically, the whole country falls into the tropic and subtropics but its stretching length and diverse topography allow it to span several different climate zones. The weather thus, tends to vary considerably from season to season and also from region to region. Northern Part The North of Vietnam is generally cooler than other South East Asian regions in the same longitude. It experiences two main distinct seasons. In winter months, the weather gets colder and colder from November to March and considerably warmer in April (a leap into summer). This is also time to observe much cloud and frequent drizzle. The average winter temperature is 17.2°C (62.9°F). Particularly, the mountainous areas (Northwest) are often much colder, temperature may keep below 10°C (50°F) for long period. Ice and snow even cover Hoang Lien Son Mountains and nearby Sapa town for some times with the lowest record of -3°C (26.6°F) in Feb 2008. In the summer (from May to October), the whole region is quite hot. Temperature may rise to 37°C (98.6 °F) in the peaks of June and July. Hanoi and coastal provinces around the Red River Delta generally enjoy equitable weather with high average humidity (80%) all year round though they may occasionally be subjected to typhoons and heavy rain in late summers (September to November). Vietnamese people even identify four seasons in the Northern provinces (from Hai Van Pass toward the north) with their distinct features: pleasant spring (typically March-April) and autumn (October-December), a chilly winter (December- February) and a hot summer (June – July). Central Part The Central Vietnam with two sub-regions, coastal lowlands and central highlands, can be seen as an in-between climatic area of the North and the South. The coastal strip is usually dry and hotter than the rest in the summer, as the Truong Son Mountains do not allow it to enjoy most rainfall of south-western monsoon (from April to October). Unprotected coasts in their turn, however, make it wet and colder than the rest in winter-monsoon season (from November to March). Also, storms and typhoons strike this area more frequently than the northern coasts in summer months (from July to November). The Central Highlands in particular enjoys nearly double the average rainfall of the country. Two biggest towns in this plateau, Dalat and Pleiku, are ideally cool throughout the year. Near-the-south coastal cities, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang and Phan Thiet, on the contrary, experiences steamy hot weather (21°C-32°C / 70°F-90°F) all year round. Southern Part The South of Vietnam, merely 8 degrees north of the Equator, is typical of humid tropical climate which is excellent for growing rice. The region’s temperatures experience little variations in a year (around 27-32°C/80-90°F). There are two main seasons: the rainy and the dry. During the rainy/monsoon season (from May to November), downpours are expected to happen nearly every afternoon, resulting in occasional street flooding in and around Saigon. In the dry season, it is hot from late February to April then slightly cooler when first downpours come. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) enjoys rather equitable tropical climate with high humidity all year round. December to March is said to be the most pleasant time to hit this region’s center. In all, Vietnam climate is so diverse that there is almost no definition of an average temperature for the whole country. Thanks to these regional variations in weather, generally, you can drop in Vietnam at any time of year. Commonly, based on the duration of your stay, you should plan to catch the good weather and places by either dropping in Saigon in February or March then following the coast to north or hitting Hanoi in October-November then tracing southward.
Day 1: Hanoi – Lao Cai
After early check-in at the resort hotel, you have breakfast in the hotel restaurant. After breakfast, you will have a brief guided tour of the town, and there will be free time for you to explore on your own. You can visit the market where ethnic groups wearing traditional costumes come to sell their products. You can also climb to the top of Ham Rong Mountain for a beautiful view of the town and the surrounding area, and visit a mini museum where you can learn about the ethnic groups living in Sapa and the northwest. After lunch you take a 3-hour walk to the traditional H'Mong village of Cat Cat in the Muong Hoa Valley. Visiting this beautiful valley and unique village, you learn about a culture and a way of life that hasn’t changed for centuries.
Note: Home-stay can be arranged in Ta Van Village, and you stay with a family in a traditional home. However, if home-stay is not an option for you, you will return to Sapa in the late afternoon or evening.
Option 1: There are many colourful ethnic markets in the area. These include: Muong Hum Market, Cao Son Market, Lung Khau Nhin Market, and Coc Ly Market. Depending on the date or day of the week, you can visit those markets that are available for that day. These colourful and bustling markets offer a wealth of photo opportunities. After a day of interacting with local people, and experiencing the market atmosphere, we drive back to Lao Cai. Option 2: The drive to Mount Fansipan passes through some very spectacular scenery. You stop at the beautiful Silver Waterfall, and then continue on to the highest mountain pass in Vietnam. Due to the strong winds, the clouds are constantly moving along, and this is the best vantage point to see the breath-taking scenery of both sides of the Fansipan Mountain Range. The weather can be very different on either side of the range, with one side cloudy and foggy and the other side bright and sunny. You then drive back to Lao Cai. You arrive in Lao Cai in the late afternoon or early evening, and at Lao Cai Station you board the night train back to Hanoi.
This tour is private and can be tailor-made to suit your travel needs. As a result the price is quoted in US dollars and shown on a per-person basis. The 'Price From' quoted above is for parties of 2, 4 and 6 people and for accommodation in 3 star hotels. The final price will be privately quoted, based on the number in your party, your preferred time of travel, grade of hotel and any additional services requested. Please click on the BOOK NOW button and fill in the booking form, after which one of our travel consultants will customize the best value holiday for you.
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COST INCLUDED:
The hotels listed below are just our suggestions offering the best value for this trip according to the hotel category chosen, but Travel Loops also offers more options to cater for different grades, personal taste, and budget. Please let us know if you have any specific choice of hotels, or personal preferences/requirements. .jpg "The Scenery of the Sapa - 5days")
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