Hanoi, Lao Cai

Meet at your hotel at 8:30 pm with our guide and driver. Then transfer to the station to take the night train to Lao Cai. Overnight on the train.

Lao Cai, Bac Ha Market, Ban Lien, Nam An

Arriving at this picturesque little station in Lao Cai around 5:30 am is always a pleasant surprise! But first we will take a good shower at the hotel, then a good breakfast. Direction the city of Bac Ha by car.

On Sundays, Bac Ha holds its weekly market. The inhabitants of the region come every week to sell and buy various goods: fabrics, simple crafts (wood or bamboo), bulk tobacco, cooking utensils, live animals, etc. The market alone is a social event: intrigues are exchanged over a glass of rice alcohol and a bowl of soup.

We reach the starting point of the trek where we meet the local guide and the porters. Lunch in Ban Lien village. Our walk really starts by passing through the village of Bac Ke with the welcome of the white Tay. We cross rice terraces and a primitive bamboo forest. Tonight, we will spend the night in a common room in a traditional house on stilts with our hosts, the white Tay.

Nam An, Na Chi

Breakfast shared with our hosts. The crossing of the rice fields shows us the progress of their preparation according to the time of year. This preparation, made of hand weeding, ploughing with buffaloes, planting young shoots, precedes flowering and of course harvesting. The very special leaves of the latan trees that line the paths along which they walk decorate the roofs of houses on stilts for a waterproofing that will stand up to any challenge.

We cross bamboo forests, and also discover plum and peach tree crops that abound in the region.  After 5 hours of walking, arrival at the village of Na Chi of the Thai ethnic group. Overnight in a house on stilts.

Na Chi, Quang Nguyen

After a 5-hour trek, Quang Nguyen is the end of our stage of the day. As we progress, the landscape changes: the relief increases and a forest of mountains with impressive tree ferns appears. With a little luck and... patience, maybe we'll discover orchids. Overnight at the inhabitant's house in Quang Nguyen.

Quang Nguyen, Chien Thang

Today, heading North East for a 5 to 6 hour stopover and a pass at 1300 m is crossed! On the way, we meet the Tay, Nung, Dao with long tunic, Man Ta Pan, Hmong with a lot of colour... Tonight, our hosts are the Man Ta Pan of the village of Chien Thang.

Chien Thang, Nam Son

The vegetation encountered offers us a mixture of "tropical flowers" with rattans, orchids or bamboos but also "alpine" like some conifers. We observe the presence of some trees of the chestnut family, native (yes!) to this part of Asia. The 5-hour walk takes us to the Nam Son village of the Red Dao. Overnight stay with a local resident.

Nam Son, Pan Hou

The crossing of the wild landscapes of the Ha Giang region is a real wonder. After a walk through bamboo forests and terraced rice fields, we arrive at the village of Khoa des Dao rouge.

We then go around the massif to reach the Thong Nguyen valley and then arrive at the Pan Hou Village eco-lodge in the middle of the afternoon. This will mark the end of our stage of the day and our trek. Dinner and overnight in a bungalow in Pan Hou Village.

Pan Hou, Hanoi

After breakfast, return to Hanoi where arrival is scheduled in the afternoon after 6 to 7 hours of driving. Installation at the hotel. End of our services and this stage of your trip to Vietnam.