Description
6 Day Northern Vietnam Tour Fansipan Halong Bay is customized by the Hanoi based tour operator Hiking Vietnam team of adventure travelers seeking the hard, challenging trek adventures to the summit of Indochina. Take the overnight train from Hanoi and get Laocai early the following day, travel to Sapa and be ready for the 3-day trek. The trek is tough and needs to be well prepared. A support team including local guide, cook, porters and trekking equipment are necessary to make the climb successful. The overnight cruise tour to Halong bay is provided as an extension. You can either book the two-day tour or the 3-day tour to Halong bay or skip it. This is up to your travel plan and budget.
Map of 6 day northern Vietnam
6 day northern Vietnam itinerary
Day 1: Overnight train to Laocai.
transfer to Hanoi Railway Station for overnight train to Laocai. Overnight on the train.
Day 2: Arrive Laocai. Travel to Sapa. Start climbing Fansipan.
Upon your arrival at Lao cai Railways Station at 5:30am (to be advised), you will be greeted by Hiking Vietnam team local team and transferred uphill to Sapa. Breakfast will be provided in a local restaurant in town. Leaving Sapa at 09.00 for a road transfer for 16 km to Tram Ton. Enjoy some stops along the way for great view of Fansipan. Start trekking from Tram Ton at the height of 2040m along a trail for almost the whole morning through rain forest up and down hill to 2200m peak. Lunch break for an hour. Afternoon trek gets tougher as the trail winds its way on steep mountain sides through bamboo forest. The plantation changes a lot as the trail reaches to higher elevation. Arrive to the camp-site at 2900m peak in late afternoon. Dinner and overnight in the camping tent.
Day 3: Reach the summit and trek back down.
Breakfast and leave the camp-site at 08.00. The trek gets though bamboo forest and flat land of grass for an hour and then getting up very steep mountain side for nearly 1,5 hour to reach to the summit of Fansipan mountain. Congratulation! You have conquered the roof on Indochina at the height of 3143m. In a nice day, great view of a vast region westwards to Lai Chau, eastwards to Lao Cai…even further to China and Dien Bien Phu are all in your sight and under your feet. The way back is easier and it takes only 1,5 hour back to the 2,900m camp-site for lunch. Leaving the campsite at 2.00 pm along the same trail back for 3 hours and arrive at the 2,200m camp-site at about 5.00 pm. Dinner and overnight in the camping tent.
Day 4: Arrive Sapa town. Travel to Laocai. Overnight train back to Hanoi.
Breakfast and leave the camp-site at 08.00. The trek gets mostly downhill for 1 hour and then turn left to a narrower trail getting through thick primitive forest for 2 hours. Arriving to the upstream of the Muong Hoa River at noon. Lunch break. Afternoon trek last for nearly 2 hours downhill passing through several isolated hamlets of the H’mong. Arriving to Sin Chai at about 3.00 pm. You will be picked up by our vehicle and transferred uphill to Sapa. Have a quick shower in a standard hotel before travelling downhill to Laocai for the overnight train trip back to Hanoi. Overnight on the train.
Day 5: Arrive Hanoi. Travel to Halong bay. Cruise. Sea kayaking.
Upon your arrival at Hanoi Railways Station at 5:00am, you will be greeted again by our team and transferred to a local restaurant for breakfast and a short rest. At 8:00: Depart for Halong bay. Enjoy the journey through the scenery of rice fields, water buffalo and everyday Vietnamese village life. Arrive in Halong around noon and board the Bai Tho traditional sailing junk (or similar junk). Whilst cruising the exquisite waters sample the regions fresh seafood. Round over Thien Cung cave (palace of heaven), Dau Go ( grotto of wood ), Tuan Chau island, Dog island, Dinh Huong, Ga Choi (fighting cock mountain), Turtle island. Visit Sung Sot cave and enjoy one-hour kayaking trip on the emerald water of Halong bay. Watch the sun set over the bay whilst enjoying a delicious dinner. Overnight on board junk.
Day 6: Halong bay – Hanoi.
Breakfast on board. Then we continue our cruise while the boat is going back to shore. Arrive at Ha long wharf about 11h00 and join our vehicle again for journey back to Hanoi. Arrive in Hanoi around 15:30. Trip ends.
Tailor-made trip
Hiking Vietnam specializes in tailor-making trekking and hiking vacations in Vietnam. With a dedicated team of senior travel consultants, hiking tour specialists, experienced English-speaking tour leaders, local H’mong, Thai, Tay guides, cooks, porters we can design any trekking, hiking, walking option for any age and budget. This 6 Day Northern Vietnam Tour Fansipan Halong Bay is only a sample that can be further customized to better fit your personal requirements. Just follow this itinerary or contact us for designing your own adventure.
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Itinerary disclaimer
Occasionally our tour itineraries are updated during the year to incorporate improvements stemming from past travelers’ comments and our own research. The information given in this itinerary may be slightly different to that in the service proposal. It’s very important that you print and review a final copy of your itinerary a couple of days prior to travel, in case there have been changes that affect your plans. If you have any queries, please contact us. We are here to help you!
Please note that while we operate successful trips in Vietnam throughout the year, some changes may occur in our itineraries due to inclement weather and common seasonal changes to timetables and transport routes. 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.
Difficulty levels
Our trekking tours can be classified into three levels
Easy
There are about 8 – 10K to walk on flat roads. No previous experience is necessary. Anyone in good health and fit enough to perform an occasional hike can take an easy level trek. Vietnam easy walks are provided in Hanoi, Bac Giang, Mai Chau, Ngoc Son Ngo Luong…
Moderate
There are about 10 – 15K to hike on flat and hilly roads. At this point too, no special background is required. Hikers accustomed to trekking in hilly areas of Mai Chau, Pu Luong or Lai Chau, Yen Bai successfully accomplish our treks “moderate”, provided they are in good health and to have a correct fit. These treks are moderate or easy hikes with an average duration or shorter but more difficult steps.
Difficult
There are about 16 – 23K to trek on uphill/downhill dirty, rocky trails. Physical fitness is very important for these treks and you may have to lead you home before the trek. Most treks in this level are comparable with long rides in the Fansipan mountain or the the mountainous region of Ha Giang, Cao Bang, sometimes higher altitudes. The climate and isolation can also participate in difficulty. Prior trek experience is preferable but not vital if you have confidence in your fitness.
Inclusions
Our trip cost usually includes the following services. Please bear in mind Lotussia Travel is specialized in tailor-made trips. Trip cost vary depending on group size and other details.
- Car transfers
- Local tour guide. The English-Speaking guide is provided by default. Other language may be available upon request (with extra charge).
- Local porter(s)
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Sightseeing entrance fees.
- Bottled water.
Exclusions
Unless required most of the following services are usually not included in our tour price.
- Visa (required)
- Flight/Train tickets.
- Accommodation pre/post trip.
- Travel insurance
- Tips
- Personal expenses
Tour Guide
Our tour guides speak English or French. They hold a university degree in tourism and national license as a guide. If you wish to send a tour leader along with any group, he or she can fully rely on the knowledge and experience of our local guides.
Remote treks are always accompanied by a local representative to deal with permits and authorities and manage the porter team. They speak the local dialects, know the cultural traditions and give tips on suggested behavior in fragile ecological areas and tribal communities. For some itineraries, the role of tour leader and representative is combined.
When to hike
The north Vietnam experiences two distinct seasons; winter and summer. Winter is cool, dry and lasts from November to April. Temperatures range between 15 to 25°C during the day and 0 to 10°C during the night. With little rain, the winter season offers the most pleasant weather conditions for trekking in Vietnam. Read more about Vietnam weather.
Porter
During all trekking tours we may use local porters to carry your luggage as well as our trekking equipment, where required. To generate local income we employ local villagers for this task. Participants will have their own porter, carrying trekking equipment and luggage to a maximum of 15 kg per client. Travelers only have to carry their day packs. Read more how to pack
Vehicle
Depending on the nature of the tour, journeys will be accompanied by an air-conditioned car/minibus cover the larger overland sections.
Accommodation
Campsites and lodges are not common in Vietnam, instead we make use of homestays; staying the night in tribal villages along the way. Facilities are clean, but very basic. Travelers share a bamboo-slat floor, separated by curtains. Animals usually sleep under the house and restrooms and showers are often absent. Water sources are available outside. Mattresses, blankets and mosquito nets are taken care of.
Over the years Lotussia Travel has established a number of projects to upgrade home stay accommodation into a bit more comfort. Basic facilities aside, spending the night in a tribal village and enjoying a meal with the locals brings travellers unforgettable cross-cultural experiences. In the past 15 years of organizing trekking by this way, we never received a complaint.
Food
During all treks meals will be arranged on the spot, in local restaurants and at home in local villages along the way. The meals are prepared by our cooks, the local guide or by the local host. Our cooks are well trained to prepare and serve food hygienically and they cook a variety of local delicacies. Sometimes this may include the slaughter of a chicken, duck or pig. We sometimes have the chance to bring western food, and snacks from Hanoi for breakfast and picnics along the way, and coffee and tea are available in abundance. Our cooks make a special effort to provide as much variety as possible. The porters give necessary assistance on the spot.
Drinking water
There are many shops and villages that have bottled water for sale. On remote trekking tours, we buy a sufficient supply of water for the next couple of days. We recommend bringing some water purifying tablets.
Packing
Comfortable lightweight clothing in natural fabrics such as cotton is most suitable for travelling in Vietnam. The dress code is fairly casual as in most parts of the tropics but it is advisable to cover arms and legs in the evenings against biting insects. A lightweight raincoat is a good idea in the rainy season. During the winter months warm clothing is needed for visiting the north of Vietnam. Visitors should not wear shorts, short skirts or other skimpy clothing when visiting religious buildings such as pagoda, temple, communal house and shoes should be removed before entering a private home.
What you take will naturally depend upon where you are travelling and the style of journey you are undertaking, and it can often be difficult to decide what to pack. Nevertheless, the following should act as a useful checklist of essential items worth thinking about taking.
- 1 medium-sized backpack.
- Comfortable walking shoes with good grip
- 1 long (easy to dry) pants and 1 long sleeved shirt to wear during the trek (easy to dry).
- 1 pair of flip flop (sandals).
- 1 pair of shorts and T-shirt to wear at camp site (2 if you do 4-day trek).
- 1 medium-sized towel.
- 1 medium-sized dry bag.
- Hiking poles/walking sticks
- GPS
Responsible Tourism
We strongly believe that Responsible Tourism can support to local communities: proving incomes,positive cultural exchanges and an incentive to protect natural environment. We recognize that there is always space for improvement. We continually strive to narrow the gap between principle and practice.
Environment
We have been turning environmentally responsible tourism into practices to minimize tourist impact upon the local habitat. From biodegradable soaps to re – usable water containers, we provide clients with the best information and mean to help them identify and implement effective ways to positive protect local nature and communities. It is a vital criteria that can be passed on and abided by all, long after the trip ended.
Community
Prior to our tours, we contact and work with local community leaders to make sure we are welcome and in a manner that minimizes negative social and cultural impacts. We visit local development and community projects specific to the region, encouraging customers to donate and assist such a projects in appropriate and sustainable manner.
Where make sure that where and whenever possible our tours positively benefit the local community. We stayed at locally owned accommodation and visit cottage industries for local handicraft souvenir, generating income for local business. We often employ, hire support team such as local guide, motor-taxi drivers, cook assistants on all trips to ensure that the local community benefit not only short term but with increased employment opportunities for the future.
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