THE NORTH TRAIL VIETNAM – SAPA TREKKING – HA GIANG MOTORBIKE ADVENTURE – 6 Days and 5 nights
$319.00
The North Trail Vietnam is specially designed for (backpack) travelers who want to travel on a shoestring but who are looking for of the beaten track experiences and enjoy the company of fellow travelers. We offer you our own designed and less touristy local Sapa Experience with a cozy homestay and an unbeatable Ha Giang Loop Motorbike Adventure. We start and end this trip in Hanoi but can easily extend it to Halong Bay or Cat Ba. For sure this will be a trip you’ll treasure the rest of your life…
The price shown is per person, based on 2 people up and for people who ride by themselves and have an international drivers license for motor. Those without an international drivers license for motor will go safely and insured on the back, the price is then $349. Private rooms with private shower facilities are available for a surcharge of $30 p.p. based on 2 people.
Tell your friends to join you on this fabulous trip!
Day 1: Hanoi – Sapa
During the week pick-up will be at your hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi and in the weekends (as they close off Old Quarter) you’ll need to go to the meeting point for your journey by cabin sleeper bus to Sapa.
Transportation: Cabin sleeper bus
Meals: N/A
Guide: N/A
Accommodation: N/A
Day 2: Sapa – Ta Van
The bus arrives early in Sapa, at around 3-3:30am. Please have a short walk to our partner hotel, we’ve arranged a room for you for some extra sleep.
At 9am your local Hmong tour guide will meet you at the hotel where your trekking adventure will kick off. We’ll start this fantastic trek to Ta Van, down in the Muong Hoa valley. If you like you can have your luggage transferred to the homestay by motorbike taxi, your guide can easily arrange it for a couple of dollars.
Our route is unique, further away from the mass and a bit more challenging at points to create the best experience!
Many diverse groups like the Dzay, Dzao, Tay, Xa Pho or Hmong populate this richly cultural northern territory. You’ll sample their unique delights as you pass through each village.
During the 15 km walk we’ll visit three villages of ethnic populations. Enjoy the spectacular views of the beautiful valley that leads towards Fansipan, the highest peak in Viet Nam and Indochina. The trek leads through the village of Black Hmong people, where you can see how they weave and embroider their incredible clothes. Further along our descent we’ll enjoy the many colorful rice paddy fields until we reach Ta Van village, inhabited by the Dzay people. We’ll have a filling lunch on the way at a local family and dinner with your host in a beautiful and traditional Hmong homestay, by far the coziest accommodation in Ta Van!
Transportation: Trekking
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Guide: English-speaking local Hmong tour guide
Accommodation: Homestay (dorm based) – Private rooms are available for a modest surcharge
Day 3: Ta Van – Sapa – Giang Ta Chai – Ha Giang
After breakfast we leave Ta Van and continue our trek to visit the Red Dao people in Giang Ta Chai village. We pass some stunning scenery and a lovely waterfall along our route. As their name suggests, red is used extensively in the Red Dao women’s clothing and scarves.
Our journey leads us along the small paths edging the rice fields, across the Muong Hoa River and lunch will be on the way at a fantastic spot. We’ll head back to the homestay in Ta Van for you to fresh-up before we’ll transfer you to the bus stop in Sapa for the 6-hour journey by bus to Ha Giang. On arrival you’ll be dropped of at the guesthouse where the further evening will be at your own interpretation.
Transportation: Comfortable bus
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Guide: English-speaking local Hmong tour guide
Accommodation: Guesthouse (dorm based) – Private rooms are available for a modest surcharge
Day 4: Ha Giang – Quan Ba Pass – Yen Minh – Dong Van
After breakfast we’ll start your adventure through this stunning part of Vietnam towards Dong Van.
We will of course take you to the best scenic places on the way and we’ll stop at several places to show you the best the area has to offer. Among those, Heaven’s Gate, the Twin Mountains in Quan Ba, Hmong King’s Palace and Lung Tam Weaving Village. Lunch will be served on the way before arriving at our guesthouse where dinner will be served later in the evening. We overnight at the homestay.
Transportation: Motorbike
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Guide: English-speaking local tour guide/ rider
Accommodation: Homestay (dorm based) – Private rooms are available for a modest surcharge
Day 5: Dong Van – Ma Pi Leng Pass – Meo Vac – Du Gia
After breakfast we’ll continue your motorbike adventure through this stunning part of Vietnam through the Dong Van Geo Park. The views are amongst Vietnam’s best. The Ma Pi Leng Pass is considered as the “king” of Vietnam’s passes. From the top of this pass begins a 20km long happiness road, which is handmade by the local people and has a romantic atmosphere.
In Meo Vac you can see one of the most beautiful landscapes of the country. We continue to Mau Due and Du Gia where you can see beautiful terraced rice fields and local life. We’ll enjoy lunch in Du Gia in the area where ethnic Tay families live and if we have time you can take a refreshing swim at the waterfalls of Du Gia Village. We overnight at the guesthouse or homestay where we’ll enjoy dinner later in the evening.
Transportation: Motorbike
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Guide: English-speaking local tour guide/ rider
Accommodation: Homestay (dorm based) – Private rooms are available for a modest surcharge
Day 6: Du Gia – Duong Thuong – Lung Tam – Ha Giang – Hanoi
After breakfast we start riding again through more stunning scenery and through many small villages.
We’ll have lunch on the way before arriving back in Ha Giang. Here you can have a quick refreshing shower before the 16-seat limousine bus will pick you up at around 4pm for the 6-hour journey back to Hanoi where the trip ends.
Estimated arrival time will be 9.30-10pm. From the limousine bus stop it is either a short walk or taxi ride to your accommodation in the Old Quarter where the trip ends.
We can also, instead arrange ongoing bus services to Halong Bay and Cat Ba!
Transportation: Motorbike and limousine bus
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Guide: English-speaking local tour guide/ rider
Accommodation: N/A
- Sleeper bus Hanoi to Sapa, (limousine) bus Sapa to Ha Giang and limousine bus from Ha Giang to Hanoi
- Entrance fees if applicable
- Hotel on arrival in Sapa for some extra sleep
- English (local) speaking guides/ riders
- All meals as mentioned
- Overnights at the guesthouse or homestay
- All activities
- Beverages other than complimentory
- Tips and personal expenses
- Travel insurance
- All not indicated in our itinerary
- Booking vouchers we provided
- Valid Passport with valid visa
- Cash for personal expense
Special food requests
Please let us know if you have specific eating restrictions, allergic for certain things or if you are vegetarian, we can take that into account during the trips.
Useful information
Especially for the north and central Vietnam;
In the period between November and April, the weather is variable, from sunny to cold and rainy. It is advisable during this period to bring some rain gear with some warmer clothes. In the period from April to November, it is good to pack a hat with a wide brim, sunscreen (at least SPF15) and a reliable insect repellent. A thin rain poncho is useful all year round.
The south of Vietnam is generally a lot warmer all year round, so warm clothing is not really necessary.
Get Up And Go Vietnam does everything to make your trip an unforgettable experience. Unfortunately, we have no control over weather conditions. Our apologies for that!
Sapa – Established as a hill station by the French in 1922, Sapa today offers spectacular views emerging on clear days; overlooking a plunging valley, with mountains towering above on all sides. Views of this epic scenery are often subdued by thick mist rolling across the peaks, but even when it’s cloudy, local hill-tribe people fill the town with color.
Sapa changed a lot over the recent years due to the built of the Fanispan, with 3147m the highest mountain in the Indochinese Peninsula, cable car which attracts many Asian tourist. Luckily you’re not here to hang out in town. We are here for incredible trekking into a surrounding countryside of cascading rice terraces and tiny hill-tribe villages that seems a world apart. Once you’ve stepped out into the lush fields you’ll understand the Sapa area’s real charm.
Ha Giang province in northern Vietnam is a less frequently travelled area by tourists. Ha Giang is a place where almost 90% of the population is ethnic minorities with their own traditional cultures and life styles. The last 20 years when the other Vietnam provinces and cities experienced the economic development, Ha Giang was the place, which had been forgotten in time. The main reason was the political situation and relations with China.
Starting with hills, valleys and villages with the ethnic minorities residents (Hmong, Tay, Dao, Nung, Lo Lo, Giay, Pu Peo). The farthest and the most beautiful place of Ha Giang province is Dong Van Karst Global Geo-park, designated by UNESCO as one of 77 sites with the important geological and cultural heritage. This Geo-park is littered with the ethereal karst formations that are nearly 400 million years old, and has two protected areas. Dong Van Karst Geo-park is home of 17 ethnic minority groups.
Halong Bay – Lan Ha Bay – Cat Ba – Hạ Long Bay in Northern Vietnam is one of the most popular destination for tourists and a UNESCO World Heritage Site and exists of 3 Bay areas, Halong Bay, Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay and features thousands of limestone karsts and islets in various shapes and sizes.
To offer you the best and less visited places of Halong Bay and Lan Ha Bay we designed this unique cruise, especially for backpackers who like the company of fellow travelers who like to have a good time!
Because we offer pristine areas, beaches and lush green sceneries of the bay, it is by far the best Halong Backpacker Cruise that provides an amazing and unforgettable experience!