Tour
DISCOVERY NORTHWEST (8 days/ 8 nights)
Day 1: Hanoi - Mai Chau. 170 km, ~4-5 hrs.
Heading out of Hanoi on road number 6 to Mai Chau, and idyllic valley populated by mainly White Thai ethnic people. Visiting Mai Chau, you have a chance to enjoy folk songs and traditional colourful culture of White Thai
in Mai Chau. The scenery of the arrival to Mai Chau is characterized
with beautiful limestone mountains and colourful hill tribes who can be
seen and visited on the way. We also have an opportunity en route to
learn about the culture of the rice-cultivating inhabitants in the Red River
valley and Da River down stream. After lunch, we have the whole
afternoon free to climb up to the top of Thung Nhuoi pass. From the top
of the pass there is a beautiful view of Mai Chau valley, often
engulfed by clouds but still a sight to be enjoyed. After visiting this
wonderful site, we drop down to explore more of the area of White Thai people.
In
the evening, we can enjoy a local dinner and overnight in a beautiful
village at the edge of a river. After dinner, you can spend the evening
sitting together around a fire and join in a Thai traditional music
show. In their traditional attire, typical of their culture, Thai
women invite visitors to participate in the Xoe dance. To the
rhythmical and ebullient music, the hosts and guests will dance for
hours hand-in-hand. When they get tired, they stop for a while to drink
special sticky rice liquor called "ruou can". Visitors who participate in the Xoe dance once, especially by the light of a fire at night are likely to remember it forever.
Overnight and dinner in our host family of Thai.
Lunch, dinner, permits, entrance fees, and traditional dancing show.
Day 2: Mai Chau - Thung Man. 100 km, ~4 hrs.
Today we continue venturing onto Northern Vietnam
by following the old National Highway No 6 which has been neglected for
20 years. The rough narrow road, cutting through many hill-tops makes
the terrain difficult to manoeuvre, so the road transport is very
limited. Sometimes, if lucky you might catch sight of a horse-drawn
carriage or buffalo cart but, apart from that, this road is quite
deserted. Along the way, we have excellent opportunities to learn about
the people of different cultures, such as the Red Dao, Dao Tien, Muong and Thai
ethnic groups. The people living here are very friendly and live a
simple lifestyle. Typically they live by cultivating dry rice,
vegetables and fruit at high altitudes and hunting in the wild forest.
At noon we stop for lunch at the top of the pass and enjoy a beautiful view of spacious Moc Chau grassland and the Da River.
The
afternoon will provide a real challenge. After heading out on New
Highway 6, we make our way onto the torturous and bumpy road. However,
exploring the H'mong hill tribe’s colourful customs and majestic mountainous scenery makes the hardship all worthwhile.
2 options:
- Overnight and dinner in our host family of H'mong people or
- Standard hotel in Moc Chau.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, permits, and entrance fees.
Day 3: Thung Man - Phu Yen. 130 km, ~4 hrs.
After breakfast we say farewell to our hosts and visit thung Mai, the most timeless village of the H'mong ethnic people residing at an altitude of over 1,000 meters above sea level and in complicated topography. The H'mong
people have lived here for nearly 100 years. While on the way to Ha
Giang, they were forced to flee from French colonialists and settled in
this remote area. To reach Thung Man, it takes about one and half hours
to the top of the mountain. Upon arrival, you will see a pretty village
with about 20 houses built from "stone" surrounding a small, fairy pond
at the mountain top. The village seems isolated from the mainstream
world. There is no motorbike or karaoke here! The owners of this
mountain still retain their age-old culture and traditions. Moreover,
visitors to this remote area will have opportunity to discover these
people's unique customs and simple lifestyle and even share the wisdom
of the elders who enjoy the happiness of living under the same roof
with 5-6 generations. You also have a chance to listen to the legends
about the "toward South" process.
After lunch, we have the
afternoon free to explore the dreamlike grasslands. These beautiful
grasslands of Moc Chau have the best of both worlds, breath-taking
scenery and some of the most favourable climate, in the Northwest
mountains. Moc Chau’s flora is diverse, ranging from forests and tea
plantations to fruit orchards.
We can walk to the local dairy
farms and sample produce from the local processing factories. Dairy
produce is Moc Chau’s specialty and is exported to many other countries.
After
enjoying a beautiful view, we drop down to Da River and take a
specialized boat along the river. Then we ride along the river to Phu
Yen valley, one of the most prosperous and beautiful villages of Thai people in Northwest.
2 options:
- Overnight and dinner in our host family of Thai people or
- Standard otel in Phu Yen.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, permits, and entrance fees.
Day 4: Phu Yen - Tuan Giao. 210 km, ~6 hrs.
The
journey north continues onto Son La, following the 113 Highway. Along
the way, there are superb landscapes with green valley and terraced
rice fields. Passing the Bac Yen Mountain top, through Chen Pass to the largest "maize" and "manioc" forest, we arrive at Son La plateau.
After
lunch in Son La town, we will visit the former French Prison and
provincial museum. We have more mountain passes to challenge us, such
as Son La, Chieng Pac, and Pha Din. You will enjoy the beautiful
landscape on your way from Son La to Lai Chau town. The afternoon will
provide free time to climb over the top of the Pha Din Pass
- known as the interface between Heaven and Earth. Pha Din forms a
natural border between Son La and Dien Bien Phu, the site of the
decisive battle in Vietnam’s struggle for independence in 1954. Then we take time to travel to Tuan Giao to view the sunset.
Standard hotel in Tuan Giao.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, permits, and entrance fees.
Day 5: Tuan Giao - Sin Ho. 150 km, ~5 hrs.
Today we continue venturing in to northern Vietnam
with the 98ksm remainder of the historical Highway 6. The road is
rough, but the scenery is unbelievably beautiful and magnificent with
the 7 tall passes cutting though steep mountain along the Da River
flowing around the foot of the passes, which can be found nowhere else
in the Northwest route. Moreover, part of the pleasure of travelling by
motorbike in this region is the simple joy of the friendly smiles and
greetings of the local people, which make the hardship all worthwhile.
Along the way, we stop to visit the Black Thai, Kho Mu, Lu, Black H'mong, Green H'mong and White H'mong, just some of the many hill tribe groups and discover their simple lifestyles and colourful cultures.
After
lunch at Lai Chau, we take a boat to travel along the Nam Na River,
passing the high, dangerous and sheer rocks, the pretty villages on the
two sides of the river and the hillside green rice fields. The boat is
not a big one, but the boatman is skilled enough to make your cruise
safe and adventurous to the next destination. After that we make our
way to Sin Ho.
Basic guesthouse in Sin Ho.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, permits, and entrance fees.
Day 6. Sin Ho - Tam Duong. 110-170 km, ~4-5 hrs.
Due
to the environment and a height of 1,700m, getting there is very hard
journey, so the people living here mostly retain their long-lasting
lifestyle. The unchanged way of life from ancient days is hard to
maintain in the modern world, however it should be said that there is
no way for urbanization to occur in these areas. Moreover, only a
handful of tourist agencies can visit this remote area. The reason Sin
Ho is regarded as the richest mountain market in the northwest
province, is because anybody who is courageous enough to visit the area
is rewarded with the fortune of visiting. This does nothing to limit
the bright motley colours of traditional clothes of various ethics such
as the Green H'mong, the Black H'mong, the White H'mong, the Dzao Dau Bang, and the Lu.
Sin Ho market
lasts till late in the afternoon but due to a long hard road down the
mountain, we need to prepare lunch and equipment for the trip. When
arriving at the foot of the mountain we will ride along Nam Na River to
Pa So. After climbing Hong Thu Man pass, home of the Dzao Khau and the H'mong people, we will reach Tam Duong, a small town surrounding by brilliant tea fields and a tapestry of green mountain ranges.
Standard Hotel in Tam Duong.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, permits, and entrance fees.
Day 7: Tam Duong - Sapa. 70 km, ~2 hrs.
This morning finds us on the road for the 50km ride to the village of Lu
ethnic minority whose origin comes from Lao. We’ll have a chance to see
beautiful stilt houses and girls who blacken the teeth and have a
seductive smile. After that we have to cross the Muong Kim River back to National Highway 4D to travel to Sapa.
We will enjoy a picnic lunch at the top of Tram Ton Pass,
the most beautiful one in Sapa. In the afternoon we are free to explore
Sapa, which is usually engulfed by clouds. After enjoying an Artichaux
cup of tea, a special drink from Sapa, we embark on a walk to discover
this charming town and get acquainted with the host people who are the
soul of this area.
Sapa was founded in the early years of the
last century as a hill resort for the French administration at the
time. It soon became famous in Indochina for its ideal climate. Nowadays, Sapa’s breathtaking scenery is some of the best in Asia.
Standard hotel in Sapa.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, permits, and entrance fees.
Day 8: Sapa - Muong Hum - Lao Cai, night train to Hanoi. 100 km, ~4-6 hrs.
While
Sapa is characterized with the beauty of European architecture, the
path to Muong Hum is absolutely different from the scenic beauty of
Sapa. This road passes through many neglected villages and tracks.
During the rainy season, no one dares to ride the muddy and slippery
road off the highway. Despite its close link to Sapa, this road
receives very few visitors.
This road was newly upgraded and
sealeded in 2004 but the journey of 100 km on this road is a tad
difficult. However, it is definitely worthwile as the scenery is
breathtaking. Moreover, on the way back to Lao Cai, you will ride along
the Red River which forms the natural border between Vietnam and China and enjoy a visit to Lao Cai, the international border town with China. Dinner in a restaurant en route to Hanoi and arrive back in Hanoi by 5.30am.
Over night in night train to transfer to Hanoi.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, permits, and entrance fees.
COST:
Khanh
Sinh Tours organizes only all-inclusive full package
motorcycle,motorbike,motorbiking and adventure tours. The only
exception is at the request of the travellers when they want to upgrade
their accommodation for something more luxurious.
* Inclussive:
- Motorbike Minsk, all fuel;
- Tour guide / Translator;
- Motorbiking protective pants, jacket, gloves, helmet, rain gear, and other safety equipments;
- Sleeping bags, mosquito nets, sheets, pillows and accommodations;
- Third party motorbike insurance;
- All food;
- All entrance fees, permits, tickets, boat trips, ferries, bamboo rafts, etc...
- Voyage Vietnam assistance throughout your trip;
- We also love to celebrate our guests' birthday... well any excuse for a celebration on the open road.
* Exclussive:
Personal expense (such as souvenirs), personal insurance, drinks, train or flight tickets, food and accommodation in Hanoi and tips are not included in our fee.
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Days: | >= 5 days |
Price: | N/A |
Start from: | Hanoi |
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