Mountain and Hill Tribes of Northwest 10days, northwest northeastVietnam Overland,Vietnam adventure travel,Vietnam Adventure Tours

MOUNTAIN AND HILL TRIBES OF NORTHWEST
Itinerary in brief
Day 1: Saturday, Hanoi - Mai Chau
Day 2: Sunday, Mai Chau - Son La
Day 3: Monday, Son La - Dien Bien Phu - Lai Chau
Day 4: Tuesday, Lai Chau - Tam Duong
Day 5: Wednesday, Tam Duong trekking
Day 6: Thursday, Tam Duong - Sapa
Day 7: Friday, Trekking in Sapa
Day 8: Saturday, Sapa - Bac Ha
Day 9: Sunday, Bac Ha - Thac Ba Lake
Day 10: Monday, Thac Ba Lake - Hanoi


Detail Itinerary
Day 1: Saturday, Hanoi - Mai Chau (D)
Our tour guide picks you up at your hotel in Hanoi and drives you to
Mai Chau. During the trip we enter the dramatic northern mountainous
area where you will be overwhelmed by sublime beauty and serenity. In
Hoa Binh we will make a stop to make an interesting boat trip on the
Da River where we visit the Muong and the Dzao minorities.
We will continue our way up to Mai Chau, passing some magnificent
viewpoints, which offer you a panoramic view of the valley. In the
afternoon we arrive in Pom Koong, a village of the White Thai people
who inhabited the major part of the area. During the evening, we are
going to enjoy a traditional dance and drink Ruou Can, a local rice
wine.
We have dinner and spend the night in the houses of the native people,
which will be without a doubt an experience for life. Be prepared that
the living conditions are different from the ones you are accustomed
to at home. However, mattresses, blankets and mosquito-nets are
present for you.

Day 2: Sunday, Mai Chau - Son La (B)
Waken up by the chickens and roasters of the village in the early
morning. After a by our host prepared breakfast we are going to walk
around town to experience the true essence of daily life of the local
people. Later this morning we will continue our trip by car and drive
towards Son La. We plan to make a stop at the tea plantation of Moc
Chau and have a tea break with the H'mong tribe. During our way we
also visit some Black Thai villages and make a little promenade over
the amazing by hand-made bridges.
After arrival in Son La Town we visit the impressive Colonial Prison.
We spend the night in a hotel.

Day 3: Monday, Son La - Dien Bien Phu - Lai Chau (B)
The road we follow today is spectacular as we climb the Pha Din Pass ,
known as the second highest and longest pass of Vietnam with an
altitude of 1,500 m. The view is breathtaking and magnificent. At the
middle pass, we visit a multi-ethnic primary school and a village of
the White H'mong hill tribe where children in colorful traditional
clothing welcome us with warm smiles. In Dien Bien Phu , we visit
famous sites of the Indochina War led by the French in 1954, such as
De Castrie PC, the War museum and Elliane Hill. After lunch in a local
restaurant we continue our way to Lai Chau and notice the ‘Red H'mong
girls with big hair’ on the side of the road. Lai Chau is our
overnight stop for today. It will not take long before this town will
be completely disappeared. A large dam is planned to be open between
now and some years.

Day 4: Tuesday, Lai Chau - Tam Duong (B)
The picturesque road from Lai Chau to Tam Duong goes along the Chinese
Border and the Nam Na River. We visit some Black Thai villages, which
are famous because of their wooden houses on piles. During the way we
cross a footbridge leading us to Kh'Mu Village, an important hill-
tribe similar to the Lao people in terms of language and traditions.
Before arrival in Tam Duong, a stop at Man Tien Village is scheduled.
We spend the night in a guest-house in Tam Duong.

Day 5: Wednesday, Tam Duong trekking (B)
Tam Duong is a frontier town situated in a beautiful valley between
limestone rocks. This place is the home of many hill tribes such as
the H'Mong, Man Tien, Lu and Cu Chu people. Authentic in lifestyle and
colorful in costumes, most of the tribes were emigrated from South
China during the 17th - 18th century. A full day of trekking through
their villages, hidden behind mountains and hills, enables us to learn
how self-sufficient life is. A picnic is prepared for lunch. We will
continue our trip with visiting a home-run tea factory as the area is
famous for its tea plantation. Also this night is spent in the Tam
Duong guest-house.

Day 6: Thursday, Tam Duong - Sapa (B)
This morning we are going to visit the Tam Duong Multi-Ethnic Market,
an ideal place to meet local people. Ethnic groups from every part of
the region come here to exchange their agricultural and handicraft
products. After this interesting experience of interacting with the
local people, we make a promenade to Pa Pe, a village of the Lu
minority. The people here are famous because of their black teeth.
When girls have the age of 10 they have to chew a certain type of
plant (growing in the woods) which causes black moisture upon the
teeth. Having black teeth is considered as a symbol of beauty in this
tribe. After this amazing visit we continue our way to Sapa. Stop at
Tram Ton Pass -the highest pass in Vietnam , 1900m, view the heaven
gate and large valley and nice Silver Waterfall. We come higher and
higher in altitude as we reach Sapa where we spend the night in a
hotel.

Day 7: Friday, Trekking in Sapa (B)
Sapa is not only an ideal place for retreat with its moderate climate,
it is also a place of cultural value and breathtaking mountainous
scenery. The town of Sapa is inhabited by colorful hill tribes, which
are based on the foot of Fan Xi Pan Mount and other surrounding
valleys. Here we spend our whole day trekking around the river of Sapa
Valley, crossing suspension bridges and witnessing green rice
terraces. During our trek we will again be exposed to local life and
the daily activities. We trek up and down and through bamboo forest,
see three different ethnic minorities until we stop at a nice
waterfall in GiangTaChai Village of the Red-Dzao to spend the night in
the house of a local family.

Day 8: Saturday, Sapa - Bac Ha (B)
We continue our walk to the village of SuPan where we will be picked
up by our driver who brings us to Bac Ha. During this ride we pass the
Chinese border (Lao Cai) where you can get a glimpse of the Chinese
town of Hekou , and visit a nice temple there, located just at the
other side of the Red River . Bac Ha is situated in the highlands and
is mostly populated by the beautifully dressed Flower H'mong minority
(famous for its multi-ethnic market). The environment is paved with
plum trees. If you visit the town in spring you will be overwhelmed by
the beauty of the white plum blossom. We spend the night in a hotel in
Bac Ha.

Day 9: Sunday, Bac Ha - Thac Ba Lake (B, L, D)
From the early morning, thousands of people of different minorities
from every corner of the area flock out to Bac Ha for their weekly
most important activity, Bac Ha Sunday Market. Living in the high and
remote mountains, these people consider the Sunday Market as a good
chance to go out, meet people, drink alcohol and exchange their handy-
made products. We will see a lot of hill tribes in colorful dressing
participating in this colorful melting point.
We continue our drive to Thac Ba Lake . This night we stay with our
friendly host in his beautifully constructed stilts house at the lake
side.

Day 10: Monday, Thac Ba Lake - Hanoi (B)
Thac Ba is the biggest man-made lake in Vietnam and captivates
travelers with its incredible authentic beauty and more than 300
islets under lush vegetation. We participate on a boat trip and visit
some Dzao and Tay villages. After lunch in a local restaurant we will
return to Hanoi .

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