Vietnam Soft Adventure Tour 12 Days |
HANOI / SAPA Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport: chauffeured transfer to hotel for time to refresh, then tour Old Quarter by cyclo, take in a performance of water puppetry, and enjoy a welcome dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant in a restored French villa. Day 2: Explore the traditional pottery-producing village of Bat Trang, see traditional woodblock prints made at Dong Ho Village, and visit Tam Tao Village for a performance of quan ho singing, free evening in Hanoi, then board night train to Lao Cai. Day 3: Day 4: Breakfast in the village, trek to the area’s only White Hmong village Nam Than, later have lunch in a house of the Red Dao, afternoon trek through gorgeous scenery of mountains and waterfalls, overnight in stilt-house back in Thanh Phu Village. Day 5: Today trek to meet the Sa Pho, one of Vietnam’s smallest ethnic groups, lunch at a school in a Red Dao village, descend to Ban Ho Village for a break at a waterfall, and meet vehicle for transfer to Lao Cai Station to board night train to Hanoi. Note: Trekking difficulty rated 2 to 3 out of 5, expect 5-6hrs walking each day, route subject to change according to weather conditions. PHONG NHA / DONG HOI Day 6: Day 7: After 2hr drive to Tan Hoa Village, walk to visit Hung Ton Cave, picnic lunch by waterfall, continue trekking to reach Tu Lan Cave, set up camp at entrance and explore the cave, with underground river and waterfall, dinner and overnight at camp. Day 8: Day 9: Visit forest-clad limestone formations of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, enter Phong Nha Cave itself to view large formations and a network of passageways and underground rivers, transfer back to Dong Hoi to board overnight train to Hanoi. HA NOI / HA LONG BAY Day 10: Arrive early in Hanoi, transfer to hotel with time to refresh yourself, drive to UNESCO World Heritage area Halong Bay, board wooden junk to cruise past limestone karst islands, visit Bai Tu Long Bay, go swimming and kayaking, overnight on board. Day 11: Wake to swim in the bay or soak up some rays on the sundeck, explore floating fishing village by rowboat and visit hidden lagoon, tour Pearl Farm, return to dock around noon for transfer back to Hanoi, free evening and overnight in Hanoi. Day 12: Free time in Hanoi until time for transfer to airport for your departing flight. The prices for this sample tour are per person in US dollars These prices are valid until 31 October, 2018. Please note that bank transfer fees are not included.
* ‘Single room occupancy’ refers to the accommodation element of the programme only, and applies to someone who is travelling with others but requires an additional room for him or herself. Single traveller prices are available on request. Inclusions in brief:
Exclusions in brief
HOTEL LIST FOR MID-RANGE STANDARD:
Please note that Vietnam hotels do not recognise provisional reservations, so specific hotels cannot be guaranteed until you have booked your chosen tour. As many of the better hotels are often full during the October to April peak season, early booking is advisable. |
Take on 3 days of trekking past emerald rice fields and minority villages of stilt houses in the rugged mountains around Sapa in northwest Vietnam. Then throw a curveball into your trekking routine with some cave exploration and jungle adventure in the wild areas around Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park. Finally, sit back for a relaxing cruise of island-studded Halong Bay, with opportunities for kayaking, swimming and memory-making. All this, together with a tour around the capital city Hanoi, and you have an adventure that everyone is up for.
Arrive early in Lao Cai to be driven to Sapa, after time to refresh at your hotel, drive out to begin your trek from Thanh Kim down across Thanh Phu Suspension Bridge, lunch in scenic valley and homestay in Red Dao minority village.
Arrive early in Hanoi, transfer to hotel to refresh, later, transfer to airport for afternoon flight to Dong Hoi, transfer to Phong Nha Reception Centre, after instruction, paddle to visit Tram Village, return to entrance for BBQ dinner and transfer to your hotel. 
After breakfast, visit recently discovered Hang Kim Cave with waterfall and climbing fish, trek to explore Tu Lan Cave, return to Tan Hoa Village for lunch and transfer back to hotel in Phong Nha for the night. 
