Tours - Su Pan 2 Trek + Free time

We have booked tickets with the Sapa Express and their limo bus. The bus is well appointed and well kept. There are timely stops for restroom breaks as well as food. The bus takes us directly to Sapa and we get there around 13:30. We need to be this early to avoid the local rush hour.

We stop to get lunch at a local restaurant called the Red Dao. The food is ethnic style local cousine and the menu changes daily as the menu is depending on what local food is available. It’s all very delicious and fun. We have a car to take us out of Sapa town and on to the start of our trek! Y Linh Ho is only 10 minutes away.

Y Ling Ho - famous for being the village with the most rice terraces in the whole valley. We may bump in to some locals who are interested to know who is in their village.

San Sa Ho is a lovely village known for its rice terraces. If you look up you can see the Fansipan cable car! We see the Muong Hoa river below.

Headed to Lao Chai we see the valley below again - this time the rice terraces are not so steep. Then we go to a Hmong family who will show us how they make traditional clothing. Our traditional clothing is made from hemp which you have seen growing along the way - depending on season of course. We stay with the family at their house for about 1/2 hr before heading to the next stop.

Arriving in Ta Van and staying at the lovely homestay of Mrs Yen of the Zay tribe. We have a little time before supper to explore the nearby Ta Van village which is highly recommended.

Supper and Mrs Yen loves cooking, so there will be plenty of food available. It’s quite a family atmosphere there and many other tour guides like to stop in to have chat with her.

Mrs Yen won’t let us leave on an empty stomach, so breakfast is a choice of French pancakes or a local food breakfast with tea and coffee of course. After breakfast we head for Giang Ta Chai.

To get there, we must travel though the bamboo forest. Access is via a small footpath that leads up from the village. When the footpath ends we cross the tops of some rice terraces. If it’s harvest season we may chat to a farmer, if you are interested we can even help out for a bit & learn some farming! We then ascend some more into the forest. The forest is alive with birdsong. There is the sound of running water too if it has been raining recently.

We exit the forest & find ourselves at a lovely waterfall. We stop to take some photos. The waterfall is nearly 100m from the very top. It is possible to swim in the pool at the top if there is enough water. We can talk with some locals here if you wish - the locals love to talk. To cross the Muong Hoa river we must do a little “rock hopping”.

In Giang Ta Chai have a choice of 2 locations for lunch. Either with Cam, a local or having a picnic. Lunch is Vietnamese style - pork / chicken, steamed rice / noodles, spring rolls. All freshly made and very delicious.

Hugging the river (Giang Ta Chai is on both sides of the river) we travel heading towards Su Pan 2. On the way we see some homes of the Red Dao. If you wish, we can stay to a chat & find out about their way of life. Continuing our journey we find a narrow path that takes us through a 2nd smaller bamboo forest. We then ascend the valley to get to our final stop - Su Pan 2. This takes about an hour from valley floor to the village.

Alas now its the end of the trek part of the tour and we have arrived in Su Pan 2. We will now take you by car back to the homestay in Ta Van.

Arriving in Ta Van and back at our favourite homestay. You have the rest of the day to explore the lovely village. Supper is in 2.5hrs time.

Supper is served. Local food options. The spring rolls are highly recommended if you have not already tried.

Breakfast is a choice of French pancakes (crepes) or a local food breakfast with tea and coffee of course. Lunch is available if you wish at the homestay. Most people eat out though on their “day off” somewhere in the centre of the village.

You have the whole day to yourself to do whatever you wish. There are many lovely coffee shops nearby to pass the hours, enjoying the beautiful views of the valley, reading a book or whatever it is you like to do to unwind.

Supper is served at the homestay. Local food options as per usual.

Breakfast is a choice of French pancakes (crepes) or a local food breakfast with tea and coffee of course. Lunch is available if you wish at the homestay.

You have the whole morning to yourself to do whatever you wish. If you have not done so already, it’s recommended to check out the locations by the Muong Hoa River. They really are quite nice. If you want any recommendations - just ask!

Lunch is served at the homestay. Our last chance to sample the lovely food and say our goodbyes.

A car takes us to the Sapa Express pickup point. Where we wait for the bus. The bus company uses their offices as the pickup point.

We have booked the return back to Hanoi on the same limo bus & again the route is direct to Old Quarter. There are timely stops for restroom breaks as well as food.

Arriving in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, alas this is the end of the package tour. We hope you had a lovely time and that you remember us when you are thinking of your next holiday.