Tours - Ban Ho 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.

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 at Giang Ta Chai and 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.

We travel heading further down the valley. 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. We cross the river at the lower bridge of Giang Ta Chai and this then leads us to ascend the valley to get to our final stop - Su Pan 2.

In Su Pan 2 Lunch is Vietnamese style - pork / chicken, steamed rice / noodles, spring rolls. All freshly made and very delicious. We break for an hour to eat and chat.

Our final trek of the afternoon takes us to Ban Ho some 2.5hrs of trekking. Thankfully it’s all downhill as Ban Ho is in the next part of the valley much lower down. Along the way we see the steep sides rice terraces and the corn fields on gradients so steep a Land Rover would struggle.

Arriving at our homestay of Mr Thien for the night. The Black Tay house is a stilts house and is quite different to that of the Hmong. Instead of exploring the village we can go to the hot springs near by for a few hours!

Mr Thien’s wife does the cooking and wow she is impressive. Food is with a Black Tay twist, I have to say I love her cooking so much, everything is recommended.

Breakfast is a choice of French pancakes (crepes) or a local food breakfast with tea and coffee of course.

We head off to go trekking to Nam Toong, the furtherest any of our tours go down the valley some 4km away. The road is typical being single track 2m wide concrete. It is in fair condition and pretty easy to trek along. On the sides of the road we can see more of the farming of the region as well as the other things they grow here unique to this area.

Arriving in Nam Toong we stop to check out this beautiful village. The village is quite isolated so the Red Dao people are welcoming to visitors. We stay for around an hour, taking photos and chatting with locals before setting off.

These parts are remote and there is only one way in and out. So we head back to Ban Ho 4km away.

Our last meal of the tour and a chance to talk about our adventures. Lunch is at the homestay we were at before. This will be the last time to taste Mrs Thien’s cooking, so don’t fill up on the bread! We have an hour to eat, chat and be merry.

Ban Ho marks the end of the trekking tour. Now is time to relax so we have 1.5 days in Ta Van. We take you there by car.

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

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.