Night 1
We transfer to the railway station and catch the 10:00pm night train to Lao Cai, enjoying the comfort of a soft sleeper with air-con.

Day 1
We transfer by bus up the mountain road to Sapa, where we stop for breakfast before gearing up for the ride. It's a tough climb out of Sapa to Heaven's gate, so our support vehicle will transfer us to a starting point at the ‘Silver Waterfall'. Then it's a 3Km climb up the highest mountain pass in Indochina where we stop to marvel at the spectacular view of the ‘Tonkinese Alps' before free-wheeling down more than 25km to Binh Lu Junction. Heading off the main road, we continue to Than Thuoc, a charming little tea town where we stay in a local guesthouse.

Day 2
After breakfast, the support vehicle will transfer us up a steep mountain pass to the starting point where we glide down to Than Uyen through valleys where the old growth forest, tea plantations and verdant rice paddies are all around. After lunch in Than Uyen, we have a wonderful afternoon exploring single track trails to visit local minority villages, including the interesting Lu people with their distinctively black teeth. We return to Than Uyen for dinner and overnight in a local guesthouse.

Day 3
After a hearty breakfast, we ride around the other side of the stunning Muong Kim valley with time for lots of stops to take pictures of the local hilltribe people and the stunning scenery here. We arrive in Van Ban for a late lunch then hop on the bus back to Lao Cai. We can shower in Lao Cai before sitting down to dinner. We board the night train back to Hanoi, where the tour ends.