Day 1: Hanoi
You’ll be greeted at the Airport and transferred downtown to check into your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you may have time to explore a little of downtown and enjoy a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake. Overnight in hotel.

Day 2: City Tour of Hanoi
On this insightful day exploring Hanoi’s busy tree lined boulevards, we explore such interesting historic sites as The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum, One pillar pagoda and Temple of Literature. This amazing three-hour cyclo tour of the historic 36 street Old Quarter is both a shoppers and photographers delight as the streets are alive with stalls and vendors making and selling everything imaginable. In the evening, we transfer by minibus to the railway station to catch the night train to Lao Cai.

Day 3: Sapa Trek and Homestay
We travel by minibus up the stunning mountain range sculpted with tiered rice terraces to the town of Sapa nestled at 1632 meters. After checking into the hotel we have free time to explore the town and its great market. After lunch, we take a three-hour easy trek down the stunning valley to Ta Van Village (Dzao hill tribe). Tonight, we enjoy a homestay in Ta Van Village with our Dzao hosts.

Day 4: Sapa Trekking
Today, we have a full day’s trekking with visits to local villages, getting to see more of the colourful Dzao hill tribe, on a route that passes through bamboo forest. We take a picnic lunch by the stream. We overnight in Ban Ho Village in the home of a Tay hill tribe family.

Day 5: Sapa Trekking
This morning, we have a short trek to the dirt road for the jeep ride back to Sapa, where we check into the hotel. The afternoon is free to explore Sapa town and the great shopping in the market. Have a good night’s sleep before embarking on a mountain biking adventure.

Day 6: Mountain Biking around Bac Ha
We depart Sapa early at 4.30am to Lao Cai for breakfast. We continue to drive through the steep Bac Ha mountains to Can Cau, where we take in this remote market. We continue to a Hmong village where we will start cycling a single track and dirt road through local villages along a high country plateau. The last 10km is an easy down hill on tar road back to Bac Ha town. Overnight in a local hotel.

Day 7: Bac Ha Market and more mountain biking
Get the camera ready for the famous Bac Ha market. The sights, sounds and smells in this bustling hill tribe market are a barrage for the senses! Be sure to try the local corn whisky! After lunch at the hotel, we cycle 12km on a loop through the neighborhoods of the town. The ride starts with a climb on tar road, then hits a single-track dirt road winding through plum orchards, rice fields, passing local homes and inhabitants. We ride back to the hotel for a quick shower then transfer to Lao Cai to board the night train back to Hanoi.

Day 8: Exploring Hanoi
We arrive back in Hanoi at 4.30 am and check into the hotel. Enjoy this free day to relax and recover from the journey north. We leave lots of time to explore more of Hanoi and pick up some of those last minute souvenirs. Overnight in hotel.

Day 9: Sea Kayaking Halong Bay
We leave Hanoi for Haiphong where we take breakfast before boarding the express boat to Cat Ba Island. We arrive in Cat Ba and cruise to our beach base camp. We enjoy a lunch of fresh seafood and get ready for an afternoon of exploration by kayak. Our guide will give us full instruction on the gear and safety equipment before we start paddling the calm, emerald waters of Halong Bay. We return to the base camp for a great dinner then overnight in a cozy hut on the beach.

Day 10: Sea Kayaking Halong Bay
We spend the whole day paddling and exploring the bay at our own pace, having a closer look at the amazing karsts. We explore some of the many caves that lead to stunning lagoons, paddle to some floating villages to see this unique way of life, and stop to chill out at one of the many beaches here. We will be met by a support boat for lunch before we continue paddling in the afternoon. We cruise back to the base camp for dinner. Another relaxing night at the base camp.

Day 11: Return to Hanoi
We explore a little bit more of the bay before having lunch. We cruise back to the island, where we have free time to see the floating village and market. In the afternoon, we take the express boat and then bus back to Hanoi. Overnight in Hotel

Day 12: Depart from Hanoi
Today, we'll take you from the hotel out to the airport to see you safely on your journey home!