Sapa adventure 4 days: Pha Long Market and Cao Son Retreat

Please, be ready at your hotel lobby at 20.00 for a short transfer to Hanoi railways station for taking the overnight train (first class 4 beds cabin with air-condition) which arrive in Lao Cai city, near the Chinese border next morning.

Overnight on train

If trains are unavailable, you will be picked up at your hotel in time to catch the 10PM sleeper cabin bus to Lao Cai and return to Hanoi by Limousine bus arriving at about 3PM.

Meet your local guide and driver at Lao Cai Station upon your arrival, freshen up and enjoy Breakfast before heading north overland 55km to Muong Khuong and turn right for 25km along the Chinese border line to Pha Long Market. This very rural market is not very famous among tourists because of poor transportation and special government permission but really fascinating one for its special festive atmosphere. Joining local tribal peoples you will spend some hours at the market place where all local products and farming tools as well as Chinese cheap consumer goods can be seen for sales. But more than that, you can see and even contact friendly and cheerful minority peoples of different tribal groups in their colorful traditional dresses who come from remote villages mainly for enjoying meeting others for socializing.

After the market, we shall drive back to Muong Khuong for Lunch and continue along the country road along the Chay River and later arrive in Cao Son village which nested in the green color of the mountains, forest and rice paddies. Check in the Eco Lodge and enjoy for free time to discover the beautiful surrounding nature.

• Accommodation: Cao Son Ecolodge or homestay

Today plan is for walking to explore tribal villages around Cao Son. From the Eco Lodge you will follow quiet village foot path up and down hill through valley and plump fruit gardens passing some villages of the Nung and later to Lung Sen a large village of the Flower H’mong which featured with spacious houses built with earthen walled. After many home visiting you will enjoy Lunch in the village. The walk continue in the afternoon for few hours passing a beautifully green valley of rice and corn fields to visit

village before getting back to the Lodge. 

• Accommodation: Cao Son Ecolodge or homestay

After breakfast, you will leave the Cao Son Lodge for a drive along a tough country road to Coc Ly during which enjoying visit to some small villages of the black Zao beautifully set on the west bank of the Chay River. Boarding a boat in Coc Ly at noon you will cruise down stream to explore local life in villages along the Chay River. At Trung Do Village you will spend an hour to visit this well organized Village of the Tay peoples with almost nearly a hundred houses built on stilt in a traditional style. The boat trip ends in Bao Nhai where the car and driver waiting for us for a drive to Lao Cai station with some stops along the way for seeing tea plantations. Getting to bus Station at about 15.00 to be back Hanoi and Arrive in Hanoi at about 22:00.