05 DAYS SAPA AND SURROUNDING HILLS WITH HILL TRIBE MARKETS WITH LOCAL TRAIN

05 DAYS SAPA AND SURROUNDING HILLS WITH HILL TRIBE MARKETS WITH LOCAL TRAIN
Private tour (HANSPNHTKL05): Departure on Saturday from Hanoi with local English-speaking guides (other language speaking guides at surcharge) 

HANOI – NIGHT TRAIN TO LAO CAI (-/-/-)

Saturday 20:00 hrs pick up at hotel in Hanoi and transfer to Hanoi train station.

Overnight trip to Lao Cai in shared sleeping compartments of a local train (2 lower & 2 upper berths per compartment). Train departs approx. 21:15 hrs.
Notes:
Train schedule is subject to change.
Private compartments on request at surcharge.
Train journeys are part of a great local experience. Cabins are shared with other local passengers (unless private cabin is requested and all berths paid for - with supplement). Restrooms at either end of the carriages complete the local experience.

Meals included: None

LAO CAI – MUONG KHUONG – SAPA (B/L/-)

Sunday Early morning (approx. 06:00 hrs) arrival at Lao Cai, the border town to Yunnan, China. Transfer to local restaurant for refreshment & breakfast.

A 2-hour drive through scenic mountain areas brings you to Muong Khuong, a small settlement bordering China's Yunnan province. Every Sunday the otherwise sleepy town is transformed into a bustling place full with various ethnic minorities. Here visitors can meet more of Lao Cai’s colourful Flower H’mong people, plus Nung, Dzao Tuyen, Tu Di and a number of other ethnic minority groups such as the Thu Lao, the Pa Di, the La Chi and the highly-photogenic Lo Lo.

Drive back to Lao Cai. Have lunch at a local restaurant and then enjoy the 38 km drive on winding mountain road brings you to Sapa.

Alternatively, visit the Bac Ha Market (Sunday only). Depart for the highland town of Bac Ha where you can wander through the district market, considered one of the most colourful ethnic markets in the Northwest. A weekly rendezvous for the locals and men folks can often be seen wending their merry way home at the end of a day at the market.

Accommodation at a hotel in Sapa
Meals included: Breakfast
Lunch

SAPA – LAO CHAI – TA PHIN (B/L/-)

Monday In the morning, drive from Sapa town down to Lao Chai village. Views of the Muong Hoa Valley and magnificent surroundings of mountains and rice terrace fields can be seen from this road. Along the road, people from many ethnic minority groups (H’mong, Zay, and Red Dao) are likely to be met, and there are stalls along the way that serve tea, fruits and sweets.
Soon after turning off the main road and taking a local path, we will arrive in the Black H’mong village of Lao Chai, where you will experience the daily life of the villagers. Continue walking from Lao Chai to Ta Van village, where the Zay hill tribes live. Here you take a rest and enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by your local guide in a local house.
After lunch, continue walking to the meeting point for your transfer back to Sapa town.
In the afternoon, take a 6-km drive to Ta Phin village. There you can meet Red Dao people, the most colourful people in Sapa and who are famous for their weaving skills. Walk around Ta Phin village where the 2 ethnic groups, Black Hmong and Red Dao minorities, live their own way with no cultural mixture. Experience how different they are in many ways by visiting their house and interact with the locals.

Accommodation at a hotel in Sapa

Meals included: Breakfast at hotel
Picnic lunch

SAPA – COC LY MARKET – LAO CAI – OVERNIGHT TRAIN TO HANOI (B/L/-)
Tuesday Check out of the hotel and depart for Coc Ly tribal market. Coc Ly market takes place every Tuesday and is one of the rare mountain markets gathering on weekdays. You will have chance to meet H’mong and Dzao ethnic minority people in their colourful costumes.
Take a boat trip downstream on Chay River with a picnic lunch. Enjoy scenic views from the river and trek to visit villages of Dzao and Tay minorities on the way. Disembark and drive back to Lao Cai. Explore the Lao Cai Market, then transfer to train station, where you will board the overnight local train to Hanoi.
Notes:
Train schedule is subject to change.
Private compartments on request at surcharge.
Train journeys are part of a great local experience. Cabins are shared with other local passengers (unless private cabin is requested and all berths paid for - with supplement). Restrooms at either end of the carriages complete the local experience.

Meals included: Breakfast
Lunch

HANOI  (-/-/-)
Wednesday Early morning arrival in Hanoi. Transfer to your hotel (accommodation in Hanoi is not included) or to Hanoi / Noi Bai International Airport at surcharge.

Meals included: None
“WE WISH YOU AN ENJOYABLE JOURNEY”

SPECIAL NOTE
Bring along - Light cotton dress / trousers
- Warm jacket (rain and wind)
- Mosquito repellent
- Good walking / hiking shoes
- A walking stick
- Sun hat / sun lotion
- Hand lotion
- Lip balm
Roads - Driving can be a challenge as roads can be bumpy or under construction
- Driving time depends on weather and road conditions – only rough estimates can be given
Reward - Stunning scenery
- Most colourful people and dresses

TOUR PRICE OUR PRICE IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING HOTELS
Deluxe Victoria Sapa Resort – Superior room (Sapa)
First Chau Long Hotel – ROH new wing room (Sapa)
Superior Bamboo Sapa Hotel – Deluxe room (Sapa)
Please contact us for rates based on different hotels.

TOUR PRICE

(*)  Child policy:
Discounted rates are applicable for 1 child (from 2 – 11 years of age) accompanied by 2 full-paying passengers (in other words, for every 2 full-paying participants 1 child is entitled to the special child rate).

OUR TOUR PRICES ARE INCLUSIVE OF
Accommodation in shared twin room with air-condition (AC) and private bathroom
Meals as stated in the programme B= breakfast, L= lunch, D= dinner
Transfers to/from Hanoi railway station with local English or French-speaking guides in private air-conditioned vehicles
Transfers and tours in Sapa with local English-speaking guide in private air-conditioned vehicle
All entrance fees and boat fees as mentioned in the programme
Local train ticket Hanoi – Lao Cai – Hanoi in shared compartment with 4 soft berths
Drinking water and cold towels available on the vehicles
NOT INCLUDED ARE
• Optional tours
• Surcharges for other language guides
• Surcharges for Lunar New Year (TET) holiday
• Personal travel insurance
• Personal expenditure, such as drinks, souvenirs, laundry, camera fees, communications, postage, gratuities etc.
• Meals and services other than mentioned in the programme
• Drinks with meals
• Compulsory gala dinners during festive seasons and peak season surcharges which will be advised at the time of booking
• Early check-in and late check-out at hotels, if not mentioned in the programme
CANCELLATIONSNS
• Refunds will not be given for unused or cancelled services after the tour arrangements have commenced.

• FIT (Individuals): Cancellation charges are calculated from the day the written notification is received by the company or agent as a percentage of the net total tour price as shown plus any surcharges (e.g. ticketed air sectors, other penalties imposed by suppliers such as hotels):
• Between 29- 21 days before departure:  According to the costs incurred will be charged
• Between 20 days and 15 days prior to departure: 25% of package price
• Between 14 days and 8 days prior to departure: 50% of package price
• Between 07 days and 2 days prior to departure: 75% of package price
• 1 day prior to departure or no show:   100% of package price

• GIT (Groups): Cancellation of tours due to minimum number of participants will be advised 6 weeks before departure of the tour; in which case Happy Go Travel will offer an alternative tour of a similar standard or a full refund. Cancellation policy for GIT bookings will be advised separately case by case.

• HOTEL ONLY
• Between 29- 21 days before departure:  no charge
• Between 20 days and 15 days prior to departure: 60% of accommodation price
• Between 14 days and 0 days prior to departure: 100% of accommodation price

• Certain Hotels impose stricter cancellation policies which will be advised separately.
PLEASE NOTE
• For air ticket reservations, we require the guests’ full names AS THEY APPEAR IN THEIR PASSPORTS. Airfares and reservations are always subject to change until paid in full and ticketed.
• Airfares are subject to increase without prior notice.
• Please be advised that prices will be adjusted periodically in case of fuel price increase by our suppliers.
• This is a quotation only and neither reservations for services nor hotel bookings have been made.
• Small deviations in the tour program are sometimes necessary, depending on weather, road conditions, flight schedules and room availability.
CONTACT INFORMATION OF HAPPY GO TRAVEL
HAPPY GO TRAVEL - HANOI HEAD OFFICE:
Address:  5th floor,  130F Thai Thinh str, Trung Liet, Dong Da,  Hanoi, Vietnam
Telephone during office hours:  +84 24 32 686 686; +84 24 32 898 898
Fax:  +84 24 32 171 783

EMERCENCY CONTACTS (ENGLISH AND GERMAN-SPEAKING)
Mobile: Mr. Thang (Managing Director) (+84) 934556056

IMPORTANT NOTICE
 Certain parts of the tours on offer are provided by independent third parties, such as airlines, hotels, transport operators and local tourist offices. Happy Go Travel is therefore not responsible for any loss, injury or damage caused thereby to the tourists, including those occurring outside of the normal touring programmes. Additional expenses incurred due to delay, accident, natural disaster, political actions and unrest shall be borne by the tourists.
 Programmes, prices, services and conditions are based on those valid at the time of proposal submission and are subject to change thereafter without advance notice until all services have been paid in full.
 We strongly advise to leave valuable items (money, passport, credit cards, jewellery, sensitive documents, laptop computer, etc.) in the hotel safe. During excursions and roundtrips, personal belongings, especially money and valuables should NEVER be left on vehicles, even during short breaks, and carried around at all times. Happy Go Travel is not responsible for any loss or theft.
 Vietnam being a developing country is in full process of upgrading its infrastructure. Therefore, driving overland can be cumbersome due to ongoing road constructions.

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