DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1 : Friday: Arrive Hanoi - Lao Cai ( D ) (Train) 
Pick up at your hotel in Hanoi. Catch an overnight train (about 9 hours) to Lao Cai, 346 km to the northwest. Lao Cai is the last station in Vietnam on the French built train line toYunnan, China. Overnight on the train.

Summary
Transfer hotel – railway station: AC vehicle
Accommodation: Soft sleeper in AC cabin

Day 2 : Lao Cai - Sapa -Laochai -Tavan (1600m) (B,L,D). 
Arrive early morning in Lao Cai and transfer by minibus to Sapa.  All day trekking to visit some minority villages. Lao Chai - TaVan - GiangTaChai. You will meet some different minority people H’mong, Zay, Red Dzao, you can see the different colorful dresses.Free time to visit Sapa market. Overnight at  hotel in Sapa.  

Summary
Transfer Laocai – Sapa: 1 hr
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa
Activity: Free at leisure
Meals: Breakfast , Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 : Start the climb to the first camp (BLD). 

After breakfast in the hotel we will meet our support crew, who will carry all equipment, foods and our clothing. We will carry our day pack with water, jacket and camera only. Today we will begin the first part of our ascent with a trek through terraced rice paddies and some of the hilltribe villages. Setting out from Sapa we descend into the nearby village of Cat Cat and cross Muong Hoa River. Past the river we start our upward trek to reach an elevation of 1,700m where we will have lunch break.

In the afternoon we will continue trek to the first base camp at an elevation of 2,300 m. The terrain in the afternoon becomes steeper and more difficult as we trek through massive Arrowroot plantations and up steeper slopes surrounded by bamboo. Our camp for the evening will be in a very small clearing on the mountain enclosed by bamboo. Sleep in bamboo hut or tent.

Summary
Trekking: 7 hrs/ascend 2,300m from 1,600m (Sapa)
Accommodation: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Trek to the second base camp

Today we set out for a full day trek to the second base camp. As we continue on we will pass through primary forest containing giant, century old pine trees and expanses of bamboo. Our trek will take us to an altitude of 2,900m from this elevation we have a spectacular view across to the peak of Mt. Fansipan. After lunch we start climb down to an elevation of 2,700m. Our decent will be over large boulders, down a fairly steep slope. Our camp is on the mountain slope facing west, near a mountain stream. Dinner and overnight at the base camp.

Summary
Trekking: 7 hrs/ascend 2,900m/descend to 2,700m
Accommodation: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Trek to the summit and descend to the third base camp

Today is the summit day, we climb to the roof of Indochina: the peak of Mt. Fansipan. The final climb will takes around three hours though dense bamboo forest . Once at the summit we will spend sometime soaking up the best panorama in Vietnam. We then descend 2,700m for lunch.

In the afternoon we will descend to the third base camp where we spend the last night on mountain.

Summary
Trekking: 7 hrs/ascend 3,143m/descend 2,000m
Accommodation: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Back to Sapa. Night train to Hanoi

Today we trek downhill all the way. We will reach Sapa around lunch time. In the afternoon we will then be free to take shower and relax after the climb, In the late afternoon we will be transferred to the railway station for night train to back Hanoi.

Summary
Trekking: 4 hrs/descend 1,600m (Sapa)
Accommodation: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Arrive Hanoi at 5h00 Am. End tour.

Accommodation applying in this trip: ( click to see )

Tour Cost includes:

• Train: (Soft-sleeper) Hanoi-Lao Cai - Hanoi.
• Full transportation as tour program indicated. 
• Twin-share accommodation with daily breakfast; 
• 1/2 day hotel on day 1. 
• Permission fee to visit Fansifand summit. 
• Full meals as indicated in the itinerary. 
• English- speaking guide 
• Sightseeing fees 
• Porters, camps for trekking. 

Equipment that you should bring

The only thing you should bring yourself is a pair of good walking-boots, or another kind of solid foot-wear. You should have tried them out beforehand, and know that you can walk in them all through the day !

Recommended equipment :

• 2 pairs of thick socks ( for use in the walking-boots)
• Sandals or light footwear ( for use in the evening )
• Sun-cream (with a high factor ; 10-20 )
• Mosquito repellent
• Hat or cap, with a shade
• Bathing suit
• Medicine for your own use (fever, bad stomach etc.)
• 1 warm jacket (fleece-jacket etc.,- for the evenings)
• 1 sweat-shirt
• 1-2 pair of long trousers (loose,- for your comfort)
• 1 pair of short trousers ( for warm days)
• 2 –3 shirts, or T-shirts
• Socks (for use in the evenings, and against mosquitoes)
• Underwear (for the women : also a Bra !)
• Towel
• Toilet requisites

NB : The personal baggage you bring on the trek, should not exceed approx. 10-12 kg, and should preferably be packed in ordinary plastic-bags that fit easily into the soft, barrel-shaped, watertight Blue bag. This bag will only contain your baggage and your sleeping-bag

All your personal baggage in the Blue bag will be carried by the porters. You shall only carry a small rucksack with the things you need during the day (camera, water-bottle etc.)

Equipment we supply :

• Sleeping bag
• Sheet sleeping bag (silk)
• Sleeping mats
• Rucksack
• Waterproof Blue bag (for your baggage)
• Plastic rain coat
• Torch / flashlight
• Water-bottle
• Water-filters (to purify drinking-water)
• Cooking-gear
• Plates, cups, forks, knives, spoons, and chop-sticks
• Tents (incl. Mosquito-net)
• First-aid kit

Tour Cost excludes:
Airport taxes; Visas; travel insurance; tips; personal expenses, emergency transfers.