Charity trek in Vietnam, Hill Tribes
| country: | Vietnam |
| location: | Hill Tribes |
| departures: | 2010: 2 Sep |
| price: | From £495 (11 days) deposit + £3250 fundraised (55% to charity) inc UK flights. Self funders pay £495 deposit + £1563 (inc £100 to charity) |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Trek among the Vietnamese highlands and raise money for your favourite charity at the same time as taking part in an amazing adventure!
Highlights include:
Trek 75kms through N. Vietnam's mountainous region Visit indigenous village hill tribes Stay in local home-stays, camps and an eco-lodge Travel over night on the luxury Victoria Express train Explore Vietnam's capital Hanoi and its old town streets
Vietnam is a country filled with captivating natural beauty and tranquil village life. Its highlands continue to yield new species and team with exotic wildlife. Its islands and beaches are among the finest in all of Southeast Asia, and its cuisine is excellent. Vietnam borders Cambodia, Laos and China and stretches over 1,600kms along the eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula.
Your Sapa Hill Tribe Trek will start in the capital city Hanoi in the north. Having explored Hanoi and its stunning surroundings, you will head further north to Sapa on the luxury Victoria Express Train.
You will be trekking into one of the most densely populated hill tribe areas of the country with a natural, wild feel about the region. Sapa is a typical rugged northern Vietnamese area with lots of terraces, large rolling hills, deep valleys and rice fields. Your trek takes you along the best trails and off the beaten path. Unlike other treks passing over similar terrain this expedition has the essence of a challenge without the discomfort, making culture shock less ‘shocking’ and the enjoyment factor higher!
You will trek for up to 17kms a day, through local villages of Black H’mong, Red Dao, Tay & Sa Fo minority people experiencing first hand, their culture and tradition of thousands of years. Night times will be spent camping in valleys, staying in local home-stays and in the beautiful Ban Ho eco-lodge with is organic cuisines and vital atmosphere.
Please note: This trip can also be booked without flights. Some of the dates are exclusive for specific charities, please contact us for details.
Highlights include:
Vietnam is a country filled with captivating natural beauty and tranquil village life. Its highlands continue to yield new species and team with exotic wildlife. Its islands and beaches are among the finest in all of Southeast Asia, and its cuisine is excellent. Vietnam borders Cambodia, Laos and China and stretches over 1,600kms along the eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula.
Your Sapa Hill Tribe Trek will start in the capital city Hanoi in the north. Having explored Hanoi and its stunning surroundings, you will head further north to Sapa on the luxury Victoria Express Train.
You will be trekking into one of the most densely populated hill tribe areas of the country with a natural, wild feel about the region. Sapa is a typical rugged northern Vietnamese area with lots of terraces, large rolling hills, deep valleys and rice fields. Your trek takes you along the best trails and off the beaten path. Unlike other treks passing over similar terrain this expedition has the essence of a challenge without the discomfort, making culture shock less ‘shocking’ and the enjoyment factor higher!
You will trek for up to 17kms a day, through local villages of Black H’mong, Red Dao, Tay & Sa Fo minority people experiencing first hand, their culture and tradition of thousands of years. Night times will be spent camping in valleys, staying in local home-stays and in the beautiful Ban Ho eco-lodge with is organic cuisines and vital atmosphere.
what this trip includes
Your international flights to and from Vietnam, all meals and drinking water unless otherwise stated in the itinerary, all transfers, all accommodation, group first aid supplies, an English-speaking expedition leader and full local support team, a T-Shirt, US$20 to the local community project, and discount from Nomad Travellers Stores for personal equipment. We also make a contribution through Climate Care to offset the equivalent CO2 emissions of your international flight. Please note: This trip can also be booked without flights. Some of the dates are exclusive for specific charities, please contact us for details.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | International Departure. Meet at UK airport check-in desk for the overnight flight to Hanoi. Our airport rep will be there to assist you with the check-in and any last minute questions. |
| Day 2: | Hanoi Walking Tour. This morning you arrive in Hanoi and transfer (45mins) to your hotel. You have the rest of the day at your leisure to rest and relax after your long journey. Alternatively you can enjoy a short walking tour with your expedition leader to explore the incredible Old Quarter and charming lakes of Hanoi, (be sure to bring your camera!). Hanoi's enchanting Old Quarter is rich with over a thousand years of history. This evening you will have a general briefing on the expedition ahead and a fantastic welcome dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight in a hotel in Hanoi. |
| Day 3: | Hanoi Sightseeing. Overnight Train to Lao Cai. This morning you will explore the colonial city of Hanoi. Take part in the early morning exercises with the locals around Hoan Kiem Lake - a must for the more active! After breakfast, you will visit the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh and then drive on to the Museum of Ethnology to visit the final resting place of president Ho Chi Minh; his old residence and One Pillar Pagoda. Lunch will give you the opportunity to sample a typical noodle soup dish. In the afternoon you will take a guided walk to some of Hanoi’s hidden markets and old streets or enjoy free time. In the evening your guide will meet you at your hotel in Hanoi and transfer with you to Hanoi Railway Station to board the luxury Victoria Express Train to Lao Cai (2200hrs). Overnight on board the train. |
| Day 4: | Lao Cai to Sapa through Ma Tra & Ta Phin Villages – 5hr warm up walk / 7kms. Your train arrives into Lao Cai in the early hours of the morning (0600hrs) and you will transfer by bus (40mins) up the mountain road, winding along terraced hillsides to Sapa. After a buffet breakfast you will commence with a short hike through Sapa. Today you pass through the Black H’mong ethnic minority village of Ma Tra, where the Black H’mong tribal people live. Following this, gear up for another trek through rice paddy fields and spectacular scenery. This lunchtime you will take a rest in a local ethnic school for a light picnic before continuing the afternoon trek to the Red Dao minority village of Ta Phin, home to Red Dao and Black H’mong ethnic minority hill tribes. Here you will visit a local workshop and a nearby cave. At the end of the trek, you will transfer (30mins) by road to Sapa. Dinner and overnight in hotel. |
| Day 5: | Lao Chai to Seomiti via Ta Van village – 6.5hrs trek / 16kms. This morning you will meet your trekking support team for a full challenge briefing. You will leave Sapa around 0900hrs, where your vehicles drive you (15mins) into the valley south of Sapa. The trekking begins at Lao Chai with a nice warm up hike to the Zay village of Ta Van - where you ascend the mountain (uphill steeply!) and cross a high pass at 1,700m. Tonight you sleep in tents near the remote Black H’mong village, Seomiti. Your tents sleep 6-8 people and all camping equipment and sleeping mats / bags are provided. |
| Day 6: | Seomiti to Ta Trung Ho – 6-7hrs / 10kms. After breakfast you start the adventure of the day. Today’s trekking is beautiful; up hills and through valleys and crossing two rivers using a primitive, aerial ropeway and an old suspension bridge. Tonight you stay in Ta Trung Ho village, inhabited by the Red Dao minority. Both the valley and the village received their first foreign visitors in 1996 in connection with a special project in the area. Dinner and overnight in home-stay or tented camp in the village. |
| Day 7: | Ta Trung Ho to Nam Tong. Overnight at Ban Ho- Eco-lodge - 7-8hrs / 11kms. Today you trek along the fringes of the rainforest skirting the Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range. You will ascend to the Red Dao village of Nam Toong where lunch will be prepared and served in a local school. This afternoon you continue hiking to the beautiful village of Ban Ho, located next to a gorgeous turquoise river. A final haul uphill out of the Sapa valley will bring you to the large roadside village of Supan. From here the jeeps will transfer you (10kms) back up the valley to Supan and along the ridgeline to the wonderful Bon Ho Eco-lodge. In the evening you will enjoy a home cooked meal and local dance performance at the lodge. Overnight in eco-lodge. |
| Day 8: | Ban Ho Valley through Thanh Phu village to Sin Chai – 5hrs / 14kms. Today’s trek starts by hiking from the eco-lodge into the incredibly scenic Ban Ho Valley along an easy trail. You follow the river until you meet the road which goes to Thanh Phu village. Lunch will be had in Thanh Phu in a local house. Leaving Thanh Phu you follow the trekking route at the bottom of the valley, offering the best view of the surrounding mountains. The trails will take you to Sin Chai village of Red Dao minority where the night will be spent in bamboo huts. |
| Day 9: | Sin Chai to Nam Ket village and Lao Cai – 7.5hrs / 17kms. Today you have an early breakfast before the long trek heading toward Lao Cai. Once you leave Sin Chai, the expedition takes you into a fabulously mountainous area, another remote region of Vietnam. You trek through bamboo forest and lush jungle until reaching Nam Ket village, inhabited by Sa Fo minority people, where you rest for lunch. After lunch, the trek will be mostly downhill. After about half an hour, you will enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the challenge over a green valley lying along the Red River. Eventually you arrive in Ta Thang village of the Tay minority where you will drive (approx 1hr) to Lao Cai. At Lao Cai you will check-in and use day-rooms in a hotel for a hot shower and dinner before taking the night train to Hanoi. Overnight on board train in comfortable soft-sleeper compartments. |
| Day 10: | Free Day in Hanoi. Challenge Celebration. Departure Hanoi. You arrive in Hanoi in the early morning and transfer to you hotel for breakfast and to leave your bags. You then take a wander around Hanoi at your leisure and can gift shop for people at home. You will then meet up to enjoy a celebratory dinner in one of Hanoi’s top restaurants! This afternoon you can freshen up before transferring to the airport for your overnight return flight home. |
| Day 11: | Arrive UK. Arrive back in the UK today. |
highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment
As a company we have drastically reduced the carbon footprint of our UK operations, and are making a huge effort to do so in their destination countries too. We are also investing to offset the emissions from the international flights required to take part in our challenges. We also provide travellers with a responsible tourism policy detailing ways in which you can be an ethical traveller. From packing conscientiously to advice on local customs & environmental awareness overseas to maintaining contact with your new international friends upon your return – our policy is a comprehensive document providing all the info you need to trek, climb of cycle responsibly. Community Our responsible commitment extends to helping the local communities we visit. We employ local guides, porters and other essential support staff, and use locally owned accommodation. We donate USD$500 per trek to various projects including Plan. Plan is a child-centred community development organisation with no religious and political affiliations, enabling families and communities in the poorest countries to make lasting improvements to the lives of their children. In Phu Tho, Northern Vietnam, Plan works with children, their parents, and their community, to plan practical ways to provide many of the things we take for granted in the UK, build schools, drill wells, get nurses trained and help families to better support themselves. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |