Day 1: Comfortable drive to Topas Ecolodge. Take a biking tour to neighboring villages (-,-,-)
From 6:30 – 7:00 AM, you will commence from your Hanoi hotel with Topas Mountain Express for 5 hours transfer to Topas Ecolodge. After checking in your bungalow, you will enjoy the beautiful and peaceful view of the surrounding mountains and valleys from your private balcony.
You will start the afternoon cycling trip by following the main road for three kilometres to Lech village of the Red Dao minority, enjoying the magnificent valley view on the way. Here you will leave your bikes and take a short walk on a dirty road to visit a traditional Red Dao family and experience the culture of the minority villagers who are living peacefully in the same way as their ancestors. Back at the parking place, you will take a further ride to the Moi village and learn how the women in their doorways are doing their embroidery, which the Red Dao people are very famous for. From the village, you head back to the Lodge.
In the evening you may want to book a traditional Red Dao herbal bath at the lodge’s spa.
Approx: Grade: easy/ 1.5 hours biking
Day 2: On mountain bike to remote Sapa valley. Limousine back to Hanoi (B,L,-)
You will start from Topas Ecolodge by cycling on a quiet road for a while before enjoying a descent to Ban Ho village. At the bottom of the valley, you will meet the Tay minority people, one of the largest ethnic minority groups living in Sapa. They are famous for their beautiful stilt houses and you will be warmly welcomed to visit their homes, experience their daily life of farming and fishing in the river. Leaving Ban Ho village, your ride becomes a bit more challenging with some ascending parts on a steep winding road. At Thanh Phu village, also inhabited by the Tay minority, your lunch is served at a nice local family where you enjoy the valley view while tasting the local foods.
In the afternoon, you continue biking to the My Son village of Xa Pho ethnic minority, who belong to one of the smallest ethnic groups in Vietnam. The Xa Pho people are poorer than most hill tribes; they still keep their original way of life depending on nature, getting early married and dyeing their black teeth. You finally cycle down to Thanh Phu Bridge at around 15:00, here you will meet the Topas Mountain Express for a 4.5-hour drive to Hanoi.
Approx: Grade: Moderate/ 4,5hour biking
Please note:
– Topas Mountain Express can only pick up and return passengers at hotels/residences in Hanoi’s Old Quarter and Tay Ho District.
This package includes:
– English speaking guide during shared excursions*
– 1 night at Topas Ecolodge (twin shared Premium Executive bungalow)
– 1 breakfast + 1 lunch (B = breakfast, L = lunch)
– Transfer by Topas Mountain Express: Hanoi – Topas Ecolodge – Hanoi (SIC)
– Mountain bike with disk brakes, helmets, gloves and water
– All entrance fees to the indicated places
* The excursions are based on sharing a group of maximum 10 travelers
