Two days riding pillion through Sapa's villages, with a night in Ta Van
See far more of Sapa than you could on foot. Ride pillion with a local driver through Cat Cat, Ta Phin and the Muong Hoa Valley on day one, then out to Ban Ho, Thanh Phu and Nam Sai on day two, with a homestay night and cooking class in Ta Van.
Pick-up at your hotel in Hanoi's Old Quarter and board the bus to Sapa via the Noi Bai – Lao Cai expressway, with views of the northwest mountains and terraced fields. A 30-minute rest stop on the way.
Arrive in Sapa. Your guide meets you at the bus station; lunch at a local restaurant.
Set off by motorbike with your driver and guide. Ride through Cat Cat and Sin Chai, H'mong villages about 8 km from town, with panoramic views of Hoang Lien Son National Park and the Muong Hoa Valley.
Continue to O Quy Ho and Ban Khoang, home to Black H'mong and Red Dao families, then on to Ta Phin, about 20 km from Sapa, to see the old Ta Phin monastery. Return through Sa Seng, Y Linh Ho and Lao Chai.
Arrive in Ta Van village and check in at the homestay.
Cooking class with your hosts: prepare local dishes together.
Dinner with the dishes you cooked. Overnight at the homestay.
Breakfast at the homestay.
Set off by motorbike to Giang Ta Chai, a Red Dao village at about 1,400 m surrounded by more than 50 hectares of old forest, then Su Pan, a cluster of Black H'mong and Red Dao hamlets above the Muong Hoa Valley.
Ride on to Ban Den, home to five ethnic groups (H'mong, Dao, Tay, Giay and Nung), then along a winding road to Ban Ho, about 35 km from Sapa. Continue via Thanh Phu to Nam Sai and Nam Cang on the eastern slope of the Hoang Lien Son range, with streams and terraced fields.
Back to Ta Van for lunch.
Transfer by car to Sapa town.
Board the bus back to Hanoi.
Arrive in Hanoi. Tour ends.