Lao Chai – Ta Van (Sleep) – Giang Ta Chai – Seo Trung Ho/[Su Pan] – Ban Ho (Sleep)

• Level of Difficulty: MODERATE/ HARD
• Length: 3 Days/2 Nights
• Trekking: sealed road, local paths, rice terraces
• Ethnic Minorities: Black H’mong, Zay, Red Dao, Tay

This trip is a great choice if you wish to experience the full variety of ethnic life in the Muong Hoa Valley. It‘s a combination and extension of our2 day/1 night home stays.

Day 1 – Sapa – Lao Chai – Ta Van

From Sapa, we trek via Y Linh Ho through beautiful scenery to the Black H’mong Village of Lao Chai, where we spend time looking around the village and learning about local life. We have our picnic lunch in Lao Chai or at an appropriate spot on our trek.

After our lunch, we walk through rice terraces and on local paths to the Zay village of Ta Van. This is the only village in the Sapa area where the Zay people live. We spend time looking around the village.

We meet our local Zay hosts in their home. Our hosts and guide will prepare our evening meal, and the rest of the evening can be spent getting to know more about family life in Ta Van or strolling around the village.

Day 2 – Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai -Su Pan/Seo Trung Ho – Ban Ho

After breakfast, we begin a long day of trekking, and head for the village of Giang Ta Chai. We walk along local paths, and through rice terraces and scattered settlements to the Red Dao village of Giang Ta Chai to meet the peo – ple of the Red Dao minority with their colourful traditional dress. We take our picnic lunch at Giang Ta Chai or the appropriate spot.

After lunch in Giang Ta Chai or an appropriate spot on the way, we follow local paths out of the village. There are two possible options at this point:

HARD OPTION (not possible in poor weather): We continue trekking through a wilder and more uncultivated area to the Tay village of Seo Trung Ho where there is time to look around. We trek further down the valley to the pretty Tay village of Ban Ho where we can observe the local life of the Tay minority in Ban Ho and compare life here to life in the H’mong villages nearer Sa Pa.

EASY OPTION: We walk along local paths, up the side of the valley and on to the sealed road to the village of Su Pan taking in the beautiful scenery. It’s then a gradual decent from Su Pan through forest until the village of Ban Ho appears in the valley below. Look out for the small local school on the way down. At Ban Ho we have time to observe the local life of the Tay minority peo – ple and compare life here to life in the H’mong villages nearer Sapa.

We meet our local Tay hosts in their home. Our hosts and guide prepare our evening meal. The rest of the evening can be spent getting to know more about family life in Ban Ho or strolling around the village.

Day 3 – Ban Ho – Sapa

After breakfast, there’s time to look around and experience life in the lovely village of Ban Ho (and take a swim if the weather is good). There’s also the opportunity to visit the hot springs. We have our picnic lunch in an appropriate spot.

Finally, we either make a steep accent by foot or on motorbike up the side of the valley and in the direction we came, or take a car directly from Ban Ho back to Sapa.