Lao Cai - Chinese border

Option 1:

Depart Flamingo head office at 6:30am in the Jeep and drive through Lao Cai town to the Chinese border. At the parking spot you can see the active friendship bridge used to cross from Vietnam into China. Next door is the Mau Temple. This temple has the status of a national relic and was built in the 18th century and a place that welcomes you to walk around and pray for prosperity and good luck that the temple can bring you. After we head back to the office for breakfast at 8:15am

Option 2:

Room to rest and shower

After a night on the train take your time to relax in a private room that has access to a shared bathroom where you can refresh before breakfast for your upcoming 4x4 Jeep adventure.

Breakfast

At 8:15am we sit down together and have a selection of western or Vietnamese breakfast and offer while having a short debriefing giving you the opportunity for the tour guide to answer any questions you might have.

Lao Cai - Bat Xat

We depart our office at 9:00am and head to the bank of the red river bordering the province of Yunnan in China. From the view of the open top Jeep you can gaze into the day to day life in Chinese border town. We continue along the river and head to Bat Xat which is best known for remote hill tribe villages, colorful, authentic Muong Hum market, beautiful mountainous landscapes, and the rich ethnic culture.

Lao Cai - Muong Hum - Ta Giang Phinh (Remote ethnic minority market)

The Ta Giang Phinh Market and Is a good alternative for those who want to experience shopping the way locals do without being dampened by commercialisation.

Every Sunday, the different hill tribes that meet in the morning to sell their wares make up the Bac Ha Market. Unlike the Saturday Market, this is more about local business than tourism. The market is open until noon

Bat Xat - Ta Giang Phinh

Once we pass Bat Xat we head down the quiet winding back road down onto valleys of terraced rice fields, surrounded by high mountains and including scattered local hamlets setting along some peaceful streams until we arrive at the remote untouched Ta Giang Phinh village.

The village is not yet influenced by mass tourism so the local houses & lifestyles stay authentic & interesting. The village is Most of the local tribes living here are white Hmong with their unique dresses and house styles. Here we will stop for lunch and eat a selection of the fresh local produce.

Off road 4 x4 excursion
On our way out of the village we exit the road and down into a shallow river and follow the stream on the rough terrain until we make it up safely to a small traditional house and u turn back down stream.

Ta Giang Phinh - Silver Waterfall - O Quy Ho Pass

We continue through the limitless curves, magnificent natural scenery on the trips, the pine forests, the chayote gardens spreading over the hillside to
getting up close and personal with the impressive nature and the local minority people.

Once we arrive at Silver waterfall we can have some refreshments at the incredible view point stop. Here you can take in a waterfall what can only be compared to a white dragon living in the stream.

After we head down hill with victorious thrills driving there. We will stop at the best view point of O Quy Ho with the sight over the horizon, the endless sky and limitless mountains are spread beneath one’s view, mixed with the looming green fields and endless tracks around the mountains. The rivers of clouds above flow in the windy sky build up the nostalgic atmosphere that provides tourists the feelings of being wild birds.

La, Dien Bien province and Ngoan Muc Pass in Ninh Thuan, O Quy Ho still has its own beauty and magnificence which can inspire any adventure lovers at first sight

We now make our way to Sapa however, being kitted with our 4x4 open top Jeep we can avoid the main road that the other tourists take and venture down along the less traveled sideserroinded by the valley walls of the fansipan valley that any normal v will struggle to handle. Here's where you'll find the Hoang Lien Son range of mountains, which includes Fan Si Pan—the country's highest peak.

The valley road is a romantic paradise attracted by the highland tribes, iconic rice paddies and forest treks. The whole area is blessed with awe-inspiring natural beauty and tiny villages with happy children playing out in the open. Eventually the valley walls change to a wall of Sapa town which is a beautiful sight to see as all the building claws to the mountain to offer great views from their windows. We arrive at the hostel.

Arrive at the Hotel