THE LOCAL AREA

Full day tour: Topas Ecolodge - Lech Dao - Ban Moi - Topas Ecolodge

The Red Dao minority villages in Thanh Kim commune are among the few ones that have not been impacted so much by tourists in Sapa area. A walk-through bare hills, rice terraces and a visit to the villages bring you an ever experience of real life, breath-taking views and natural beauty in such a mountainous area.

Reference: EWB Approx: 9.8km hiking/ 4.5 hours & 1 hour for lunch | Meal: Lunch. 

Pricing varies by group size. Please contact us for more details!

Itinerary

You commence the walk from Topas Ecolodge along the footpaths of Silver Stone Mount. During the walk you will witness the stunning views of the valleys and rice paddy terraces. At noon you will arrive at the Lech village, inhabited by the Red Dao minority. You will visit the village and have your lunch at a local house.

After lunch, you will continue the walk to a nearby Red Dao village. If it is a school day, a visit to the village’s school is a nice opportunity to meet all the children, who can be from Red Dao or H’mong minority, or are of different ages, but share the same classroom. From the village, you will follow the hill trails up to the main road, and enjoy the surrounding breath-taking view of dotted peaks, endless rice terraces, and the beautiful Muong Bo river. You will arrive back at Topas Ecolodge after another 15-minute walk on the main road.

Optional: If you’re in search of a more demanding and immersive trekking adventure, consider extending your morning route from Lech Dao village to Lech Mong village. This journey offers the chance to connect with the Black H’mong minority community and visit a local Black H’mong household, providing an invaluable opportunity to experience their vibrant culture and traditions up close. Following this enriching cultural interaction, descend to the valley floor, where a Vietnamese lunch awaits, graciously prepared by a local family.

This trek spans roughly 11–12 kilometers and entails 5–6 hours of walking throughout the day.

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Inclusion:

  • English speaking guide
  • Water and fruit
  • Entrance fees
  • Lunch

Note

  • Due to wet condition, trekking route will be slippery, so the itineraries are subject to change based on that.

What to wear and bring

It is recommended to wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, trekking shoes, and to bring insect repellent, sunglasses, sun hat, and sunscreen.

Attention:

  • Please note that during the tour, you may be followed by ethnic women who are eager to sell their handcrafted items. They may follow you throughout your journey. If you are not interested in purchasing, just decline nicely. We are very sorry for this inconvenience.
  • As described on the program, you will visit a local house, and interact with local people. However, during the seasonal days, they all may not be at home but work in the fields, this experience may be lacking.
  • Visiting a local school is also subject to availability of the school calendar.
  • The course’s difficulty is assessed on average across the program, meaning that even an “easy” rating could include sections of moderate or hard difficulty due to the uneven, mountainous terrain with varying elevations.
  • Lunch is intended to be provided at local restaurants; however, should unexpected situations arise, a picnic lunch will serve as the fallback option.
  • Due to wet conditions, the trekking route will be slippery, so the itinerary is subject to change based on that.