Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
China and Vietnam overland: Yunnan to Hanoi
14 days from Kunming to Hanoi: Dali and Lijiang by fast train, the Hani rice terraces of Yuanyang, across the border at Hekou to Sapa, then Hanoi and a night in Lan Ha Bay.
14 days · Kunming to Hanoi · up to 12 guests
Black Dragon Pool and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lijiang Photo: Wekamo79, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tranquil_Park_Landscape_with_Chinese_Architecture.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 14 days, 13 nights
- Start and end
- Kunming to Hanoi
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 5.5 h on day 10
- Activity level
Moderate
Mostly easy walking in old towns, villages and city streets, 2 to 4 hours a day on foot. The two harder days are the Yuanyang terrace walk (about 5 km with steep stone steps) and the Sapa valley walk (about 9 km, mostly downhill on muddy paths), each with a shorter option. Dali, Lijiang and Kunming sit at 1,900 to 2,400 m, so stairs feel harder for the first day or two. One long travel day (day 6) is mostly by train.
- Meals included
- 13 breakfasts, 12 lunches, 6 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 800 (estimated price)
- Season
- October to November and March to April
Highlights
Why this trip
- Kunming's Green Lake Park at 7 am, when the dancers, singers and tai chi groups take over the paths
- A boat to Jinsuo Island on Erhai Lake and a morning in the Bai village of Xizhou
- Black Dragon Pool at opening, with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain over the water
- Sunrise over the Hani terraces at Duoyishu and sunset at Laohuzui, two nights so you see both
- The walk across the border from Hekou to Lao Cai, with your trip leader at your side
- The Muong Hoa valley on foot from Lao Chai to Ta Van
- A night on a small boat in Lan Ha Bay, kayaking between the limestone islands
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 5.5 h, on day 10.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 800 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 5.5 h, on day 10.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Kunming, the Spring City
Kunming Changshui International Airport to your hotel in Kunming
- Dinner
- Stay in Kunming
- Drive about 45 min
Fly into Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG), about 25 km northeast of the city, where a driver meets you for the 40-minute ride to the hotel. Kunming sits at about 1,900 m on a plateau above Dian Lake, and its mild weather all year is why it is called the Spring City. If you land early, take it slowly: the altitude makes stairs feel harder on the first day.
Afternoon
In the late afternoon your See Sight Tours trip leader meets the group for a short briefing on the two weeks ahead, the border crossing included, and then we walk a few minutes to Green Lake Park, where lotus ponds, willow-lined causeways and arched bridges fill a lake in the middle of the city.
Evening
Dinner tonight is together at a local restaurant, with Yunnan dishes and a bowl of crossing-the-bridge rice noodles, the city's best known meal.
Included
- Pick-up at Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG)
- Welcome briefing with your trip leader
- Evening walk in Green Lake Park
- Welcome dinner with crossing-the-bridge rice noodles
Free time: Free until the late-afternoon briefing
Activity: Kunming is at about 1,900 m; drink water and go easy on the first evening.
Green Lake at dawn, the fast train to Dali
Kunming to Dali by high-speed train, then the Three Pagodas and Dali old town
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Dali
- Drive about 45 min
Early risers come back to Green Lake Park at about 7 am, the best hour of the day in Kunming: groups dancing with fans, retired singers with a portable speaker, tai chi under the willows and old men writing calligraphy on the paving in water.
Morning
After breakfast we take the high-speed train west to Dali, about two hours across the plateau, with luggage handled for you at both stations.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Dali, in a Bai restaurant near the old town. In the afternoon we visit the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, the tallest of them built in the 9th century, standing against the Cangshan mountains, while most tour groups have already moved on.
Evening
As the light goes we walk into Dali old town through its south gate, along the stone streets and the streams that run down from the mountains, and the evening is yours.
Included
- Morning visit to Green Lake Park with your trip leader
- High-speed train from Kunming to Dali
- Lunch at a Bai restaurant in Dali
- The Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple
- Walk into Dali old town at dusk
Easier option: Skip the early park visit and meet the group at breakfast.
Free time: Evening free in Dali old town
Xizhou, Erhai Lake and Jinsuo Island
Dali to Xizhou, round the north shore of Erhai Lake to Shuanglang and Jinsuo Island, then back to Dali
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Dali
- Drive about 2 h
We drive about 40 minutes north along the west shore of Erhai Lake to Xizhou, a Bai village whose merchant families built courtyard houses with carved gates and painted walls in the late Qing and Republican years.
Morning
We walk its lanes in the morning, when the market is busy, and try xizhou baba, a flatbread baked over charcoal.
Afternoon
Then we follow the road round the north end of the lake to the east shore and the old fishing village of Shuanglang, where lunch looks out over the water to the Cangshan range. From there a short boat ride takes us to Jinsuo Island, a small island with a Bai fishing village and a limestone cave lit up inside. We are back in Dali by mid-afternoon, which leaves the rest of the day for the old town's cafes, the city wall or a rest.
Included
- Xizhou village and its Bai courtyard houses with your trip leader
- Lunch by the lake in Shuanglang
- Boat to Jinsuo Island and its cave
Optional experiences
- Cangshan cable car. Ride up into the Cangshan mountains above Dali in the free afternoon; price confirmed at booking.
Easier option: Stay in Dali old town for the day and rejoin the group for the evening.
More active option: Cycle a section of the Erhai lakeside path from Xizhou before lunch, with the vehicle carrying your bag.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free
Activity: The cave has uneven steps and low ceilings in places.
Indigo tie-dye at Zhoucheng, on to Lijiang
Dali to Zhoucheng, then Dali to Lijiang by high-speed train
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Lijiang
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
A slower morning. We drive up the west shore to Zhoucheng, a large Bai village known for tie-dye, where a family workshop shows how cloth is stitched, bound and dipped in indigo, and you make a small piece of your own to take home. This is a working family business, not a sales stop: buying anything is entirely up to you.
Afternoon
After lunch in Dali we take the high-speed train north to Lijiang, about an hour and a half, climbing towards the snow peaks. Lijiang's old town, Dayan, is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed in 1997: a maze of cobbled lanes, canals and wooden Naxi houses that grew up on the Tea Horse Road.
Evening
We check in at a hotel at the edge of the old town and walk up Lion Hill in the late afternoon for the view over the tiled roofs towards Jade Dragon Snow Mountain before the lanes fill with evening crowds.
Included
- Tie-dye workshop with a Bai family in Zhoucheng
- Lunch in Dali
- High-speed train from Dali to Lijiang
- Orientation walk in Lijiang old town and up Lion Hill
Free time: Evening free in Lijiang
Activity: Lijiang is at about 2,400 m, the highest point of the trip.
Black Dragon Pool at opening, then Baisha
Lijiang to Black Dragon Pool and Baisha, then back to Lijiang
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Lijiang
- Drive about 45 min
We are at Black Dragon Pool when it opens, a short walk north of the old town.
Morning
In the still morning air Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, at 5,596 m, often shows clear above the marble bridge and the Deyue Pavilion, and by mid-morning cloud usually hides it. Inside the park the Dongba Museum explains the Naxi people's pictographic script, still used by Dongba priests. Then it is about 20 minutes by road to Baisha, the old Naxi capital before Lijiang, a quiet village whose temple walls hold murals painted from the Ming dynasty onwards, mixing Buddhist, Taoist and Tibetan styles.
Afternoon
Lunch is Naxi food at a family restaurant in Baisha. The afternoon is free: wander the lanes of Shuhe, the smaller old town nearby, rest at the hotel, or wait until after dark, when the day visitors leave and Lijiang's canals are at their best.
Included
- Black Dragon Pool at opening and the Dongba Museum
- Baisha village and the Baisha murals
- Naxi lunch in Baisha
Optional experiences
- Jade Dragon Snow Mountain cable car. Daily ticket quotas, high altitude (above 4,000 m) and weather closures; ask when booking and we confirm the price and availability.
More active option: Walk back from Baisha towards Shuhe on village lanes, about 5 km, before the vehicle collects you.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
By fast train across Yunnan to the rice terraces
Lijiang to Kunming and Mengzi by high-speed train, then by road to Xinjie in Yuanyang
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Yuanyang
- Drive about 2.5 h
This is the long travel day, and we say so plainly: about nine hours door to door, but only about two and a half of them by road. Lijiang and the Hani terraces sit at opposite ends of Yunnan, and the trains are the quickest and most comfortable way to join them.
Morning
We leave Lijiang after an early breakfast on the high-speed train to Kunming, about three and a half hours, with the plateau and its lakes passing outside.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal near Kunming South station before a second fast train, about an hour and a half, south to Mengzi North. From Mengzi our vehicle climbs about 150 km past Jianshui into the Ailao mountains to Xinjie, the old town of Yuanyang, set among the terraces at about 1,600 m.
Evening
We arrive by early evening, and dinner is at the hotel or close by, as there are few restaurants in Xinjie.
Included
- High-speed trains from Lijiang to Kunming and from Kunming to Mengzi
- Sit-down lunch in Kunming
- Drive from Mengzi to Xinjie with your trip leader
- Dinner in Xinjie
Activity: Luggage is handled for you at each station; keep a small day bag with you on the trains.
Sunrise and sunset on the Hani terraces
Xinjie to Duoyishu, Pugao and Qingkou, then Laohuzui or Bada for sunset
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Yuanyang
- Drive about 2 h
The Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces was listed by UNESCO in 2013: thousands of terraces cut into the mountainsides over some 1,300 years, fed by streams from the forest above.
Morning
We leave before dawn for Duoyishu, about 40 minutes away, where the terraces face east and catch the first light. After breakfast back in Xinjie we walk from Duoyishu down to Pugao, a Hani village of earth-walled houses, on stone paths along the terrace walls, and drive on to Qingkou, where a village museum shows the mushroom-roofed Hani houses and how the water is shared between fields.
Afternoon
Lunch is in a village restaurant. The early afternoon is a rest at the hotel.
Evening
In the late afternoon we drive to Laohuzui or Bada, whichever has the better light that day, for sunset over terraces that fall away for hundreds of metres. Dinner is together in Xinjie.
Included
- Sunrise at Duoyishu
- Guided walk from Duoyishu to Pugao village
- Qingkou Hani village and its museum
- Lunch in a village restaurant
- Sunset at Laohuzui or Bada
- All viewpoint entries
- Dinner in Xinjie
Easier option: Skip the sunrise and the walk: join the group after breakfast for Qingkou, and for sunset.
More active option: A longer walk of about 8 km between villages through the terraces with a local Hani guide, in place of the Qingkou visit.
Free time: Early afternoon free at the hotel
Activity: The terrace walk is about 5 km with steep, uneven stone steps that can be slippery when wet. Pre-dawn mornings are cold, even in spring.
Across the border to Sapa
Xinjie to Mengzi North, the train to Hekou, across the border on foot to Lao Cai, then by road to Sapa
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Sapa
- Drive about 3.5 h
Today we change countries. We drive back down to Mengzi North, about two and a half hours, and take the train on the Kunming to Hekou line south to Hekou North, about an hour and a half more.
Afternoon
After lunch in Hekou our Chinese guide sees us to the border building and says goodbye, and your See Sight Tours trip leader crosses with you. You leave China through Chinese immigration, walk a few hundred metres across the bridge over the river with your bags, and enter Vietnam at the Lao Cai International Border Gate, showing your e-visa. Allow about an hour for both halls, longer when queues build. Set your watch back one hour. Our Vietnamese guide and a new vehicle are waiting on the far side, and it is about an hour, 40 km, up the mountain road to Sapa, at about 1,500 m.
Evening
Dinner tonight is your choice in town.
Included
- Drive from Xinjie to Mengzi North
- Train from Mengzi North to Hekou North
- Lunch in Hekou
- Border crossing from Hekou to Lao Cai with your trip leader
- Drive from Lao Cai to Sapa
Free time: Evening free in Sapa
Activity: Bags are carried or wheeled across the border by each guest. Pack so you can manage yours for a few hundred metres, or tell us in advance if you need help.
The Muong Hoa valley on foot
Sapa to Lao Chai and Ta Van, then back to Sapa
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Sapa
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
After breakfast the vehicle takes us a short way out of town to the head of the Muong Hoa valley, and from there we walk with a local guide from the valley's own communities. The route runs mostly downhill on footpaths, field banks and village lanes, through the terraced fields of Lao Chai, home to Black Hmong families, to Ta Van, a Giay village by the river: about 9 km in three to four hours with plenty of stops. In October the last of the harvest is in and the stubble is gold; in March and April the fields are being prepared and flooded for planting, often under mist.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a family-run restaurant in Ta Van, and the vehicle brings us back to Sapa for a free afternoon. Women from the villages often walk alongside to sell embroidery; a polite no is fine, and buying is up to you.
Included
- Guided walk in the Muong Hoa valley from Lao Chai to Ta Van with a local guide
- Lunch in Ta Van
- Transport to the trailhead and back
Optional experiences
- Fansipan cable car. Up to the summit area of Vietnam's highest mountain (3,143 m) in the free afternoon, weather permitting; price confirmed at booking.
Easier option: A shorter walk of about 4 km on the flattest section, with the vehicle meeting you in Lao Chai.
More active option: A longer route of about 13 km with steeper climbs, by Y Linh Ho and down to Lao Chai.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: Paths can be muddy and slippery after rain; walking shoes with good grip are essential.
Down from the mountains to Hanoi
Sapa to Hanoi by the Noi Bai to Lao Cai expressway
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Hanoi
- Drive about 5.5 h
Before we leave, an early walk to Cat Cat, a Black Hmong village a short way below town, while it is still quiet.
Morning
We set off from Sapa mid-morning for Hanoi, about 320 km and five to five and a half hours of driving, longer than our usual four-hour limit.
Afternoon
We say why: there is no daytime train or flight that saves time, and the expressway is the quickest route, so we break it with a sit-down lunch about halfway and short stops. You arrive in Hanoi by late afternoon and check in at a hotel in or beside the Old Quarter.
Evening
In the evening your trip leader takes you on a street food walk through the Old Quarter: bun cha, banh cuon, egg coffee and whatever is good that night, eaten on low plastic stools at the places locals queue for. This walk is dinner.
Included
- Early walk to Cat Cat village
- Drive from Sapa to Hanoi with a sit-down lunch on the way
- Evening street food walk in the Old Quarter
Easier option: Skip the Cat Cat walk and enjoy a slow breakfast in Sapa.
Activity: The longest drive of the trip; the vehicle has room to stretch out and stops every couple of hours.
Hanoi: the Temple of Literature and the Old Quarter
Hanoi: Ba Dinh Square, the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hanoi
- Drive about 30 min
We start at Ba Dinh Square, where Ho Chi Minh read the declaration of independence in 1945. On mornings when the mausoleum is open we join the line to file past; it closes on Mondays and Fridays and for maintenance for part of each year, and then we see it from the square. Next to it are the small One Pillar Pagoda and the stilt house where Ho Chi Minh lived. We reach the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and home to Vietnam's first university, while it is still quiet, and walk its five courtyards past the stone turtles carrying the names of scholars who passed the royal exams.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a local restaurant near Hoan Kiem Lake. Then Hoa Lo Prison, built by the French and later the 'Hanoi Hilton' of American prisoners of war.
Evening
The rest of the afternoon and the evening are free.
Included
- Ba Dinh Square, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum on open days, the One Pillar Pagoda and the stilt house
- The Temple of Literature
- Lunch near Hoan Kiem Lake
- Hoa Lo Prison
Optional experiences
- Water puppet show. Evening show near Hoan Kiem Lake; we book seats on request.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free
To Lan Ha Bay and a night on the water
Hanoi to the pier on Cat Hai, then by boat into Lan Ha Bay
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Lan Ha Bay
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
After breakfast we drive about two and a half hours east to the pier for Lan Ha Bay, past Hai Phong and over the sea bridge to Cat Hai. Lan Ha Bay lies south of Ha Long Bay, off Cat Ba Island, and since 2023 it has been part of the same UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has the same limestone islands and green water, but fewer boats than the main Ha Long routes.
Afternoon
We board a small boat with private cabins, each with its own bathroom, for lunch on board as we sail out among the islands. In the afternoon we take to kayaks through the quieter lagoons and under rock arches, or swim from the boat when the water is warm enough.
Evening
Dinner is on board, with seafood from the bay, and the boat anchors for the night between the islands.
Included
- Drive to the Lan Ha Bay pier with your trip leader
- Overnight boat in Lan Ha Bay in a private cabin
- Kayaking, weather permitting
- Lunch and dinner on board
Easier option: Stay on deck while others kayak; the boat's tender can take you closer to the islands.
Free time: Evening free on deck
Activity: Kayaking and swimming depend on weather and current rules for the bay; the crew confirm on the day.
Sunrise on the bay, back to Hanoi
Lan Ha Bay to the pier, then back to Hanoi
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Hanoi
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
Wake early for sunrise from the deck, when the fishing boats go out and the islands come out of the morning haze one by one. On mornings when the weather allows there is a short paddle or a tender ride to a fishing area or a beach before brunch on board as the boat sails back to the pier.
Afternoon
We drive back to Hanoi, about two and a half hours, arriving by early afternoon, so you have the afternoon in the city: Hoan Kiem Lake and the Ngoc Son Temple, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, a last coffee, or the tailors and silk shops of the Old Quarter.
Evening
In the evening we sit down together for a farewell dinner at a restaurant in the Old Quarter, a good moment to look back from the snow peaks above Lijiang to the islands of the bay.
Included
- Sunrise on the bay
- Short tender ride or paddle, weather permitting
- Brunch on board
- Drive back to Hanoi
- Farewell dinner
Free time: Afternoon free in Hanoi
Leave from Hanoi
Hanoi to Noi Bai International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
The trip ends after breakfast. If your flight leaves later in the day, the morning is yours: walk round Hoan Kiem Lake while the city does its morning exercise, go back to a favourite cafe, or see the Vietnam Women's Museum, a short walk from the lake. Hotel checkout is usually around noon, and we can store your bags if your flight is later. A driver takes you to Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), about 30 km north of the city, in 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. Book a flight leaving after about noon for a free morning, or any time if you are happy to go straight from breakfast. If you would like to stay longer in Vietnam, our Northern Vietnam trip adds Ninh Binh, and we can quote extra nights in Hanoi.
Included
- Drop-off at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)
Free time: Morning free
Activity: Allow at least three hours at Noi Bai before an international flight.
- Kunming1 night
- Dali2 nights
- Lijiang2 nights
- Yuanyang2 nights
- Sapa2 nights
- Hanoi2 nights
- Lan Ha Bay1 night
- Hanoi1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: October and November are dry and clear in Yunnan and Sapa, but the terraces are harvested or being reflooded, so expect brown and gold fields rather than mirrors. In March and April the Yuanyang terraces still hold water and catch the sunrise, Sapa can be misty, and Lan Ha Bay is often hazy.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want two countries in one trip without managing the border alone
- People who prefer fast trains to long bus days and night sleepers
- Walkers who like village paths and rice terraces more than museums
- Solo travellers who want a small group and a fair single supplement
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: terraces, old towns and the border mean stone steps and carrying your own bag
- Anyone with a serious heart or lung condition, given time at 1,900 to 2,400 m
- Travellers who want a beach at the end
- A quick first look at China: Beijing, Xi'an and the Great Wall are not on this route
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
13 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Kunming1 night
- Dali2 nights
- Lijiang2 nights
- Yuanyang2 nights
- Sapa2 nights
- Hanoi2 nights
- Lan Ha Bay1 night
- Hanoi1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 13 nights: 1 in Kunming, 2 in Dali, 2 in Lijiang, 2 in Xinjie (Yuanyang), 2 in Sapa, 3 in Hanoi and 1 on a boat in Lan Ha Bay
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- A private cabin with its own bathroom on the boat
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG) and drop-off at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)
- High-speed trains: Kunming to Dali, Dali to Lijiang, Lijiang to Kunming and Kunming to Mengzi, with luggage handled at stations
- Train from Mengzi North to Hekou North
- Our own vehicle and driver for the group in China, and another in Vietnam from the border to Hanoi
- The Lan Ha Bay boat, kayaks and the Jinsuo Island boat
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours trip leader with the group from Kunming to Hanoi, crossing the border with you
- A licensed local guide in China and another in Vietnam
- Local Hani and Muong Hoa valley guides for the terrace and valley walks
Activities
- Kunming: Green Lake Park in the evening and at dawn
- Dali: the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, Dali old town, Xizhou village, Shuanglang, Jinsuo Island and its cave, a tie-dye workshop in Zhoucheng
- Lijiang: old town and Lion Hill, Black Dragon Pool and the Dongba Museum, Baisha village and murals
- Yuanyang: sunrise at Duoyishu, the walk to Pugao, Qingkou village and museum, sunset at Laohuzui or Bada
- The Hekou to Lao Cai border crossing with your trip leader
- Sapa: guided walk from Lao Chai to Ta Van, Cat Cat village
- Hanoi: Old Quarter street food walk, Ba Dinh Square, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison
- Lan Ha Bay: overnight boat with kayaking, weather permitting
- All entrance fees for included sights
Meals
- 13 breakfasts
- 12 lunches, including brunch on the boat
- 6 dinners: the welcome dinner in Kunming, two in Yuanyang, the Hanoi street food walk, on the boat, and a farewell dinner in Hanoi
Not included
- International flights to Kunming and from Hanoi
- Chinese visa (if your passport needs one) and the Vietnam e-visa
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed
- Drinks
- Tips for guides, drivers and boat crew
- Optional activities: the Cangshan and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain cable cars, the Fansipan cable car, the water puppet show
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 800 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 3,990 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 4,320. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 4,695.
What does the price include?
Thirteen nights in central hotels and a private boat cabin, 13 breakfasts, 12 lunches and 6 dinners, every train in the day plan, our own vehicles and drivers in both countries, airport transfers, your See Sight Tours trip leader throughout, local guides on both sides of the border, and every visit and entry in the day plan, including the Lan Ha Bay boat night and kayaks.
How does the border crossing from China to Vietnam work?
We cross on foot at Hekou and Lao Cai. You leave China through Chinese immigration, walk a few hundred metres across the bridge with your bags, and enter Vietnam with your e-visa. Your See Sight Tours trip leader crosses with you, our Chinese guide sees you to the door, and our Vietnamese guide and vehicle wait on the far side. Allow about an hour.
Do I need visas for China and Vietnam?
Usually one or both. Canadians can currently enter China visa-free for up to 30 days under a policy announced to run to 31 December 2026; US citizens need a visa or may qualify for 240-hour transit. Most travellers need a Vietnam e-visa naming Lao Cai as the entry point. We check the rules for your passport when you book.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, not the 16 common on this route. Twelve people fit one table at a village restaurant, one small boat in Lan Ha Bay and one queue at the border, which keeps the crossing quick.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours trip leader travels with the group from Kunming to Hanoi and crosses the border with you. Both countries require licensed local guides at their sights, so a local guide joins in China and another in Vietnam, with Hani and Muong Hoa guides for the walks.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately fit. Most days are 2 to 4 hours of easy walking. The Yuanyang terrace walk is about 5 km on steep stone steps and the Sapa valley walk about 9 km, mostly downhill; both have shorter options. Dali and Lijiang are at 2,000 to 2,400 m, so take the first days slowly.
Are there long travel days?
Two. Day 6, Lijiang to Yuanyang, is about nine hours door to door but mostly on two fast trains, with a sit-down lunch in Kunming. Day 10, Sapa to Hanoi, is about five and a half hours by road, broken by lunch. There are no overnight trains.
I am travelling solo. What will it cost?
A room of your own costs CAD 800 more than the shared-room price, and it is shown up front. You join the same group, the same table and the same trip leader as everyone else, and nothing is added at checkout.
When is the best time to go?
October to November and March to April. Autumn is dry and clear in Yunnan and Sapa, but the terraces are harvested. In March and April the Yuanyang terraces still hold water and catch the sunrise, though Sapa and Lan Ha Bay are often misty. We avoid China's National Day week in early October and Tet.
Will the Yuanyang terraces be flooded when I visit?
In March and early April, usually yes: the terraces hold water from about December until planting, which gives the mirror reflections in photos. In October and November the rice has been harvested and the fields are brown and gold or being reflooded. Both are worth seeing, but only spring gives reflections.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 8,450 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, trains, guides and border transfer.
How does booking work?
Pick your start date and request to book. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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