China and Vietnam overland: Yunnan to Hanoi

1. Day 1: Arrive in Kunming, the Spring City

   Kunming Changshui International Airport to your hotel in Kunming

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Dinner
   • Stay in Kunming
   Day 1 details

   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. 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. 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.

   

2. Day 2: Green Lake at dawn, the fast train to Dali

   Kunming to Dali by high-speed train, then the Three Pagodas and Dali old town

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Dali
   Day 2 details

   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. 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. 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. 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

   

3. Day 3: 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

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Dali
   Day 3 details

   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. We walk its lanes in the morning, when the market is busy, and try xizhou baba, a flatbread baked over charcoal. 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.

   

4. Day 4: Indigo tie-dye at Zhoucheng, on to Lijiang

   Dali to Zhoucheng, then Dali to Lijiang by high-speed train

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Lijiang
   Day 4 details

   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. 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. 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.

5. Day 5: Black Dragon Pool at opening, then Baisha

   Lijiang to Black Dragon Pool and Baisha, then back to Lijiang

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Lijiang
   Day 5 details

   We are at Black Dragon Pool when it opens, a short walk north of the old town. 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. 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

   

6. Day 6: 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

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Yuanyang
   Day 6 details

   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. 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. 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. 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.

7. Day 7: Sunrise and sunset on the Hani terraces

   Xinjie to Duoyishu, Pugao and Qingkou, then Laohuzui or Bada for sunset

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Yuanyang
   Day 7 details

   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. 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. Lunch is in a village restaurant. The early afternoon is a rest at the hotel. 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.

8. Day 8: 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

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Sapa
   Day 8 details

   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. 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. 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.

9. Day 9: The Muong Hoa valley on foot

   Sapa to Lao Chai and Ta Van, then back to Sapa

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Sapa
   Day 9 details

   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. 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.

10. Day 10: Down from the mountains to Hanoi

    Sapa to Hanoi by the Noi Bai to Lao Cai expressway

    • Drive about 5.5 h
    • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
    • Stay in Hanoi
    Day 10 details

    Before we leave, an early walk to Cat Cat, a Black Hmong village a short way below town, while it is still quiet. 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. 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. 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.

11. Day 11: Hanoi: the Temple of Literature and the Old Quarter

    Hanoi: Ba Dinh Square, the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison

    • Drive about 30 min
    • Breakfast and lunch
    • Stay in Hanoi
    Day 11 details

    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. 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. 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

12. Day 12: To Lan Ha Bay and a night on the water

    Hanoi to the pier on Cat Hai, then by boat into Lan Ha Bay

    • Drive about 2.5 h
    • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
    • Stay in Lan Ha Bay
    Day 12 details

    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. 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. 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.

13. Day 13: Sunrise on the bay, back to Hanoi

    Lan Ha Bay to the pier, then back to Hanoi

    • Drive about 2.5 h
    • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
    • Stay in Hanoi
    Day 13 details

    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. 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. 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

14. Day 14: Leave from Hanoi

    Hanoi to Noi Bai International Airport

    • Drive about 1 h
    • Breakfast
    Day 14 details

    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.

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.

• Kunming1 night
• Dali2 nights
• Lijiang2 nights
• Yuanyang2 nights
• Sapa2 nights
• Hanoi2 nights
• Lan Ha Bay1 night
• Hanoi1 night