Hiking Northwest Vietnam 7 Day Itinerary – Sapa, Lai Chau

Difficulty levels
Our trekking tours can be classified into three levels

Leisure
There are about 2 – 8K Leisure trekking tours are typically described as long walks or hikes through nature, designed for those who enjoy outdoor activities but prefer a more relaxed experience rather than an intense, adventurous trek. The aim of these tours is to enjoy the tranquility of nature, relax the mind, and often incorporate local cultural experiences.

Easy
There are about 8 – 10K to walk on flat roads. No previous experience is necessary. Anyone in good health and fit enough to perform an occasional hike can take an easy level trek. Vietnam easy walks are provided in Hanoi, Bac Giang, Mai Chau, Ngoc Son Ngo Luong…

Moderate
There are about 10 – 15K to hike on flat and hilly roads. At this point too, no special background is required. Hikers accustomed to trekking in hilly areas of Mai Chau, Pu Luong or Lai Chau, Yen Bai successfully accomplish our treks “moderate”, provided they are in good health and to have a correct fit. These treks are moderate or easy hikes with an average duration or shorter but more difficult steps.

Advanced
There are about 15 – 20K refers to a higher level, complexity, or skill that goes beyond basic. In the context of trekking, "advanced" implies a trek that requires higher physical fitness and skills, typically on difficult terrains, steep slopes, or in challenging weather conditions. Advanced treks are usually suited for those with experience in hiking or those in excellent physical shape.

Difficult
There are about 16 – 23K to trek on uphill/downhill dirty, rocky trails. Physical fitness is very important for these treks and you may have to lead you home before the trek. Most treks in this level are comparable with long rides in the Fansipan mountain or the the mountainous region of Ha Giang, Cao Bang, sometimes higher altitudes. The climate and isolation can also participate in difficulty. Prior trek experience is preferable but not vital if you have confidence in your fitness.

Challenging
There are about 17 – 27K refers to something that is difficult and requires effort or skill to overcome obstacles. In the context of trekking, "challenging" describes a trek that demands participants to overcome physical or skill-related difficulties. This can include steep terrains, harsh weather conditions, or other obstacles that make the journey tougher. Challenging treks are often suited for those who enjoy pushing their limits and have some experience in hiking.

About one and a half million years ago mankind learned how to stand upright and walk. So in some way you could say that hiking was invented in the Stone Age. Nowadays when we talk about Hiking and Trekking we mean it in the pastime sense of the word. It is hard to say when walking as a means of hunting and surviving became walking for fun and recreation. Throughout the years man has always used walking as a means of relaxation. Going for a stroll is a great way to meditate on possible dilemmas or to get away from things and clear your mind. 

General hiking tips

1. Make sure that you drink enough water. Also make sure that you bring enough water with you or you can find a water supply during the hike. In hot weather dehydration is especially dangerous.

2. Be careful what you pack. The most important rule of hiking is to be smart about what to bring and what not to bring. A novice hiker generally becomes exhausted carrying a sack full of trail munchies, games, a portable CD player, three sweaters, and a video camera. Although pictures are nice, consider carrying a disposable camera for a more enjoyable hike, or simply use a phone. (Learn more about minimizing your pack)

3. Think before you step. Keep an eye on the trail well in front of where you are walking, and always consider the path before bounding forward.

4. Bring your own medicines. 

5. Never hike alone. NEVER- under any circumstances venture into the woods by yourself. Outdoor adventures are fun for the family, but hiking is only a group sport. The chances of becoming lost, sustaining injury, or losing supplies is much higher when alone, making the sport extremely dangerous.

6. Don't don and doff layers continually.
Though it is good to dress in layers, choose which layers, and stick with them for a time. Otherwise, you will exhaust yourself and try the patience of the group you are with. It's generally better to be a little cool than too hot, but don't change unless you are really getting uncomfortable.

7. Put the slowest hiker in front and pace the group to that person.
This works great in a group of differing ages! With the fast hikers in the front, they have a tendency to spread out too much. Then someone small at the back gets exhausted running to keep up. If you do divide into faster and slower groups, the one ahead should never get too far ahead and should stop and let the others catch up on a regular basis.

8. Encourage kids not to exhaust themselves early in a hike. Sometimes little ones run at the beginning, run out of energy and have to be carried.

9. Always carry out what you carry in.

The first rule with interacting with the environment is: Leave it as you found it. This rule applies to the trees, the earth, the animals, the campsite, and even the flowers. 

Preparing for a Hike is often a battle against the pounds or kilos. And we do not mean this in a weight loss kind of way. What we mean is that on your hike you will be the beast of burden and everything you take with you will have to be carried by you. Every time you lift your foot to make a new step you will be lifting the full weight of your body plus your pack load. Multiply this by many thousands of steps and you will realize how a few pounds extra will make a big difference on a large hike.

There are a few terms used for Hiking Weight:
•    From the Skin Out (FSO) Weight:
the weight of everything you carry outside of your skin so this includes your backpack but also your socks, boots, etc.
•    Pack weight:
the weight of your Backpack not including the Provisions (food/drink) you are bringing. 
So preparing for a trek always involves a great deal of contemplating on what you really need and how you can minimize your FSO weight. Often making this calculation boils down to choosing between comfort in walking (lighter loads) and comfort when not walking (better food, more and/or better equipment, books, entertainment, etc).

Here are some tips:
•    A well trained hiker might be able to carry up to one third of his own body weight as FSO weight. In general however one fourth will already be very cumbersome. From one fifth and down you should be able to hike comfortably.
•    Start by contemplating on what you will absolutely need in terms of provisions and gear. Note down these functions.
•    Try looking for ultra-light and multipurpose equipment that will fulfill the functions you listed down. The constant demand for lighter pack loads has sparked some very high tech solutions that are able to combine multiple hiking functions in light weight gear.
•    Pack lightweight but high nutritional value Dehydrated Foods. On the flip side of the equation: minimizing your pack weight will actually allow you to bring better food. Of course this choice is very personal but 4 straight days of dehydrated foods is no fun!

The purpose of resting is to slow down your heart rate and breathing and rest your hearts and lungs. Resting gives your body the time to get rid of the lactic acids built up in your muscles and to recover from the strains and possible pressure sores.

Try to rest in regular intervals and make them part of your walking rhythm, with 10 minutes of rest after every one hour of hiking.

Try to stick to these short breaks and only use your lunch break and possibly your dinner break as extended rest periods. 10 minutes is the most effective rest duration when it comes to body recovery.

hiking-intervalSet a stop watch if you fear that there is a chance of breaking the 10 minute limit, as it’s easy to dose off even in this short amount of time.

Make sure to take of your backpack and try to relax your body and mind as quickly as possible. Get out of the sun and generally try to rest in a cool and shady location. You can use your backpack as a back support for sitting down.

In longer lunch and dinner breaks you will want to give your feet a rest by removing your shoes and putting on slippers, sandals or, if conditions allow it, walk bare foot. That will help prevent Blisters. Longer rest periods are also a great opportunity to dry possibly wet clothes and check your equipment.

Walking Pace

Your Walking Speed is very closely related to your Hiking Rhythm and to the Rest Breaks you take and the combination of all these factors will largely determine how far you can go and how tired you are at the end of the day. In this section we will provide you with some tips on Hiking Speed:
•    Fast hiking is a beginner mistake often resulting in a much slower tempo at the end of the day and a general feeling of fatigue. In general, Slower Hiking is Better Hiking. Faster hiking with more breaks will probably end up carrying you to the same distance at the same time but feeling much more tired. Furthermore faster trekking increases the chance of sprains and other injuries.
•    Go for Hiking Endurance and longer duration trekking instead of faster and shorter hiking.
 
The energy needed for trekking is not proportional with the speed you walk. The figures below are for walking on a smooth level surface:
 

River and water crossing in hiking
Crossing rivers or lakes can be risky. Waters that seem still could have strong currents and shallow waters could suddenly turn out to be quite deep. Assessing the situation is step one. Knowing how to deal with possible water dangers is step two. In this section we will give some guidelines on crossing rivers and lakes and how to deal with Water Hazards.
If you can avoid river wading and especially swimming then do so! If there is a bridge 1 mile along the river then detour and take the bridge. Safety always comes first!
In general you should try to remain calm when anything happens to you and you end up in the water. Frantic swimming will exert you quickly. Try to remain calm and float as you assess your situation and try to come up with a solution.
Should you be swept away when crossing a river and the river is filled with obstacles like rocks and logs then the safest position is to float on your back with your legs in front of you to absorb any bumps while using your arms to push away obstacles and steer.
If a teammate falls into the water, try using a rope or sticks to try and get him/her back to shore. Keep the rope flexible and do not tie it to a tree or other objects. A strong current might drag the victim under with no slack to submerge again.

Stream & River Wading
Smaller rivers often have boulders. Try finding a place where you would be able to cross the river by using these boulders as stepping stones. Extend your hiking poles so you can plant them in the water for balance. If you do not have hiking poles with you find a large stick. Go from boulder to boulder planting the ball of your feet on the summit of each boulder. Wet rocks, especially those overgrown with mosses, can be very slippery so go slow and plan your moves.
Always walk along the river bank and find a good place to cross. Do not try to find the place where the river is narrowest. Often the wider parts of the river have slower currents and shallower waters. Look for boulders that either provide a path or at least slow down the current and provide easy surfaces of deposited gravel behind them. Choose a route that offers safe passage on the way to the other site and a route that is back-trackable should things get rougher.
If you have to wade through the river then assess the river bottom surface. Only go in with bare feet if you are sure that there is no chance of cuts or serious scrapes. If you go bare feet then put your sock in your boots and put them in your backpack and use your backpack's splash cover. If your backpack is full then tie the laces together and hang them on your backpack. If you brought a pair of sandals then this would be a great time to use them.
You can assess the current of a flowing river by throwing a stick or other floating object in the water. You will be surprised how seemingly calm rivers can still have a strong current. In stronger currents plan a route that angles down and across the current of the river.
Undo the waist belt of your backpack! Should you fall your backpack could drag you down and seriously constrain your movement. With your waist belt undone you will be able to easily slip out of your backpack should you get dragged away.

Good Walking Pace
An average day of hiking will consist of periods of hiking and periods of rest. The combination of good hiking rhythm, good Walking Speed and fixed Rest Intervals are what separates the hiking Novice from the Master. In our enthusiasm we often tend to start of too fast, get tired quickly, take an early rest and start off too fast again. In Hiking there is one concept that will improve you overall hiking performance, endurance and pleasure: Hiking Rhythm
In this section we will look into why Hiking Rhythm is so important and how you can learn to maintain a good Hiking Rhythm:

Benefits of a Good Hiking Rhythm
- Enables you to stick to a fixed schedule of breaks instead of having to break every time you run out of breath and start panting.
- Helps you plan your hikes.
- Lessens the strain you put on your feet, legs, lungs and body in general.
- Changing gears the whole time is much more tiring than staying at a constant intensity level.
- Having a steady Hiking Rhythm will leave you less fatigued at the end of the day compared to if you vary your walking intensity.
- Having a steady Hiking Rhythm is generally more enjoyable as you never overexert yourself and generally keep the physical strain at enjoyable levels.

Developing Your Own Hiking Rhythm
- Your perfect Hiking Rhythm is something very personal and something you will have to develop over the course of many, many hikes. Here are some guidelines:
- Try a Hiking Rhythm by trying a certain stride rhythm and speed and keeping to it. A good hiking rhythm is one that allows you to hike in the same intensity level for at least one hour without having to take a break.
- Adjust your ed rhythm to the terrain and weather conditions and the weight you are carrying.
- Make your Hiking Rhythm a full body affair where your breathing and the swing of your arms are all happen in harmony with the same rhythm.
- Count along or even use a Hiking Mantra to stick to your rhythm.
- Make sure not to interrupt your rhythm unless it is absolutely necessary. Minor obstacles do not have to be a reason to change your rhythm by stopping or slowing down.
- Uneven surfaces like uphill and downhill slopes of varying incline can make it difficult to maintain your rhythm. You could attempt to keep the same rhythm and adjust your stride. Often this will prove very difficult and you will have to change the tempo of your rhythm. This is not bad as long as you are able to keep at the new rhythm and adapt to it quickly while remaining at the same physical intensity level.

Footwear And Socks
7 out of 10 hikers wear poorly fitted boots and don't even know it. That adds up to a lot of unnecessary blisters and sore feet for some, even sore knees and ankles. The solution is simple. Learn proper footwear fitting and you'll kiss sore feet goodbye.

About foot wear
Lots of trekkers practice four rules when choosing boots:
1) Pick out a quality boot.
2) Get a good fit.
3) Get a good fit.
4) Get a good fit.

About shocks
A quick primer on choosing the right hiking sock:
You probably don't even consider it "gear," right? Well, think again. Would you put a set of wooden caveman wheels on your brand new Land Rover? Or, shingle the roof of your new house with cardboard? Then why jeopardize the performance of your fancy new boots with a pair of junky socks?
Good socks keep your feet happier and healthier. They provide cushioning, wick sweat, keep your little piggies warm and dry, fine-tune your boot fit, and reduce friction inside your boot (less blisters!).