Yunnan to Northern Vietnam Overland: Kunming, Lijiang, Sapa and Halong Bay in 14 Days

Your guide meets you at Kunming Changshui airport and takes you to your hotel. Kunming lies at almost 1,900 meters and is known as the City of Eternal Spring for its mild climate. In the late afternoon, walk around Green Lake Park, where local residents gather to dance and play music, and through the streets nearby. Your guide will go over the route ahead, including the train journeys and the border crossing into Vietnam.Overnight: Kunming

Drive about 90 minutes to the Stone Forest at Shilin, a UNESCO-listed field of tall limestone pillars shaped by water over millions of years. Walk the paths that wind between the rocks to small lakes and viewpoints, and hear the legends of the local Sani people. After lunch, return to Kunming. In the evening, try the city's famous crossing-the-bridge noodles, a hot broth into which you add meat, vegetables and rice noodles at the table.Overnight: Kunming · Meals: B, L

Take the high-speed train to Dali, about two hours. Your guide meets you at the station and takes you first to the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, standing in front of the Cangshan range. Then explore Dali Old Town on foot, with its stone gates, small craft shops and whitewashed Bai houses with painted eaves. The evening is free to wander the lanes or sit in a cafe watching the town go by.Overnight: Dali · Meals: B

Drive along Erhai Lake to Xizhou, an old Bai trading village of courtyard houses and a lively morning market. Visit a family compound with carved wooden screens and try a warm baba, the local flatbread. In nearby Zhoucheng, see how blue-and-white tie-dye cloth is made in a village workshop. In the afternoon, cycle a quiet stretch of the lakeshore path with views of the mountains, then return to Dali.Overnight: Dali · Meals: B, L

Ride the train north to Lijiang, about 90 minutes. After check-in, walk to Black Dragon Pool, where on clear days Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is reflected in the water. Then explore Lijiang Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site of canals, stone bridges and Naxi wooden houses. Climb Lion Hill for a view over the tiled rooftops, and stay out to see the lanes lit by lanterns in the evening.Overnight: Lijiang · Meals: B

Drive to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and take a cable car to one of its high meadows, chosen on the day for weather and comfort with altitude, for close views of the peaks. Below, walk around Blue Moon Valley, where turquoise pools step down between the pines. In the afternoon, visit Baisha, a quiet Naxi village with Ming-era murals, and the old town of Shuhe, less busy than Lijiang and lovely in the late light.Overnight: Lijiang · Meals: B, L

Enjoy a slow morning in Lijiang, perhaps revisiting the old town before the day visitors arrive. Around midday, take the high-speed train back to Kunming, about three and a half hours, and check in to your hotel near the south station for an easy start tomorrow. In the evening, your guide can take you to a local market or restaurant for a last taste of Yunnan's mushrooms, cured ham and rice noodles.Overnight: Kunming · Meals: B

Take the morning high-speed train from Kunming to Hekou on the border, about four hours through the hills of southern Yunnan. Your guide accompanies you to the border post, where you complete Chinese exit formalities and walk across the bridge over the Red River into Lao Cai. Your Vietnamese guide and driver meet you after immigration, and the road climbs about an hour into the mountains to Sapa. Check in and enjoy the cool evening air.Overnight: Sapa · Meals: B

Set off on foot from Sapa into the Muong Hoa valley, following paths along the rice terraces to the Black Hmong village of Lao Chai and the Giay village of Ta Van. The walk of about 10 to 12 kilometers takes most of the day, with plenty of stops to meet local families, watch farm work and learn about indigo dyeing. Lunch is in a village home. Your driver collects you at the end and brings you back to Sapa.Overnight: Sapa · Meals: B, L

In the morning, walk down to Cat Cat, a Hmong village with a small waterfall and craft workshops just below Sapa town. Then begin the drive to Hanoi on the expressway, about five to six hours with rest stops along the Red River valley. Check in to your hotel in the Old Quarter. In the evening, walk around Hoan Kiem Lake and take your first look at the lively streets of the Vietnamese capital.Overnight: Hanoi · Meals: B

Visit the area around Ba Dinh Square, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (from outside), the stilt house where he lived and the One Pillar Pagoda. Continue to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, founded in 1070. After lunch, explore the Old Quarter on foot or by cyclo, its streets once each devoted to a single trade. In the evening, join your guide for a street food walk and, if you like, a water puppet show.Overnight: Hanoi · Meals: B, L

Drive about two and a half hours to Halong Bay and board your cruise boat around midday. As lunch is served, the boat sails out among the limestone islands that rise from the green water. In the afternoon, visit one of the bay's caves or kayak through quiet lagoons, and swim from a small beach in warm weather. Watch the sunset from the deck, then enjoy dinner on board as the boat anchors for the night.Overnight: Halong Bay · Meals: B, L, D

Wake early for a tai chi session on deck and the soft morning light on the islands. After breakfast, the boat visits one more cave or floating village area before returning to the harbor in time for brunch on board. Your driver takes you back to Hanoi in the early afternoon. Spend a free evening in the city, perhaps with a farewell dinner or a final walk around the lake.Overnight: Hanoi · Meals: B, L

Enjoy breakfast and some free time for last-minute shopping in the Old Quarter. Your driver takes you to Noi Bai International Airport, about 45 minutes, for your flight home. If you would like more time in Vietnam, Hoi An and Hue are a short flight away, and we can add a few relaxed days on the central coast to finish your journey.Meals: B