A tribal journey through northern Vietnam & Laos

This morning, your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel and bring you to the Museum of Ethnology so that you can start learning about the origins, distribution, appearance and fascinating culture of the many ethnic minorities in Vietnam. In the afternoon, an in-depth exploration into the delicious street food available on your doorstep is given by an expert in the field — a local food blogger.

Today is a full day of driving from Hanoi up to the mountains of Ha Giang. There is plenty to see along the way, and you will have opportunities to observe and interact with locals, take photos of stunning scenery and stop for refreshments and comfort breaks. You stay in a pretty, family-run homestay in a village on the edge of Ha Giang, that is very pleasant to wander around.

Today, the driving from Ha Giang to Meo Vac takes about half the day, but as ever, there are stops for refreshments and scenery. Your home for the night is a traditional Hmong, clay-walled building which is very characterful. You may like to do some walking in the local area — the Auberge can arrange a guide for you.

Today, drive to Nam Dam Village (a half day's driving, but the stops will probably make the journey take the best part of the day). A highlight of this journey will no doubt be the vertiginous scenery of the Mã Pí Lèng Pass. You will also visit the Hmong King's Palace at Sa Phin, designed by a Chinese Feng Shui expert, and see a Hmong weaving village with its intricate looms.

This morning, you may like to do some walking in the area populated by the Red Dzao ethnic minority. There is some great scenery and walks between two and six hours. Later transfer by car to Hoang Su Phi, this should only take about three hours. It is a very scenic journey, however, you will see some beautiful rice terraces — the last section is a fairly windy mountain road. Now for a stay at the lovely Pan Hou Village, a beautifully landscaped property with an excellent restaurant and spa house.

A full day's trekking out on the rice terraces with your private guide. Don't forget your camera!

Another lovely drive today, to get to Sapa. Please be aware that some of the roads earlier on in the journey are untarmacked mountain roads. Some of the valleys you pass through are absolutely stunning. It's a full day's driving with stops. Tonight stay at the gorgeous Topas Ecolodge, with great views out to the mountains.

Today your guide will take you out to visit minority villages in the area. In the afternoon you can take the cable car up to the top of Fan Si Pan, the tallest mountain in Indochina.

Today is a full day's driving (with stops, as usual) to get to Dien Bien Phu, the site of a very important battle between the French and the Vietnamese that led to the French moving out of Vietnam.

This morning you have touring of the museum and key sites on the battlefield. Afterwards, you have a couple of hours of driving to get to the little-used border with Laos. Meet your Laotian guide and driver and drive through pretty mountain scenery to Muang Khua, situated on the stunning Nam Ou River.

Today you have a combination of road and boat transfers to reach Phongsali in northern Laos. The boat journeys are incredible — very few tourists get up to this part of the Nam Ou, it feels quite wild and remote. The traveling will take most of the day, but as usual, there will be stops along the way. Phongsali is one of the least visited parts of Laos, it is a mountainous area populated by many ethnic minorities (including the Akha) and where tea is grown. It is close to the border with China.

Today, your private guide will help you explore Phongsali and its surroundings, including tea plantations and processing plants. The procedure for "curing" the tea once picked is fascinating.

From Phongsali you have a full day's driving to get to Muang La — and a very special property indeed. Muang La Lodge is a luxury property, set up by a French couple, that is perfectly in harmony with its surroundings and the local community. All meals are included here and the food is really quite special. The lodge has an excellent spa and hot springs on site!

A full day to explore the local area and learn about the ethnic minorities here.

The last leg of your incredible overland journey takes you, over about half a day, to charming Luang Prabang. Enjoy the atmospheric night market.

Today you have about half the day to explore the attractions of Luang Prabang with your private guide. We strongly recommend visiting the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, a very well-maintained museum dedicated to the tribal culture of Laos. This will help you process much of what you saw on your journey over from Vietnam.

We will transfer you to the airport ahead of your international flight home.