Route 6 – Yunnan Traverse into Vietnam

🥾 Difficulty 4 / 5
📍 Highest point approx. 4,100 m
🛂 Vietnam, visa-free
🚗 Driver for 3 days
✈️ no domestic flight
🎶 Festival on day 19
💶 €2,000–2,400 p.p.
Entry: Kunming

Seasonal advantage
Day by day
Map
Hiking & Viewpoints
Off the beaten path
Nightlife
Border crossings
Transport
Practicalities & costs
Sources

The character of this route

This route is the answer to the question of what you do when you want everything: serious trekking, landscape, culture, a border crossing, cities and a festival – and all of it without flying and without heading into winter.

It follows a southward axis through Yunnan from north to south: out of the highlands around Lijiang and Shangri-La, where the Yangtze has cut China's deepest gorge, down into the subtropical mountain terraces of the Hani near Yuanyang, across the border into the rice-field valleys around Sapa and finally to Hanoi. The finale is Hong Kong.

Two border crossings are part of it: out at Hekou to Lao Cai, back over the Friendship Pass into Guangxi. Both are visa-free for Germans, and re-entry into China is officially settled.

📊 The route in numbers

Bases: 9 (Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Haba, Yuanyang, Sapa, Hanoi, Hong Kong)
Countries: 3 including Hong Kong as its own entry jurisdiction
Border crossings: 2 land borders, plus mainland → Hong Kong
Trekking: 2 days High Trail, 1 day high camp, 2 days Sapa
Total elevation gain: approx. 5,500 m of ascent
Domestic flights: none

🎶 Festival on day 19 included

Saturday 14 Nov falls in Hong Kong – and that is when Shi Fu Miz runs, four stages in Tai Tong Organic EcoPark. On this route that is the planned finale, not a compromise. Details and tickets in Route 4.

The timing advantage

Why this exact window is ideal for Yunnan

🌾 The Yuanyang rice terraces stand under water in early November

This is the central seasonal advantage of this route. The Hani terraces near Yuanyang are flooded after the harvest and stay that way through the winter. From roughly November the terrace system turns into thousands of water mirrors reflecting sunrise and clouds – the familiar image the region is famous for.

In summer, when most travellers come, the terraces are green and markedly less spectacular. So you would be there right at the start of the best season and still ahead of the Chinese photo tour groups that arrive from December.

🌡️ Climate along the route

Kunming: 10–21 °C, the “city of eternal spring”, dry
Dali: 8–20 °C, clear views of Cangshan
Tiger Leaping Gorge: 12–20 °C by day, around 5 °C at night – ideal trekking temperature
Haba high camp, approx. 4,100 m: −2 to +6 °C by day, down to −10 °C at night
Yuanyang: 12–22 °C, often mist in the valley in the morning – that is precisely what makes the pictures
Sapa: 12–21 °C, can be misty and damp
Hanoi: 20–27 °C, the best travel season of the year
Hong Kong: 20–26 °C

⚠️ Two limitations that honesty demands

The Haba summit is not seriously feasible on this schedule. Haba Snow Mountain reaches 5,396 m and demands glacier kit, a guide and – decisively – several days of acclimatisation. Going from Dali at 2,000 m to the summit in four days would be irresponsible in terms of altitude physiology. The plan is therefore the high camp at approx. 4,100 m as a day tour: almost the same view, without the risk.

Sapa can be misty in November. The mountain town sits at 1,500 m and often hangs in the cloud. The trekking in the valleys works anyway, the long views are a matter of luck. Anyone who wants to climb Fansipan at 3,147 m is best served by the cable car plus the summit steps, because a guided ascent costs two days that are not free here.

20 days

Day by day

27 October to 15 November 2026. The High Trail falls on Halloween weekend – in the gorge you notice nothing of it, and that is exactly right here.

Route 6 – Day-by-day overview
Day	Date	Location	Activity	Accommodation	Transport
1	Tue 27 Oct	Kunming	Arrival. Night market and Yunnan cooking in the evening: crossing-the-bridge rice noodles, wild mushrooms, flower cakes. Kunming sits at 1,890 m – acclimatisation starts here of its own accord.	Kunming	Flight arrival
2	Wed 28 Oct	→ Dali	🚄 Two hours west. Dali old town in the afternoon and the 📍 Erhai Lake. Bai cooking by the water in the evening.	Dali	🚄 approx. 2 h
3	Thu 29 Oct	Cangshan	🥾📍 Jade Belt Path on Cangshan: a contour path at around 2,600 m, roughly 11 km almost level along the eastern flank of the range, with a continuous view over Erhai Lake. A perfect acclimatisation day. Alternatively a cycle loop round the lake.	Dali	Cable car, on foot
4	Fri 30 Oct	→ Lijiang	🚄 Further north. Lijiang old town in the afternoon – touristy, but the canals and rooftops are worth a circuit. 📍 In the evening a view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Kit check for the High Trail.	Lijiang	🚄 approx. 2 h
5	Sat 31 Oct	High Trail, leg 1	🥾📍 Drive to Qiaotou, then the climb onto the High Trail above Tiger Leaping Gorge. The 28 Bends are the hard part: roughly 900 metres of ascent in one go up to around 2,670 m. After that a contour path with a constant view of the north face of Jade Dragon. Night at the Halfway Guesthouse.	Halfway Guesthouse	🚗 3 h + 🥾 6 h
6	Sun 1 Nov	High Trail, leg 2	🥾📍 On from Halfway across the open flank to Tina's, then the steep descent into the Middle Gorge down to the Tiger Leaping Stone right on the Yangtze – ladders, chains, loud rapids. Back up again. A short day with a lot of height difference.	Tina's / Walnut Garden	🥾 5–6 h
7	Mon 2 Nov	Haba, high camp	🥾📍 The altitude day. Over to the opposite side of the gorge to Haba, then a guided climb to the high camp of Haba Snow Mountain at around 4,100 m – rhododendron forest, then open slope, and at the end a view of the glacier and the whole chain along the gorge. Descent to the village. ⚠️ No summit, see the season section.	Haba village	🚗 + 🥾 8–9 h
8	Tue 3 Nov	→ Kunming	Back to Lijiang, 🚄 on to Kunming. A long transfer day, but in exchange an evening in the city, laundry and a shower with no time limit.	Kunming	🚗 3 h + 🚄 3.5 h
9	Wed 4 Nov	→ Yuanyang	🚗 Drive into the Hani terraces in the south. 📍 In the afternoon Duoyishu for sunset: the flooded terraces as a thousand mirrors above the misty valley. Night in a village guesthouse up on the ridge.	Duoyishu / Pugao Laozhai	🚗 driver, approx. 5 h
10	Thu 5 Nov	Yuanyang	📍🧭 Sunrise at Duoyishu – the reason to sleep there. Then the terrace fields of Bada and Laohuzui, with Hani villages and the market at Shengcun in between. 🥾 A hike between the terrace steps, around 3 hours.	Duoyishu / Pugao Laozhai	🚗 driver, on foot
11	Fri 6 Nov	🛂 → Sapa	🛂 First border day. Drive to Hekou, exit China, across the bridge to Lao Cai, entry into Vietnam – visa-free. Then an hour up to Sapa at 1,500 m. Market and hotpot in the evening.	Sapa	🚗 3 h + 🛂 + bus 1 h
12	Sat 7 Nov	Muong Hoa valley	🥾🧭 Trekking through the Muong Hoa valley via Lao Chai and Ta Van, around 14 km through rice terraces and bamboo. Night in a homestay with a Hmong or Giay family – dinner with the family, rice liquor included.	Ta Van (homestay)	🥾 5–6 h
13	Sun 8 Nov	Fansipan	🥾📍 Fansipan, 3,147 m, the highest mountain in Indochina. The pragmatic version: cable car up, then the 600 summit steps on foot. The sporting version: a guided ascent from Tram Ton – which costs the entire day and the night. Back to Sapa in the afternoon.	Sapa	Cable car, on foot
14	Mon 9 Nov	→ Hanoi	Bus down the motorway into the delta, around 5 to 6 hours. Old quarter in the evening: bia hoi on plastic stools, street food on Ta Hien.	Hanoi	Bus, approx. 6 h
15	Tue 10 Nov	Hanoi	Old quarter on foot, Hoan Kiem Lake, egg coffee, the Museum of Ethnology – after Sapa you read its collection on the mountain peoples completely differently. In the evening 🎶 a bar or club circuit in Tay Ho.	Hanoi	on foot, Grab
16	Wed 11 Nov	🛂 → Nanning	🛂 Second border day. International bus north, border crossing at the Friendship Pass, then the high-speed rail link Pingxiang–Nanning. Re-entry visa-free, the 30-day clock starts again. Details in the border section.	Nanning	Bus + 🛂 + 🚄, approx. 8 h
17	Thu 12 Nov	🛂 → Hong Kong	🚄 High-speed train from Nanning to Hong Kong, 🛂 passport control. Sheung Wan in the evening, first beer with a view of the skyline.	Hong Kong	🚄 approx. 5 h
18	Fri 13 Nov	Hong Kong	🥾📍 Dragon's Back over Shek O Peak, then a swim at Big Wave Bay. In the evening 🎶 Friday in Kwun Tong or Sheung Wan.	Hong Kong	MTR, bus
19	Sat 14 Nov	Yuen Long	🎶🎶 Shi Fu Miz Festival, Tai Tong Organic EcoPark, 12:00 to 04:00, four stages – house and disco on the meadow, techno in the forest, ambient to finish. Confirmed. Details in Route 4.	Hong Kong	MTR + shuttle
20	Sun 15 Nov	Hong Kong	Dim sum in Sham Shui Po, Star Ferry, Airport Express. Onward flight.	—	Airport Express

Table scrolls sideways · 20 days, 27 Oct–15 Nov 2026, with no gaps.

Geography

Map

A consistent southward axis: Yunnan from north to south, across the border into northern Vietnam, then east to the delta.

📍 All stops in Amap (高德) – works in China 🗺️ Google Maps (VPN only) Tiger Leaping Gorge in detail Hekou / Lao Cai border

In China: the Amap link works behind the firewall. Google Maps is blocked on the mainland and OpenStreetMap is unreliable – background, app tips and offline maps.

🚗 Driving legs individually in Amap – with a drawn route

The button above only places markers, no line: Amap's marker endpoint shows up to ten points but no track between them. A drawn route comes from the navigation endpoint – which however only takes a start, an end and one waypoint. So here are the driving legs one by one:

Lijiang → Tiger Leaping Gorge · approx. 3 h
Tiger Leaping Gorge → Haba · approx. 1.5 h
Kunming → Yuanyang · approx. 5 h
Yuanyang → Hekou · approx. 3 h

Driver legs only. Rail and flight sections are deliberately missing – Amap would compute them as a car journey and show wrong times.

The core programme

🥾 Hiking and viewpoints

Tiger Leaping Gorge, High Trail

Difficulty: medium to high, two days. The classic contour path high above the Yangtze, facing the north face of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The hard section is the 28 Bends on the first day: roughly 900 metres of ascent in switchbacks up to around 2,670 m, a grind in the sun but technically harmless.

After that the path runs along a fine contour line past hamlets and waterfalls to the Halfway Guesthouse. 📍 The terrace there is one of the best viewpoints in China. Second day: easier, as far as Tina's, then the steep descent over ladders and chains to the Tiger Leaping Stone by the river.

Practical: late October is the ideal time – dry, clear air, pleasant temperatures. Luggage can stay at the guesthouse in Qiaotou, you walk with a day pack. There is a fall risk in a few places; do not be out in the wet or in the dark.

Haba, high camp at approx. 4,100 m

Difficulty: high. The long day of this route: roughly 1,200 metres of ascent from the village through rhododendron forest onto the open slope to the high camp, then back down again. 📍 From the top a view of the Haba glacier and across the entire gorge to Jade Dragon.

Needed: a local guide, a warm layer, a head torch, solid boots. ⚠️ The 5,396 m summit cannot be justified on this schedule – it demands glacier kit and several acclimatisation days that are not available here. Anyone who wants the summit should plan a trip of their own for it.

Cangshan, Jade Belt Path

Difficulty: easy. Roughly 11 km at around 2,600 m with almost no gradient along the eastern flank of Cangshan, access by cable car. 📍 A continuous view of Dali and Erhai Lake. Ideally placed as an acclimatisation day before the High Trail.

Yuanyang: Duoyishu, Bada, Laohuzui

Difficulty: easy to medium. Not trekking, but walks between terrace steps and Hani villages, around 3 hours. 📍 The sunrise at Duoyishu is the reason to stay the night there: mist in the valley, then the water mirrors break through. Laohuzui, the “tiger's mouth”, is the most spectacular spot for sunset.

Muong Hoa valley, Sapa

Difficulty: medium. Around 14 km down from Sapa through Lao Chai and Ta Van, on paths between rice terraces, over bamboo bridges. With the homestay night, the richest cultural contact on the route. Muddy in November – boots with a proper tread.

Fansipan, 3,147 m

Two versions. Pragmatic: cable car and around 600 summit steps, half a day, 📍 in clear conditions a view over the whole Hoang Lien Son range. Sporting: a guided ascent from Tram Ton with a night on the way – two days this schedule does not have. Late October to November is the dry season and therefore the best time to climb.

Dragon's Back, Hong Kong

Difficulty: pleasant. An 8.5 km ridge path over Shek O Peak, views of the southern islands, then into the water at Big Wave Bay. The right recovery hike after two weeks of mountains and two border crossings.

Optional instead of the festival

If you would rather not do the festival on day 19: Lantau Peak, 934 m, the classic sunrise summit, or Sharp Peak in Sai Kung, 468 m brutally steep on loose scree. The recommendation is still Shi Fu Miz.

View across Erhai Lake near Dali in Yunnan — Erhai Lake near Dali – days 2 and 3

The flooded Hani rice terraces of Yuanyang at sunrise — Hani terraces near Yuanyang at sunrise – day 10

Rice terraces in the mountains around Sapa in northern Vietnam — Terraces around Sapa – days 11 to 13

Hoan Kiem Lake in the centre of Hanoi — Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi – days 14 and 15

Substance

🧭 Off the beaten path

Sleeping on the High Trail

The guesthouses halfway up the gorge are simple family operations with a terrace over the drop. Dinner is cooked together, the guests are international walkers. One of the best nights China has to offer – and completely untouched by the day-trip tourism down in the gorge.

Hani villages near Yuanyang

Between the terraces sit villages of mushroom-roofed houses built of clay and straw. The market at Shengcun is an everyday market, not a show market: buffalo, forged tools, indigo cloth, the costumes of the various subgroups. Stay in a village guesthouse rather than in Xinjie – less comfort, incomparably more impression.

Crossing at Hekou on foot

The crossing runs over a bridge between two towns that sit directly opposite each other. You walk out of China and a few minutes later into Vietnam – two languages, two currencies, two traffic cultures, fifty metres of river in between.

Homestay in Ta Van

Not the organised “homestay resorts” along the road, but a house in the village: cooking over the fire, rice liquor, children doing their homework. Best arranged through the trekking guide on the ground, not through booking portals.

Yunnan coffee

Barely known: Yunnan is China's coffee region. Kunming and Dali now have roasteries working exclusively with local beans – a surprisingly good counterpoint to the tea culture.

Yuen Long before the festival

The festival site is in the New Territories. Arrive early and you see a Hong Kong without a skyline: village temples, fish ponds, market halls, old walled villages. A fitting last contrast after three weeks in the countryside.

Evenings

🎶 Nightlife on this route

Deliberately quiet along the way – in exchange, a strong finale.

Kunming and Dali, days 1–4

Dali has a small, long-lived dropout and musician scene with live bars in the old town and on the lakeshore – acoustic, not electronic, but very pleasant. Kunming has a manageable club landscape.

Gorge and terraces, days 5–10

Nothing. Guesthouses in the gorge, village inns in Yuanyang, a beer on the terrace, in bed by nine. After 1,200 metres of ascent that is not a limitation.

Hanoi, days 14–15 🎶

Two evenings in one of the liveliest scenes in Southeast Asia, concentrated in the Tay Ho district. Documented as active in 2026 is, among others, FACTORY47. The long-standing hub Savage announced in 2025 that it faces closure because of a state construction project – check the status on the ground. Drinks cost a fraction of Chinese prices.

Hong Kong, days 17–19 🎶

Three evenings, including Friday and Saturday. The relevant places are the warehouse venues in Kwun Tong and the smaller rooms in Sheung Wan. Saturday is the festival anyway.

Day 19: Shi Fu Miz 🎶🎶

Saturday 14 Nov, Tai Tong Organic EcoPark in Yuen Long, 12:00 to 04:00, four stages: deep house and disco on the meadow, techno on the Valley Stage until four, UK bass by the pond, ambient from half past ten. Date and line-up confirmed. Details and tickets in Route 4.

🔎 Last-minute check

Two weeks before departure, go through Resident Advisor, Mixmag Asia and Bandwagon Asia. Vietnamese and Chinese events appear at short notice, often only on Instagram.

Mandatory check

🛂 Two border crossings in detail

This route leaves China on day 11 at Hekou and returns on day 16 via the Friendship Pass. Both are visa-free for German nationals.

1. Visa status for German nationals

China: No visa. Visa-free for up to 30 days per entry; the unilateral visa exemption applies to Germany until 24:00 on 31 Dec 2026.
Re-entry: Explicitly permitted. The official FAQ answers this in question 12: multiple visa-free entries are possible, currently with no limit on the number of entries or on total days of stay. The 30-day period counts from the day after entry and starts again on re-entry. Question 9 makes clear that the exemption applies at all land border crossings open to foreigners.
Vietnam: No visa. Visa-free for up to 45 days per entry, regardless of the purpose of travel. Basis: Resolution 44/NQ-CP, valid 15 Mar 2025 to 14 Mar 2028.
Hong Kong: No visa. Its own entry jurisdiction, up to 90 days.

Sources: Consulate General of the PRC in Hamburg, notice 4 Nov 2025; FAQs on Visa-free Entry into China, as of 21 May 2026; Vietnam Tourism and the Vietnamese embassy on Resolution 44/NQ-CP. Checked on 29 Sept 2026 – verify again three days before departure.

2. Exit on day 11: Hekou → Lao Cai

Yunnan's southernmost land crossing, right on the Red River. The Chinese town of Hekou and the Vietnamese town of Lao Cai sit immediately opposite each other, linked by a bridge.

Drive from Yuanyang to Hekou, around 3 hours with the driver. Alternatively by rail from Kunming, where there is a high-speed rail link as far as Hekou North.
Chinese exit control in the border terminal.
On foot across the bridge, a few minutes.
Vietnamese entry control in Lao Cai. As Germans without a visa, passport stamp.
On to Sapa by minibus or shared taxi, around 1 hour uphill.

⚠️ Opening hours: the crossing is open during the day, the times vary by season. Do not plan it for the late afternoon – and remember that Vietnam is one hour behind China. Set off in the morning and the buffer is sufficient.

3. Re-entry on day 16: Hanoi → Friendship Pass → Nanning

The way back uses the main land crossing between the two countries: Huu Nghi on the Vietnamese side near Dong Dang, Friendship Pass (友谊关) on the Chinese side near Pingxiang.

Best option: The international through bus Hanoi–Nanning. It takes the border with the whole bus on board and is the least stressful option. In Nanning it stops at the bus terminal opposite Langdong Bus Station.
Alternative: Minibus to the border, across on foot, then the high-speed rail link Pingxiang–Nanning that has been running since December 2025, with a journey time of around 1.5 hours.
Train: The international Nanning–Hanoi train is running again, takes around 12 hours with a change in Pingxiang and cannot be booked online – tickets only in person at the counter in Nanning with the original passport.
⚠️ Critical time: Be at the border before 16:30. After that, foreign passports are no longer stamped at this crossing.
Time required: Border formalities 45–90 minutes; the whole Hanoi → Nanning day around 8 hours. Plan nothing for the evening.

To carry with you: passport, printed hotel bookings for China and the onward flight ticket out of Hong Kong. The Chinese FAQ explicitly recommends this evidence, and at land borders it is asked for far more often than at the airport.

4. Does the detour make returning to China harder?

No. No new visa, no fee, no advance registration – the visa exemption allows multiple entries, and on re-entry a new 30-day period begins. The limitation that belongs with that: entry is always decided by the border authority on the spot, and the purpose of travel has to match the permitted purposes – tourism does. Carry the evidence, keep your statements consistent, and check the rule once more shortly before departure.

5. Is the effort worth it?

The Vietnam leg costs half a day on day 11 and a full day on day 16 – so roughly 1.5 travel days for border logistics. In return you get Sapa, the Muong Hoa trek with a homestay, Fansipan and two days in Hanoi. Unlike Route 4, the crossing here is not an add-on but geographically consistent: Yunnan's mountain terraces and northern Vietnam's mountain terraces are the same landscape, just with a border in between. That is exactly what makes the detour particularly worthwhile here.

Logistics

🚗🚄 Transport analysis

🚗 A driver for three days, otherwise rail and bus

What is needed is a driver for the approach to Tiger Leaping Gorge, for the Haba section and for the Yuanyang terraces including the onward run to Hekou – there is no sensible public transport there and the viewpoints are far apart. 包车, a car with a driver, RMB 600–1,000 per day, split between two. For the sunrise at Duoyishu the driver is effectively indispensable.

🚗 Self-driving and the border

China recognises neither the German nor the international driving licence. On top of that: a Chinese hire car may not be taken out of the country into Vietnam. The border crossings are done on foot or on a scheduled bus. Warning against self-driving a motorbike in Vietnam would be going too far – but on the mountain roads around Sapa a local driver is the smarter choice.

Legs and journey times
Leg	Means	Duration	Note
Kunming → Dali	🚄 HSR	approx. 2 h	Frequent service.
Dali → Lijiang	🚄 HSR	approx. 2 h	Fast and comfortable since the line was upgraded.
Lijiang → Qiaotou	🚗 driver	approx. 3 h	Start of the High Trail. Luggage store at the guesthouse.
Gorge → Haba	🚗 driver	approx. 1.5 h	Across the bridge to the north side.
Haba → Lijiang → Kunming	🚗 + 🚄	approx. 7 h	Transfer day, start early.
Kunming → Yuanyang	🚗 driver	approx. 5 h	Alternatively rail as far as Jianshui, then the driver – saves around an hour.
Yuanyang → Hekou	🚗 driver	approx. 3 h	All the way to the border terminal.
🛂 Hekou → Lao Cai	on foot	30–60 min	The bridge between the two towns. Cross in the morning.
Lao Cai → Sapa	Minibus	approx. 1 h	Uphill to 1,500 m.
Sapa → Hanoi	Bus	5–6 h	Down the motorway, sleeper buses available.
🛂 Hanoi → Nanning	Bus + 🚄	approx. 8 h	The international through bus is the most robust option. Be at the border before 16:30.
Nanning → Hong Kong	🚄 HSR	approx. 5 h	🛂 Passport control. Through to West Kowloon or with a change in Shenzhen.

🚄 Why no domestic flight

This route does not need one – and that is its strongest logistical argument. Yunnan's high-speed rail network covers Kunming, Dali and Lijiang, the mountain legs are road sections anyway, and Nanning is connected directly to Hong Kong by HSR. Of all six proposals, Route 6 is the one that meets your “as few flights as possible” requirement most cleanly, even though it touches three countries.

Implementation

Practicalities, kit and costs

💶 Cost estimate per person

Accommodation, 19 nights: approx. €700 (Hong Kong 3 nights approx. €330, Yunnan cheap)
Driver, 3 days: approx. €160
Guide for the Haba high camp: approx. €70
Trekking guide and homestay in Sapa: approx. €80
Rail, buses, Fansipan cable car: approx. €300
Entry fees for the gorge and the terraces: approx. €120
Food and drink: approx. €350
Shi Fu Miz ticket: approx. €60–90
Nightlife: approx. €150
Buffer: approx. €200
Total: €2,000–2,400

Vietnam pulls the average down considerably – Hong Kong pushes it back up.

🔑 What to actually book

Haba guide: arranged in Haba village, not online; day rate from about 200–300 RMB, the base-camp hut at 4,100 m about 200 RMB/night. Access from Walnut Garden in the gorge by minibus about 150 RMB, around 90 minutes.
High Trail: overnight at the Halfway Guesthouse (中途客栈); Tina's Guesthouse at the lower end as the finish and transfer point to Lijiang. Both doable without pre-booking, better secured by phone in high season.
Fansipan: cable car from Sun World Fansipan Legend in Sapa, ticket on site or online; the guided ascent takes two days and is not scheduled here.
Ta Van homestay: Hmong/Giay families, arranged through the Sapa trekking guide or directly in the village.

Haba logistics: Wikivoyage "Haba", mountain-forecast.com. High Trail lodging: chinaodysseytours, maptrotting. Checked 4 Oct 2026, re-verify before departure.

📅 Booking order for Route 6

Open-jaw flight: in to Kunming, onward flight out of Hong Kong
Shi Fu Miz ticket for 14 Nov immediately
Hong Kong hotel for days 17–20
Driver for Lijiang–gorge–Haba and for Kunming–Yuanyang–Hekou; ask about the Haba guide at the same time
Guesthouse in Duoyishu for the sunrise – very limited number of beds
Trekking guide and homestay in Ta Van, best through an agency in Sapa
From 12 Oct, book the rail legs as they enter the 15-day window
Reserve the international bus Hanoi–Nanning about a week ahead

🎒 Kit

Solid hiking boots with a proper tread – the High Trail, Haba and the muddy paths around Sapa
Trekking poles for the descent into the Middle Gorge
A warm layer and a hat for the Haba high camp, down to −10 °C at night there
A rain jacket, Sapa can be wet in November
A sleeping bag liner for the guesthouses and the homestay
A head torch – sunrise at Duoyishu means setting off in the dark
Two payment worlds: Alipay and WeChat Pay for China, cash for Vietnam
Printed hotel bookings and the onward flight ticket for both land borders

⚠️ Altitude and turnaround criteria

The Haba day goes to around 4,100 m. The acclimatisation via Kunming at 1,890 m, Dali at 2,000 m, Cangshan at 2,600 m and the High Trail at 2,670 m is appropriate for that – but not for more. With severe headache, vomiting or breathlessness at rest: turn around. Check your travel health insurance for altitude cover, many policies exclude tours above 4,000 m.

🍜 Culinary side effect

This route passes through four distinct cuisines: Yunnan with wild mushrooms and rice noodles, Naxi and Tibetan food in the north, Hani in the terraces, northern Vietnamese with pho and bun cha, and finally Cantonese dim sum. For a trip with no culinary focus, that is a surprising amount.