Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Ha Noi - Ha Giang
Day 2: Ha Giang - Dong Van
Day 3:Dong Van - Ma Phi Leng - Meo Vac - Cao Bang
Day 4: Cao Bang - Ban Gioc Waterfall
Day 5: Cao Bang - Ba Be Lake
Day 6: Ba Be Lake - Hanoi
Day 1: Hanoi – Ha Giang (L, D)
We will pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi around 8am and start our journey northwards through the Red River Delta. We will stop for lunch in Tuyen Quang Town, famous for its verdant green tea plantations. Carrying on, we will arrive in Ha Giang Town at around 18:00, where you’ll have dinner and spend the night with a Thai family in their traditional home.
Highlights and activities: Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang, a 2 - 3 km trek
Accommodation: Mr Doan's Homestay
Meals: Lunch, Dinner at local restaurant.
Day 2: Ha Giang – Dong Van (B, L, D)
After getting the permits from the immigration office in Ha Giang, you will be taken across a succession of stunning passes with absolutely jaw-ping views until you reach the mountain town of Tam Son where lunch will be served.
Once you’ve eaten, we will take you to the H’mong palace which once belonged to the “King of the H’mong” and was constructed by French and Chinese architects, leading to an interesting fusion of styles. The palace was once infamous for being used to store opium and weapons but was abandoned in the 1950’s and the descendants of the family now live in France and Canada.
After the palace we continue on to Dong Van, arriving at 18:00, where you’ll have dinner and stay the night in a hotel.
Highlights and activities: Ha Giang, Dong Van, a 2 - 3 km trek
Accommodation: Hoa Cuong Hotel
Meals: Breakfast at homestay. Lunch, Dinner at local restaurant.
Day 3: Dong Van – Ma Pi Leng Pass – Meo Vac – Cao Bang (B, L, D)
If today is a Sunday, we will take you to the weekly Dong Van Market after breakfast. Here you can spend some time talking to the locals, learning about their culture and traditions, as well as do some souvenir shopping from the wide variety of colourful goods available here.
We then set out for a trek to Pu Lo, a French fortress built in 1890 located on a hill above the town. After exploring the fortress we hit the road again, passing through the spectacular Ma Pi Leng Pass, considered one of the most beautiful natural spots in all of Vietnam.
We then descend into Meo Vac Valley, visiting the market here for lunch and some shopping before finishing our journey to Cao bang, where you’ll have dinner in a local restaurant and stay overnight in a hotel.
Highlights and activities: Dong Van, Ma Pi Leng Pass, a 12 - 15 km trek
Accommodation: Thanh Loan Hotel
Meals: Breakfast at hotel. Lunch, Dinner at local restaurant.
Day 4: Cao Bang – Ban Gioc Waterfall – Cao Bang (B, L, D)
Most of our guests consider this day the highlight of the tour, as we visit one of the most amazing sites in all of Vietnam: Ban Gioc Waterfall. After breakfast we set out for the two hour dream before reaching this breath-taking cascade located right on the border with China. In fact, this location makes it the 4th largest frontier waterfall in the world, aside from also being the largest waterfall period in Southeast Asia. We’ll spend quite some time here, allowing you to explore, take photos, enjoy the views and even take a bamboo boat so close to the waterfall you can feel the water hitting your face!
We then proceed to Nguom Ngao Cave, which features some stunning rock formations formed by millennia of erosion. Once we’ve explored the cave, we travel down a beautiful road to the Nung village of Quan Uyen, where Mr. Hung Dao, the local blacksmith, will welcome you into his home for dinner and an overnight stay.
Highlights and activities: Ban Gioc waterfall, Nguom Ngao Cave, a 2 - 3 km trek
Accomodation: Mr Kim's Homestay
Meals: Breakfast at hotel. Lunch in local restaurant, dinner in homestay
Day 5: Cao Bang – Ba Be National Park (B, L, D)
After breakfast we set out for a three hour drive to Cho Ra Village, where we stop for lunch. From here you board a boat for a trip across the lake and then up the Nang River, eventually reaching Puong Cave, a 300-meter tunnel through a mountain. This is a great chance to do some swimming if the weather permits (or requires) it, before we set out again to the Tay village of Coc Toc, where we will be welcomed by Mr Linh and his family into his home for dinner and an overnight stay.
Highlights and activities: Ba Be Lake, Boat trip, Puong Cave, a 2 - 3 km trek
Accommodation: Mr Linh's Homestay
Meals: Breakfast in homestay. Lunch, Dinner at a homestay
Day 6: Ba Be National Park – Hanoi (B, L)
Once you’ve enjoyed a home-cooked breakfast at the homestay, we’ll take you for a stroll along the riverfront to visit some other villages that are nearby, like Pac Ngoi, followed by a short hike to a viewpoint that will provide some impressive views of the surrounding mountains. After this we enter Hua Ma Cave, famous for its staggering number of stalactites and stalagmites.
Once finished in the cave, it’s time to return to Hanoi. However there are still things to enjoy on the way back, as we pass through Dog Flower Pass where we’ll make a stop so that you can take pictures of the amazingly beautiful vista of rice terraces surrounding you. We then finish our journey and arrive back in Hanoi around 6pm, ping you off at your hotel.
Highlights and activities: Pac Ngoi village, Hua Ma Cave, a 3 - 5 km trek
Accommodation: Not included
Meals: Breakfast at homestay. Lunch at a local restaurant