Highlights:
• Admire the most spectacular mountain route in North Vietnam.
• See the picturesque highland townwhere you can unplug and reconnect with nature, while getting a true look into the lives of local hillside communities in Ha Giang.
• Trek to visit remote hill tribe villages surrounded by rolling green hills and mountain streams overlooked by dramatic limestone karsts in Sapa.
• Take a boat trip to Ba Be Lake
ITINERARY:
DAY 1: HANOI – PAN HOU (-/LUNCH/DINNER)
Pick up early at your hotel and today you will set off on a full day journey to Hoang Su Phi, a rural district of Ha Giang province in the north-eastern region of Vietnam.
The province may be the last one to open to tourism and offers some of the most striking scenery in Vietnam like the rice terraces sculpted into the mountains, rock formations split by breath-taking canyons. Enjoy beautiful landscape along the route with chance to encounter different ethnic minority peoples who have settled in the area and are masters of the terraced rice fields which have been recognized as a national heritage site by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Upon arrival, you will check in Pan Hou Village Ecolodge which nestles in a lost valley hidden at the heart of the high Chay River valley. Stay overnight in Pan Hou.
Inclusion: transportation, English speaking guide, accommodation, meals: lunch and dinner.
DAY 2: PAN HOU (BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER)
Have breakfast and get ready for trekking day. The tour starts at 08:00 am and you will walk to Nam Hong. Enjoy the view of terrace rice fields and admire the magnificent works of the local people.
At 12:00, you will have lunch at a Man Ta Pan ethnic minority people house. Observe the life of local people and then start walking back to Pan Hou via Giang Thuong with beautiful view of mountains and bamboo forest. Stay overnight in Pan Hou.
Inclusion: transportation, English speaking guide, accommodation, meals: breakfast and lunch, dinner.
DAY 3: PAN HOU – HA GIANG (BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER)
Continue your journey to Ha Giang.
Enjoy the scenic drive with endless photo opportunities. Along the way, you will see many ethnic minority groups.
Upon arrival in Ha Giang, have lunch at restaurant. After lunch, drive to Kheo Village on the outskirts of the city. This is an old and beautiful Tay ethnic minority village that well preserves the identity, cultural traditions and architecture.
Overnight at home-stay.
Inclusion: transportation, English speaking guide, accommodation, meals: breakfast and lunch, dinner
DAY 4: HA GIANG –DONG VAN (BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER)
The remote region of Dong Van and Meo Vac is a land of rugged mountains and beautiful hill tribe villages which have remained unchanged for centuries.
The Dong Van rock plateau has been enlisted by UNESCO as a World Geo-park.
Today we head northwest out of Ha Giang Town towards this northernmost tip of Vietnam. The former H’mong royal house at Sa Phin is a primary attraction of the region, but the blend of the hill tribe people's colorful costumes and the majestic mountainous scenery make this long and sometimes bumpy trip an unforgettable experience.
Inclusion: transportation, English speaking guide, accommodation, meals: breakfast and lunch, dinner
DAY 5: DONG VAN –MEO VAC – BAO LAC – NGUYEN BINH – BA BE LAKE (BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER)
Today, the journey takes you through the rolling hills and the picturesque scenery to Ba Be National Park.
We have time to visit Dong Van Town before continuing to MeoVac which is inhabited mostly by the Lo Lo and PuPeo ethnic minority people. They still retain their centuries old cultural traditions and are recognizably distinct from each other by their dress.
The remoteness and the simple lifestyle of the area’s local people are highlights of Meo Vac. Living conditions are very basic here. Roads are bumpy and zigzagging through the mountains. But the journey is more than rewarding.
Meet the locals and learn more about the life and culture of the Hmong, Dao, Tay and Nung ethnic minorities who make for the main population in this region.
Depending on road and traffic conditions, we arrive in Ba Be late afternoon or early evening.
Inclusion: transportation, English speaking guide, accommodation, meals: breakfast and lunch, dinner
DAY 6: BA BE NATIONAL PARK (BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER)
Take a boat trip to visit Puong Cave - a large cave in the north of the park through which the Nang River flows. The main cave is up to 50 meters high and about 300 meters long
Continue to visit Dau Dang Waterfall which is formed by the Nang River. It consists of a sequence of rapids which stretch over a length of almost one kilometre.
The legendary widow island is a small, cone-shaped islet near the center of the southern lake. According to the local myth, the islet was once the home of an old widow who was spared from a flood through divine intervention.
Have some kayaks on-board for exploration of small creeks and lagoons.
Inclusion: transportation, English speaking guide, accommodation, meals: breakfast and lunch, dinner
DAY 7: BA BE – HANOI (BREAKFAST/LUNCH/-)
Have breakfast, savoir the peaceful village life, then say good bye to your host family and drive to Hanoi. Enjoy the beautiful landscape along the winding road dotted with the lush green tea gardens, palm trees and stilt houses of the local ethnic minority peoples.
Arrive in Hanoi, drop off at your hotel. Tour ends.
(Accommodation at hotel in Hanoi is not included)
Inclusion: transportation, English speaking guide, accommodation, meals: breakfast and lunch.
