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6-Day Off The Beaten Track Tour of North Vietnam from Hanoi
6 days
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Itinerary
Day 1: Day 1 Ha Noi - Ha Giang (L, D)
Stop At: Home stay Hạ Thành Hà Giang
Your guide will pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi at around 8am. We will set out towards Ha Giang via Tuyen Quang, passing countless tea plantations, mountains and ethnic minority villages along the way. You will have lunch at a local restaurant in Tuyen Quang, before arriving in Ha Giang in the late afternoon. Time permitting, you can explore the town and meet the local people before you’re served dinner and stay overnight in a local Tay house.
Accommodation: Homestay in Ha Giang
Meal: Lunch, Dinner at local restaurant.
Duration: 5 hours
Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: A local Tay house in Ha Giang
Day 2: Day 2 Ha Giang - Dong Van (B, L, D)
Stop At: Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, Ha Giang, Ha Giang Province
As we set out from Ha Giang after getting our permit from the immigration office, your journey to Dong Van will be filled with spectacular landscapes in the form of a series of long passes. En route you will stop for lunch at the small and beautiful mountain village of Tam Son, before heading to the majestic “King of the H’mong Palace”, a fortress built by a local chief, Vuong Chin Duc, who allied himself with French forces against the Viet Minh. Built in the 1900’s, this palace was designed in the style of ancient Chinese architecture dating to the Qing era, and it was made from materials such as solid stone blocks, wood and terracotta tiles. You will arrive in Dong Van at around 6pm, at which time you will have dinner at a local restaurant and stay overnight in a hotel.
Accommodation : Hotel in Dong Van
Meal: Breakfast at homestay. Lunch, Dinner at local restaurant.
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Hotel in Dong Van
Day 3: Day 3 Dong Van - Ma Phi Leng - Meo Vac - Cao Bang (B, L, D)
Stop At: Ma Pi Leng Pass, Ha Giang, Ha Giang Province
You’ll start the day off with breakfast and a visit to the Dong Van Market, where locals come from all the surrounding villages to purchase and trade for essentials they cannot produce themselves. Then you will be making the trek up to Pu Lo fortress which was built in 1890 and evacuated in 1945. From here you can enjoy spectacular views of the entire region, before climbing 15 km to the top of Ma Pi Leng Pass, through a gigantic maze of limestone peaks, stone forests, and canyons before descending into the valley of Meo Vac. You will then descend into the valley of Meo Vac, visiting Meo Vac Market before continuing on the snaking road through the mountains, crossing the river, and arriving in Cao Bang. You will have dinner and spend the night in Cao Bang.
Accommodation: Hotel in Cao Bang
Meal: Breakfast at hotel. Lunch, Dinner at local restaurant
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Hotel in Cao Bang
Day 4: Day 4 Cao Bang- Ban Gioc Waterfall (B, L, D)
Stop At: Ban Gioc Falls, Cao Bang, Cao Bang Province
This day is likely to be your highlight of the tour, as we take you to one of the most incredible natural wonders in Northern Vietnam; Ban Gioc Waterfall. The drive here from Cao Bang is roughly two hours, and this breath-taking 300-metre wide cascade sits right on the border between China and Vietnam, amidst a beautiful mountainous landscape. While you’re here you can spend your time relaxing in the glow of the natural beauty, take some amazing photos, and board a bamboo boat that will take you so close to the falls you’ll feel the spray on your face, practically sitting at the very edge of Vietnam, so close to China that you can actually touch it. After enjoying the waterfall, you will venture deep underground into the magical Nguom Ngao Cave to discover the rock formations which have been carved by erosion over millennia. After visiting the waterfall and cave, you will travel down a beautiful road which is unknown to many, which winds through the mountains before reaching the Nung village of Quang Uyen. You will be welcomed by Mr. Hung Dao, an amazingly friendly blacksmith, before having dinner at his house and settling in for the night in this cosy traditional Nung house.
Accomodation : Homestay in Quang Uyen
Meal: Breakfast at hotel. Lunch, Dinner at local restaurant
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Homestay in Quang Uyen
Day 5: Day 5 Cao Bang - Ba Be Lake (B, L, D)
Stop At: Ba Be National Park, Nam Mau, Bac Kan Province
Your day will start with breakfast at the hotel followed by a three-hour drive to Cho Ra where you will stop for lunch. From here you will board a boat and take a trip through the three lakes which make up Ba Be Lake and up the Nang River to Puong Cave, a 300-meter long tunnel through a mountain. If it is hot, you can have a swim in the cool, refreshing water before you visit the stilt houses in Coc Toc, a Tay ethnic minority village, where you will spend the night in Mr Linh’s Homestay, set in a traditional Tay House and letting you experience the amazing hospitality of the Tay community.
Accommodation: homestay in Ba Be Lake
Meal: Breakfast in homestay. Lunch, Dinner at a local restaurant.
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Homestay in Ba Be
Day 6: Day 6 Ba Be Lake - Hanoi (B, L)
Stop At: Ba Be National Park, Nam Mau, Bac Kan Province
After breakfast, we’ll take you on a stroll along the riverfront to visit some surrounding villages, followed by a hike up one of the higher points around the lake, providing you with some impressive views surrounded by limestone formations and mountain peaks. On the way here you’ll pass through Pac Ngoi Village, an especially good example of the traditional stilt house architecture. Following this we enter Hua Ma Cave, famous for its thousands of stalactites and stalagmites. On the way back to Hanoi your driver will take you through a pass known as “Dog Flower Pass”, where we’ll stop and give you a chance to take some great photos of the terraced fields surrounding you. After you’ve taken your photos and enjoyed lunch in a local restaurant, we’ll finish our journey back to Hanoi, ping you off at your hotel around 6pm.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.
Read more
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Day 1: Day 1 Ha Noi - Ha Giang (L, D)
Stop At: Home stay Hạ Thành Hà Giang
Your guide will pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi at around 8am. We will set out towards Ha Giang via Tuyen Quang, passing countless tea plantations, mountains and ethnic minority villages along the way. You will have lunch at a local restaurant in Tuyen Quang, before arriving in Ha Giang in the late afternoon. Time permitting, you can explore the town and meet the local people before you’re served dinner and stay overnight in a local Tay house.
Accommodation: Homestay in Ha Giang
Meal: Lunch, Dinner at local restaurant.
Duration: 5 hours
Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: A local Tay house in Ha Giang
Day 2: Day 2 Ha Giang - Dong Van (B, L, D)
Stop At: Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, Ha Giang, Ha Giang Province
As we set out from Ha Giang after getting our permit from the immigration office, your journey to Dong Van will be filled with spectacular landscapes in the form of a series of long passes. En route you will stop for lunch at the small and beautiful mountain village of Tam Son, before heading to the majestic “King of the H’mong Palace”, a fortress built by a local chief, Vuong Chin Duc, who allied himself with French forces against the Viet Minh. Built in the 1900’s, this palace was designed in the style of ancient Chinese architecture dating to the Qing era, and it was made from materials such as solid stone blocks, wood and terracotta tiles. You will arrive in Dong Van at around 6pm, at which time you will have dinner at a local restaurant and stay overnight in a hotel.
Accommodation : Hotel in Dong Van
Meal: Breakfast at homestay. Lunch, Dinner at local restaurant.
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Hotel in Dong Van
Day 3: Day 3 Dong Van - Ma Phi Leng - Meo Vac - Cao Bang (B, L, D)
Stop At: Ma Pi Leng Pass, Ha Giang, Ha Giang Province
You’ll start the day off with breakfast and a visit to the Dong Van Market, where locals come from all the surrounding villages to purchase and trade for essentials they cannot produce themselves. Then you will be making the trek up to Pu Lo fortress which was built in 1890 and evacuated in 1945. From here you can enjoy spectacular views of the entire region, before climbing 15 km to the top of Ma Pi Leng Pass, through a gigantic maze of limestone peaks, stone forests, and canyons before descending into the valley of Meo Vac. You will then descend into the valley of Meo Vac, visiting Meo Vac Market before continuing on the snaking road through the mountains, crossing the river, and arriving in Cao Bang. You will have dinner and spend the night in Cao Bang.
Accommodation: Hotel in Cao Bang
Meal: Breakfast at hotel. Lunch, Dinner at local restaurant
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Hotel in Cao Bang
Day 4: Day 4 Cao Bang- Ban Gioc Waterfall (B, L, D)
Stop At: Ban Gioc Falls, Cao Bang, Cao Bang Province
This day is likely to be your highlight of the tour, as we take you to one of the most incredible natural wonders in Northern Vietnam; Ban Gioc Waterfall. The drive here from Cao Bang is roughly two hours, and this breath-taking 300-metre wide cascade sits right on the border between China and Vietnam, amidst a beautiful mountainous landscape. While you’re here you can spend your time relaxing in the glow of the natural beauty, take some amazing photos, and board a bamboo boat that will take you so close to the falls you’ll feel the spray on your face, practically sitting at the very edge of Vietnam, so close to China that you can actually touch it. After enjoying the waterfall, you will venture deep underground into the magical Nguom Ngao Cave to discover the rock formations which have been carved by erosion over millennia. After visiting the waterfall and cave, you will travel down a beautiful road which is unknown to many, which winds through the mountains before reaching the Nung village of Quang Uyen. You will be welcomed by Mr. Hung Dao, an amazingly friendly blacksmith, before having dinner at his house and settling in for the night in this cosy traditional Nung house.
Accomodation : Homestay in Quang Uyen
Meal: Breakfast at hotel. Lunch, Dinner at local restaurant
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Homestay in Quang Uyen
Day 5: Day 5 Cao Bang - Ba Be Lake (B, L, D)
Stop At: Ba Be National Park, Nam Mau, Bac Kan Province
Your day will start with breakfast at the hotel followed by a three-hour drive to Cho Ra where you will stop for lunch. From here you will board a boat and take a trip through the three lakes which make up Ba Be Lake and up the Nang River to Puong Cave, a 300-meter long tunnel through a mountain. If it is hot, you can have a swim in the cool, refreshing water before you visit the stilt houses in Coc Toc, a Tay ethnic minority village, where you will spend the night in Mr Linh’s Homestay, set in a traditional Tay House and letting you experience the amazing hospitality of the Tay community.
Accommodation: homestay in Ba Be Lake
Meal: Breakfast in homestay. Lunch, Dinner at a local restaurant.
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Homestay in Ba Be
Day 6: Day 6 Ba Be Lake - Hanoi (B, L)
Stop At: Ba Be National Park, Nam Mau, Bac Kan Province
After breakfast, we’ll take you on a stroll along the riverfront to visit some surrounding villages, followed by a hike up one of the higher points around the lake, providing you with some impressive views surrounded by limestone formations and mountain peaks. On the way here you’ll pass through Pac Ngoi Village, an especially good example of the traditional stilt house architecture. Following this we enter Hua Ma Cave, famous for its thousands of stalactites and stalagmites. On the way back to Hanoi your driver will take you through a pass known as “Dog Flower Pass”, where we’ll stop and give you a chance to take some great photos of the terraced fields surrounding you. After you’ve taken your photos and enjoyed lunch in a local restaurant, we’ll finish our journey back to Hanoi, ping you off at your hotel around 6pm.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.
Included
- 5x Breakfast
- 5x Dinner
- 6x Lunch
- Accommodation included: 5 nights
- 5 nights accommodation
- Meals as per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner)
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Private tour
- Entry/Admission - Home stay Hạ Thành Hà Giang
- Entry/Admission - Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark
- Entry/Admission - Ma Pi Leng Pass
- Entry/Admission - Ban Gioc Falls
- Entry/Admission - Ba Be National Park
Not included
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Visa and permits
- Drinks
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Features
Tourism
95%
Cultural
60%
Aquatic
30%
Reviews
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We had the two most amazing leaders....the tour guide and the skillful driver. Everyday was amazing beyond words. Our tour guide, Long, was knowledgeable, pleasing, courteous and simply the best. Our driver, his name was Long, too! He was simply so fabulous and he made us feel very safe. He was also very helpful in bringing our luggages in and out of the hotels and so on. We definitely recommend this trip for the travellers who have an open mind and open heart. The places we went were not very popular with tourists. That's the reason why it was so extraordinary.
Aptly named - this tour takes you off the beaten track to experience the grass-roots Vietnam, staying in bamboo stilted homestays with thatched palm roofs, experiencing fresh home cooked food and seeing how the farming folk of North Vietnam live. You get a real sense of family and friendship! The stress of driving in a foreign country where you don't speak the language is taken away with the tour including a new Toyota air-conditioned SUV with driver and tour guide/interpreter. If like us you're not used to overly hot temperatures then I'd recommend going as we did in November. Temperatures ranged from mid-thirties around Hanoi to the high teens as we got in to the highlands near the China/Vietnam boarder. The tour guide is very knowledgeable and happily points out items of interest along the way. If you want to stop anywhere along the route they are more than happy to do so. The highlights for us were the cave trips and longboating - you'll certainly want to pack a camera for this trip! Not to mention marvelling at what can be carried on the humble motor-scooter - the most common form of transport on crowded streets and the small secondary roads you'll find yourself on. My advice is to have a small day pack when you leave the car and throw in a couple of water bottles when you do so as you'll work up a sweat and also for when you bed down for the night. The tour guide always ensured there was plenty of bottled water available for us. Also pack a small torch for the caves, some travel wipes, toilet tissues and hand sanitizer as bathrooms along the way are basic at best. Thankfully the homestays and hotels are chosen in advance to ensure you always have a decent hot shower and western-style toilet. Pack some flip-flops too. You'll really have a great experience, enjoying the awesome scenery and come home with a great story to tell!