10 Days 9 Nights Vietnam Nature

Noi Bai Airport – Hotel in City Center (31km/ 45 minutes)

All guests are warmly welcomed upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport by our local guide then transfer to check in the hotel. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

07:30 Our tour guide will pick you up by car at your hotel in Hanoi old quarter, transferring you by sharing bus to Lang Son. We will start by driving in the direction of the Chinese border for about 3 hours, before stopping at Chi Lang Pass, a 20kmlong gorge created from a narrow valley between two mountains.

This place occupies an important position in Vietnamese history, being the place of many victories against various Chinese invasions over the centuries and millennia, as far back as 981AD. As such it bears the reputation of Vietnam’s strongest citadel and bastion. Here you will have roughly an hour to walk around and explore the area around the Quy Mon Quan Gate, which translates as “The Gate of Monsters”, named for the many invasion forces that would spill through the pass over the course of history only to be beaten back by stalwart Vietnamese defenders.

After lunch at a local restaurant in Dong Dang, you will continue your trip into the pass, stopping to visit Mother’s Temple and Dong Khe – an important historical site where The Battle of Dong Khe was fought during the First Indochina War. In fact, this was the very first battle of the Indochina Wars, and the fighting here took place through September and October 1950, ending in a resounding victory for the Viet Minh.

In the evening you will get to enjoy dinner and overnight rest in a local homestay owned and operated by a local Nung family.

Highlights and activities: Chi Lang pass, Quy Mon Quan gate, Dong Khe battle site, ethnic villages, and a 3-5km walk
 

After enjoying breakfast at the homestay, you will depart for Trung Khanh which lies right on the border with China. Here you will have another chance to meet and interact with the local Nung people living in the village of Phuoc Sen, a mountainous village famous for its traditional blacksmithing. The farming tools made here are an integral part of the lifestyle which is evident in the surrounding rice paddies and fields.

Nestled amongst these amazing landscapes is the breathtaking Ban Gioc Waterfall which spans over 300 meters, split half and half between Vietnam and China. You’ll get some time here to simply take in the amazing atmosphere surrounding the falls, which presents an excellent opportunity for some fantastic photography.

Once you’ve finished at the falls, it’s time to head over to Nguom Ngao Cave, for a very different, but no less impressive natural wonder. The cave stretches for 2,144 meters underground and is brimming with incredible stalactites and stalagmites.

You will then return to Cao Bang town and head down the “snake pass” to Ba Be Lake, where you will stay overnight in a homestay constructed in traditional Tay fashion and owned and operated by a local Tay family. Here you can relax and unwind from the day and enjoy a delicious and authentic home cooked meal.

Highlights and activities: Ban Gioc waterfall, Nguom Ngao cave, Ba Be National Park, ethnic villages.
 

After breakfast, you will board a boat to cross the lake to the north shore. From here you will start a hike in the rainforest of the central area of the Ba Be National Park. Along the shores of the lake, you will reach a prehistoric cave dating back 500 million years, hidden in an ancient forest composed of rare and hard wood trees, as strong as steel.

A little further, a fire station allows us to observe the birds.
Resume your hiking to reach the An Ma temple (a sacred temple of the Tay people venerating the snake god and military general of the Mac dynasty).

It is now time to choose how to spend your time on the boat: relax and admire the landscape or take a dip in the fresh waters of the lake? Anyway, enjoy the scenery with its beautiful karst formations lined with jungle.

Note: visitors who do not wish to participate in the walk can ask to stay on the boat to join Widow Island or do some shopping

Return to Ba Be Jungle Houses restaurant for lunch before ending the tour, you will be taken about 230 km back to Hanoi and stop at a tea plantation located among rolling hills. When we arrived in Hanoi, it was time to say goodbye, creating lifelong memories and bonds. 

Return to Hanoi.

Overnight in Hanoi.
 

Hanoi to Halong Bay (160 km): 2.5 – 3.0hrs
After breakfast, you will enjoy the 2.5 – 3.0hrs drive to Halong Bay, Vietnam’s most popular UNESCO World Heritage site! The name ‘Ha Long’ means ‘Bay of Descending Dragons’ and owes its origins to a Vietnamese myth. The towering limestone karsts represent the dragon’s back, surrounded by jade green water creating an unforgettable site. There are more than 1,600 limestone islands and islets with di erent shapes jutting out from the sea.

Arrive at the Halong Bay jetty around noon and proceed with check-in formalities before boarding a boat for an unforgettable overnight cruise on Halong Bay. After being welcomed onboard, a lunch of Vietnamese food is served while cruising towards the bay itself. In the afternoon, enjoy some visits and/or activities (depending on each boat’s itinerary) or just spend some time relaxing on board. Towards the end of the day the boat sets anchor for the night among karst formations. Dinner is served on board. Overnight on board the boat in Halong Bay (private cabin on-board the join-in boat cruise).
 

Halong Bay to Hanoi (160 km): 2.5 – 3.0hrs

Enjoy the fresh morning in the middle of the bay, the sun rises on Halong in the morning and breakfast is served (brunch on some boats) while the vessels cruise slowly through the magnificent rock formations and back towards port. Disembark and transfer to Hanoi.

Arrive Hanoi, transfer to the pick up point and transfer by sleeper bus luxury private cabin to Ha Giang (sharing sleeper bus).
 

8.30am: Tour is start at our homestay in Ha Giang city, our tour guide and drivers will brief for you how to be safe to sit behind with easy riders. 

On the first day, you will see a big change in the scenery when you drive into the mountain roads. We will stop at Bac Sum Slope to enjoy the view and have drinks before arrival the town of Quan Ba. The tour takes you through the Dong Van Karst Geopark - a major geoheritage site in Vietnam. You will see a lot of  terraced rice fields, thousands of limestone rocks and magnificent views and hidden villages at the Valley. People will be working on the land and you will get a taste of rural north Vietnamese countryside life. Our riders also take you to the Quan Ba Heaven gate & Twin mountains – the famous viewpoint in Ha Giang. We will have lunch in local restaurant in Yen Minh Town. After lunch, we drive to Dong Van Town, you will make a stop at Tham Ma Slope and the residence of the Vuong’s family, which is still called “H’mong King Palace”. Then we will come to homestay and have dinner in Dong Van Town.

After breakfast, we leave Dong Van Town, our easy rider will take you to see  the most beautiful part of the whole journey, located on the Happiness road connecting the towns of Dong Van and Meo Vac, Ma Pi Leng Pass. The legendary pass is well known for craggy cliffs and breath-taking views. It is the most ragged pass in the north, often referred to as the “king” of the passes in Vietnam! The whole road is winding through the cliffs and overcomes Ma Pi Leng pass at an altitude of 2,000 meters.

To show you the full beauty of the pass, we will Ride down the breathtaking Sky Path to admire the scenery of the whole valley and Nho Que river. Then ride to see panorama of Ma Pi Leng Pass and take unforgettable pictures. Standing on the peak of the pass, you will feel overwhelmed by the majestic space of mountains and rivers.

We will continue our journey to more distant villages. From there, you will know how people live in remote parts of Vietnam. We will drive through the villages Lung Ho, Mau Due and Meo Vac, where we will have a pit stop for a lunch and drink. From Meo Vac Town we will continue through mountainous trail road area of Ha Giang province to Du Gia Village with amazing landscape and famous village there are 7 ethnic minority live at the same village, you will see colorful village and a lot of culture, where we will spend over at  homestay with Tay Minority Family, and enjoy dinner and happy water with family.
 

After breakfast, we will explore hidden beautiful waterfall - Du Gia waterfall. Then we will say goodbye to the host of our homestay, we continue our journey again, our last day still bring you the amazing feeling about nature and landscapes, we will take the road back to Ha Giang. But it doesn’t mean end of attractions. We will Duong Thuong Valley and Thai An Road. After adventurous ride we will be back to Ha Giang afternoon. 

Leave Ha Giang at 4pm by sharing Limousine bus, drop off in Ha Noi around 10.30pm

Overnight in Hanoi.
 

Free at your own leisure time until transfer to Noi Bai International Airport for your flight back home!