Overview
Itinerary: Hanoi (4 nights) – Ha Giang (1 night) – Dong Van (2 nights) – Bao Lac (1 night) – Cao Bang (1 night) – Babe (1 night) – Lan Ha Bay(1 night on Junk)
Ideal Time of Travel: Pleasant all year round. Best moment is May, August to October, green, splendid nature. Careful in the winter in the north (from December to February): misty and cold (around 10 degrees celsius).
Strengths: Solidarity itinerary with nights in homestay, sharing the benefits of tourism to small communities.
Without domestic flights. Possibility of adding an extension to central or southern Vietnam.
Suggestion International flights: Arrival and departure from Hanoi -many options (Qatar Airways, Emirates… -flights with only 1 stopover)
Included/Exclude
- English Tour-Guide
- Accommodation with breakfast
- Meals as mentioned
- Gift: 1 map of Indochina
- A/C Transportation
- Visit
- Tour-Guide during free time & private transfer
- International flights
- Tips for guide & driver
- Personal spending
- Drinks in the meal
Tour Plan
Flight to Hanoi…
Arrival in Hanoi, reception by the local English-speaking tour guide and transfer to the hotel in the center of the city. (The rooms are available after 2:00 pm).Meals at leisure. Night at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel. To start the trip, a rickshaw ride in the center of the city allows you to discover the main centers of interests of the Vietnamese capital: the neighborhood of the “36 corporations”, the quarter of the embassies, the surroundings of the lake …Visit to the temple of Literature, built in the 1070, a symbol of the education in the country, that represents the traditional Vietnamese architecture.Lunch in a local restaurant.Walk in the surroundings of the Ba Dinh square. Pictures in front of the impressive Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, place of eternal rest of the greatest leader of the Vietnamese people. Visit the One Pillar pagoda, known for its original construction in teak, emerging from water.Visit the ethnic museum, to understand more about the 54 ethnic groups living in the region. (Closed on Mondays). After the visit, return to the old quarter.Dinner at leisure. Night at the hotel. Experience 1 (see price in the experience table at the end of the document): Walking tour in Hanoi old town with degustation of a local delicacy and a vietnamese cappuccino (with beaten sweetened yolks) or a local beer in a pavement bar.Experience 2 (see price in the experience table at the end of the document): At 10 o’clock at night, visit the Quang Ba flower market, the biggest in Hanoi. This market only opens its doors at night, to ensure the freshness of the flowers, it’s also one of the few places open during the night in a city where the curfew is well enforced.
Breakfast at the hotel.Early departure on the new road to Ha Giang, through beautiful scenery.Several stops along the way to admire the landscapes and take pictures.Lunch on the way.Arrival in Ha Giang in the afternoon, welcome and installation in a family homestay.Walk on foot around the town to know the traditional way of life.Possibility of visiting a small water spring and swimming in its cool waters.Dinner and night in the family homestay.
Breakfast at the family homestay.Transfer to Dong Van, a city located in the highlands of the same name, through exceptional karst landscapes.Stop on the route in Quan Ba, a village located in a valley that offers a fabulous and unreal setting of limestone mountains. Descent from the "Heaven's Gate" pass followed by a walk in a nearby village.Picnic lunch next to the mountains.The route continues along a road that winds through mountain landscapes. Discovery of the Palace of the ancient King of the Hmong ethnic group, to understand the rich history of this minority group in Vietnam. The villages are made up of houses built in mud and straw.Arrival at Dong Van at the end of the day.Dinner at a local restaurant. Night at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.Visit the city for the beginning of the morning before the day's trekking.Trekking through the mountains, with a local guide through some villages of the Mong and Tay ethnic minorities to learn about their traditional way of life. During the walk through the stunning landscapes in the extreme north of Vietnam, on the border with China, it is possible to have views of the neighboring country.Picnic lunch during the trekking.At the end of the walk, return to the hotel in Dong Van in the late afternoon.Dinner at a local restaurant. Night at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.Departure to Meo Vac through magical landscapes, passing through very steep passes in the middle of forests and large stones. On the way, visit Lung Cu in the extreme north of the country.Lunch on the way.Visit a village of the white Hmong ethnic group, located in a small valley. Walk to discover local life and observe hemp weaving techniques.Continue the journey to Bao Lac, through a beautiful karst mountain landscape.Transfer to the Lolo Negro ethnic village 13 km from Bao Lac, along a mountain path to access a hidden valley where sixty families live. They reside in houses on stilts, built in high and dry places with views of the valleys. Its villages are made up of beautiful wooden houses and are truly interesting museums of life to discover.Welcome by a native of the Lolo Negro ethnic group. Time to take a walk on foot, through the villages to enjoy warm encounters with this authentic ethnic group.After the visit, check in at the hotel in Bao Lac. Dinner at a local restaurant. Night at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.Transfer to Cao Bang on a beautiful mountain road through Ngan Son Pass. Cao Bang is a mountainous province located to the north, on the border with China. It is inhabited by ethnic minorities: Tay, Nung, Dao and H'mong.Lunch on the way.On the way to Ban Gioc, to explore the stunning Ban Gioc waterfall, which serves as the border with China, being able to observe visitors from the neighboring country on the opposite shore. After the visit, continue the route to Cao Bang.Arrival in the city and installation at the hotel.Dinner at a local restaurant. Night at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.Early morning departure to Ba Be on a small mountain road. Several stops along the way to admire the landscapes and take pictures.Arrival in Ba Be and visit the Pac Ngoi village, home to the Tay ethnic minority, dedicated to fishing and agriculture. Entrance to a family residence built on stilts with views of the river flowing into Lake Ba Be, where you will spend the night.Lunch at a local restaurant.Walk or bike around the village to learn about the traditional way of life of the Tay ethnic group, the possibility of helping them with their daily tasks to achieve a greater connection with the inhabitants, an unforgettable experience.Dinner and night in the family homestay.
Breakfast at the family homestay.Transfer to the Buoc Luom jetty to start a boat ride on Lake Ba Be surrounded by the karst mountains.The landscape is extraordinary, off the beaten track and very diverse, mountains, fields and jungle. The boat follows the Nang River and passes through the Puong Cave before reaching the Dau Dang waterfall.End of the boat trip and way back to Hanoi.Lunch at a local restaurant during the transfer.Beautiful roads off the main tourist route, the landscape will slowly change from the mountain to the valley field with rice fields. Arrival in Hanoi and installation at the hotel.Dinner at leisure. Night at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.Road to Halong Bay through the Delta of the Red River, to board a traditional junk in the most unknown part of the Bay (Lan Ha Bay).Arrival at the port and boarding a tender to be taken to the junk.Installation in your cruise cabs and lunch with fresh seafood on board.Begin the cruise within the less touristic and cleanest areas of the Bay, navigating through imposing karstic mountains and about 3000 islands and islets emerging from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.First stop in a cave area, to navigate in kayak or small boats, visiting two natural caves.Return to the cruise ship to enjoy the sunset views over the bay and the possibility of swimming in its waters, jumping from the top of the cruise ship.Barbecue dinner on board.Night on board of the cruise ship. Possibility of fishing squid with the crew.
If weather permits, the sunrise is the best moment to photograph the Halong Bay and also for a Tai Chi lesson on the upper deck with nature.Breakfast on board.The cruise will slowly make its way to shore surrounded by impressive mountains.Stop in Cat ba national park, transfer by bus to the center of the island to visit a natural cave that had an important use during the war.Early lunch on board as a "brunch".Disembarkation and travel by road to Hanoi.After arrival, transfer to your hotel and time at leisure.Dinner at leisure. Night at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.Time at leisure for personal activities.According to the flight schedule, transfer to the airport to take the return flight.Meals at leisure. Night in the plane.End of our services.
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