Day 1: Ha Noi - Ha Giang (L, D)
08.00am : you will be collected from your hotel for departure to Road No 2 Hanoi-Viet Tri-Tuyen Quang-Ha Giang. On the way, we will stop for an excellent lunch among gardens in Tan Quang and continue on to Ha Giang arriving around 18:00.
We will go to a nearby Thai village, where we will have dinner and spend the night in the stilted house of a local family
Day 2: Ha Giang - Dong Van (B, L, D)
After purchasing the mandatory permit at the Immigration Office, we take the first spectacular road, which leads to Dong Van, a series of long passes and deep valleys. Lunch will be in the small mountain town of Tam Son.
We then cross a landscape of pine forests and arrive at the astonishing King of the H’mong’s Palace, a fortress built by a local chief allied with the French against the Vietminh, Vuong Chin Duc. It was evacuated in 1950 (his descendants now live in France and Canada) but it almost feels as if they left yesterday.
We will arrive in Dong Van around 18:00 have dinner in a local restaurant and spend the night in a local hotel.
Day 3: Dong Van - Ma Pi Leng Pass - Meo Vac - Bao Lac- Ba Be Lake (B, L, D)
An absolutely unforgettable day! It starts with a visit to the market of Dong Van, where the locals shop before returning to their mountain hamlets. We then climb a pass up to the French Fortress of Pu Lo, built in 1890 and evacuated in 1945, from which we enjoy a spectacular view of the entire region.
The road climbs on 15 km up to the top of the Ma Pi Leng Pass, through a gigantic maze of limestone peaks, "stone forests", and canyons, a unique landscape of the world. Descending into the valley of Meo Vac, we continue snaking through the mountains, cross the river, and arrive in the village of Bao Lac, where we have lunch. We take the mountain road Bao Lac - Cao Bang. Before Cao Bang, another one of our little secrets : a gorgeous small road snaking through the mountains to the Tay village of Cho Ra and then down to the Tay village of Bo Lu, where you are welcomed by Mr. Tuan Linh and his amazingly friendly Tay family in their traditional stilted house. If it’s hot, do like the local kids, just jump in the lake! You will enjoy a superb dinner (Mrs Tuan Linh is specialist in local dishes) on the river terrace. If you want to try something crazy, ask Linh about the one meter pure tobacco cigarette.
Day 4: Ba Be Lake - Puong Cave (B, L, D)
A treat! Breakfast on the lakeside, then a short walk to the house owner’s boat, which takes you through the entire length of the 3 connected lakes (Ba Be - “3 bays”) and up the Nang River, to an astonishing site: Dong Phuong, an enormous tunnel 300 mtrs long that the river has cut through a limestone mountain.
The boat then goes down river to the small village of Hua Tang, as simple and authentic as you have been dreaming of! Lunch will be in a local house alongside the river.
After lunch, a short walk through the jungle takes you to the very scenic Thac Dau Dang Waterfalls, a series of spectacular cascades between sheer rock walls. Return by boat for another delightful evening at your Tay house.
Day 5: Ba Be Lake - Ha Noi (B, L)
Relax in Bo Lu and depart on a secret road of ours, following the river and then snaking from pass to pass through the hills of Central North Vietnam. You may find the locals are fascinated by you for few tourists ever go that particular and spectacular way. We then join the main road to Ha Noi, with a short stop in Cho Chu to visit the ruins of the French Prison. Return to your hotel around 17:00.
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Walking to Red Dzao village (5-6 hours).
