Ha Giang & Ban Gioc Explorer

Hanoi - Ha Giang. You are collected from your hotel in Hanoi to begin your journey north through the Red River Delta towards Ha Giang.

Along the way, you stop for lunch in Tuyen Quang Town, known for its verdant green tea plantations. Continuing on, you arrive into Ha Giang Town at around 6 pm, where you spend the night with a Thai family in their traditional home and enjoy dinner with them.

Ha Giang - Tam Son - Dong Van. Today, you visit the immigration office in Ha Giang to arrange the necessary permits before setting off. The drive takes you across a succession of dramatic mountain passes, including Quan Ba Heaven Gate, also known as Quan Ba Pass, which marks the start of the well-known Road of Happiness and the first gateway into the Dong Van Karst Plateau.

You reach the mountain town of Tam Son in time for lunch, then continue on to visit a former H'mong palace, once home to the so-called King of the H'mong. Built by French and Chinese architects, the palace blends both styles and was once used to store opium and weapons before being abandoned in the 1950s; descendants of the family now live in France and Canada.

From here, you continue on to Dong Van, arriving at around 6 pm for dinner and an overnight stay.

Dong Van - Meo Vac - Cao Bang. Your morning begins with a visit to the weekly Dong Van Market, where you can spend time talking with locals and browsing the colourful array of goods on offer.

From Dong Van, you trek up to Pu Lo, a French fortress built in 1890 on a hill above the town, before continuing your journey along the spectacular Ma Pi Leng Pass, considered one of the most beautiful natural spots in Vietnam and a chance to take in the surrounding karst scenery and local ethnic culture.

You then descend into Meo Vac Valley, a highland district known for its karst landscape and the Nho Que River, stopping at the local market for lunch and some shopping before continuing on to Cao Bang, where you enjoy dinner at a local restaurant and stay overnight.

Please note: The Dong Van Market visit only takes place on Sundays.

Cao Bang - Quan Uyen. After breakfast, you set off on a two hour drive to Ban Gioc Waterfall, located right on the border with China and considered the fourth largest frontier waterfall in the world, as well as the largest waterfall in Southeast Asia. You have plenty of time to explore the falls, take photographs and enjoy the views, with the option to join a bamboo boat ride close to the cascade.

From here, you continue to Nguom Ngao Cave, known for its striking rock formations shaped by centuries of erosion, before travelling on to the Nung village of Quan Uyen. Here, you are welcomed into the home of a local blacksmith and his family, who host you for dinner and an overnight stay.

Quan Uyen - Cho Ra Village - Ba Be National Park. This morning, you set off on a three hour drive to Cho Ra Village, where you stop for lunch. From here, you board a boat for a journey across the lake and up the Nang River, reaching Puong Cave, a 300-metre tunnel that cuts straight through a mountain, with the chance for a swim if conditions allow.

You then continue on to the Tay village of Coc Toc, set within Ba Be National Park - a biosphere reserve and ASEAN heritage site home to one of the twenty largest natural freshwater lakes in the world, as well as a rich variety of flora, fauna and ethnic minority communities. Here, you are welcomed into a local family's home for dinner and an overnight stay.

Ba Be National Park - Hanoi. After a home-cooked breakfast at the homestay, you set off through peaceful countryside, with mountains often wrapped in morning mist and glimpses of local farmers, cattle and roadside market stalls along the way.

You take a stroll along the riverfront to visit nearby villages, including Pac Ngoi, followed by a short hike to a viewpoint with impressive views over the surrounding mountains. From here, you visit Hua Ma Cave, known for its striking stalactites and stalagmites.

Once you have finished exploring the cave, you begin the journey back to Hanoi, stopping along the way at Dog Flower Pass for photographs of the beautiful rice terrace views. You arrive back in Hanoi at around 6 pm, where you are dropped off at your hotel.