Compare 8 Days: Nature Forest Trekking, Tam Coc Rowing, Fishing, Mua Cave, Ha Long Bay Swimming, Kayaking, Cat Ba Island by Go Vietnam Travel vs 3 Days adventure to Ban Gioc Water Fall - Ba Be Lake by Asia Authentic Travel

Day 1: Hanoi – City Discover

Meals: Lunch

9:30 Please go to our office in 64 Hang Quat Street – Hoan Kiem District - Hanoi and start our Hanoi city tour for 1 hour rickshaw

11:00 Street food tour with local tour guide as your Lunch on itinerary.

14:00 Motorbike to discover Hanoi city with  Long Bien Bridge and Bat Trang Ceramic Village.

17:30 Cycling back to Hostel

Day 2: Hanoi – Mai Chau – Pu Luong

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

8:00 Hotel pick up for tour to Pu Luong Nature Reserve 

12:00 Stop in Mai Chau for Lunch in Pom Coong village (Thai Ethnic Village) 13:00 Walking tour in Mai Chau with Lac Village (Thai Ethnic Village)

14:00 We will come back to bus and heading to Pu Luong National Reserve 16:00 Check in Homestay in Don Village (Thai Ethnic Village) and start trekking through rice fields and stream in Don village 

18:00 Back to Homestay for Dinner

Overnight in Homestay

Day 3: Pu Luong Full Day Trekking Tour

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

8:00 Having breakfast 

8:30 Full day trekking to visit many mountainous village (Don village – Kho Muong Village – Nua village – Huou village)

12:30 Stop in Nua Village for picnic lunch

16:00 Stop in Huou village - Check in Homestay and then going out for shower in Huou Village Waterfall

18:00 Have dinner at Homestay

Overnight in Homestay

Day 4: Pu Luong – Ninh Binh

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

8:30 Breakfast - free time for you discover Huou Village with beautiful waterfall 9:30 Homestay check out and start our trip to see Water Wheel

13:00 Stop for lunch in local restaurant

14:00 Check in homestay in Tam Coc (Halong Bay on ricefield) – Ninh Binh

16:00 Bamboo boat to visit Tam Coc (Halong Bay on ricefield) 

18:00 Having dinner

Overnight at homestay in Tam Coc

Day 5: Ninh Binh Full Day Outdoor Activity

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

8:30 Having breakfast, and then start our cycling trip in Tam Coc - Mua Cave for hiking from peak of Mua Cave with overview of  Ngo Dong river 

12:00 Back to homestay in Tam Coc for Lunch and relaxing 

14:00 Start our fishing activity on rice field 

16:00 Go to shopping in local market in Tam Coc to prepare your dinner by yourself

18:00 Start cooking class and show off your  cooking skill 19:00 Having your dinner

Overnight in homestay in Tam Coc

Day 6: Ninh Binh – Halong

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

7:00 Having breakfast and then go to Halong bay directly

12:00 Check in Halong Bay Cruise

13:00 Having Lunch on Cruise

15:00 Visit Amazing Cave in Halong bay 

16:00 Go to Titop island for hiking, swimming and overview on top

17:00 Back our Cruise to take shower 

18:00 Having dinner on Cruise

Overnight on Halong Bay Cruise

Day 7: Halong – Lan Ha Bay - Cat Ba Island

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

7:30 Enjoy morning landscape in Halong with tea and coffee served then have breakfast on board

9:30 Change onto a smaller cruise to Lan Ha bay (belong to Cat Ba island) 

11.00 Get on a private small boat to go to a wild beach for swimming and enjoy the lunch on wild beach or on small boat (optional)

12.30 Go to Kayaking area for Cat Ba discovery and then visit local floating fishing village. You will have more understanding about real life of fishermen in Cat Ba.

15.00 Go to Viet Hai Island by same boat. Arrive to Viet Hai Harbor and check in homestay in Viet Hai village (Belong to Cat Ba Island).

Overnight homestay in Viet Hai Village

Day 8: Cat Ba – Hanoi

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

This morning check out homestay and come back our cruise –  cruising back to Habor and back to Hanoi Capital.

17:00 Drop you at your hotel in Hanoi. Tour ends in Hanoi.

From tonight you can take train, bus or flight to the Center of Vietnam such as Hue, Hoian and Danang as your plan. If you need more assistance in term of booking train ticket, air ticket, bus ticket please let us know soon. "

DAY 1 Hanoi – Ba Be National Park Join Tour (L,D)

Breakfast at the hotel

Tour guide will pick you up by car at your hotel in Hanoi about 7:30 AM to transfer you to Bac Kan. We will start by driving in the direction of Ba Be National Park for about 4 hours. You will be welcomed by Mr Loc, a friendly host of Homestay and enjoy your lunch after checking in your room.
In the afternoon, start your boat trip around Ba Be Lake with our local guide. Ba Be Lake was recently recognised by UNESCO as the third Ramsar site in Vietnam - an important wetland of the world. The lake bed is made up of limestone with millions of crags and crevasses that are ideal for a large variety of marine life - there are over a hundred species of freshwater fish in the lakes. The boat will take you to visit the missable spots on Ba Be Lake such as Widow island, Cam village, An Ma temple. After that, you take a short hike on the trail to the panorama view point of the animal observation huts ranger station and to the harbor. Moreover, you will have a chance to kayak amidst the mystery sunset of the late afternoon before getting back to your homestay and enjoy your night with BBQ dinner.

Highlights and activities: Ba Be Lake, Widow island, Cam village, An Ma temple, and hiking a 3-5km walk.

Day 2 Ba Be National Park - Ban Gioc Waterfall (B,L,D)

After breakfast at Homestay, you will depart for Quang Uyen. a district inhabited primarily by Nung ethnic minority communities. Due to their isolation and the remote nature of the district, their centuries old traditions and culture remain recognizably distinct from other minorities in Vietnam. This remoteness and traditional simplicity is what makes Quang Uyen so appealing, and you will stop at a local restaurant to enjoy your lunch. 

In the early afternoon, continue to drive to venture deep underground into the magical 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. And, your highlight of the tour is that we take you to one of the most incredible natural wonders in Northern Vietnam: Ban Gioc Waterfall. This breath-taking 300-metre wide waterfall 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 and board a bamboo boat that will take you so close to the falls you’ll feel the water splashes on your face, practically sitting at the very edge of Vietnam, so close to China that you can actually touch it. 

Rounding out the day, you will then travel to Quang Uyen where you will have dinner and stay overnight at Nung’s house

Highlights and activities: Ban Gioc waterfall, Nguom Ngao cave, Frontier Vietnam - China, ethnic villages, and a 3-5km walk.

DAY 3 Ban Gioc waterfall – Lang Son – Hanoi (B,L)

After breakfast we’ll kick the final day of the tour of by continue your trip into the pass to Dong Dang, 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.

Transfering you to Lang Son for Lunch then we will start by driving in the direction of the Chinese border for about 3 hours, before stopping at Chi Lang Pass - a 20-km-long 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.

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