Off The Beaten Track Northeast Vietnam Tour with focus on the Northern and North-eastern mountainous areas of Vietnam where photographers, amateurs, or professionals, will encounter breath-taking natural landscapes, colorful ethnic minorities, and authentic experiences all year round. Vietnam’s northernmost province of Ha Giang offers some of the most striking sceneries with the rock formations and bizarre landscape in Dong Van rock plateau, a UNESCO World Geopark. Other highlights of the tour include the beautiful Ban Gioc Waterfall on the Sino-Vietnamese border and Ba Be National Park with homestay and kayaking on Ba Be Lake, one of the rare karsts mountain lakes in the world which never dries.
Day 1: Hanoi - Pan Hou ( Hoang Su Phi ) ( L )
Pick up early at your hotel and today you will set off on a full-day journey to Hoang Su Phi, a rural district of Ha Giang province in the north-eastern region of Vietnam. The province may be the last one to open to tourism and offers some of the most striking scenery in Vietnam like the rice terraces sculpted into the mountains, rock formations split by breath-taking canyons.,Enjoy beautiful landscape along the route with a chance to encounter different ethnic minority peoples who have settled in the area and are masters of the terraced rice fields which have been recognized as a national heritage site by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism., Upon arrival, you will check-in Pan Hou Village Ecolodge which nestles in a lost valley hidden at the heart of the high Chay River valley. Accommodation: Pan Hou Ecolodge
Day 2: Pan Hou ( B, L )
Have breakfast and get ready for trekking day. The tour starts at 08:00 am and you will walk to Nam Hong. Enjoy the view of terrace rice fields and admire the magnificent works of the local people. At noon, you will have lunch at a Man Ta Pan ethnic minority people's house. Observe the life of local people and then start walking back to Pan Hou via Giang Thuong with a beautiful view of mountains and bamboo forest. Accommodation: Pan Hou Ecolodge.
Day 3: Pan Hou - Ha Giang ( B , L , D )
Continue your journey to Ha Giang. Enjoy the scenic drive with endless photo opportunities. Along the way, you will see many ethnic minority groups.,Upon arrival in Ha Giang, have lunch at a restaurant., Following the break, drive to Tien Thang Village on the outskirts of the city. This is an old and beautiful Tay ethnic minority village that well preserves its identity, cultural traditions, and architecture. Overnight at home-stay in Tien Thang Village in a traditional stilt house (simple accommodation with a western toilet located separately from the house.Accommodation: Home-stay in Tien Thang Village.
Day 4: Ha Giang - Dong Van ( B , L, D )
The remote region of Dong Van and Meo Vac is a land of rugged mountains and beautiful hill tribe villages which have remained unchanged for centuries. The Dong Van rock plateau has been enlisted by UNESCO as a World Geopark. Today we head northwest out of Ha Giang Town towards this northernmost tip of Vietnam. The former Hmong royal house at Sa Phin is a primary attraction of the region, but the blend of the hill tribe people's colorful costumes and the majestic mountainous scenery make this long and sometimes bumpy trip an unforgettable experience. Accommodation: Hoang Ngoc hotel in Dong Van.
Day 5: Dong Van - Meo Vac - Bao Lac - Nguyen Binh - Ba Be lake ( B , L , D )
Today, the journey takes you through the rolling hills and the picturesque scenery to Ba Be National Park. We have time to visit Dong Van Town before continuing to Meo Vac which is inhabited mostly by the Lo Lo and Pu Peo ethnic minority people. They still retain their centuries-old cultural traditions and are recognizably distinct from each other by their dress. The remoteness and the simple lifestyle of the area’s local people are highlights of Meo Vac. Living conditions are very basic here. Roads are bumpy and zigzagging through the mountains. But the journey is more than rewarding. Meet the locals and learn more about the life and culture of the Hmong, Dao, Tay, and Nung ethnic minorities who make up the main population in this region. Depending on road and traffic conditions, we arrive in Ba Be by late afternoon or early evening. Accommodation: Home-stay in Ba Be.
Day 6: Ba Be national park ( B, L, D )
Take a boat trip to visit Puong Cave a large cave in the north of the park through which the Nang River flows. The main cave is up to 50 meters high and about 300 meters long Continue to visit Dau Dang waterfall which is formed by the Nang River. It consists of a sequence of rapids that stretch over a length of almost one kilometer. The legendary Widow Island is a small, cone-shaped islet near the center of the southern lake. According to the local myth, the islet was once the home of an old widow who was spared from a flood through divine intervention. Have some kayaks on board for the exploration of small creeks and lagoons. Accommodation: Home-stay in Ba Be.
Day 7: Ba Be - Hanoi ( B, L )
Have breakfast, savor the peaceful village life, then say goodbye to your host family and drive to Hanoi. Enjoy the beautiful landscape along the winding road dotted with the lush green tea gardens, palm trees, and stilt houses of the local ethnic minority peoples., Arrive in Hanoi, drop off at your hotel (Accommodation at the hotel in Hanoi is not included).