Real special North

Day 01: Ha Noi – Bac Kan - Ba Be National Park

-A good condition car and experienced driver for 250km.

-06:30 pick up at your hotel, head up the northeast to Bac Kan mountain province on the snake roads entering Ba Be National Park.

-12:00 arrive in Ba Be lake – National Park.

-Enjoy lunch in a local family.

-Take a boat trip throughout the lake 1, 2, 3.

-Boating along Nang river, enjoying the stunning landscapes among high mountains and primitive forest, visit a village of Tay minority by the riverbank, Puong cave

-End of the day, Dinner and overnight on the traditional stilt house of the Tay in Bac Ngoi hamlet could be a worth chance to talk and learn about the culture, typical custom of the Tay minority

Inclusive services: A private car, private boat trip, tour guide, home-stay and meals (L + D)

Day 02: Ba Be - Cao Bang – Ban Gioc Waterfall - the hugest waterfall of Vietnam

-Breakfast at the home-stay.

-Pack up and then drive up to Cao Bang and straight to Ban Gioc waterfall.

-Lunch in a local food store.

-Visit Ban Gioc – the hugest waterfall of Vietnam.

-Visit Nguom Ngao cave – the most beautiful and largest cave of the North Vietnam.

-Drive back to Cao Bang for overnight in Cao Bang.

Inclusive services: A private car, tour guide, entrance fee, Duc Trung hotel and meals (B + L)

Day 03: Cao Bang – Bao Lac – Meo Vac– The plateau of amazing rocky mountain

-Drive out of Cao Bang upwards Meo Vac (the plateau of rocky mountain) – on the secluded snake path, stopover for pretty scenery pictures and visits to ethnic minority villages nearby the roads

-Dinner and overnight in Meo Vac.

Inclusive services: A private car, tour guide, entrance fee, Hoa Cuong hotel and meals (B + L)

Day 04: Meo Vac – Dong Van - Quan Ba – Typical minority Sa Phin Market in Dong Van

Dong Van and Meo Vac - the highest frontier points of Vietnam Nation bordering with China, restricted area in the past but lately opening to welcome adventure visitors. Terrain of rugger rock mountains high and sharp, the local people had spent 38 years to construct the road especially the workers had to hang themselves to work on the rugger rock cliffs during 11 months and they named this thread road is The Road of Happiness

-Say good bye to Meo Vac, we on the Amazing pass of Ma Pi Leng to Dong Van, It is really worth enjoying the views forest of rocky mountains and dotted minority villages at the peak of this pass, Nho Que river bending through the hill lanes looks like a blue thread flying…

-We will have a very worth chance attending the minority market of Sa Phin, the market that less known by tourist because it is still intact and not everyday. It is a really fusion of many different hill tribes inhabiting around Meo Vac and Dong Van mountain districts and here you can easily distinguish them by their different colorful costume dressing and especially you will find out not only typical traditional costume but also the way of bartering trade existing in daily life of the H’mong, Nung, Ha Nhi hill tribes…

-Afterwards, we will visit the ancient palace of King Cat (Dinh Ho Vuong)

-Overnight in Quan Ba mountain town

Inclusive services: A private car, tour guide, entrance fee, hotel and meals (B + L)

Day 05: Quan Ba – Ha Giang- Bac Ha – Overnight in Bac Ha

-Breakfast and then drive to up and down hills to Ha Giang.

-Stop to walk up the hill top to enjoy the whole view of Quan Ba town within a small valley but it has symbol of Ha Giang province, it is the Fairy Bosom.

-Enjoy lunch in Ha Giang.

-Drive on the horizontal road from the Northeast to the Northwest to reach Bac Ha.

-Arrive in Bac Ha, check in hotel and walk to visit Ban Pho village of the Flower H’mong

Inclusive services: A private car, tour guide, entrance fee, Ngan Nga hotel and meals (B + L)

Day 06: Bac Ha minority Market – Sa Pa

Bac Ha market – the most colorful minority market of the Northwest Vietnam.

Independently attend the market that known as the most colorful ethnic market of all Northwest Vietnam but of the hill tribes inhabiting around Bac Ha mountain district and here you also easily distinguish them by their different colorful costume dressingof the Tay, the Dzay, the Red Dzao, the Black H’mong… and especially the Flower H’mong minority

-After the market, we will drive to Lao Cai but on half way we will stop to trek down hill 2km to visit Trung Do village of the Tay minority and from here we may take a boat trip on Chay river depending on the river tide (boat trip is not included in the price). A simple boat trip along Chayriver will lead you under high waterfalls, call on for a visit to a Flower Mong family or black Dzao ethnic minority.

Afterward the car will pick us up at Bac Ngam bridge then lunch.

-Drive down hill to the Ha Khau Vietnam – China border gate for a visit then up hill to Sa Pa.

-17h00 arrive in Sa Pa, check in hotel

-Free time to enjoy Sa Pa

Inclusive services: A private car, tour guide, entrance fee, Sapa Panorama hotel and meals (B + L)

Day 07: Sa Pa Trekking to 4 villages: Ylinh Ho - Lao Chai - Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai village

6-7 hrs trekking throughout 4 hamlets - visit 2 different kinds of minority.

-Trek down to YlinhHo and Lao Chai village of the black H’mong people.

-After a picnic lunch, keep on alongside MuongHoa stream, over suspension bridges to Ta Van village of the Dzay people.

-Keep trekking to Cau May (Rattan Suspension bridge) - Giang Ta Chai I. Visit and stay overnight with a local family of the Dzay minority.

-With your tour guide and the house owners, we will set up a temporary cooking class to learn how to cook Vietnamese food for dinner.

-Enjoying your dinner and getting to know local typical traditional customs, cultural….

Inclusive services: Home-stay, tour guide, entrance fee and meals (B + L + D)

Day 08: Giang Ta Chai - Su Pan - Sa Pa – Night train back to Ha Noi

5 - 6hrs trekking with surprises at what you have never seen before

-In the early morning you will be sure to be woken up by the households but lucky to see how is their daily life for a new day coming!

-Enjoy some pancakes made by your tour guide’s skillful hands.

-Start a new trek into Hoang Lien Son National Park by more stunning landscapes and other ethnic minority villages dotted further your eyes sigh. Visit Giang Ta Chai village of the Red Dao minority and then continue that trail to Su Pan village for lunch.

-Enjoy magnificent view of Ban Ho valley or visit some local houses of the Tay and then a standby car to return to Sa Pa.

-Free time until17:30 transfer down to Lao Cai station for the night train back to Hanoi

20h10 catch the night train back to Hanoi

Inclusive services: Transfer by shuttle bus to Lao Cai station, tour guide, entrance fee and meals (B + L) and train ticket.

Day 09: Ha Noi – Bai Tu Long Bay - Ha Long bay - Overnight on Vega Cruise

05:00 arrive back Hanoi. Picked up and transferred to Vega Travel office

Approximately 07:30 – 08:00 our professional tour guide and driver will pick you up for the 3,5 hour drive through the Red River Delta to the wharf of Ha Long Bay.

12:00 – 12:15 Welcome aboard to cruise out to the Bay.

-Sit back on the boat restaurant or the sundeck to relax as we cruise past the hundreds of islands and islets of BaiTu Long Bay area that is lesser traveled by tourist and well-known for its magnificent seascapes

- Cruising and enjoying the first fresh lunch served by Vega’s boat staffs

- Turn right to reach the centre of Ha Long Bay for a visit to its largest cave called Hang Sung Sot (Surprising cave) for more or less 40 minutes.

- Paddle in our 2-person kayak through a limestone Tunnel Grotto called (Hang Luon) into a lovely lagoon. -You may even see wild monkeys playing on the mountain cliffs. Paddle along and through narrow passages to visit the Man head island, Butterfly cave and Horse Neck stone.

- Spend more time in swimming from the boat or from your kayak in the emerald waters…

- Anchor in a tranquil lagoon among BaiTu Long Bay, Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay for dinner and a peaceful night on the boat.

Inclusive services:

Sharing transfer in 29 seats bus, en-suite room on Vega Cruise, full-time English speaking tour guide, kayak, entrance fees into Halong Bay, meals (L+ D)

Rooms on the Cruise: Air-conditioned rooms, private bathroom and window with an ocean view)

Day 10: Ha Long Bay – Bai Tu Long Bay - Ha Noi

-07h00 Wake up for a new day by Walking up 340 constructed terraced steps to the top of Titop Mountain to watch the sunrise over the bay. The 360 degree view is breath-taking from this peak with views of Ha Long Bay – Bai Tu Long Bay - Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island National Park.

-Walk down to Titop beach, a naturally formed sand beach, for a refreshing dip in the bay.

-Afterwards enjoy breakfast on the boat while we cruise towards Lan Ha Bay, passing by the Pearl farming to listen to our tour guide explaining how the local people here raise and harvest pearls.

-Following this inner route will lead you through the most beautiful zone of Halong Bay including the Dog stone, the Fighting Cock islet, the couple islet, the 3 -tunnel grotto and the floating fishing villages and fish farms.

-If time and tide permit, we will stop for a while in a peaceful place for relaxation on the boat deck

-Enjoying our last lunch on the boat en-route heading up to Halong wharf

11h45 -12:00 pack up and disembark then we continue our land driving trip to Hanoi

-Estimated to arrive in Hanoi between 16h30 – 17h00.

-We will drop you back to your hotels in the old quarter of Hanoi or Drop to Vega Travel office.

-End the tour happily.

Inclusive services: Shared transfer by bus 29 seats and full time English speaking tour guide and meals (B + L)

Things to bring for this trip

- Your passport is required for check-in the hotel

- Particular requests for the food in village are welcomed

- Small backpack, sunglasses and sun-block and good trekking shoes (sport shoes is ok)

- Rain coat, hat or cap and torches and person things, handkerchief