Trekking The Northern Trails of Vietnam 9 days 8 nights

Your guide will pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi at around 8am. We will set out towards Ha Giang via Tuyen Quang, passing countless tea plantations, mountains and ethnic minority villages along the way.

You will have lunch at a local restaurant in Tuyen Quang, before arriving in Ha Giang around 18:00. Time permitting, you can explore the town and meet the local people before you’re served dinner and stay overnight in a local Tay house.

Physical activities: 3-5 km of hike

Meals: lunch, dinner

Today you will begin your trekking adventure by setting out form the homestay in the morning and trekking for about 6 to 8 hours to the village of Lung Vai. Along this trek, you’ll get to take in the beauty of the terraced rice paddies, majestic mountains and serene palm-tree forests. You’ll also run into people from many different ethnic groups along the way, such as Man and Dao, who are generally more than happy to stop and interact with travellers for a short while.

You’ll enjoy a picnic lunch amidst nature before continuing to the remote village of Khuoi My. En route there will be many farmers working in the fields, and if we have the time you can even join in for some farm work if you so desire.

Finally, we move on to Ban Tha Village, where our driver will pick you up and drive you to Nam Dam, where you can enjoy a home-cooked local meal and spend the night in a homestay operated by a Dao family.

Physical activities: 15-17 km of trek

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

We set out in the morning for Dong Van, passing through Cong Troi Pass and then continuing on to Yen Minh. On the way we will also visit the King’s Palace in the H’mong village of Sa Phin, built in the early 20th century. The area is also notable for its many corn plantations, where the harvest is collected by hand.

As we pass reach Dong Van we disembark for lunch in the colourful old market. Here you can admire the Ancient houses and the local people in their traditional garments. We’ll have dinner and stay overnight in a hotel in Dong Van.

Physical activities: 5-7 km of trek

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast, you will get to explore Dong Van Old Quarter, before making the trek up to Pu Lo fortress which was built in 1890 and evacuated in 1945. From here you can enjoy spectacular views of the entire region, before climbing 8 km to the top of Ma Pi Leng Pass, through a gigantic maze of limestone peaks, stone forests, and canyons before descending into the valley of Meo Vac. Tonight we will overnight in Meo Vac.

Physical activities: 8 km of trek

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Breakfast at the hotel and then we start trekking around the villages of Meo Vac. This will be a great day spent in the mountains north of Bao Lac, where we visit the villages of the Lo Lo, a small minority which has carefully kept its tribal customs. We’ll have dinner and stay the night in Bao Lac.

Physical activities: 5-7 km of trek

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Before leaving Bao Lac you will visit the Bao Lac market, which is a special market that is only held 1 day of the week. In fact, it is probably one of the most photogenic places you'll visit in northern Vietnam. After lunch in Bao Lac, you will then drive on a bumpy road along the river and rice fields. We’ll arrive in Ba Be in the late afternoon, and enjoy dinner and an overnight stay in a Tay house on the Ba Be lakeshore.

Physical activities: 5-7 km of trek

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

This is set to be a wonderful day of trekking! Your tour guide will take you to Coc Toc Village where you can meet the Tay community, who have become very skilled at fishing in the lake and live on a diet that is very much centred on fish.

Next you will set out to cross Pe Lu Stream, before hitting some rough, steep terrain that will give you a little bit of a workout. As you gain altitude, though, you will be rewarded for your efforts with spectacular views of the verdant rolling countryside. Pressing on ever higher we will stop for a picnic lunch in a H'mong ethnic village, where your guide may introduce you to some of the local H’mong people.

In the afternoon, your guide will take you through mountains and valleys to see the stilt houses and a school of the Dzao ethnic people, before moving on again to visit another H'mong ethnic village, where you will stay to have a tasty dinner in local homestay and spend the night at a gorgeous and comfortable Dzao house.

Physical activities: 15-17 km of trek

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

You will have a tasty breakfast at the homestay, and the opportunity to try on some traditional Dzao ethnic clothing for some memorable photos before saying your farewells and setting out for another fulfilling day of trekking. You will take some slightly gentler trails compared to the previous day, visiting a black H'mong ethnic village before descending through the thick and beautiful forest with some spectacular views to visit Dau Dang Waterfall which lies on the border of the two provinces of Bac Kan and Tuyen Quang.

After viewing the waterfall, your guide will take you to have lunch with 'Mr Pirate' who was the main actor in “Ba Be Lake Pirate Movie”. After this, you will take a relaxing motorboat trip up the river to visit the breath-taking Puong Cave, a huge limestone structure that spans the river and is home to thousands of bats (of 18 different species) which flit between the many stalactites and stalagmites. You will then pass over Ba Be Lake and visit An Ma temple in the boat, before heading to Mr Linh's homestay for dinner and a restful night's sleep.

Physical activities: 5-7 km of trek

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast, we will stroll along the riverfront, and visit the lovely Pac Ngoi Village where most Tay people live in traditional houses. You can hike to the upper reaches of the lake, in an area marked by massive limestone cliffs and mountains. Later, your driver will take you to amazing Hua Ma cave and up onto a pass where you can to take amazing photos of the terraced fields. After lunch in a local restaurant, you will continue your journey back to Hanoi.

Meals: breakfast, lunch