The 12-Day Mountain Trail Adventure in Northern Vietnam is a comprehensive exploration of the region’s stunning highlands and ethnic cultures. Starting from Hanoi, you’ll drive west to Nghia Lo and Mu Cang Chai, where you’ll marvel at terraced rice fields and experience local village life. The second day features a trekking tour through Mu Cang Chai’s famous terraces and interactions with the Hmong people.
Continuing to Sapa on Day 3, you’ll explore its rich landscapes and cultural heritage. Day 4 includes trekking through lesser-known valleys, visiting Hmong villages, and enjoying breathtaking views. On Day 5, travel to Ha Giang, visiting scenic spots like Quan Ba Heaven’s Gate and Lung Khuy Cave before staying in a local homestay.
Days 6 to 8 take you through Dong Van, Ma Pi Leng Pass, and the stunning landscapes of Meo Vac, Bao Lac, and Cao Bang. Highlights include Ban Gioc Waterfall, Nguom Ngao Cave, and Ba Be Lake.
On the final days, you’ll explore Ba Be National Park by boat and trek through lush forests and ethnic villages. The tour concludes with a scenic drive back to Hanoi, providing a deep dive into Northern Vietnam’s natural beauty and cultural richness.
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Mail: zgotravelvietnam@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +84 9766 09451
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Day 01: Hanoi – Nghia Lo – Mu Cang Chai (L, D)
Our guide will pick you up at the hotel, then driving to the west of Hanoi following the national way – No.32 to Nghia Lo district of Yen Bai province. The drive will take approximately 6.5 hours. Along the way, there will be a brief stop in Thanh Sơn, where you can admire the tea plantations on the hills. Afterward, we will continue our journey towards Thu Cuc and Nghia Lo. Have a lunch in local restaurant in Nghia Lo, then keep on driving up to Mu Cang Chai. We stop – over in Khau Pha Pass for sightseeing and take-photos of this area. Have a dinner in Mu Cang Chai. You have free time to explore Mu Cang Chai.
Day 02: Mu Cang Chai Trekking Tour (B, L, D)
The terraces widely exist in the Mu Cang Chai plateau but the big sites of terraced fields(villages) in Mu Cang Chai we visit are above 3, and “La Pan Tan terraced” is the biggest and most beautiful terraced field in Mu Cang Chai.
8h30: After refueling with quality breakfast at our homestay, the car will take you 12km to La Pan Tan (This place is honored as the paradise of terraced fields). You start the day’s journey by climbing some winding slopes, But rest assured, because your fatigue will soon be well compensated, the whole scene here is likened to a fairy tale, Its grandeur and grandeur are the factors that make it very very popular, You will have to try to save the battery of your phone and camera!
After about 2.5 hours of walking, you will meet the symbol of Mu Cang Chai, which is the image of a large and round terraced field like a golden tray in the middle of the vast mountains.
A light lunch at a local restaurant or a take-out Picnic is the optimal solution for today’s stretch. After lunch, we take the car again and continue for about 4km to reach a new point to conquer, Mang Mu Commune is still very poor, and Hmong villages are scattered along the way. This is your chance to meet and interact with the people, although they are poor, they are very friendly and easy to get to know. After about 1h30 of climbing, you will come to the center of the most beautiful terraced fields, if you have a rich imagination, you will realize the terraced fields here like Horseshoe. This is a new photography location that is very popular with professional photographers. Dinner at the homestay.
Day 03: Mu Cang Chai – Tu Le – Sapa (B, L)
This morning, you will have free time till 8:30 am and we will check out the hotel. Starting the transfer to Sapa, we will have a short stop at the Thai Village in Tu Le Town, nestled within a vast valley. Immerse yourself in the cultural richness of this charming village, taking in the sights and sounds that make it truly special.
After the walking tour around the village, we transfer to Sapa in the next 5 hours. On the way, we will enjoy lunch at the local restaurant. On your arrival in Sapa, you will check-in and free to enjoy Sapa. The dinner will be on your own. Suggested meals will be hotpot
Day 04: Sapa – Sau Chua – Sa Seng – Hang Da – Hau Thao – Sapa (B, L)
Highlights: Locating just at the south-eastern side of Ham Rong mountain and just close to Sapa town but this valley seems to be unknown by most of the tour operators as well as visitors. Inhabited by the Hmong peoples, this narrow valley is quiet and non touristic which is quite different from Ta Phin or Muong Hoa valleys where the local peoples have changed much because of the strong influence of tourism.
Met up at your hotel in Sapa by local guide and driver for a short road transfer along the national road 4D northeastwards to the trekking point. Trekking uphill on a large and rocky path for 2 hours along the narrow valley which runs between two high mountains passing two hamlets of the Black H’mong of Sa Pa Commune: Sau Chua and Sa Seng. The H’mong peoples here have just recently change their living way from sifting style into the sedentary one. So there are still a lot traces of the past time can be seen: rudimentary houses, stone wall around homes… Lunch break in the village.
After Lunch, continue along the same trail gradually uphill the Den Thang mountain for an hour to Hang Da Village of the H’mong which sits at 1,800m height and over looking down the Muong Hoa Valley. Paying visit to several local homes.
Leaving Hang Da and enjoy easy walk on high elevation for half an hour which offers great view of Muong Hoa Valley until arriving to Thao Hong Den, another village of the Black H’mong. Paying visiting to several local homes. This portion of the trek offers chances for taking the best photos of landscapes.
Getting downhill for another hour along a dirt track to Pho Village at the center of Hau Thao Commune. Picked up and transfer back to Sapa.
Day 05: Sapa – Ha Giang – Heaven Gate – Lung Khuy Cave – Quan Ba (B, L, D)
Pick up at the hotel in Sapa in the morning. The drive takes at least 5 hours passing through the countryside, villages, and towns in far Northeast Vietnam. After lunch in a local restaurant, continue to Ha Giang. On arrival in the mid-afternoon, visit Tha Cultural Village which is 5 Km away from the town center. The village is home to the Tay people and is surrounded by rice terraces.
On this route, we spend time passing by some highlight places as Bac Sum Slope – Quan Ba Heaven’s Gate; Quan Ba Twin Moutain Fairy (Nui Doi Quan Ba). You will have some time to drink café in the middle of the mountain and watch the amazing view of Ha Giang. If time permits, you can visit the Lung Khuy Cave. The short walk leading to the cave will show you some beautiful views of the countryside. At the end you will stop at homestay Hong Thu which is organized by minority people where you will spend your first night. It is a charming and peaceful place surrounded by mountains. You will get the chance to discover the Dao ethical culture and try some delicious local food.
Day 06: Quan Ba – Yen Minh – Lung Cu (Dong Van) (B, L, D)
After breakfast at the homestay, we continue our journey to Dong Van. On the way, we will visit Chin Khoanh Slope (Nine Turning Point Slope); and Lũng Cẩm Culture Village (With Film Studio ‘Story of Pao’), where mainly Hmong people and some other ethnic minority groups such as Hoa and Lo Lo etc. For centuries it is there as a “peaceful oasis” inside the beautiful Sung La Valley. The architecture of houses in the village, farming practices, and customs of the people in Lung Cam village represent the traditional culture of the H’mong people in the Dong Van UNESCO Global Geopark. Lunch will be served at the local.
restaurant in Yen Minh. Continuing, we visit Dinh Vua Mèo (Vuong’s Palace) – the ancient villa of Vuong Chinh Duc. The only one recognized by the Ha Giang ethnic people as king of the Hmong People at the beginning of the 20th century, who controlled Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Meo Vac, and Dong Van districts. To finish the day, we will reach Lung Cu Flag Tower and take a view from here. This day will end with having dinner after a long day with some local alcohol (rượu ngô – one of the most significant drinks here) if you like.
Day 07: Lung Cu – Dong Van Town – Ma Pi Leng Pass – Nho Que River – Meo Vac (B, L, D)
After spending time in Lo Lo Village, we then transferred to Dong Van Old Town in the morning. On the way, you will have a short stop at Ma Le Traditional Market and looking the mountain from Khe Lia Panorama Point View. Have lunch and stop at the old town of Dong Van to enjoy the most ancient town in Northwest Vietnam.
In the afternoon, we will visit Ma Pi Leng Mountain Pass, Hem Tu San (Tu San Canyon) – Above only, Vách đá thần (White/Magical Cliffs) – you can see it from the main road to Meo Vac. We will spend the rest of day in here.
Day 08: Meo Vac – Bao Lac – Cao Bang (B, L, D)
Today’s drive will be through three passes with the beautiful landscape of forest and mountains. Lunch in a local restaurant with specialty and arrive Cao Bang Town in the late afternoon with some stops en-route to visit the local villages. Dinner and overnight in Cao Bang.
Day 09: Cao Bang – Ban Gioc Waterfall – Nguom Ngao Cave (B, L, D)
After breakfast, visit Ban Gioc Waterfall on the China-Vietnam border which is 85 KM from Cao Bang. Ban Gioc is one of the largest and the most impressive waterfalls in Vietnam, get your eyes amazed by the white water, picturesque blue sky, great limestone mountains, and stunning rice fields – a great chance ever for the photo shoot.
After a picnic lunch, visit Nguom Ngao Cave, one of the largest in the area. It has many fascinating stalactites in different shapes. After that, we run to Lang Son for sleep.
Day 10: Cao Bang – Ba Be (B, L, D)
Breakfast at the hotel, we transfer from Cao Bang to Ba Be in the next 3 hours. On your arrival, we will drive to Pac Ngoi, a village of the Tay people where stilt houses are built in the traditional style. You walk through the village to learn about the life of the people in the Ba Be lake area and have lunch in a traditional local restaurant here.
After lunch, we will keep driving further to Hua Ma cave, through the field, this is a dry cave with numerous stalactites like a forest of rocks, but to conquer this cave, you have to climb more than 300 steps. A beautiful valley behind the mountains is Na Slai village where there is another Tay village and a high waterfall falls from the top of the mountain. You can swim in this waterfall. Return to Ba Be lake to take a walk and visit ancient caves, and the 2km forest patrol trail, before reaching the wharf you can do a kayaking tour if you still have stamina left or just normally relax. Then, you will sleep one night with BBQ dinner.
Day 11: Ba Be – Trekking in Ba Be National Park (B, L, D)
7:30 am, after breakfast, you will pick up by boat, the boatman will take you around the first part of Ba Be lake called Pe Lam, then cross around two islands of Po Gia Mai. The boatman will then take you along the lakeside to watch the bunches of ancient tree roots hanging down to the water. Huge and long. Next, the area of lake two and lake three are smaller, the yellow monkeys often come down to drink and catch fish, it is crystal clear and deep water here. Straight to the Nang river at the end of the lake, the boatman will move up the river to Puong Cave, this is a very large cave with a large mouth and many giant stalactites, in a dark corner the home of thousands of bats. On the other part of the dry cave above have found archaeological remains of prehistoric people living here.
You will continue down the Nang River, the boatman will stop at a riverside to visit a Tay ethnic village, a walking tour through the village to see how people here work on the fields. Reaching Dau Dang Waterfall, we have lunch at a nearby riverside village restaurant. Returning to Ba Be Lake, you will visit An Ma Temple, take a short trek through the jungle, and reach the wharf. If you still have energy, you can do a kayaking tour. We will take you back to hotels in Hanoi.
Day 12: Ba Be – Hanoi (B, L)
It’s not hurried for this morning so we can take our breakfast little bit late, enjoy the daily life of local citizen then travel back to Hanoi after that. It’s approximately 250km from Ba Be Lake to Hanoi but it will not make us tired because of stopping at many rice fields or remote villages for relax or photo hunting. Lunch will be at a local Vietnamese restaurant then we catch our hotel in the afternoon. Trip ends.
For any special requests, please contact us directly via email: zgotravelvietnam@gmail.com or WhatsApp: +84 9766 09451.
