Overview
This Ha Giang Tour 4 Days 3 nights is a perfect combination of hiking with cultural exploring.
Ha Giang is known as “Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark written on the UNESCO World Heritage List and it is home to 17 ethnic groups in mountain North Vietnam.
It is a wonderful destination with majestic landscape mountains, breathtaking natural, and colorful local culture. You will have an unforgettable experience on the hiking path, enjoyable scenery and experience the true rural life. This tour is designed for active travelers and photographers.
Your Hiking Ha Giang trip will have an average hiking time around 5-6hrs per day with a distance ~5-10km/day, change the elevation from 500-1500m on the flat and hilly road, sometimes have the steep rocky road. It’s flexible hiking level from easy to moderate, so if you don’t have trekking experience, don’t worry, you just need to prepare good health and good condition.
Highlights
- Explore the majestic landscape of DONG VAN KARST PLATEAU GEOPARK
- Enjoyable hiking/trekking route on remote mountain regions and Ma Pi Leng Pass
- Great Boating/kayaking at Nho Que river
- Meeting ethnic people, explore the culture and experience true rural life
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Hanoi – Ha Giang – Quan Ba
7am, our driver and tour guide will pick you up from your hotel, ride to Ha Giang city (about 300km in ~6hrs). Lunch at Ham Yen, Tuyen Quang province. The road is good, smoothly and less curve.
Around 14:00, you will arrive at Ha Giang city. Take a rest before starting the trip to Dong Van Geo Park. Our first 50km drive up the Bac Sum pass, you start to enjoy the amazing view on the top of pass with winding road & cloud floating in cloud days.
You will reach Quan Ba in the 15:30-16:00. Before Quan Ba, we will pass the “Heaven’s Gate”, with its mountains stretching to the horizon, marking the entrance to Dong Van Karst Plateau. This marks a magnificent point of view to share when you are back home with stunning landscape photos. You will decense from Heaven gate to the Nam Dam village – the inhabited by Dao ethnic people (long dress Dao group) in around 1,5 hrs. Beautiful hiking trails through the verdant and hill, seasonal farmlands, the vista view of villages and lake.
Summary:
+ Drive: 350km in around 7hrs
+ Hiking: 1,5hrs ~5km
Note: In the winter, if it’s dark early when you arrive Quan Ba, we will skip the hiking trip and transfer by car directly to homestay and trekking in next morning.
+ Sleep: homestay of Dao people in Nam Dam village
Day 2: Quan Ba – Dong Van -Trekking Ma Pi Leng – Sky path- Meo Vac
6:30 am, before breakfast, you can walk around the village to explore the life and culture of Dao people. The locals still keep their traditional customs, habits & culture from ancient times. You will have a chance to see the local traditional house made of compacted soil which protects people from the extreme weather in the high mountain.
After breakfast, around 8:00 am, leaving Nam Dam village, our driver will transfer you to Dong Van. Our trip through the stunning winding roads, through the rocky karst mountains, old traditional houses of Hmong – ethnic people. It’s once again a very enjoyable ride today that you will see an amazing and majestic mountain view of the Rock Plateau and take the great photos.
Having lunch at local restaurant.
In the afternoon, we start to hike through the narrow high mountain path Sky path, Trekking on the rock Mountain steps of old Ma Pi Leng pass. This rocky path goes through limestone cliffs, goes through Hmong villages in the high mountain, goes through cornfields in the middle of the karst plateau. From above, you can admire the extremely majestic scenery of the limestone mountains and the green Nho Que river which cuts through the valley below. Besides of trekking route, you will cross through 2 remote villages on the mountain, visiting and chatting with locals are our interesting activities beside enjoy natural scenery.
After 3hrs ~8km trekking, you will reach the main road and be transferred to Meo Vac
Summary:
+Transfer by car: ~120km
+ Trekking type: Medium, around ~8km in 2,5-3hrs.
+ Sleep: at a traditional house (new) in Hmong culture village in Pa Vi, Meo Vac. (Some good accommodation as Meo Vac Clay House, Vivi homestay, O Chau Meo Vac Boutique…)
If you want to experience sleep in the homestay of Hmong people, explore their culture via learning their traditional music dance, wearing their traditional clothes, we will arrange sleep in Hmong Dong Van homestay.
If you want to upgrade to higher class like Abeveger de Meo Vac, let us know.
Day 3: Meo Vac – Kayaking at Nho Que river – Ha Giang
Morning: If it’s Sunday, you can have a chance to enjoy the unique and special local Market in Meo Vac, it’s held on Sunday and be called SUNDAY MARKET. There are very colorful and various culture of ethnic minorities, it will be a special experience for you.
8:00am, after breakfast, transfer to Nho Que river, it’s located in the bottom of Ma Pi Leng pass with Tu San canyon – it’s a new interesting destination in your Ha Giang tour. Tu San canyon is considered a deepest and most unique canyon in Vietnam. The best way to explore the Tu San abyss alley is by boat, where you will be surrounded by the cool green water and immersed in the quiet and fresh atmosphere of the valley. You will be enchanted by the overwhelming presence of the towering mountains on both sides of the river.
You will trek down from the main road to the bottom of the river, take the boat or Kayak and enjoy the poetic beauty with the green color of Nho Que river. You can jump to swim to relax after a long day.
P/s: You can choose to travel down or up by motorbike, however, the narrow & steep going down the river will need the experience skill drivers.
Leave Nho Que river the car will carry you to see the view point from the Ma Pi Leng pass to Nho Que river. Take a rest and coffee here before come back to Meo Vac & having lunch.
Afternoon: You will have the relaxing time in the car to enjoy the stunning scenery of Karst Mountain from Meo Vac to Ha Giang city in the other side. Arrive Ha Giang in the late afternoon & sleep in homestay of Tay people, enjoy the family dinner.
Summary:
+Transfer by car: around 10km
+ Trekking type: Medium ~5km in 2hrs
+ Sleep: Private room in a bungalow or single mattress on stilt house in Cay homestay or Faithien homestay
Day 4: Ha Giang– Hanoi
In the morning: Do a short hiking through the Tay Village to see the beautiful rice field, the traditional stilt wood house with palm roof, beaten track or soil path in Palm forest, relax at waterfall to explore the local life & culture of Tay people, their farming work as well as the natural.
Finish hiking trip, come back Hanoi and arrive Hanoi in around 7-8pm.
Summary:
+Transfer by car: around 300 km in 6hrs
+ Trekking type: Easy hiking
Inclusions
- Private car with experience driver through the trip
- English speaking guide
- Entrance fees and signseeing fees
- Boating or Kayaking ticket
- All meals are included (3 Breakfasts + 4 Lunches + 3 dinners)
- Accommodation as indicated in the itinerary (homestay)If you want to upgrade accommodation, let us know to arrange
- Water: 1 little/day/person
Exclusions
- Personal expenses, tips and gratuities (industry recommendation is 5-10% of trip cost)
- Personal items: Clothes, rain-gear, foot wears
- Water bottles and a headlamp or flashlight
- Beverage: Extra drinks
Special Notes
- Comfortable walking/trekking shoes
- Light comfortable clothes and warm clothes in winter time (from Oct to Feb)
- Take a small day backpack for hiking
- Insect/mosquito repellent, sun cream, sun hat, light raincoat
- Passport, camera
