Every part can be changed to suit your group.

1. Day 1 Hanoi to Pu Luong Nature Reserve

   We leave Hanoi in the early morning and drive about 160 kilometres southwest into Thanh Hoa Province, where Pu Luong Nature Reserve opens up in layers of terraced rice fields and forested slopes. On arrival we set out on a hike of 6 to 10 kilometres along footpaths between paddies, reaching Hang Village, home to a Black Thai community. We spend the evening with our hosts, sharing a home-cooked dinner before settling in for the night in a traditional stilt house. The road passes through small towns, rice fields and limestone hills, with a stop for coffee on the way. The Black Thai families of Pu Luong live in wooden stilt houses surrounded by fruit trees and terraces.

   
2. Day 2 Hang Village to Kho Muong Village

   A longer hike today, 10 to 15 kilometres, climbs through tiered rice terraces and past small hamlets tucked into the hills. We pass hillocks, farmland and forest before descending into the valley at Kho Muong village, home to the Muong people. We take time to walk through the village and see daily life unfold, then spend the night with a local family in a wooden house, where dinner comes with a toast to the day's walking. The Muong people are known for their gongs, their weaving and their hospitality, and the evening often includes a shared meal with rice wine.

   
3. Day 3 Pu Luong to Ninh Binh via the Ma River

   Another morning hike, around 10 to 15 kilometres, takes us along paths used daily by farmers, through rice terraces, hills and villages. We stop to watch people working the fields with water buffaloes, tending crops or fishing the river. Later we board a bamboo raft for a float along the Ma River, a wide and scenic waterway running through Thanh Hoa Province. From here we drive on to Ninh Binh, arriving at a local family's lodge for the night. The bamboo raft trip is calm and relaxing, and the river is lined with villages, bamboo groves and rice fields. The lodge in Ninh Binh is surrounded by limestone peaks and rice fields, and dinner is cooked with local ingredients.

   
4. Day 4 Bich Dong, Trang An and Hoa Lu

   We climb the stone steps of Bich Dong Pagoda, a three-level complex built into a limestone cliff, with each level offering wider views over the countryside. From there we take a two hour rowing boat through the Nang River and the Thung Nang cave system, under cliffs and stalactites. A short bike ride of one to two hours through Trang An follows, weaving between karst towers and rice paddies. In the afternoon we visit the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, including the Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Dai Hanh temples, before joining a local family to shop at the market and cook spring rolls and sticky rice for dinner.

   
5. Day 5 Van Long and Cuc Phuong National Park

   We start with a quiet rowing boat trip through Van Long Nature Reserve, gliding past limestone peaks reflected in still water. From there we drive to Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam's oldest, where a hike of 6 to 8 kilometres leads us through old growth forest alive with birdsong. We visit the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre and the Turtle Conservation Centre, learning about the work being done to protect Vietnam's threatened wildlife, before returning to our lodge in Ninh Binh for the night. Cuc Phuong was the first national park in Vietnam, opened in 1962, and its forest is home to rare primates, birds and butterflies.

   
6. Day 6 Ninh Binh to Bai Tu Long Bay

   We drive from Ninh Binh to Bai Chay, the gateway to Bai Tu Long Bay, and board a boat to begin exploring its coves and limestone islands. At Cap La we take to kayaks for one to two hours, paddling close to the cliffs and quiet inlets. As the afternoon fades we continue to Cong Do, where we spend the night aboard the boat, with dinner served on deck and the bay settling into stillness around us. The boat is small, with only a few cabins, so the atmosphere is calm and personal. In the evening you can try squid fishing from the deck or simply relax under the stars.

   
7. Day 7 Bai Tu Long Bay back to Hanoi

   We wake aboard the boat to the islands of Bai Tu Long Bay and set off for Vung Vieng, a floating village built on the water, where fishing families still live much as they always have. From here we sail toward Halong Bay, and around midday the boat returns to dock. The drive back to Hanoi takes roughly 3.5 to 4.5 hours, ending with a drop off at your hotel. Brunch is served on board as we sail back to the harbour, and your guide shares the last stories of the trip on the drive back to Hanoi.