Ha Giang Highlands to Ba Be Lake

Every part can be changed to suit your group.

1. Day 1 Hanoi to Xuan Giang Village

   We leave Hanoi at around 8:00 AM and follow winding roads north to the southern edge of Ha Giang province. By afternoon we reach Xuan Giang, a quiet valley of rice fields, forest and rivers. After a late lunch with our host family, there is time for a short walk around the village before dinner. Tonight we sleep in a traditional stilt house, on mattresses with mosquito nets in a shared living space. The bathroom is in a separate building close to the house, and the family cooks dinner over a wood fire with vegetables from their garden. It is a simple but warm first night, and a good introduction to the rhythm of mountain life.

   
2. Day 2 Xuan Giang to Quan Ba and Heaven’s Gate

   After breakfast we drive up into the mountains to Heaven’s Gate, the entrance to the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, with wide views over the Quan Ba valley. From here we leave the car and walk to our lodge. The afternoon is free to rest or take an easy walk to meet nearby families. From the viewpoint, the two rounded hills of Quan Ba stand in the middle of the valley, surrounded by small farms and Tay and Hmong villages. The walk to the lodge passes corn fields and stone walls, and our guide explains how families farm on such rocky land. Dinner is served at the lodge, with local dishes and corn wine for those who want to try it.

   
3. Day 3 Lung Tam, Dong Van and the Ma Pi Leng Pass

   A morning hike of around 2.5 hours takes us to Lung Tam, where women have grown and woven hemp for generations. We then drive one of the most scenic roads in the country through the heart of the geopark, with lunch in Yen Minh and a stop in Dong Van town. In the afternoon we cross the Ma Pi Leng Pass above a deep river gorge before reaching Meo Vac. Our lodge for two nights is a Hmong family house from the 1930s, restored around a central courtyard.

   
4. Day 4 A Walking Day Around Meo Vac

   With a picnic lunch packed, we spend the whole day walking through the valleys around Meo Vac, home to many ethnic groups. We pass farmers working in corn fields and families collecting wood and plants from the forest. The guide adjusts the route to your pace and interests. Dinner and a second night at the lodge. The trails go through valleys that only farmers use, past houses made of rammed earth, stone fences and small terraced plots of corn and beans. Along the way you might be invited in for tea or see women weaving and embroidering. Lunch is a picnic in a quiet spot with a view, and we come back to the lodge in the late afternoon.

   
5. Day 5 Meo Vac to Ba Be National Park

   A long but beautiful drive today through Ha Giang, Cao Bang and Bac Kan provinces. When time and weather allow, we stop at villages of the Nung, San Chay or Dao people along the way. We reach Pac Ngoi village in Ba Be National Park in the afternoon and spend the night with a Tay family in their stilt house. The road climbs and falls through passes and valleys, with plenty of stops for photos and short walks. In Pac Ngoi, the Tay family welcomes us with tea and fruit, and dinner is cooked with fish from the lake, bamboo shoots and wild vegetables. In the evening it is very quiet, with only the sound of frogs and insects around the house.

   
6. Day 6 Boat Day on Ba Be Lake

   After breakfast we board a boat and cross Ba Be, the largest natural lake in Vietnam, from south to north. We then follow the Nang River up to the remote village of Dau Dang for lunch with a local family. In the afternoon the boat drifts back downstream to Puong Cave, before a short transfer to Pac Ngoi for dinner and a second night at the homestay. Ba Be Lake is surrounded by limestone mountains covered in thick forest, and the boat trip is slow and peaceful. We pass fishermen in dugout canoes and small villages on the shore. The cave of Puong is home to thousands of bats, and the river runs right through it, which is a remarkable sight from the boat.

   
7. Day 7 Ba Be Lake to Hanoi

   A slow morning for a last walk around the village and lunch at the homestay. In the afternoon we leave the park on small country roads and arrive in Hanoi at around 6:00 PM. The road back passes through tea hills, rice valleys and small market towns, with a stop for coffee on the way. Your guide shares the last stories of the trip, and we drop you at your hotel in Hanoi in the early evening. If you have more time, this trip can be extended with a few days in Cao Bang to see the Ban Gioc waterfall.