Day 1: Ha Noi - Ha Giang (L, D)

You will be picked up at your hotel and then transferred to Ha Giang, through Son Duong District of Tuyen Quang province. Enjoy natural landscape and green fields, palm hill and village of black Tay minority. Arrive Ha Giang town in the late afternoon, prepare items and especially your health for the next hard day.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Ha Giang Town

Day 2: Ha Giang - Dong Van (B, L, D)

After breakfast, we will purchase the mandatory permit at the Immigration Office and then take the first spectacular road to Dong Van, a series of long passes and deep valleys. Lunch will be in the small mountain town of Tam Son. After that, we will cross a landscape of pine forests and arrive at the astonishing King of the H’mong’s Palace, a fortress built by a local chief allied with the French against the Vietminh, Vuong Chin Duc. We will arrive in Dong Van around 6:00pm and have dinner in a local restaurant.

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Dong Van Town

Day 3: Dong Van - Ma Pi Leng Pass - Meo Vac - Bao Lac- Ba Be Lake (B, L, D)

This day promises an extremely memorable day. We will visit Dong Van market, where the locals shop before returning to their mountain hamlets. Then climbing a pass up to the French Fortress of Pu Lo which was built in 1890 and evacuated in 1945. The road climbs on 15 km up to the top of the Ma Pi Leng Pass, through a gigantic maze of limestone peaks, "stone forests", and canyons, a unique landscape of the world.

Descending into the valley of Meo Vac, we continue snaking through the mountains, cross the river, and arrive in the village of Bao Lac for lunch.  We take the mountain road Bao Lac - Cao Bang. Before Cao Bang, another one of our little secrets: a gorgeous small road snaking through the mountains to the Tay village of Cho Ra and then down to the Tay village of Bo Lu. You will enjoy a superb dinner on the river terrace.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Homestay

Day 4: Ba Be Lake - Puong Cave (B, L, D)

Enjoy breakfast and then you will have a short walk to the house owner’s boat, which takes you through the entire length of Ba Be Lake and up the Nang River, to an astonishing site: Dong Phuong, an enormous tunnel 300m long that the river has cut through a limestone mountain. The boat then goes down river to the small village of Hua Tang. Lunch will be served in a local house.   

After lunch, we continue walking through the jungle taking you to the scenic Thac Dau Dang Waterfalls, a series of spectacular cascades between sheer rock walls. Then, return by boat for evening at your Tay house.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Homestay

Day 5: Ba Be Lake - Ha Noi (B, L)

This day, after relaxing time in Bo Lu we will depart on a secret road, following the river and then snaking from pass to pass through the hills of Central North Vietnam. We then join the main road to Ha Noi, with a short stop in Cho Chu to visit the ruins of the French Prison.

Arrive in Hanoi around 5.00pm. Tour ends.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

What to bring:

• Pack essentials, including light comfortable clothes suitable for outdoor activities, comfortable walking shoes.
• We also recommend packing insect repellent, sun cream, raincoat and sun hat...
• Take a small day pack for hiking and trekking.
• It is essential to bring your passport on this trip

This tour is built upon our firsthand knowledge & experience, offering you the best choices available. The price of this trip varies depending on the number of people in your party, dates of departure, and availability of ground services.

Please click on CUSTOMIZE YOUR TRIPS and supply the required information, enabling us to send you your personalized quote within 24 hours!

Note: Amendments CAN be made to this tour to suite your requirements, but may incur price changes

 

WHAT'S INCLUDED?
• Accommodation with daily breakfast at selected hotels 
• Private Vehicles and Drivers
• Transport from Hanoi to Halong and return by mini van
• Train tickets Hanoi – Sapa – Hanoi per deluxe cabins.
• Private English Speaking Guides (Other languages if available, upon request)
• Meals as mentioned in the itinerary (B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner)
• All domestic flights
• Airport Taxes and Fuel charges
• Entrance fees for all mentioned sights visited
• Drinking water available on the vehicles.
• Service Charge & Government Taxes
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED?
• Your International Flights
• Personal Expenses (such as laundry, telephone, drinks, etc.)
• Any bank fees or charges at your end
• Meals other than those mentioned in the itinerary
• Personal Travel Insurance
• Tips for tour guide and driver in each region
• Peak season or public holidays surcharge if any
• Compulsory Gala dinner on X-Mas or New Year if any
• Vietnam visa stamp fee 
• Other services not mentioned above

•  

HOTEL SELECTION:

The hotels listed below are our suggestions for the best value on this tour.  However, Asia Essence Tours offers many more options of hand-picked hotels, with different "star ratings", allowing you to customize the vacation to meet your taste and budget.
  

LOCATIONS	FIRST CLASS CATEGORY	SUPERIOR CATEGORY	DELUXE CATEGORY
Ha Giang	Dongvan Hotel	Dongvan Hotel	Dongvan Hotel
Babe Lake	homestay	homestay	homestay

ABOUT HOTELS:

We, at Asia Essence Tours, are aware that a good tour must have good hotels. As the hotel cost will be the major expense of your vacation in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, it is essential that all of the hotels chosen by us are the highest quality for the price paid. All of our prices are based on twin, double or queen shared rooms.

BELOW IS AN EXPLANATION OF THE HOTEL "STAR" RATINGS:

First Class/ 3 Star (from US$ 50 - US$ 80 per room/night)

The First Class/ 3 Star Hotels are good value and normally centrally located. They all have comfortable en-suite rooms, good amenities and public areas to relax in. They are usually family run hotels, so offer great personalized service for your enjoyment and comfort. Most first class properties offer an in-house restaurant, and some may even have a swimming pool!

Superior/ 4 star (from US$ 100 - US$ 150/ per room/night)

The 4* superior Hotels offer a wide range of services. Many superior hotels feature a choice of several in-house restaurants. In addition virtually all of them have a swimming pool. Some may even feature a spa or health club. This grade of hotel offers more for your enjoyment and comfort, while still remaining affordable.

Deluxe/ 5 Star (from US$160 - US$ 240++/ per room/night)

These 5* Deluxe hotels are usually owned by Worldwide, well known Hotel chains. The deluxe hotels feature excellent locations, offer the highest standards of service and facilities, and are known as the best hotels in each region. Facilities such as swimming pools and spas are the norm, and guest rooms are luxurious. These hotels offer first class service and amenities throughout.

ASIA ESSENCE TOURS™ BESPOKE STYLE SUITS EVERYONE

Flexibility: The sample itinerary can be modified to suit your interests, budget as well as your personal wishes including departure date, duration, accommodation used & how long you spend in each destination.

Tailor-Made Journey: This trip can be tailor made to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by travel experts with intimate knowledge of the destination. It is a more individual trip that will suit those who enjoy immersing themselves in new cultures and environments, with the flexibility to plan a trip at your own pace. Quality and value are the hallmark of the trips, with most services being provided on a private basis.

Commitment to Excellence: We enjoys excellent relationships with all of the highly regarded hotels and finest properties in our destinations as well as with service suppliers so that we are able to negotiate the most attractive prices for our clients, which enables us to provide exclusive holidays and affordable special offers. We create one-of-a-kind vacations for groups and individuals. We love our destinations and do our best to make sure that our customers feel the same way. Our job is to make sure that everyone gets the right balance of comfort and excitement to enjoy the experience of a lifetime.