Itinerary
- Day 1
Hanoi to Ba Be National Park
Your guide picks you up from your Hanoi hotel around 7:30-8:00am for the drive to Bac Kan, which takes about 4 hours. Once you arrive, you'll check in at Mr Linh's Homestay and have lunch before heading out on a boat tour around Ba Be Lake. The lake is a UNESCO-recognized Ramsar wetland, so you'll see some really interesting habitat. During the afternoon, you'll visit Na Slai village and stop at Thac Bac waterfall where you can swim if you'd like. Back at the homestay by evening for a BBQ dinner.
- Start point
- Hanoi, Vietnam (Hanoi old quarter, 07:30 - 08:00)
- Meals
- Lunch, Dinner (BBQ dinner)
Included Activities
- Boat tour around Ba Be Lake
- Visit to Na Slai village of Tay people
- Walk to Thac Bac (Silver) waterfall
- Swimming at Thac Bac waterfall
Landmarks/POIs Ba Be National Park Ba Be Lake Na Slai village Thac Bac (Silver Waterfall) 
- Day 2
Ba Be National Park Trek
This morning you'll trek from Lung Mo toward Coc Toc village, moving through different landscapes around Ba Be. When you reach Coc Toc, you'll see how the Tay people fish in the area. After crossing Pelu Stream, the terrain gets steeper with mountain views opening up around you. By midday you'll arrive at Khau Qua H'mong village for a picnic lunch. The afternoon trek takes you through valleys where you can see Dzao people's wooden houses and pass through another H'mong village before heading back to the homestay.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Picnic lunch), Dinner
Included Activities
- Trek through Ba Be National Park
- Visit to Coc Toc Village
- Crossing of Pelu Stream
- Visit to Khau Qua H'mong ethnic village
- Visit to Dzao people's wooden houses and school
- Visit to H'mong ethnic village
Landmarks/POIs Ba Be National Park Coc Toc Village Pelu Stream Khau Qua 
- Day 3
Trung Khanh to Khuoi My
After breakfast at the homestay, you'll travel to Trung Khanh on the Vietnam-China border to meet local Nung people. Ban Gioc Waterfall is the main stop here, and it's quite something at 300 meters wide spanning across the border. Later you'll explore Nguom Ngao Cave, which has 2,144 meters of passages filled with stalactites and stalagmites underground. From there you'll head to Khuoi My stone village for the night, staying at a traditional Nung-family-operated homestay.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch in a local restaurant), Dinner (Home-cooked meal at Nung family homestay)
Included Activities
- Visit to Trung Khanh
- Meeting with local Nung people
- Visit to Ban Gioc Waterfall
- Exploration of Nguom Ngao Cave
Landmarks/POIs Trung Khanh Ban Gioc Waterfall Nguom Ngao Cave Khuoi My - Day 4
Quang Uyen Trek and Phuoc Sen Village
After breakfast, you're hiking through Quang Uyen landscape at elevations between 600-800m across evergreen pastures and corn fields. The scenery's similar to what you'd see in Halong Bay, with good mountain-top views. You'll learn about how local ethnic groups live their daily life in this area. By lunch time you'll be picked up and eating at a local restaurant. The afternoon involves trekking to Phuoc Sen mountainous village, which is known for traditional blacksmithing. You'll check out traditional craft villages before returning to the homestay for dinner.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch at local restaurant), Dinner
Included Activities
- Trek through Quang Uyen landscape
- Visit to Phuoc Sen village
- Observation of traditional blacksmithing
- Visits to traditional craft villages (fabric dyeing, paper making, knitting, tile, incense)
Landmarks/POIs Quang Uyen Phuoc Sen 
- Day 5
Cao Bang to Binh Lieu Border Region
This is a longer driving day from Cao Bang to Binh Lieu, known as the Little Sapa of Quang Ninh province. Along the way you'll stop to visit Mother's Temple and Dong Khe, the site of the first battle of the Indochina War in 1950. After lunch in Lang Son, you'll drive 3 more hours toward the Chinese border through a narrow valley. Then you're on foot around villages like Man Son Dau and San Chi where minority tribes living on the border grow anise, cinnamon and cardamom. Dinner and overnight at a homestay.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch in Lang Son), Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit to Mother's Temple
- Visit to Dong Khe historical site
- Border patrol road drive
- Walk around Man Son Dau village
- Walk around San Chi village
Landmarks/POIs Mother's Temple Dong Khe Binh Lieu Man Son Dau San Chi - Day 6
Binh Lieu to Cat Ba Island
After breakfast, you'll drive to Cat Ba via Ha Long city and take an express boat to Cat Ba Island, arriving around midday. From there, a short transfer gets you to the dock where you'll board a small boat heading to Cai Beo fishing village. Lunch is fresh local seafood, and then you'll trek through Cat Ba National Park with mountain-top views of the island and bay as a reward for the walk. You're staying overnight in a garden bungalow.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Fresh local seafood lunch), Dinner
Included Activities
- Boat journey to Cat Ba Island
- Visit to Cai Beo fishing village
- Trek through Cat Ba National Park
Landmarks/POIs Cat Ba Island Cai Beo fishing village Cat Ba National Park - Day 7
Lan Ha Bay and Ha Long Bay Cruise
Breakfast is at 07:30, then you'll cycle to Viet Hai Harbour and board a traditional wooden junk. You'll spend the day exploring Lan Ha Bay, moving through islands via narrow paths that larger boats can't access. Fresh seafood lunch happens while you're cruising. As the day goes on, you'll enter Ha Long Bay proper, visit a floating village, and explore a large limestone cave with beautiful lagoons. There's time to swim or snorkel at Three Peaches Beach before returning to the boat for a seafood dinner and overnight stay on board.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Seafood lunch on board), Dinner (Seafood dinner)
Included Activities
- Cycle to Viet Hai Harbour
- Traditional wooden junk cruise through Lan Ha Bay
- Navigation through Ha Long Bay
- Visit to floating village
- Exploration of limestone cave
- Swimming and snorkeling at Three Peaches Beach
Landmarks/POIs Viet Hai Harbour Lan Ha Bay Ha Long Bay Three Peaches Beach - Day 8
Lan Ha Bay Kayaking and Return to Hanoi
You'll wake to ocean sounds and catch sunrise with breakfast on board. Then you're kayaking through Lan Ha Bay and visiting a fish farm. Lunch happens on board while the boat returns you to Cat Ba Island. After disembarking, you'll start your journey back to Hanoi, arriving in the capital around 18:00. That wraps up the tour.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch on board)
Included Activities
- Sunrise viewing
- Kayaking through Lan Ha Bay
- Visit to fish farm
Landmarks/POIs Lan Ha Bay Cat Ba Island
