Ha Noi – Pu Luong – Ninh Binh – Ha Long – Cat Ba – Ha Noi (12 days – 11 nights)

Arrive to Noi Bai airport. Pick up and transfer to down town. Free at leisure in the afternoon.

Check in time at hotel is 14:00. Dinner at restaurant.  Accommodation at hotel in Hanoi.

Trekking: 2 hours

Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to to Pu Luong Natural Reserve. The highlight on this road is experiencing the beauty of Pu luong Nature Reserve, the everyday life and culture of the white Thai people.  Lunch at local restaurant. Reach to Pu Luong, check in and group will walk around Don village near Pu Luong retreat to see life style of Thai People. Enjoy dinner at Puluong Retreat.

Overnight at Pu Luong retreat.

Note: No television, no air conditioner, no fridge in the room at Puluong retreat

Trekking: 5 hours

AM: Breakfast at hotel. Take a short driving from the retreat to 02 villages: Lan Trong village  and Lan Ngoai village, then client will walk to see tumbling rice terraces, through small paths shrouded in vegetation to slowly reveal a picturesque village sitting at the base of a towering mountain. Your camera will not be able to sit still! Continuing to the base of the valley, you weave between roads and farmland, villages and wild fields, ponds and rivers, mountains and open land. We see the life style of Thai ethic people ( walking about 3 hours).

PM: Take a short driving from the retreat and then trekking to bamboo water wheel area and client will walk through beautiful hill side villages, magnificent rice paddies, seeing hand crafted bamboo water wheels. Group will take the bamboo rafting to see landscapes along Cham river ( 30 mins).

Come back Puluong retreat. Dinner at the restaurant.

Overnight at Pu Luong retreat.

Trekking: 6 hours

AM:  Breakfast at hotel. Take a short driving from the retreat to Bang village, Going down into the beautiful valley leading to Kho Muong. Along the way you will have a chance to enjoy beautiful terrace rice fields. After enjoying the view from above we will visit the isolated village is surrounded by a huge mountain range, you can come to visit a local family, this is a great chance to learn more about life style and culture of the local. Have picnic lunch

PM: You will walk around the village and go to visit a big cave (Bat cave) short hike to the cave close to the village. For those want deeper look. We can go deeper inside the cave (proper shoes and torch are required). Heading to Dong Dieng village, you will go thru natural reserve zone. Car and driver will pick you up and transfer back to Puluong retreat for dinner. Accommodation at Pu Luong retreat.

Breakfast at hotel. Then, we drive to Ninh Binh. Lunch at local restaurant. Then we will visit Thung Nham Bird Park with Buddha Cave, The little Mermaid Cave, God of Ocean castle cave and Bird Park. Client will see wetland with many trees which are the home of thousands kinds of birds.

Dinner at local restaurant. Accommodation at hotel in Ninh Binh.

Breakfast at hotel.

Transfer to Trang An complex which is referred to as a “ Halong Bay on land” or an “ outdoor geological museum”. We take the sampan boat trip to visit nine caves and grottoes in Trang An complex. Lunch at restaurant. Then visit Dinh & Le Temple. Dinner at local restaurant.

Accommodation at hotel in Ninh Binh.

Breakfast at hotel.

07:00: Transfer to Halong bay, the pride of the Gulf of Tonkin, a Natural World Heritage as designated by UNESCO in 1994 and 2006. The road will pass by the Red River delta with green paddy fields and rural villages, where hard-work farmers are busy with their farming jobs, ploughing buffaloes or planting seedling. Upon arrival at wharf at 12:00, Seafood lunch is waiting on board while cruising.  We then sail our boat round its natural rocky gardens. Most of the islets here are not for living due to the lack of fresh water, but are excellent for cruising to contemplate their miraculous draws on the horizon. Many of them have great names from their inspirational shapes, including the Thien Cung cave.Then that boat takes client directly to Gia Luan Pier in Cat Ba island at 16:00. Pick up and transfer to hotel check in. Dinner at restaurant.

Accommodation at hotel in Cat Ba.

Trekking: 2 hours

Breakfast at hotel.

Transfer to Beo Harbor to take the boat to Viet Hai village and meet the friendly local people who live inside the National Park.

Lunch will be served at a local house with home cooked food at Viet Hai Village. Walk from the village to the boat dock and go to the Ba Trai Dao Beach. Group will enjoy swimming at the tranquil beach.

Return to Cat Ba town. Dinner at local restaurant. Accommodation at hotel in Cat Ba.

Breakfast at hotel, Lan ha Bay is the same as Halong

Bay but wild and less tourist, lying on the Gulf of Tonkin. It belongs to Cat Ba islands area – Hai Phong city, in the south of Halong Bay. Many people think that it is Halong bay area because it also has hundreds of islands like Halong bay. However, Lan Ha bay is different with hundreds of small beaches, this is paradise for tourists to go swimming, go kayaking or staying overnight in a bungalow…

8:30: Take the boat to visit Lan Ha Bay. The boat will pass through hundreds of karst islets, beautiful beach, floating villages where we will provide you a great opportunity to experience the real life of the fish men who spend their whole life on the water (good chance to take pictures). The boat will stop in quiet area where you challenge yourself 1 hour kayaking around hundreds of islets and beaches. Then transfer to Monkey Island, have lunch, kayaking and swimming. Afternoon, trekking up mountain to see the panorama of Lan Ha bay with hundreds of islands on the emerald water. Take boat back to hotel.

Dinner at the local restaurant. Accommodation at hotel in Cat Ba.

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the pier and take the speed boat to Hai Phong Ferry at 08:10am. 09:00 reach to Hai Phong ferry, car picks up and transfer back to Hanoi. Lunch at local restaurant. Check in hotel and have free time at your leisure in the afternoon.

Dinner at your own arrangement. Accommodation at hotel in Hanoi.

Breakfast at hotel. Wake up early to see the morning activities in Hanoi, the guide will take you around Hoan Kiem Lake to see how the local peoples practice Tai Chi; Meditation; Yoga and do exercise. Stroll around the local morning market at Hang Be. Back to your hotel for breakfast.

09:00: Transfer to visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and His Stilt House. After that, transfer to visit Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo Prison. Lunch at local restaurant.

At the afternoon, visit Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple. Enjoy water puppet show in Hanoi. Dinner at restaurant. Accommodation at hotel in Hanoi.

Breakfast at hotel. Then transfer to airport to take departure flight. End of program