Ever fantasize about waking up in a mountain bungalow enveloped in cool fog and hiking through sun-hued rice terraces? That’s what’s in store for you in our Mai Chau to Pu Luong tours of Adventure, an ideal getaway for nature enthusiasts, soft trekkers, and culture hunters.
Leaving Hanoi behind, this adventure links two of North Vietnam’s most stunning areas: Mai Chau, whose idyllic Thai villages seem frozen in time, and Pu Luong, an undiscovered gem of multiple-tiered valleys and ethnic beauty. Whether you opt for our 2-night or 3-night itinerary, our carefully crafted Pu Luong Tours guarantee real-life experiences, picturesque paths, and memories to treasure.
If you ask me, someone who has led this itinerary dozens of times, why tourists keep coming back to the Mai Chau to Pu Luong tours of Adventure, the reply is straightforward: nowhere else in northwest Vietnam combines tranquility, culture, and unspoiled natural beauty in quite this fashion.
This trail links two breathtakingly beautiful ecological areas: the green Mai Chau Valley and the uncharted forest splendor in the Pu Luong Reserve. It’s akin to strolling through an active documentary, one minute you have rice paddy and limestone mountains, and the next, you’re trekking through forest paths alongside bamboo forests and rustling waterfalls.
And the best part? It’s only a few hours outside Hanoi, yet somehow you feel as if you’re in an entirely different world. That’s what’s so magical about the Mai Chau to Pu Luong tours of Adventure, so near in distance, yet so far from all of Hanoi’s clamor and chaos.
With straightforward road access and an easy road route, this itinerary is perfect for those who seek genuine experiences without extended transfers of any sort.
On your journey, you’ll share in two of Vietnam’s friendliest ethnic communities: the Muong and Thai. You’ll join in their everyday lives, from hand-weaving in stilted village houses to toasting rice wine below woven-thatched roofs. It’s genuine daily life, not staged for tourists.
You’ll notice what separates Pu Luong Tours apart: each step is personal, and each stop at a different village is authentic.
These tours are particularly ideal for:
Regardless of your holiday style, Mai Chau to Pu Luong tours of Adventure has something for you, something personal, immersive, and enriching.
There’s timing involved, and the beauty of this place evolves seasonally.
Mai Chau Valley (Sours: puluongexcursions)
07:30 – Departure from Hanoi
We set out this morning on our memorable Mai Chau to Pu Luong tours of Adventure. We meet at your hotel in Hanoi’s Old Quarter and introduce you to our cheerful driver. We do some last-minute checks of bags and necessities, and we’re off quickly out of the city, westward into the foggy mountains of Hoa Binh Province.
09:30 – Scenic stop at Thung Khe Pass
One of the most stunning views along our route! We make a stop at Thung Khe Pass, also called “White Stone Pass,” to take in the panoramic view of the valley below. You can savor a roasted corn snack or boil an egg, get some fresh air in your lungs, and have your initial photos in this green paradise in the mountains.
11:30 – Arrive and check in at Mai Chau Ecolodge (4★)
Your tranquil hideaway awaits. Nestled among rice fields and bamboo forests, Mai Chau Ecolodge is not just a spot to rest your head, it’s an ideal portal into local culture. We check-in, and afterward, we come together for lunch, feasting on genuine Thai cuisine: grilled chicken, sticky rice, sautéed mountain vegetables, and beyond.
14:30 – Visit Thai villages: Ban Lac & Pom Coong
Following a brief break, we’ll take an evening stroll through the surrounding Ban Lac and Pom Coong villages. You’ll encounter local artisans at work, watch as women weave vibrant brocade on ancient looms, and see water buffalo roaming in the paddy fields. This isn’t a staged spectacle for tourists, this is daily life in Mai Chau, and it’s warm, welcoming, and gloriously authentic.
17:00 – Return to the lodge to freshen up
Spend some moments of tranquility. Swim in our eco-pool, drink herbal tea, or lie back on your veranda while gazing across rice fields as dusk slowly falls.
19:00 – Dinner and traditional Thai dance show
We’ll congregate in the lodge’s dining hall, which is set high upon stilts, for dinner of grilled river fish, banana blossom salad, and rice wine. We have dinner tonight joining the locals for an evening of traditional dance performance, and yes, you’ll be invited to participate in the bamboo stick dance (mua sap)! It’s energetic, lively, and an experience you won’t ever forget.
Overnight at Mai Chau Ecolodge
Drift off to slumber in your thatch-roof cottage, lulled by evening cricket sounds and faraway drums resounding across the valley.
Mai Chau Ecolodge (4★) (Sours: booking)
07:00 – Breakfast with a view
Rise to birdsong and field mist. We’ll enjoy a fresh breakfast of banh mi, eggs, fruit, and Vietnamese coffee. You’ll want to keep your appetite light today because today we hike!
08:30 – Transfer from Mai Chau to Pu Luong Nature Reserve
The next part of our adventure takes us further into the hills and the little-known pearl of Pu Luong. A 2.5-hour drive winds its way through hills of terrace farming, stilted houses, and canopies of green forest. Along the road, I’ll pick out your bamboo water wheels and local market stalls.
11:30 – Check in at Puluong Natura Bungalows or Pu Luong Retreat
Welcome to paradise. Your eco-lodge is situated at the bank of a tiered valley, complete with an infinity pool, outside dining, and secluded bungalows among nothing but nature.
12:30 – Lunch at the lodge
Regional delights such as grilled pork in bamboo, wild herbs, mountain vegetables, and banana leaf-wrapped sticky rice star today’s lunch. Flavors are rustic, earthy, and unforgettable.
14:30 – 17:30 – Soft trekking through Don Village & bamboo forest trails
We walk through Don Village, one of the nicest and unspoiled places in Pu Luong Tours. Our path takes us by water wheels, wooden bridges, rice fields, and tiny farms. You’ll watch people planting, harvesting, weaving, and just living and you’ll see why Mai Chau to Pu Luong tours of Adventure are so popular among those who want authenticity.
17:30 – Return to your lodge
Make yourself fresh and enjoy some free time. See the valley turn gold as the sun sets.
19:00 – Dinner and a quiet evening
Evening dinner tonight is home-cooked goodness using love, grilled meat, locally-grown veggies, and dipping sauces flavored with wild pepper and herbs. You’ll hear owls and frogs at night, and perhaps exchange tales with other travelers over hot herbal tea or local wine.
Overnight at Pu Luong Natura or Retreat
Your bungalow is ready. It’s quiet tonight. Stars in the sky, forest below, and tranquility everywhere.
Pu Luong Nature Reserve (Sours: nguoiduatin)
Included:
Not Included:
05:30 – Sunrise Walk to Hidden Viewpoint
Set your alarm for an early hour, one you won’t want to get out of. I’ll take you along a secret trail just behind the lodge and, in just a short, serene walk, we come to an open ridgeway. As the sun rises gradually over the rice paddies, sunlight spills across the valley, and waves of cloud drift below us. It’s nature’s slow dance, silent, majestic, unforgettable.
07:00 – Breakfast at the lodge
Recharged from your walk, indulge in a filling breakfast: pancakes, honey from the area, Vietnamese coffee, and fresh fruit from the tropics. Get fueled up because today we’re heading far into Pu Luong Tours country.
08:00 – Depart for Hieu Village and Waterfall Trek
We set our way for Ban Hieu (Hieu Village), one of the loveliest and remotest places in Pu Luong. We walk across little wooden bridges, traverse ancient bamboo forests, and take trails earlier utilized by Thai villagers for accessing secluded fields and riverbanks.
10:00 – Arrive at Thac Hieu (Hieu Waterfall)
This is one of Mai Chau to Pu Luong’s tours of Adventure. Its water is supplied by underground springs filtered through limestone, which maintains the water’s cool and pure nature in all seasons. You can relax, swim, or just sit back and enjoy the energy of this enchanting spot.
12:00 – Picnic Lunch in the Forest or at a Local Home
We’ll either have a scenic picnic in the cover of bamboo trees or become guests in an authentic home in Ban Hieu, where you can savor homemade hill food: boiled bamboo shoots, fried spring rolls, sticky rice, and grilled chicken marinated in wild herbs.
13:30 – Herbal Foot Bath & Afternoon Leisure
In the afternoon, we return you to your lodge. Your day is at leisure. Soak your weary feet in an ancient herbal foot bath made of locally foraged leaves and roots. Alternatively, read in tranquility by an infinity pool, meditate in our gardens, or simply nap to the sounds of cicadas and leaves.
Optional (15:30) – For those who still have some energy, you can join me for an optional visit to either Hang Doi (Bat Cave) or the secret valley of Kho Muong. They are off-the-path destinations, rich in geologic wonder and mystique.
19:00 – Farewell Dinner at the Lodge
Our last night is an opportunity to rejoice and reminisce. Dinner tonight features again some local delicacies, grilled river fish, forest mushrooms, or banana-leaf-wrapped pork, all savored in soft lighting and starry skies.
Overnight in Pu Luong
This evening is your last evening in the mountains. Let nature’s sounds guide you into sound sleep and inhale one last breath of pure, restorative air. You’ve earned this.
Hieu Waterfall (Sours: vinwonders)
07:30 – Breakfast with a View
Take your time today morning. Sit back and quietly sip your coffee while soaking in the morning light as it cascades down the hills of Pu Luong for the last time. Today, there is nothing to hurry for only appreciation.
09:00 – Check-out and Farewell to Pu Luong
We say our goodbyes to your lovely hosts and head back to Hanoi. En route, I’ll share some last tales of the area, respond to any last-minute questions, and ask you to reflect upon what this journey has offered.
12:00 – Lunch on the Road
We will have one last tasty Vietnamese meal at a rural restaurant: grilled tofu, sautéed vegetables, caramelized pork, and steamed rice wrapped in lotus leaves.
16:30 – Return to Hanoi
We get to Hanoi late in the day. Let me assist you with your bags, bid you adieu, and remind you: Mai Chau to Pu Luong tours of Adventure do not just concern themselves with where you have been they’re about what you felt.
Pu Luong (Sours: oldquartertravel)
Included:
Not Included:
To enjoy your Pu Luong Tours to the fullest, the following is what I always suggest guests carry along:
And never forget your sense of adventure – it’s at the top of the list for those who become participants in our Mai Chau to Pu Luong tours of Adventure.
Timing can be everything in the mountains. Luckily, Pu Luong Tours are lovely at any time of year, but enjoy them at best in these standout seasons:
All our Mai Chau to Pu Luong tours of Adventure depart from Hanoi, and we’ve simplified for you
It takes approximately 3.5 hours from Hanoi to Mai Chau, and another 2.5 hours to get to Pu Luong. The road is well-paved and in good shape, yet mountain passes need to be driven at a steady pace, and the occasional photo stop!
With 15+ years of experience and trusted service, Impress Travel is your guide for the best Mai Chau to Pu Luong tours of Adventure. A VNAT-authorized tour operator, we do not merely organize trips, we create profoundly resonating journeys based upon local knowledge and human connection. Trust our long-standing friendships with ethnic Thai and Muong families, eco-resorts, village cooks, and local hiking guides, and ensure each step you make in the Pu Luong Tours is genuine, respectful, and immersive. With every rice paddy in Mai Chau and every water cataract in Pu Luong, you’ll see Vietnam not as a visitor, but as a guest.
Whether you’re an independent traveler who wants tranquility, a couple in search of mountaintop romance, or friends who are ready to discover Vietnam’s best-kept secrets, we customize each itinerary to suit your energy and tempo. Our previous guests have danced in courtyard villages, sat down at tables with elderly locals, and trekked uncharted paths, all under the watchful eyes and attentive hands of our friendly and experienced team. So, if you’re ready to book an adventure as intimate as it is awe-inspiring, our Mai Chau to Pu Luong tours of Adventure with Impress Travel await.
Contact Impress Travel
As you make your way back from Pu Luong’s hills, you’ll bring home not just pictures, you’ll bring home the sense of still mornings, gold-tinged rice terraces, and the smiles of village warmth. Our Mai Chau to Pu Luong tours of Adventure bring us more than views, they bring us connection, contemplation, and reminder of what’s truly meaningful. If you’re looking for an untrodden path, one step at a time, and one view that speaks to your soul at every turning, then this is your escape. Save our itinerary, share one with a friend, or better yet, let us plan your getaway into the mountains’ heartbeat using our crafted Pu Luong Tours.
We went on a private trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, the whole trip plan was organized for us by the Impress Travel Company from Vietnam, the company did an amazing job, the whole trip was organized in a wonderful way with an amazing match between the various parties, their choices were correct and the quality of the hotels chosen were very high quality and it is important to note that the price was low in comparison To other agencies, thanks to Impress Travel and especially to Daniel who was tolerant and open to changes and organized the route for us.
Impress travel were amazing. Did my bookings with Daniel for our tour of Vietnam and I must say Daniel was very professional and prompt with his services. All the arrangement, plans, pick-up & drop-off services, hotels, vehicles, sightseeing tours and guides were spot on and excellent. Did 4 nights Hanoi, 1 night Hà Long Bay cruise, 3 nights Hoian, 4 nights Saigon and 1 night in Can Tho. It was totally awesome. Every part of the journey was superbly arranged and planned. I will highly recommend Impress Travel for anyone interested in visiting Vietnam. Very organized and reliable!
I booked with Impress Travel in July. My contact person was Tommy Thang. He is an amazing person. He was very helpful. He changed my program twice for me. Very accommodating!
We started our holiday in the north (Sapa)of Vietnam and travelled down to HCMC.
The tour was fantastic, Tommy's arrangements were to the"T".
I will always use them if I have to visit the area again and recommend them to one and all.
Thank you once again Mr.Tommy and the Impress Team.
Sulaiman Pochee
Great value for money with 4 stars hotel accommodation for 4 couples. The tour guide has been very helpful and brought us to amazing places in Sapa. We want to thanks Thuy the tour guide and especially Mark from Impress Travel for his great service and assurance throughout our trip. We’ll definitely use his service for other tour packages in other parts of Vietnam.
This is the second time we travel to Vietnam with IMPRESS Travel. First time, we booked our holiday to Hanoi, Halong Bay & Sapa during Dec 2018 with Impress.
Second time, we travel to Hoi An, Hue & Danang (Central Vietnam) during Jan 2019.
My friends & I are very glad & happy with all the hotels stay in Central Vietnam, the meals provided are delicious. We are greatly appreciated with all the tour arrangement by Tommy & his team (tour guide).
Especially, Mr. NHAT C.V. He is helpful, cheerful, knowledgeable and very professional. He always volunteer to take a nice pictures for six of us (group) .
We enjoyed our holiday with Impress travel. We will definitely come back to Vietnam again with Impress
This eco way travel route to bring you via the 3 provinces in the north of Vietnam: Hoa Binh - Thanh Hoa - Ninh Binh and It is one of the most wonderful combinations between Pu Luong Tours, Mai Chau Tours, and Ninh Binh Tours.
We escape from Hanoi bristling city then explore Mai Chau by trekking and riding a bike around Poong Coong Thai Village, transfer to visit Pu Luong trekking and experience of homestay at Muong – Thai Ethnic people.
It is one of the most wonderful combinations between Ba Khan in Mai Chau Trekking Tour & Hoa Binh lake boat Trip. Then day tour to Ninh Binh with amazing landscapes and experiences of biking and rowing boat.
Mai Chau has become one of the 10 friendliest destinations in Vietnam selected by Traveller Review Awards 2023. The highlights captivate international visitors by its natural charm and national cultural identity.
