Vietnam Nature & Trekking Tour 16 Days: Ha Giang to Da Nang

Meals: none

Welcome to Hanoi. Our tour guide meets you at Noi Bai International Airport and drives you into the Old Quarter, a 45-minute ride that already feels like an adventure. After check-in, you take the afternoon slowly.

In the evening, our guide joins you for a pre-trek briefing: gear check, trail grades and a walk to a street-side bún chả stall.

Local’s notebook: Crossing the street in Hanoi is a moving meditation. Walk slowly, steadily, and never step backwards; scooters will flow around you like water around a stone.

Overnight: Boutique hotel, Hanoi Old Quarter

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, you have breakfast at hotel. Then, there is an early start north, roughly 6 hours by road, with the rice plains slowly folding into hills. After enjoying lunch in Ha Giang town, you continue up the Quan Ba Pass, the so-called “Heaven’s Gate”, to the twin “Fairy Bosom” mountains.

In the late afternoon, you walk into Nam Dam, a Red Dao village of rammed-earth houses, and settle into your homestay. Ask your host about the herbal bath; the Dao use the same medicinal leaves their grandparents gathered.

• Discovery:5-hour village and valley walk (4 km)
• Summit: 3-hour loop over the ridge behind Nam Dam (8 km, +350 m)

Local’s notebook: Ha Giang officially became part of Tuyen Quang province in 2025, but every road sign and local still calls it Ha Giang. Bring a light down jacket: nights at altitude can drop to 8–10°C, even in spring.

Overnight: Dao family homestay, Nam Dam (shared facilities, mattresses with mosquito nets)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After having breakfast, you drive towards Yen Minh pine forest, then lace up for the day’s trek. The trail runs from Lao Xa to Sung La, past Hmong hamlets fenced with stacked stones, with corn growing in pockets of soil between grey rocks.

Moreover, this is the Dong Van Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark, and it looks like the moon decided to try farming. Your trek ends at the edge of Dong Van’s old town, where tile-roofed houses glow in late-afternoon light.

• Discovery: Lao Xa – Sung La valley trail (7 km, mostly gentle)
• Summit: Extended route via the high ridge above Pho Bang (14 km, +650 m)

Local’s notebook: Hmong children may greet you with “Hello, money?”. A smile and a wave is the best answer. Gifts of sweets encourage begging; we support the village school directly instead.

Overnight: Boutique guesthouse, Dong Van

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today’s headline act. You drive to Ma Pi Leng Pass, where the road clings to a cliff hundreds of metres above the Nho Que River, its water an impossible turquoise. Then, you leave the vehicle and take the old footpath down to the riverbank.

At the bottom, a small boat glides into the Tu San Canyon, the deepest in Vietnam, where walls of limestone close in on both sides. Afterwards, you continue traveling to Meo Vac.

• Discovery: Short ridge walk and boat trip on the Nho Que (approx. 1 hour descent)
• Summit: Full descent on the steep cliff trail, then climb out to Pai Lung village (10 km, +/-800 m)

Local’s notebook: If your trip falls on a Sunday, ask our guide to stop at the Meo Vac or Dong Van market. Hmong, Lo Lo and Giay families come down from the hills to trade buffalo, embroidery and thắng cố stew. You can also try the corn wine, but in small cups.

Overnight: Eco-guesthouse, Meo Vac

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, you enjoy breakfast at accommodation. Next, there is a scenic drive along the back road via Mau Due brings you to Du Gia, a hidden valley the main tourist loop usually skips. Here, the trekking is softer and greener, along rice terraces, bamboo groves and wooden Tay stilt houses. The reward is a cool dip at Du Gia Waterfall, a natural pool where village kids swim after school.

• Discovery: Terrace and waterfall walk (6 km)
• Summit: High route over the hills to Lung Ho and back (13 km, +600 m)

Overnight: Tay stilt-house homestay, Du Gia

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After having breakfast, you cross from Ha Giang into Cao Bang province via Bao Lac and the hairpin Khau Coc Chu Pass, whose bends twist like a dropped ribbon. This is a travel-heavy day (around 6 hours), broken up by short walks and a village lunch.

By late afternoon, you reach Phia Den, a Dao Tien hamlet at the foot of the Phia Oac–Phia Den National Park, a region of mossy forest and old French hill-station ruins that few foreigners ever visit.

• Both groups: Easy evening walk through tea and vegetable gardens (3 km)

Local’s notebook: Phone signal comes and goes in this area. Download offline maps and tell family at home not to panic if WhatsApp goes quiet for a day.

Overnight: Dao Tien family homestay, Phia Den

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

The morning belongs to the forest. At around 1,900 m, Phia Oac is often wrapped in cloud, its trees hung with lichen and orchids, the trail soft with fallen leaves. In addition, our guide will point out medicinal plants the Dao have used for generations. After having lunch, you drive east to Trung Khanh, a land of fat round hills and wide rivers.

• Discovery: Forest trail to the old French villa ruins and viewpoint (6 km, +300 m)
• Summit: Summit trek to Phia Oac peak (approx. 1,931 m) (12 km, +900 m)

Overnight: Eco-lodge near Ban Gioc Waterfall

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, you wake up early for Ban Gioc Waterfall. At sunrise, mist drifts from the cascades and the bamboo rafts are still tied up. Then, you visit the Nguom Ngao Cave with its stalactite halls.

In the afternoon, you explore the Phong Nam Valley on foot or by bicycle, a flat, pastoral ride through rice fields, past old stone houses in Khuoi Ky, with the Quay Son River beside you. Yes, Dutch friends: there is cycling on this trek.

• Discovery: Valley walk or bicycle ride (12–15 km, flat)
• Summit: Ridge trek from Phong Nam over the hills to Khuoi Ky (11 km, +450 m)

Local’s notebook: Ban Gioc is at its most powerful from August to October, after the rains. In dry season (Feb–April) the falls split into silver threads. Gentler, but just as photogenic.

Overnight: Eco-lodge near Ban Gioc Waterfall

Meals: Breakfast

A long road day back to Hanoi (approx. 7 hours) with coffee and lunch stops on the way. Use it to rest your legs, sort your photos and doze. In the evening, you’re free. We suggest a foot massage in the Old Quarter (well earned) or a bowl of bún bò Nam Bộ.

Overnight: Boutique hotel, Hanoi

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, you enjoy breakfast at hotel in Hanoi. Then, you head southwest (approx. 4 hours) into Pu Luong Nature Reserve, a landscape of stair-step rice terraces, giant bamboo water wheels and Thai stilt villages. Moreover, Pu Luong is the quieter cousin of Sapa. After having lunch at your eco-lodge, you set off on a first afternoon walk to Kho Muong Cave and its hamlet.

• Discovery: Kho Muong village and cave walk (5 km)
• Summit: Kho Muong – Pu Luong ridge loop (10 km, +500 m)

Sapa alternative: Prefer the high peaks of the Hoang Lien Son range? We can swap Pu Luong for Sapa (Ta Van – Ban Ho or Lao Chai trails). Ask us; it adds one transfer day.

Overnight: Bamboo eco-lodge, Pu Luong

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today is the big day in Pu Luong. After enjoying breakfast, you follow farm paths between terraces, cross bamboo bridges, and stop for a picnic lunch on a family’s veranda. The trail reaches Hieu Waterfall, a series of turquoise pools tumbling through the forest, perfect for cooling your feet.

Later, you return to the lodge for sunset over the valley.

• Discovery: Ban Don – Ban Hieu trail (10 km, +300 m)
• Summit: Ban Son – Ban Ba – Hieu Waterfall traverse (17 km, +900 m)

Local’s notebook: Rice is green from June to August and turns gold in late September and late May. In spring, terraces filled with water reflect the sky like a mirror. Leeches can appear on wet trails; long socks tucked into trousers are your best friend.

Overnight: Bamboo eco-lodge, Pu Luong

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, you enjoy breakfast at accommodation, then drive to Thanh Hoa station and board the southbound Reunification Express (soft-seat or sleeper cabin, approx. 6 hours). From here, you can watch the coastal plains slide past, with water buffalo, sand dunes and ancestral tombs in the fields.

On arrival in Dong Hoi, you transfer to Phong Nha village, where a jungle-front lodge awaits.

Local’s notebook: Bring snacks and a water bottle on the train; the trolley food is basic. Book a lower bunk if you like to sit up and watch the view.

Overnight: Riverside eco-lodge, Phong Nha

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Welcome to the kingdom of caves. Phong Nha–Ke Bang holds some of the largest cave systems on the planet, and the jungle above them is just as wild.

• Discovery: Morning visit to Paradise Cave (a 1 km boardwalk through vast chambers), followed by kayaking and a zip-line swim at Dark Cave on the Chay River
• Summit: Full-day guided jungle trek through the Ma Da valley to Elephant Cave, crossing streams and following old ethnic Bru-Van Kieu trails (approx. 12 km), with a picnic lunch in the forest. Run with a licensed local caving operator; availability depends on season and water levels.

Local’s notebook: In Phong Nha, the best food is often the simplest: grilled pork and fresh herbs at family eateries along the river. In the evening, you cycle the flat country lanes of Bong Lai valley; the farm bars there serve cold beer and fresh coconut.

Overnight: Riverside eco-lodge, Phong Nha

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After having breakfast, you rravel south (approx. 4.5 hours) past Hue to the foothills of Bach Ma National Park, the “Dalat of Central Vietnam”, once a 1930s French hill station. In the afternoon, you take a gentle warm-up walk along the lowland forest streams near the park gate. From here, you can watch for butterflies; Bach Ma is famous for them.

• Both groups: Afternoon forest stream walk (4 km, easy)

Overnight: Eco-lodge near Bach Ma park entrance (Phu Loc area)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

An early start. Since the 2025 landslides, the summit road is only partly open to vehicles. We drive to the end of the passable section, then you continue traveling on foot. This makes the climb more of a true mountain trek than in years past, through moist evergreen forest towards the summit area.

Besides, highlights include Rhododendron Falls (Do Quyen), reached by roughly 689 stone steps, the Five Lakes (Ngu Ho) trail with its chain of jade pools. As well as the Vong Hai Dai lookout, where on clear days you can see the Lang Co lagoon and the East Sea. In the afternoon, you drive over the Hai Van Pass to Da Nang.

• Discovery: Hike from the trailhead to Five Lakes and Vong Hai Dai (approx. 2–3 hrs each way, moderate)
• Summit: Full circuit including the Rhododendron Falls descent and climb back up (approx. 16–18 km, +1,000 m)

Local’s notebook: Bach Ma’s weather really does offer “four seasons in one day”. Pack a rain jacket even if Hue is sunny. Avoid October–December, when heavy rain can close trails at short notice. Route conditions will be confirmed with the park before your departure.

Overnight: Boutique hotel, Da Nang (beach area)

Meals: Breakfast

A last walk, with the sea on one side and the forest on the other. You drive up Son Tra Peninsula and walk the Bai Bac – Heritage Banyan Tree route. In particular, the peninsula’s officially approved pedestrian-only trail, to a banyan tree said to be more than 800 years old. Note, you should keep your eyes on the canopy: Son Tra is home to the red-shanked douc langur, sometimes called the “queen of primates” for its painted-on colours.

Then, you return to Da Nang for your onward flight.

Responsible travel note: Son Tra is a protected special-use forest. We only use routes approved by the Son Tra Management Board and register every group in advance. We do not run off-trail treks to Mui Nghe, Huc Lo or Bai Da Den, which are prohibited for safety reasons. In bad weather the peninsula may close, in which case we offer a coastal walk at Marble Mountains or Hoi An’s countryside instead.

End of the Vietnam Nature & Trekking Tour.