Today you will encounter some spectacular landscapes. After acquiring a mandatory permit at the Immigration Office, you will begin your journey to Dong Van across a series of long passes. You will have lunch en route in the small but beautiful mountain town of Tam Son. Then, you will head to the majestic King of the H’mong’s Palace, a fortress built by a local chief, Vuong Chin Duc, who was allied with the French against the Viet Minh. The palace, built in the early 1900s was designed in the ancient Chinese architectural style of the Man Qing era. It was made from materials such as solid stone, wood and terracotta tiles. After continuing your journey, you will arrive at Hoa Cuong Hotel around 17:00 in time for dinner and an overnight stay in a hotel.

Your morning will start with a visit to the market of Dong Van (Sunday morning), where the locals shop before returning to their mountain hamlets. You will then climb a pass up to the French Fortress of Pu Lo, built in 1890 and evacuated in 1945, from which you enjoy a spectacular view of the entire region. The trek 7 km to Thien Huong village village, this is a small village located in the valley adjacent to the border with China. It is also inhabited by Tay tribal, we then geting back to Dong Van for lunch and the road climbs 10 km up to the top of the Ma Pi Leng Pass, through a unique landscape of craggy limestone peaks and gaping valleys. You will descend into Meo Vac Valley to the village of Bao Lac, where we have diner and spend the night.

You will then take the mountain road from Bao Lac to Cao Bang. En route to Cao Bang, we will share our secret route with you, a gorgeous small road snaking through the mountains to the Tay village of Cho Ra and then down to Ba Be National Park. After have lunch in local restaurant we will then visit Hua Ma cave before continue travel to Tay village of Coc Toc, where you will be welcomed by Mr Linh and his amazingly friendly Tay family in their traditional stilt house. If it’s hot, you can copy the local kids and jump into the inviting waters of Ba Be lake. You will enjoy a superb dinner (Mrs Linh specialises in local dishes) on the river terrace.

After breakfast at the homestay, you will go on foot to Bo Lu Quay where you will board a boat trip around Ba Be Lake. You can relax on board, do some wildlife spotting or if you need to cool off, you can jump into the cool, clean waters for a refreshing swim! As you float down the Nang River, you can take in the scenery of the surrounding karsts decorated with patches of wild vegetation and inhabited by all sorts of interesting creatures. Look out for the rainbow of butterflies that flit across the sky or listen to the gentle song of the many species of birds in the park. The boat will come to Puong Cave where you can explore the stalactites and stalagmites which are a result of the erosion of the river on the karst as well as looking out for the bat colony several thousand strong. After your, exploration of the lake, you can rest on the drive back to Hanoi, taking in the beautiful scenery on the way. You will stop for lunch at a local restaurant on the way before arriving back in Hanoi at about 17:30.