At home among the Karst Mountains
Bite-sized trip
Day 1 – From Hanoi to Mai Chau
After breakfast you will be picked up at your Hanoi hotel and in a 3.5 hour drive swap the city traffic for the green valley of Mai Chau. If more travellers are leaving on the same day, you will share transfers and your guide together. If you prefer a private car with driver, we will adjust your itinerary accordingly. Mai Chau is home to the ethnic White Thai tribe. The wooden pole villages and green rice fields of Mai Chau are popular among travellers, but we found a homestay in a quiet village down the road. You won’t find many Western tourists here. Having settled in, lunch is prepared for you.
After lunch, it’s time to stretch your legs and explore the area. You will walk with your guide through the rice fields and get to know the ethnic White Thai and their way of life. Working the land is hard, but they always take a short break for a greeting or a laugh. The locals no longer wear traditional clothing, but many women still have black teeth: the beauty ideal of previous generations. After the hike, in the afternoon you will also join the guide for a bicycle ride across the vast countryside surrounded by karst mountains.
During dinner, the mosquito net will be hung over your mattress and blanket. If you have your own sheet bag or sarong with you, that’s handy. You share the bathroom with your fellow travellers. It is clean and there is hot water.
Day 2 – Boating through the karst mountains in Ninh Binh
In the morning you will be awakened by crowing roosters. At dawn or after breakfast you can go for a walk if you like. Then you will say goodbye to this warm-hearted family.
In 3.5 hours you will travel to Ninh Binh, where you will visit the two remaining temples from the 11th century of King Hoa Lu and his successor King Dinh. Much of the temples were destroyed during wars, but meticulous construction work gives you a good idea of what the temples must have looked like in the past.
Ninh Binh is famous for its waterways along steep cliffs and is also known as ‘Halong Bay on land’. We recommend heading out on the water in the afternoon, when most of the day-trippers have left. The rowers (mostly women) will paddle you in their traditional sampan through the narrow waterways and rock formations. Along the way you’ll see fishermen standing in the water and various bird species
You will sleep in an ecolodge surrounded by karst mountains in Tam Coc – a small village with restaurants and souvenir stores, which you have almost to yourself at night.
Days 3 and 4 – Bai Tu Long Bay
After a simple breakfast, you will depart for Bai Tu Long Bay. Once the traditional wooden junk has set sail and the first limestone cliffs are in sight, lunch will be served. During the cruise you will visit small islands, stalactite caves and go for a swim. You can make fresh spring rolls or attempt to master night fishing in the evening. Your private cabin is fully equipped. The next day you will sail through a quieter part of the bay back to the port where you will dock after a sumptuous brunch and be taken back to Hanoi.
Accommodation
For this bite-sized trip we offer the following options
Choose a private trip if you don't fancy joining a small group
This option is exactly as described above, but with private transfers, meaning we can book this trip for you departing on any day of the week. Plus, you have the luxury of making as many stops along the way as you like!
Choose our In Style accommodation
For something a bit more special, why not select our In Style option of this trip. You’ll stay in charming eco-lodges in Vietnamese countryside, surrounded by endless rice paddies and peaceful nature. Then finish off your trip cruising around Bai Tu Long Bay on one of the traditional junk boats.
