Day 1 Hanoi - Ba Be Lake Kayaking (L, D)
We leave Hanoi at 07.00hrs and head towards Ba Be National Park driving through the mountainous provinces of Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan. Along the way we enjoy the marvellous views of rice paddies, tea plantations and bamboo paddle wheels on the banks of the river. We have lunch en route in a local restaurant and try several local dishes. Upon arrival in Boc Lom quay we transfer to our kayaks and paddle down the Nang River towards Ba Be Lake. You will enjoy the dramatic landscapes of chalky cliffs, not bare, but with small wild gardens clinging to the flanks, lianas with their long roots seeking the earth. We visit the Puong Cave, studded with stalagmites and stalactites and home to thousands of bats (18 different species) before continuing on to Ba Be Lake and Bo Lu Village where we check in and have dinner, overnighting in Mr Linh's Homestay, a beautiful Tay traditional house.

Day 2 Ba Be Lake - Hua Ma Cave - Hanoi (B, L)
After breakfast we walk around the lake shore to enjoy the sunrise and we will also get a view of the whole lake from a high viewpoint. We stop to visit the village of Pac Ngoi where the TaY people make their living by fishing and farming. You will also see many local stills where the villages make their corn wine. We continue to the Hua Ma cave, one of the least touristy caves not only in the north but in the whole of Vietnam, which locals still regard as a religious site. We drive back to Thai Nguyen Province having lunch on the way at a local restaurant. We arrive back at Hanoi late in the afternoon and deliver you to your hotel.