Day 1: Hanoi-Mai Chau-Pu Luong (L, D)
At 8am your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel and depart to Mai Chau. You will pass through mountainous landscape on the way and stop for lunch in a Thai ethnic minority group’s stilt house in Lac village. After lunch, wander around the homes which will give you an overview of the community’s daily life. The village operates as a community co-operative, set up by the people themselves. The villagers specialize in weaving brocade products and are always keen to show visitors their skills. Later, a 15km drive takes you to a motorboat for a ride along the Ma River, pausing en-route to visit some of the nearby ethnic minority villages. After docking, you’ll hike to Hang village where you’ll spend the night in a stilt house.
Day 2: Pu Luong - Hiking(B, L, D)
After breakfast, you will stroll around Hang Village, a small Thai minority community where you can visit local families in their stilt houses and drink green tea. You’ll then hike through pristine scenery which will take you to Eo Ken village, well off the beaten track high on a slope of a mountain. It’s a stiff hike but the effort is worth it. Lunch will be prepared by a local family, after which a short hike takes you to meet a waiting car for a one hour drive. When you step down, a stroll downhill will take you to Kho Muong village where you will spend the night with a family in a traditional stilt house complete with a natural stream for your bathroom!
Day 3: Pu Luong - hiking(B, L, D)
After an early breakfast, you will walk to a large limestone cave near the village. It is worth visiting but the route can be dangerous in some places. To avoid accidents, it’s important that you wear suitable clothing, stout non-slip shoes and follow the guide’s instructions in full. From there, you’ll continue your route through the forest and villages with a picnic lunch prepared by your tour guide. Your dinner and overnight stay will be in another stilt house.
Day 4 : Pu Luong - Thanh Hoa - Hanoi(B, L)
This morning, you will drive through villages to visit to a local market. On the way, you will see many local people heading in the same direction. It’s an excellent opportunity to see the local commodities, watch the interaction between buyers and sellers and get insight into the culture of Pu Luong’s minority communities.
From there, you will drive to a small town for lunch, stopping on the way to visit the remarkable water wheels of the Muong people. After lunch, you will cross the Ma River to visit Cam Thuy ‘Sacred Fish Stream’. Afterward, you’ll return to Hanoi arriving in the late afternoon finishing your tour.