| |
NORTHEAST
LOOP
Vietnam adventure tours
and outdoors activities
|
Tour code
|
|
|
Route
|
HANOI -
BABE
LAKES – CAO BANG - BANGIOC WATERFALL – LANG SON - HALONG
BAY – CATBA ISLAND |
|
Duration
|
06 days / 05 nights
|
|
Features
|
Many reserves stretch in the
Northeast of Vietnam, where the roads are fine but not pleasant
enough to open for mass tourism. Due to that, or thanks to that,
the routine life with traditional characters of the hill tribes
is well-maintained, and marvelous sights are still beckoning
discovery. |
|
Gears provided |
Jeep, motorbike or bike
(dependently), sleeping bag, sleeping mat, mosquito repellent,
water boiler, footrest stove, utensil set, bowls and pots,
raincoat, toiletry kits, maps, two-way radio, GPS. |
Quotation
(per person)
|
Currency |
USD |
EUR |
AUD |
GBP |
CAD |
|
Rate |
|
|
|
|
|
Includes
|
|
|
 |
Travel Insurance |
|
|
English/French-speaking guides. Other languages are available
upon request.
|
|
|
Twins sharing room at private
hotel with air-conditioned, hot shower. 05 nights in total |
|
|
Meals as mentioned in the Program. Special requirements could be
arranged upon prior notice.
|
|
|
|
Transfer by Russian Jeep for the whole trip |
|
|
|
Boat trip in
Halong bay |
|
|
|
Equipments, facilities and travel gears offered within the tour |
|
|
|
Admission |
Excludes
|
|
|
|
International flight from/to Vietnam and airport tax |
|
|
Visa arrangement. |
|
|
Accommodation in Hanoi |
|
|
Drinks and other personal expenses (laundry, phone calls etc.) |
Itinerary
Day 1: HANOI
– BABE LAKES via THAI NGUYEN (-/L/D)
Morning
depart from Hanoi at 08.00 to Babe Lakes via Thai Nguyen. You can
take a stop either at Hanoi or Thai Nguyen to visit the Ethnology
Museum in Hanoi, or a long-named-museum : Museum of the Cultures of
Vietnam’s Ethnic Groups in Thai Nguyen, where you can hear
introduction and enjoy a rich collection of the cultural features of
all 54 groups living in Vietnam. The visit will be valuable to your
next trip. Lunch en route. Arrive Babe Lakes around 17.00. O/N Babe
town.
Babe, reachable by a 260-km winding road north of
Hanoi, was created as a forest reserve in 1978. Its name - “three
seas” simply refers to the three immense Lakes within its confines.
The tropical forest covering Babe Lakes is featured by pleasant
weather and vertical rock walls, to which many
kinds of
lianas cling, many kinds of wild birds abound, and by rivers,
waterfalls, valley inhabited by the Tay tribal people in their long
house-on-stilts.
DAY 2: BABE
LAKES – CAO BANG (B/L/D)
It’s 3km
from Babe town to the Lakes, the departure of all trips in Babe
National Park. Take a motor boat from the wharf and flow on the
three lakes and along Nang River for 4 – 5 hours, you can drop by
Widow Islet, enjoy picturesque scenery and greenery of the Park
surrounding the lake, see people fishing for shrimps in their
piraguas; you can climb up to the large Puong Cave with odd-shaped
stalactites and stalagmites, home of thousands bats hanging on
limestone walls, visit Dau Dang Waterfall, walk over a cliff to see
Fairy Pond, an earring-shaped pond on the top of a low mountain, and
finally arrive in Cho Ra, 18km from Babe.
Your car can
pick-up you in Cho Ra and circle the Lakes by landway with stop to
visit nice and friendly Tay people in Pac Ngoi hamlet. Late
afternoon depart to Cao Bang (3-hour driving). O/N Cao Bang.
DAY 3: CAO
BANG – BAN GIOC WATERFALL – CAO BANG (B/L/D)
The most
remarkable highlight of Cao Bang province, Ban Gioc Waterfall, the
largest Falls in Vietnam, is not inside Cao Bang chieftown but takes
you 2 hours to drive. A permit is compulsory to get there as the
Falls is located right at the border of Vietnam and China. Upon
arrival, you can see on the other side of the Quy Son River, which
feeds water to the Falls, lots of buildings of the Chinese
hospitality industry, and mass of Chinese tourists passing the river
by rafts to enjoy the Falls from the Vietnamese side – the much
better side. The landscape en route from Cao Bang to Ban Gioc is
very sightworthy with forests, mountain villages, markets of Viet
people interchanging with the montagnards, and local specialties
sold along the roads.
From Ban
Gioc, turn back to Cao Bang direction to visit Nguom Ngao Cave, a
huge and impressive cave running some 3km long. On the way back to
Cao Bang, you can take stops to visit the villages and markets along
the road. O/N Cao Bang.
DAY 4: CAO
BANG – LANG SON – HALONG (B/L/D)
From CAO
BANG, drive some 9 hours via Lang Son to reach Halong city, the
station to take your trip to another National Park in Cat Ba Island.
The road from Cao Bang to Lang Son passes by a lot of memorials and
war traces of the 1st Indochinese War, ended with the
leave of the French from Indochina in 1954. Stop at Lang Son to
visit Dong Kinh “bordergate” market, which is wellknown for special
delicious cuisine of Lang Son and plenty of Vietnamese and Chinese
goods. Lunch in Lang Son. Afternoon drive on to Halong. O/N Halong.
DAY 5:
HALONG – CAT BA ISLAND (B/L/D)
After an early breakfast, you
will be transferred to Halong Wharf at 07.00 or 07.30 to take your
private boat to visit the Bay of Halong. You will pass by Hon Gai
market, where numerous fishing boats gather for the morning exchange
of goods and seafoods – the reason to wake up you early. With 6
hours cruising the Bay, you can take many stops for visiting
grottoes, swimming, renting small fishermen’s boats to enter
earring-shaped inland lakes, or simply lying on the upper level of
the boat enjoying the karst seascape.
A lunch will be prepared by the
cook of the crew with fresh seafood caught from Halong: crab,
shrimp, fish and squid. Early afternoon you will reach Cat Ba Island
and check-in hotel in Cat Ba.
Halong may
be the very 1st point of Vietnam that gained a worldwide
fame simply for its beauty, its unique and the ease to reach from
big towns. It’s a pride of the Tonkin Gulf, a World Natural Heritage
designated by UNESCO in 1994, and a rendezvous of 95% of tourists
coming to Northern Vietnam. Halong had appeared on “Indochina”
(French, 1991), “Tomorrow never die” (US, 1997), “The Quiet
American” (US, 2000) and numerous movies of Vietnamese and overseas
producers, who are interested in the subjects of Indochina and found
the mystery and charm of the Bay an everlasting source of
inspiration. Here sprout nearly 3,000 limestone and dolomite islets
and odd-shaped rock sculptures, covering some 1,500 square kilometre.
Since 1990s, Halong started to attract boat trips with different
visiting time, from 4 to 48 hours, and later 20th and
early 21st century became a captivating destination for
kayaks, parachutes and huge travel cruisers. With a limited time of
5-6 hours, you can explore a small part of marvelous rock gardens of
the bay, call on some grand grottoes or stop for swimming, then back
to the boat to enjoy tasty fresh seafood. An extended time for 2 to
3 days on the bay will be very suitable to overnight on the boat,
attending fishing activities of the crew, or to approach the further
islands, lagoons, inland rock-covered lakes by kayaks.
Prepare
yourselves well for the trekking this afternoon. From Cat Ba town,
your tourguide will escort you to trek from 3 to 15km – up to your
health – thru the Cat Ba National Park. There are open options here
– you can stay in the beach of Cat Ba at leisure and enjoy sunbath,
or hike some 3km, or get over to Viet Hai fishing village by 15km
forest road, then back to Cat Ba town by boat. Dinner and O/N in Cat
Ba.
DAY 6: CAT
BA ISLAND – HAI PHONG – HANOI (B/-/-)
Enjoy
yourselves in Cat Ba beaches and have lunch of your own until your
tourguide come and pick-up you to take an Express Boat at 16.00 to
Hai Phong seaport. Your car has been waiting you in Hai Phong. Drive
2.30 hours back to Hanoi and arrive Hanoi around 19.30 – 20.00.
(alternative: take the boat back to Halong crossing the Bay if you
love to enjoy more sea cruise. The car will be meeting you in Halong
then). It’s time to say goodbye to your Vietnamese friends now. We
hope you’ve got a memorable trip and look forward to seeing you
back!
Useful information
Fitness
Requirements: You should be moderately fit and have some
experience riding bicycles longer distances.
Weather:
The weather in Vietnam is usually warm and humid. From
June to September July and August, it is rain and hot (25-30oC) ,
humid conditions with afternoon monsoon rains During the
months of November to March the weather will tend to be drier but
with colder temperatures (25-30oC). In
the hills, mornings and evenings may be cool. Rain is always a
possibility. You need to be prepared for several types of
conditions. Humidity can also play a role, and it's important
to stay hydrated and use sun protection.
Optional
Gears: Besides the outdoors and travel gears provided
within the tour, we would like to recommend you some items for this
trip. All are available at Outdoors and
Travel gears:
|
Official
Papers |
| |
Valid passport
and visa |
| |
Airline tickets |
| |
Yellow
International Immunization Card |
|
Luggage |
| |
Duffel bag, large
and sturdy |
| |
Daypack or fanny
pack |
| |
Luggage tags and
luggage locks |
|
Outerwear |
| |
Waterproof,
breathable rain/wind jacket |
| |
Rain or wind
pants, able to slip on and off easily over your shoes |
| |
Lightweight
fleece sweater |
|
City Clothing |
| |
Bring a few
lightweight, easily washable items for city and travel wear |
| |
Comfortable
walking or running shoes |
|
Accessories |
| |
Sunglasses and
retainer strap |
| |
Sunscreen (SPF 15
or higher) |
| |
Lip protection
(SPF 15) |
| |
Toiletry kit
(toothbrush, etc.) |
| |
First-aid kit,
see medical bulletin |
| |
Plastic bags,
various sizes including one extra-large garbage bag to line
duffel bag |
| |
Insect repellent |
| |
Favorite snack
food, GORP, energy bars, etc. |
| |
Laundry cord and
clips |
| |
Face mask/bandana
(for car exhaust) |
| |
Hand sanitizer/Handi
wipes |
|
Optional
Accessories |
| |
Camera and film |
| |
Swimsuit |
| |
Small neck pouch
or passport carrier |
| |
Reading and
writing materials |
| |
Electrical
converter and adapter |
| |
Flashlight |
| |
Stuff sack
dedicated to laundry |
See also:
other adventure tours
|
|
