Vietnam Adventure Tour - 5 Day Scenic North Trekking & Sailing

Depart Hà Nội and travel to Mai Châu, a fertile valley that's home to ethnic Thai people living in traditional wooden stilt houses. Stop for lunch with a local Thai family before hiking out to explore the surrounding villages that dot the verdant landscape.

Next, head off the tourist trail and into Pù Luông Nature Reserve, where few foreign visitors have discovered the natural beauty and friendly local hospitality that make this one of North Vietnam’s best kept secrets. Learn to cook authentic Vietnamese cuisine at the homestay and enjoy dinner with the family before falling asleep to peaceful sounds of the river.

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Approx. 5 hours | TREKKING DISTANCE: Approx. 6-7 km/4 miles | SLEEP: Local homestay in Pù Luông Nature Preserve

Wake up and stretch your muscles on a trek through unspoiled primary rainforest in Pù Luông Nature Reserve. Time feels to have stood still as you walk through the terraced rice fields where traditional farming methods are still used instead of machines. Soak in the culture and countryside that rewards the few who travel to this remote, special place. Then travel on to Ninh Bình, stopping for lunch in Thanh Hóa Province.

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Approx. 4 hours | TREKKING: Approx. 2 hours | SLEEP: Hotel in Ninh Bình

This morning board a small boat and float down the romantic Tam Cốc River, soaking in the early morning atmosphere in peace before the day tripping tourists arrive from Hà Nội. Take in the breathtaking scenery around you as the river weaves through bright green rice paddies edged by towering karst mountains.

Next, drive to Cúc Phương National Park for lunch and trekking through Vietnam’s oldest national park and largest nature reserve. Rich with biodiversity, you’ll have the chance to see a wide variety of flora and fauna including a 1,000-year-old tree, as well as endangered animals such a langurs and pangolins being rehabilitated in the park’s conservation centers.

BOAT TRIP: Approx. 2.5-3 Hours | DRIVING TIME: Approx. 1.5 hours | TREKKING: 2 hours | SLEEP: Hotel in Ninh Bình

Today travel to Cát Bà Island where you’ll board a traditional wooden sailboat and sail into Lan Ha Bay, passing the floating villages that fringe this Jurassic-looking national park island. Kick back on the deck and watch the backdrop change as the sun dips down and jungle-topped karsts become shadows of a hundred different shapes against the twilight sky.

TOTAL DRIVING + FERRY TRAVEL TIME: Approx. 4 hours | Sleep: Overnight on the boat

Wake up to a setting that feels otherwordly as you cruise among the thousands of karst islands and pillars rising up with sheer cliffs from the emerald water. Stop for a swim or kayaking before returning to Gia Luan harbor on Cát Bà Island to travel back to Hà Nội.

TOTAL DRIVING + FERRY TRAVEL TIME: Approx. 3 hours | Return to Hà Nội: Approx. 4 or 5 p.m.