This 5D6N Ha Giang Trekking Tour is a perfect blend of hiking and cultural exploration. Ha Giang is renowned for its inclusion of the “Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark” in the UNESCO World Heritage List and being home to 17 ethnic groups in the mountainous region of North Vietnam.
This captivating destination offers majestic mountain landscapes, breathtaking natural beauty, and a vibrant local culture. Prepare yourself for an unforgettable experience as you embark on the hiking trails, taking in the enchanting scenery and immersing yourself in the authentic rural life.
Located on the western side of Ha Giang province, Hoang Su Phi is widely acclaimed for its stunning rice terraces, recognized as a National Heritage site. During this tour, you’ll have the opportunity to trek approximately 4-7 hours each day (covering 7-16km per day) accompanied by local guides, utilizing transportation by car or motorbike.
Venture into remote, untouched villages to discover the rich local culture of various ethnic groups in Ha Giang, such as the Hmong, Dao, and Tay. Enjoy the picturesque mountainous landscapes that will leave you inspired at every turn. Immerse yourself in the local way of life, interact with friendly ethnic minorities, and experience the unique hospitality of homestays.
Designed for active travelers and photographers alike, this tour promises an unforgettable journey, capturing the essence of Ha Giang’s natural wonders and cultural heritage.
Start and finish at Hanoi
Night 0: Hanoi – Ha Giang city by sleeping bus
(300km)
Day 1: Ha Giang – Quan Ba – Dong Van (B, L, D)
Day 2: Dong Van – Ma Pi Leng – Meo Vac (B, L, D)
Day 3: Meo Vac – Ha Giang – Nam Hong (B,L,D)
Day 4: Trekking Hoang Su Phi ( Nam Hong- Nam Khoa- Nam Ai ) (B,L,D)
Day 5: Nam Ai – Suoi Thau ( Ban Luoc) – Tan Quang ( Hagiang) (B,L,D)
Night 5: Ha Giang– Hanoi by sleeping bus (300km, around 6hrs)
P/s: The night sleeping bus wiil arrive Hanoi at 4am next morning, so if you want to come back Hanoi earlier, there are bus at 1pm and 4pm. Let us know your choice to arrange the program
Leave Hanoi around 8.30 p.m in the evening by a comfortable sleeper bus. The bus takes about 8.5 hours.
Our bus will pick you from your hotel around Hanoi Old Quarter. If you don’t have the hotel address, we will give you the bus parking place information
Arrive Ha Giang city around 3-4 am in the morning. You will be a drop-off at our partner hostel. You can take a short sleep until 7:00 am, our guide will pick you up here and eat breakfast before start your amazing Trekking Ha Giang tour.
After breakfast, you will transfer by car to the Quan Ba heaven gate, located 40km far from Ha Giang city. We start hiking from here to the Nam Dam village – the inhabited by Dao ethnic people (long dress Dao group). The local still keep their traditional customs, habits & culture from ancient times. Beautiful hiking trails through the verdant and hill, seasonal farmlands, the vista view of villages and lake. You will have a chance to see the local traditional house made of compacted soil which protects people from the extreme weather in the high mountain. You are welcomed to visit the houses whose owners are very friendly and hospitable. As you walk in the village, you will have the opportunity to observe the daily life of the Dao people.( We can visit a Shaman house to explore the Dao culture and ceremony)
Leaving Nam Dam village, our driver will transfer you to Dong Van. Our trip through the stunning winding roads, through the rocky karst mountains, old traditional houses of Hmong – ethnic people. It’s once again a very enjoyable ride today that you will see amazing mountain view of the Rock Plateau.
When arrive Dong Van, we transfer from Dong Van- Thien Hưong. -start doing a half-day trek and follow a loop route- Ma Ú – Dong Van. Thien Huong ancient village of Tay people, with clay old houses, a giant banyan…This loop passes the Tay and Hmong village.
Sleep: If you want to experience sleep in the homestay of Hmong people, explore their culture via learning their traditional music dance, wearing their traditional clothes, we will arrange sleep in Hmong Dong Van homestay.
If you want to have a comfortable and private room in the Hotel, we will book a room in the hotel 2-3star in Dong Van.
Summary:
+Transfer by car: ~130km, around 4hrs
+ Hiking difficulty: Moderate, around ~12km in 4hrs.
8:00 am, after breakfast, transfer by car from Dong Van to the bottom of Ma Pi Leng pass and start to trekking.
Trek up through the Rock Mountains, follow a sketchy and narrow local path, pass hill tribe villages in tiny & remote valleys. You will meet the H’mong local ethnic minorities. We can explore their reallife of local people in the Vietnam high mountain area. Their life is very simple and poor they are very hardworking, and they still keep unique traditional culture through their colorful clothing, house,music and custom.
It’s one of the interesting things beside enjoy natural scenery in Zonitrip’s hiking tour.
The picnic lunch will be served on the road or try the local meal at the local house.
Trekking on the Sky Path – the path lies on the Rock mountain and rural village.
The adventure trekking path is located on the hazardous Karst mountains, run along Ma Pi Leng pass – also known as the “Sky path”. This steep rocky path goes through limestone cliffs, narrow road, Hmong villages and cornfields in the tiny valleys. From above, you can admire the extremely majestic scenery of the limestone mountains and the green Nho Que river which cuts through the valley below. The viewpoints on Sky path is a perfect place for taking the great photos
After 2,5-3hrs trekking, you will reach the main road and be transferred to a homestay in Meo Vac.
Summary:
+Transfer by car: around 10km
+ Hiking type: Moderate (3/5), around 15km, in 6-7 hrs, the steep is over 10-15%
(P/s: If you want to upgrade the accommodation, you can choose to stay at Auberge de Meo Vac – Mountain Lodge – Nhà nghỉ Chúng Pủa)
If it’s Sunday, you can have a chance to enjoy the unique and special local Market in Meo Vac, it’s held on Sunday and be called SUNDAY MARKET. There are very colorful and various cultures of ethnic minorities, it will be a special experience for you.
After that, we will do a boating trip to Nho Que river. It’s located in the bottom of Ma Pi Leng pass with Tu San canyon –
it’s a new interesting destination in your Ha Giang tour. Tu San canyon is considered the deepest and most unique
canyon in Vietnam. The best way to explore the Tu San
is by boat, where you will be surrounded by the cool
green water and immersed in the quiet and fresh
atmosphere of the valley. You will be enchanted by the
overwhelming presence of the towering mountains on
both sides of the river.
You will hike down from the main road to the bottom of
the river, follow the steep and narrow rock road, sit on
the boat and enjoy the poetic beauty with the green color
of Nho Que river. You can jump to swim to relax after a
long day.
P/s: You can swimming in the river in the summer day.
Leave Nho Que river, if still enough time, the car will
carry you to see the viewpoint from the Ma Pi Leng pass to Nho Que river. Take a rest and come back Ha Giang city by car.
Option 2: If in day 2, you finish the trekking road soon and want to go to the river in the afternoon, in day 3, we have 2 options trekking for you:
1. Light Trekking around Lao Xa village – the ancient village of Hmong people. Explore the local life of Hmong people. Travel around this village in 2hrs
2. Light trekking in Tay village ( THon Tha- Waterfall- Ha Thanh): Exploring the culture of Tay people, who living in the tradionational stilt house, with palm roof.
Then transfer directly to Nam Hong hamlet, Thong Nguyen, Hoang Su Phi.
Sleep in a homestay of Dao people.
Summary:
+Transfer by car: around 233 km in 7hrs
+ Hiking type or visiting around: Maximum 1,5-2hrs
8h: After breakfast, we will trek from homestay in Nam Hong to Nam Khoa, enjoy the scenery of Rice Terrace, through bamboo forest, tea hill. Then follow the trail, mountain, enjoy the view of valley the beautiful rice paddies and explore the lifestyle and culture of Dao Ao Dai (long-dressed Dao) minority people.
Eat lunch in Nam Khoa village, the house of Red Dao people.. After that, continue trekking around 2,5hrs to Nam Ai, sleeping in homestay of Dao people.
Summary:
Trekking distance: around 14-15km
8:00am: after breakfast, continue trek down to mountain. The car will pick up and transfer back to Suoi Thau, Ban Luoc.
Where have the beautiful rice terraces.
Then transfer by car back to Tan Quang ( hagiang ) and take the sleeping bus back to Hanoi.
Option 2: Take the daily limousine at 5pm, so you can finish the trekking trip after decendsing from Nam Ai village.
Transfer back to Tan Quang ( hagiang) by car then back to Hanoi by bus.
This is my second adventure at Vietnam tour organized by Zonitrip. Our 5-day journey took us through the captivating landscapes of Hagiang, offering a perfect hike for those ranging from beginners to intermediate hikers. The views were simply breathtaking, featuring magnificent scenery with beautiful mountains, rice fields, and glimpses into the vibrant lives of Vietnam’s ethnic groups. Nghia, who spoke excellent English, shared detailed insights into local life. The trekking paths steered clear of mass tourism, leading us to tranquil and peaceful locations. The variety of homestays, including stilt houses, bamboo dwellings, and clay/mud structures, added an intriguing element to our experience. This trip is ideal for individuals seeking a profound appreciation for mountainous vistas, picturesque rice fields, and an immersion into the cultural richness of ethnic communities. Throughout the entire journey, we were accompanied by our own reliable and friendly car driver. It is unquestionably worthwhile to rise early and embark on this adventure.
I would highly recommend this tour to my friends.
Challenging but Beautiful Ha Giang tour 🙂
Review of Zonitrip – Day Tours
This is my second Northern Vietnam tour with Zonitrip and I could tour with Nghia again :)(Nghia also toured with me during my first Zontrip trip tour). This time, I went on a 5 day 6 nights tour to Ha Giang (specifically Dong Van & Hoang Su Phi). I found the hikes fairly difficult but the sceneries were really beautiful! Nghia was patient in waiting for us during moments where we were trying to catch our breaths or enjoy the sceneries. She also ensured we were kept safe during the trip.
Overall, the trip was well organised and I enjoyed myself immensely (:
Date of experience: September 2023
Very great and very recommendable trekking trip in the North of Vietnam. We enjoyed the beautiful landscapes, mountains, rice fields and to see how ethnic groups live in Vietnam. Nghia was a very nice guide and speaks English very well. She gave us a lot of detailed information about the local life and was also very interested on our lifes in Austria. The trekking routes were away from mass tourism in calm and peaceful locations. The homestays were very interesting (stilt houses, bamboo houses, houses made of mud). This trip is perfect for people, who would like to deeply enjoy the view of mountains, also rice fields and experience the cultural life of ethnic groups. We had our own nice car driver with a very comfortable car. Everything was well organized. We got a lot of Vietnamese food! Thank you Nghia for this great trip, we won’t never forget.
