Ba Be National Park Adventure: Trekking, Kayaking & Local Culture

Your tour guide will pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi in the early morning, starting your journey to Ba Be National Park. We’ll drive along Highway 3 passing through Thai Nguyen City (where we stop for local lunch) for about 5 hours in a comfortable car. Once you reach Ba Be, you will continue on foot along the Nang River until you reach Puong Cave, located in a Dao ethnic village. From here you continue your hike through thick rainforest while keeping an eye out for local wildlife. Eventually you’ll reach the summit which offers amazing panoramic views of the countryside below, before visiting some Hmong villages followed by our destination for the day, a Dao ethnic minority village. Here you are invited by your host family to participate in preparing your traditional dinner, cooked on an open fire and served with local corn wine. If you’re not much of a chef, don’t worry, this activity is entirely optional. After dinner you will stay overnight in the traditional Dao house. 
Highlights and activities: a 7-10 km hike and 3 hours boat trip Accommodation: Mr Hung's Homestay Meals: Lunch, Dinner at a local restaurant

Start by enjoying a traditional local breakfast, which may consist of noodles, pancakes or an omelette, with a banana on the side, considered a luxury in this remote area far from where they’re grown. Then we’ll set out on our 10km hike to a H’mong village, where we’ll spend some time in a local school, interacting and playing with the children. Often our guide will bring some sweets, pens and notebooks to give out as gifts to the kids, something that always greatly excites them and brings a giant smile to their little faces. Our guide will also pack a basic but tasty picnic lunch that we’ll enjoy here. After lunch we set out for another 10km of trekking to reach Coc Toc village. This last leg of the trek can be somewhat challenging and will present a great workout for anyone who’s not in perfect shape. We’ll cross Coc Toc Stream, where you’ll see local fishermen plying their craft, and this is a great place for a quick rest and refreshing swim before continuing on. Once we arrive in Coc Toc, we’ll check in at our guesthouse run by Mr Linh and his family, who specialize in cooking the most delicious and authentic local dishes, which you’ll get to enjoy for dinner before overnighting in this traditional Tay stilt house. 
Highlights and activities: a 18-20 km trek Accommodation: Mr Linh's Homestay Meals: Breakfast at homestay. Lunch, Dinner at a local restaurant

Breakfast will consist of pancakes and Vietnamese coffee, served on the open-air balcony overlooking stunning views, if the weather permits. Then we’ll hop in our kayaks and paddle across the lake, giving you ample time to enjoy the beautiful scenery surrounding the lake before we have to say goodbye to this slice of paradise. We will take you along roads snaking through mountain passes as we return to Hanoi, stopping for a quick lunch in an area rarely visited by tourists, which results in the locals there probably showing a big interest in you and your group, before arriving in Hanoi shortly before dark. 
Highlights and activities: a 1-3 hours kayakak Accommodation: Not included Meal: Breakfast at homestay. Lunch at local restaurant.