Northern Nature Tour 12 days 

Hanoi - Ha Long - Cat Ba - Cuc Phuong - Ba Be - Ba Vi

Code: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, G = Guide  

Day 1: Arrival at Hanoi (D, G)

Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you'll be met and driven to your hotel.

17.15: You'll be picked up to watch the Water Puppet show an art form unique to northern Vietnam, and a good, light-hearted introduction to its rural culture.

18.30: Your Welcome Dinner will be served at one of the best local restaurant.

You'll spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi city tour (B, L, G)

9.00: Pick up at your hotel

9.30 - 10.30: Visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, his simple stilt  house where he lived

10.30 - 11.00: You'll visit the Tran Quoc pagoda, the oldest pagoda located on West Lake

11.00 - 12.00: Visit Temple of Literature - the first university in Vietnam

12.00 - 13.15: Lunch at local restaurant

13.15 - 15.30: Visit the Ethnology Museum for an overview of Vietnam's 54 distinct ethnic

15.30 - 16.15: Visit Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart of city.

16.15 - 17.15: You'll have around 1 hour to walk around the Old Quarter. You'll drive back to your hotel. You'll spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 3: Hanoi/Ha Long/Cat Ba (B, L, G)

7.30: You'll leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world's largest marine limestone karst landscape.

9.30: You'll take a short break at Hong Ngoc Embroidery workshop.

10.00 - 11.30: You'll continue driving to Ha Long Bay.

11.30: You'll board your boat, a wooden junk built from the model of the old Vietnamese court vessels. It will take you first to the World Heritage area where you'll visit Amazing Cave. You'll have time for swimming on the emerald water in Ha Long Bay.Your lunch will be provided on board, usually based on fresh seafood.

17.00: On arrival to Cat Ba Island, you'll picked up by bus to your hotel. You'll spend the night in Cat Ba.

If you don't like seafood during this trip, please let us know what you like so we can arrange for you.

Day 4: Cat Ba (B, L, G)

Breakfast at your hotel and then drive to Cat Ba National Park. Your guide will take you to the National Park to hike through the forest. Although the distance is only about 18 km, it will take at least 6 hours to cover the undulating terrain. On the way, you’ll have a break for a picnic lunch at Viet Hai village. You'll follow the path through some the farm, village and then to the harbour on the south of the island. You’ll finally find a boat is waiting to take you back to the town’s harbour. On the way you can enjoy your swimming on Lan Ha Bay. Your dinner will be served later on at the local restaurant. You’ll spend the night in Cat Ba.

Day 5: Cat Ba/Hanoi (B, G)

8.00 - 8.30: Breakfast at your hotel, you'll then be free to relax at Cat Co Beach.

15.00 - 16.00: You'll take a short walk to the other harbour where you'll take a hydrofoil to Hai Phong

16.00 - 18.00: Arrive in Hai Phong, you'll take a vehicles back to Hanoi for a free dinner.

You'll spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 6: Hanoi/Ninh Binh/Cuc Phuong (B, L, D, G)

8.00 - 10.00: Pick up at your hotel and drive to Ninh Binh (110 km)

10.00 - 11.00: On your arrival in Hoa Lu, the former capital of Vietnam. You’ll visit Dinh and Le temples, which dedicated to Emperor Dinh and a memory of Emperor Le. You'll follow by a brief visit to the remains of the Old Palace

11.00 - 12.30: You'll be driven to Tam Coc (three grottoes) and have lunch at the local restaurant.

12.30 - 14.30: You’ll be rowed along a gentle river between paddy fields and through the Tam Coc, You'll enjoy a peaceful valley among limestone ‘karst’ hills on the way.

14.30 - 17.00: Driver and guide will take you to Cuc Phuong National Park. You'll spend the night in the local guest house in Cuc Phuong Park Centre.

Day 7: Cuc Phuong/Hanoi (B, L, G)

7.30 - 8.00: Breakfast at the restaurant

8.00 - 12.30: You’ll be able to wander through a subtropical forest, rich in flora and fauna with thousand-year-old trees and dripping vines, visiting the Prehistory Cave and the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre en-route. The Endangered Primate Rescue Centre is a temporary home for many gibbons and langurs that have been injured, or have been orphaned by poachers. Among them are two of the rarest species in the world, Delacourt’s Langur, now confined to two or three spots in North Vietnam, and the elegant Cat Ba Golden Langur, now reduced to a colony of around 50 individuals in Cat Ba Island National Park. Strenuous efforts are being made to conserve both species. When those in the rescue centre have regained their strength, a carefully staged programme will release them into the wild

12.30 - 13.45: You'll have lunch at the park centre.

13.45 - 16.30: Return to Hanoi for your overnight accommodation.

Day 8: Hanoi/Ba Be (B, L, D, G)

Our car and driver will pick up at your hotel to drive 240km to Ba Be National Park.  You'll stop on the way to have lunch at local restaurant. After lunch, the road will take you through striking mountain scenery. On arrival, you'll check in your hotel in the park centre. The rest day, you can enjoy a sunset and stroll in the crisp forest air before dinner. You’ll spend the night in Ba Be National Park.

Day 9: Ba Be (B, L, D, G)

After a breakfast at your hotel, you'll pick up one of the motorboat to cruise around the Ba Be Lake which was known as Pe Lam, Pe Lu, Pe Leng. Following the Tay ethnic language, these words mean "three lakes". You'll visit Puong Cave and then the Fairy Pond, set in dense forest with many birds. You'll cruise to visit Dau Dang Water Fall that is quite sightworthy and have picnic lunch on the way. You'll take a motorboat again to visit Horse Saddle Mountain. Your day will be finished by taking a short walk to the village of Tay people near by. You'll spend the night in Ba Be. 

Day 10: Ba Be/Hanoi (B, L, G)

In the morning, you’ll return to Hanoi, visiting a weekly ethnic market and stopping for lunch en-route, and arriving in the late afternoon. You’ll spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 11: Hanoi/Ba Vi (B, L, G)

You'll drive to Ba Vi National park and walk up to the peak 400. You'll visit the Ho Chi Minh temple on top of mountain and have stunning view to the Red River Delta. You'll return to Hanoi to spend the night.

Day 12: Hanoi departure (B, G)

You'll transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

Prices per person in US$: 

Valid until December 31, 2008

Surcharge for peak season of hotels are not inclusive in the prices above.

Contact Us for more details

Prices include:

• Breakfast and accommodation in twin or double room.

• Boats cruise as programme, sharing a luxury cruise on traditional junk in Ha Long Bay.

• Hydrofoil ticket: Cat Ba - Hai Phong

• Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced, safe driver.

• Experienced English-speaking tour guide as indicated in the itinerary.

• Entry fees for all sightseeing as mentioned in the programme.

• Lunches and dinners, as specified, in the local restaurants and on the boat in Ha Long Bay.

• Government Taxes.

Price do not include:

• International flight tickets and airport tax.

• Visas.

• Dinners except as specified above.

• Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses.

• Insurance.

Hotel list for Five Stars standard

• Hanoi: Sofitel Plaza Hotel (***** overlooking the West Lake) or similar

• Cat Ba: Cat Ba Water Park Resort (**** private beach) or similar

• Cuc Phuong: Park Bungalow (local standard in the middle of forest)

• Ba Be: Park Bungalow (local standard)

Hotel list for Three Stars standard

• Hanoi: Army Hotel (***city centre with swimming pool) or similar

• Cat Ba: Holiday View (*** 5 minutes walk to the beach, overlooking the Lan Ha Bay, Suite) or similar

• Cuc Phuong: Park Bungalow (local standard in the middle of forest)

• Ba Be: Park Bungalow (local standard)