3-Day Nature Tour to Cao Bang and Ba Be Lake with Ban Gioc Falls

Pick-up will be between 7:30 and 8:00 am from your hotel in Hanoi. You will then begin the drive along Highway No. 3. En route, you will visit the Museum of the Cultures of Vietnam's Ethnic Groups in Thai Nguyen city. Browse the objects, photographs, and exhibits on display to better understand the various ethnic groups in Vietnam. You will also see their agricultural tools, handicrafts, and the traditional costumes worn during worship.

There will be a stop for lunch before your transfer farther north to Cao Bang, passing scattered villages and rice paddy fields. Depending on the growing season, you may also stop at a village known for its tobacco production. This is the road less travelled, so you can enjoy scenic views in peace.

Tonight, you will have dinner and stay overnight at a homestay with a Nung family in Quang Uyen.

After breakfast at the homestay, you will depart for Trung Khanh, which lies on the border with China. Here, you will have the chance to meet the Nung people in the village of Phuoc Sen, a mountainous village famous for its traditional blacksmith craft. The farming tools made here are an integral part of local life, as seen in the surrounding rice paddies and fields. Nestled among these amazing landscapes is the breathtaking Ban Gioc Waterfall, which spans more than 300 meters, half in Vietnam and half in China. You will have time to soak up the powerful atmosphere of the falls and take fantastic photos before heading to another natural wonder.

Proceed to Nguom Ngao Cave. This cave stretches 2,144 meters underground and is filled with incredible stalactites and stalagmites.

You will then make your way back to Cao Bang town and continue down through the snake pass to Ba Be Lake.

Tonight, you will stay at a traditional house of a Tay ethnic family. At the homestay, you can relax and unwind from the day and enjoy a meal of home-cooked local food.

Today, you can relax on board, do some wildlife spotting, or, if you need to cool off, jump into the cool, clean waters for a refreshing swim. As you float on Ba Be Lake, take in the scenery of the surrounding karsts decorated with patches of wild vegetation and inhabited by all sorts of interesting creatures. The boat ride along the Nang River gives you time to explore the stunning Ba Be Lake and the caves of Puong Grotto, known for stalactite and stalagmite formations created by river erosion. You will also see many bat colonies here.

You will then depart for the journey back to Hanoi. The drive is approximately 150 miles (230 kilometres). Along the way, you will stop at some hilly tea plantations before returning to your hotel in the bustling city of Hanoi.