5-Day Nature Experience
This immersive trekking journey through Vietnam’s northeast offers a powerful blend of nature, culture and community connection. Over five days, you’ll trek with a local guide through lush valleys and remote villages, meet local ethnic minority groups and gain insight into their traditional crafts and daily life, all while exploring one of Vietnam’s most striking regions that is still unknown to most tourists.
Day 1: Hanoi – Phia Thap
"Depart Hanoi at 07:30 and travel north through winding mountain passes toward Cao Bang. After lunch en route, begin your first hike into Phia Thap, a tranquil Nung village famed for incense making. Wander among Cao Bang’s exotic scenery of endless limestone mountains, rice fields and stilt houses before settling into a traditional homestay. Share stories over a home-cooked dinner and experience the warmth of rural hospitality.
Drive: 295 km | Trek: ~6 km | Trail Difficulty: 3/5
Day 2: Phia Thap – Quay Son
Trek through a series of traditional craft villages, beginning with Lan Duoi, known for bamboo and rattan weaving. Continue on to Lung Ri, a village producing handmade clay roof tiles, and enjoy a picnic lunch in nature. In the afternoon, you reach Phuc Sen - home to skilled ironsmiths making everything from traditional agricultural hand tools to daily items - before driving the rest of the way to your homestay in Quay Son.
Trek: 9–10 km | Trail Difficulty: 3/5
Day 3: Quay Son – Khuoi Ki
Today’s route takes you past water wheels, meandering rivers, and rice fields with spectacular views along the way. Stop for lunch at a local home and then head onward to Khuoi Ki, a Tay ethnic village nestled at the base of limestone hills that is famous for its ancient stilt houses built entirely of stone, with roofs made of yin-yang tiles. After settling in, share a meal and conversation with your hosts to learn more about their customs and way of life.
Trek: 18 km (approx. 6 hrs) | Trail Difficulty: 3/5
Day 4: Khuoi Ki – Nguom Ngao
Start the day with a gentle walk through Khuoi Ki before trekking through dramatic limestone karst formations and local hamlets. The route includes a visit to Nguom Ngao Cave, a vast grotto filled with otherworldly stalactites. After lunch with a local family, transfer to nearby Ban Gioc hotel for the night.
Trek: 12 km | Trail Difficulty: 4/5
Day 5: Ban Gioc Waterfall – Hanoi
Begin your morning with a peaceful visit to the majestic Ban Gioc Waterfall, the largest natural waterfall in Southeast Asia. Take a short boat ride and, if weather allows, a refreshing swim. After breakfast, travel back to Hanoi, stopping at the Ethnology Museum in Thai Nguyen for deeper insight into Vietnam’s diverse cultures. Return to the city around 17:00.
Your Local Impact
This journey brings direct, long-term benefits to the communities visited. 80–90% of accommodation and meal costs go straight to local families from the Nung and Tay ethnic groups, with homestays paid per guest and meals per serving—encouraging quality and care. Villages like Phuc Sen and Lan Duoi benefit from craft sales and optional workshops, such as bamboo weaving or blacksmithing. Where possible, the tour employs local Tay or Nung guides, who contribute their skills in navigation, cooking, and interpretation. All guides receive responsible tourism training in cultural sensitivity and leave-no-trace practices.
A permit fee of $2–3 per guest supports village-managed community funds for infrastructure and cultural upkeep. In some cases, groups bring school supplies or first-aid items, coordinated with local leaders. By travelling on foot and staying in homestays, this low-impact experience supports cultural preservation, sustainable livelihoods and meaningful interactions.
Holidays That Can Include This Experience
15 Days: From £2299 per person
Hanoi – Rural Villages – Gentle Cycling – Cooking Class – Trekking - Rice Paddies – Ha Long Bay Cruise – Mekong Delta – Floating Markets – Hoi An
13 Days: From £1800 per person
Hanoi – Gentle Cycling – Hilltribes – Trekking – Ha Long Bay Cruise - Hoi An – History and Culture – Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta – Floating Markets