Ninh Binh & Mai Chau Valley

NB06 | 3 Days | Private Tour | All Year Around | Can be tailored to suite your requirements

OVERVIEW

Ninh Binh and Mai Chau are neighbors. The same peaceful and prosperous countryside, all beautiful by the green rice fields from February to September every year. The peaceful beauty of these places is also the overlapping rocky mountains. However, Ninh Binh possesses limestone terrain with steep cliffs, a heritage of Unesco. Mai Chau is home to the white Thai ethnic group. They live in simple stilt houses with intact cultural characteristics of ethnic minorities in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Discover the new World Heritage, Trang An Scenic Landscape with sampan boat-ride through tiny limestone caves​ in Tam Coc
  • Enjoy the peaceful countryside atmosphere in Ninh Binh while pedaling your bike along rural paths.
  • Learn the daily life of local rustics you meet along the tour
  • Cruise the scenic water body of Hoa Binh Reservoir
  • Trek the rural land of Mai Chau and experience a home-stay night at a traditional stilt house.
  • Tasting different dishes of local food along the tour.

DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY

Day 1: Hanoi - Hoa Binh Reservoir - Mai Chau (Boat ride on the lake)
Day 2: Mai Chau - Ninh Binh (Morning trek in Mai Chau)
Day 3: Ninh Binh - Hanoi (Boat & Bike rides in Tam Coc)

DETAILED ITINERARY

DAY 1: HANOI - HOA BINH RESERVOIR - MAI CHAU

8:30 a.m. Get picked up at your hotel in Hanoi and take 2,5 hour (approx.) drive to Hoa Binh province.
11:00 a.m. Arrive at Giang Mo village of the Muong ethnic minority, stroll around to visit the village and learn the Muong culture.
12:00 p.m. A local lunch is served at a villager's family. This is a great time to have some local interactions.
01:00 p.m. Transfer to a boat wharf and get on a motorized boat for 2 hour cruise to visit one of the most beautiful part of the reservoir.
Get picked up at Ben Sang and transferred to Mai Chau Valley by your private transport.
Check in your hotel, rest and stay for the night.

**Notes: You might prefer to experience a home-stay night at a village of the Thai ethnic minority instead of staying at a hotel room. Let your travel consultant know at the arrangement stage.

Included meals: Lunch, Dinner

Hoa Binh boat ride

Hoa Binh Lake

Hoa BInh Resevoir

Hoa Binh reservoir

Cruising on the lake

On boat

DAY 2: MAI CHAU VALLEY - NINH BINH

Breakfast is at the accommodation.
8:30 a.m. With your tour guide, set off for a trek of about 3 hours to explore the surroundings and visit some villages, rice paddies and gardens. (Or you can choose to discover the area by bicycles with shorter time, let your travel consultant know at the booking time to arrange). Along the trek you will have chance to learn about the local life, their agriculture and beautiful handicrafts.
Lunch is served at noon time.
The afternoon drive takes you to Ninh Binh province, home of limestone cliffs. (The drive takes about 4 hrs)
Around 5:30 p.m. arrive at the hotel in Ninh Binh, check in and take a rest before dinner.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

a stilt house village

trekking in mai chau

mai chau town

DAY 3: NINH BINH - HANOI

Breakfast is served at the hotel.
8:30 a.m. move to Tam Coc boat operation place where you will take 2-hour sampan boat ride on a small river. The row also takes you through tunnel-like caves. (This area is considered as “Inland Halong Bay” featured with karst formations.)
An easy walk in between the limestone mountains to visit Thai Vi temple (which dedicated to a Vietnamese heroic dynasty.)
A Vietnamese lunch is served at a local restaurant.
Afternoon 1.5-hour bicycle ride along the back roads through beautiful scenery of towering karsts on the ground of ponds, rice paddies and rural villages. (On the bike, we will have as many stops as you want to take photographs.)
Visit Bich Dong Pagoda, an important religious place for the locals in the region.
3:30 p.m. Get back on your vehicle and drive to Hanoi.
Arrive at your hotel in Hanoi. Finish the tour.

**Notes: The hotel in Hanoi is excluded, please let your travel consultant know if you would like to have it arranged and added to this package.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch​

tam coc boat row

boat ride in tam coc

rice paddy in tam coc

tam coc rice

cave in tam coc

tam coc cave

Tour Inclusions

  • Private A/c transportation with all entrance per itinerary
  • English speaking tour guide
  • Boat ride in Hoa Binh reservoir
  • Vietnamese meals as mentioned in the itinerary
  • Accommodation in shared twin/ double during the tour
  • Sightseeing tickets & permit
  • Bicycles and sampan boat-ride in Ninh Binh
  • Bottled water on the vehicle


Tour Exclusions

  • Travel insurance
  • Drinks and other meals
  • Hotel in Hanoi (On request)
  • Visas and airport transfers (On request)
  • Any flight tickets
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Personal expenses and others not mentioned clearly above.


Inquire a free quote for this tour

This is a sample itinerary that has been enjoyed by many of our past travelers to the region. It can be custom-made to meet your expectation. The prices very much depend on your group size and type of accommodation. Please send us a quote request and we will get back to you with the detail.

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