Mai Chau Trekking

Mai Chau is a mountainous area of outstanding natural beauty, inhabited by a Thai and H’mong ethnic minority groups. This trip offers a great combination of cultural expedition and trekking. We trek for three days through the spectacular scenery, visit remote and stay overnight in local homes where we have the chance to get to know these hospitable villages. From the mountainous region of Mai Chau, we travel back to Hanoi- the capital of Vietnam.

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Duration: 4 days/3 nights

Tour Code: MVAT09

Price from: US $ 479.00 Pax

Tour Valid: Until December 30th, 2013

Highlights: Awesome scenery - Homestays in villages of ethnic minorities - Beautiful trails: Hanoi - Mai Chau - Hanoi: A 4-day tour with 3-day trekking.

• Day 1 - Hanoi – Mai Chau – Hang Kia Village

  Place Transport: Car 
  Meals: Lunch - Dinner

  Pick you up at your hotel at 8 am and leave Hanoi for Mai Chau- the beautiful gate way to the mountainous area of northern Vietnam. On the way, we will have a short stop for refreshment.
  
  Mai Chau nestles in the mountainous regions of northern Vietnam, south west of Hanoi in Hoa Binh Province. The valley of Mai Chau is inhabited by a community of one of Vietnam’s 52 minority groups, the White Thai while the upper lands of Mai Chau are inhabited by the H’mong minority group.
  
  Upon arrival in Mai Chau, we will pick you up at our local guide and continue driving to Xa Linh Village where we will have our lunch in a H’mong house before setting off on a beautiful trekking in the afternoon. From here, we will not use our car until the last day. After lunch, we will begin our trek on the village’s road and then walk on dirt path used by the locals. After 40mins, we will reach Tra Day Village-  home to a small community of Black H’mong minority people. From the Tra Day village, we have two options for trekking route to reach Hang Kia where we will stay overnight. The easier route with rocky path runs through another H’mong village. The harder route takes more time to do with trail uphill through jungle and dirt path though terraces. We will reach Hang Kia around 5pm. Hang Kia is a small and scenic valley, which is home to a group of Flower H’mong minority people. Tonight, we will stay overnight with a H’mong family. While our local guide cooks dinner, we can take shower or stroll around the village. Dinner around 7.30 pm. Before going to bed, we will treat our feet with herbal foot massage which you do by yourself with ATV guide’s instruction.

  Day 2 - Trekking from Hang Kia to Van Village

  Place Transport: Car 
  Meals: Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

  After breakfast in the house, we will say goodbye to the family and begin an exciting trekking day. Right after the village, we will walk on jungle trail for one hour. The trail could be a bit wet due to the dense trees that keep sunlight away. After that, we descend the hill passing farm and terraces. The scenery is stunning with mountains, terraces and expansive valley. During the trek, we will some breaks for snack, rest, and photographing. After crossing a small river, we reach a village of White Thai minority group where we have lunch in a local house. After lunch, you may wish to have a short nap in the house. In the remainder of the day, we will walk on village road to reach Van Village- a beautiful village of White Thai minority people. The road runs zigzag along the valley and through lots of scenic village. As you walking through these villages, the locals may try to invite to come to their house and have dinner with them. Tonight, we will have dinner and stay overnight in a Thai family. We will eat and sleep on the bamboo floor as it is the traditional way. Again, our local guide will cook dinner for us while we taking shower or having a pre-dinner drink. At the meal time, the host will welcome us with home made whisky. Before going to bed, we look after our feet with herbal foot massage.

  Day 3 - Trekking from Van Village to Buoc Village

  Place Transport: Car 
  Meals: Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

  After breakfast, we say goodbye to the family and begin 3-hr trek in the morning to reach Buoc Village. The path will runs uphill and down hill through bamboo forest, terraces and farms. On the trek, we may see farmers working on their farms. Around 12 pm, we will reach Buoc Village- another scenic village of White Thai minority people. We will have lunch in local house and take a short nap if you wish. In the afternoon, we will enjoy 2-hr leisure trek around the village. If the weather permits,we could enjoy the cool water of the stream nearby the homestay at the end of the day.
  Again, dinner will be cooked by our local guide. Foot massage before bedding time.

  Day 4 - Trekking to Van Mai – Transfer to Hanoi

  Place Transport: Airplane 
  Meals: Breakfast - Lunch

  After breakfast, we say goodbye to the family and enjoy the last trekking along mountain foot to reach Van Mai, where we will meet our car and driver for a short transfer to Pom Coong Village for lunch in a local house. After lunch, we will head back to Hanoi. Return to Hanoi around 5pm. Tour ends.

  The Tour Inclusion:

  - 03 Nights Accommodation in home- stay with BKF.

  - Pick-ups and transfers by private air-conditioned vehicle as specified in the itinerary above (Please note: pick-ups will be by a guide and driver or, where a guide is not necessary, a driver only. All unaccompanied drivers will be briefed in advance, and will carry a mobile phone to ensure smooth transfer arrangements)

  - The services of experienced English-speaking guides as indicated in the itinerary (please note: guides will be on hand from pick-up until guests' return to their hotel or reaching their destination). Free days or part days will not include the services of a guide unless requested and included in the final itinerary.

  - Where necessary, entry fees for all visits as mentioned in the program

  - Meals (as specified in the itinerary) in the best local restaurants, or picnics where no suitable restaurant is available.

  The Tour Exclusion:

  - International flight tickets and airport tax.Visas

  - Dinners, except as specified above.

  - Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses.

  - Surcharge for peak season (if any) & Other not mentioned in the above detail program.

  Additional Information

  Importance note

  - The itinerary is just a sample of our Vietnam tours; we'll be pleased to design similar programs with dates and itinerary customized to your personal preferences in Tailor Made Tours section. Rates may vary frequently. Please contact us to get the best possible price based upon your travel period and specific touring needs.

  
  

  What to bring ?

  - Sun Block, Wide brim hat, Camera + Film, Comfortable shoes, Rain gear, Warm clothes, original Passport...

  
  

  How to start ?

  - MinMax Travel is a fully escorted tour and best-available all year round; the only thing you need to prepare in advance is the international air-ticket from/to your country.

  
  

  - If you don’t have enough time to complete visa before your departure, we will help you to obtain Vietnam Visa on arrival easily (getting visa at the airport, on your arrival).