Mai Chau - Pu Luong 3 Days 2 Nights From Hanoi

MAI CHAU - PU LUONG 3 DAYS 2 NIGHTS FROM HANOI

TOUR HIGHLIGHT:

• Scenic drive from Hanoi through mountain landscapes to Mai Chau Valley
• Stay in traditional stilt houses with local White Thai families
• Hands-on experience in natural dyeing and traditional weaving
• Cycle through rice fields and ethnic villages in Mai Chau
• Explore Pu Luong Nature Reserve: caves, rice terraces, and waterwheels
• Trek through remote Thai villages and cool off in natural streams
• Swim at hidden Tat Nang Waterfall & soak in wild hot springs

TOUR ITINERARY:

DAY 1: HANOI - MAI CHAU VALLEY - NA PHON VILLAGE - OVERNIGHT IN MAI CHAU 

Meal: Lunch, dinner / Accommodation: Village stay at our traditional house-on-stilts

7:30. Departing from the Hanoi Old Quarter, we'll leave the city behind and pass through a craggy, mountainous landscape to Mai Chau valley. We arrive at Mai Chau around

10:30, where we will be welcomed by our hosts and enter a world of new customs and traditions.



11:00. Following a tour briefing we will cycle to Na Phon village through the rice fields, along narrow lanes until we reach a weaving workshop. We will learn the White Thai traditional weaving, dyeing, and embroidery techniques and experience a hands-on natural dyeing workshop hosted by a Thai lady. The products that you make are yours to take with you along with fond memories of time spent with beautiful people.

We support 2 local weaving workshops in Mai Chau, one is the workshop of Mrs. Xuyen, an artisan who until now has been weaving ancient details of White Thai. The other is the Hoa Ban Social Protecting Center, created in 2008 to support disadvantaged and disabled women while maintaining the traditional handicraft customs of the White Thai ethnic group in Mai Chau, Vietnam. 

Both workshops are for promoting sustainable textile fabrics and products with high quality, environmental, and social values.

13:30. Returning to our homestay we will enjoy a lunch of Mai Chau specialties delicately prepared by your host family.

In the afternoon, we’ll hop on bicycles and start cycling. There are many beautiful cycling trails in Mai Chau Valley which take you through quaint villages, rice and cropping fields. Along the way, you can stop anytime to catch beautiful moments of nature or talk to a friendly villager. 

16:00. Back at our homestay, there is enough time for you to chill out in the reading corner or to walk around Na Phon village.

In the evening enjoy a BBQ dinner prepared by your hosts with their amazing cuisine skills before going to bed in the peaceful atmosphere of the village.

With ‘Village-stay’ experience, your overnight accommodation is provided by a local family in their traditional house-on-stilts. There’s no private room and you’ll sleep on the floor in a large communal area. The sleeping corner is set up with a single mattress (thin, but adequate), blankets (ditto), pillow, and mosquito net. The restroom is equipped with a toilet bowl, hot and cold water, and a shower, a few steps from the main house.
 

DAY 2: MAI CHAU - PU LUONG NATIONAL RESERVE - FROM VALLEY TO JUNGLE - OVERNIGHT IN MAI CHAU 

Meal: Breakfast, lunch, dinner / Accommodation: Village stay at our traditional house -on-stilts

8:00. We leave our hosts after breakfast and drive East for about 50 km before entering the Pu Luong nature reserve (depending on the group size, we will arrange a car or motorbike/ easy rider for you). Along the way to Pu Luong Nature Reserve, you will make a stop to visit a chopstick workshop. You will see how bamboo is transformed into these essential dining utensils. 

10:30. Arrive at Kho Muong village. Explore the mysterious Kho Muong cave before returning to the village for a delicious home-cooked lunch with a local family at noon. 

14:00. After a delicious lunch, we will say goodbye to the Kho Muong people. You’ll then head to Bang village for 1.5 hours trekking on a single trail through Thai villages and rice terraces.

15:30. Be ready to head to Cham Stream, where you can cool off with a swim in the freshwater.  
Continue the journey by stopping at the waterwheel to see the skillful technique of Thai people in using water power to irrigate fields. 

17-17:30. End of the trip in Pu Luong, return to Mai Chau. 

18:00. Arrive Mai Chau and relax after an active day before dinner. Dinner and overnight at our homestay.

DAY 3: MAI CHAU - WILD SWIMMING IN TAT NANG WATERFALL - HANOI

Meal: Breakfast, lunch 

An exciting day to discover around Mai Chau valley. Our local guide will take you on the back road to reach a hidden waterfall and hot spring stream. Starting with an early breakfast at 6:30 then get on a motorbike behind our experienced rider to Thạt Nàng waterfall. Hiding behind the terraced paddy fields, Tat Nang Waterfall flows all year round. It is a source of water for the paddy fields and food for thought for far-away visitors. Stop for a snack here and swim. Or you can skip the swimming until we reach Phụ Mẫu hot spring the soak your body in this wild hot spring. 
 
12:00. Lunch at our friend's Thai family in Chieng Xuan village. After lunch, we will head back to Mai Chau. On the way, stop at Hoà Bình lake, formed during the construction of Hoa Binh hydropower plant, the lake is called Halong Bay on the mountain thanks to its stunning views of the jade reservoir.

14.30. Arrive at Mai Chau and have tea before saying goodbye to your host, then head back to Hanoi and arrive at around 6:30. End of the trip

CHILDREN POLICY: 

• Children under 4 years old sharing the existing seat with parents: Free of charge (limited to 1 child per couple)
• Children from 4 to 8 years old: 75% of adult price
• Children from 9 years old and above: Full adult price