Explore more curated experiences in Hanoi
View all Hanoi tours5-Day Ha Giang and Cao Bang Hidden Trail Tour in Hanoi
5-day tour in Hanoi, taking in Quan Ba Heaven Gate and Twin Mountain, Lonely Tree and Can Ty Slope and Lunch in Yen Minh. Run by HAI TRINH XANH COMPANY LIMITED, booked direct rather than through a reseller.
Highlights
- Bus Transfer to Ha Giang
- Quan Ba Heaven Gate and Twin Mountain
- Lonely Tree and Can Ty Slope
- Sao Ha Village
- Runs 5 days
- Motorbike with experienced Easy Rider, or self-drive option (based on your booking choice and valid licence)
5-Day Ha Giang and Cao Bang Hidden Trail Tour in Hanoi: Key Facts
| Price | From $457.18 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 5 days |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Full description
This is a 5-day experience from Hanoi, built around Bus Transfer to Ha Giang, Quan Ba Heaven Gate and Twin Mountain and Lonely Tree and Can Ty Slope. It is run by HAI TRINH XANH COMPANY LIMITED, an operator we book with directly rather than through a reseller, which is why we can hold your place with them before we treat your booking as final.
The price covers Motorbike with experienced Easy Rider, 5 breakfasts and 9 main meals, 4 nights of accommodation, local guide for the full tour and All entrance fees to attractions on the itinerary. It does not cover Bus or private transfer from Hanoi, Ha Long, Ninh Binh, Cat, Onward transfer from Cao Bang City after the tour, Drinks beyond water at meals and Tips for your guide and Easy Rider, so budget for those separately. Everything included is listed in full on this page; if something is not on that list, assume it is not in the price.
HAI TRINH XANH COMPANY LIMITED sends the meeting point and time by email as soon as the booking is confirmed. We need at least one day's notice, and we confirm the date with HAI TRINH XANH COMPANY LIMITED before treating your booking as final. If they cannot take your date we tell you and refund you rather than leave you waiting.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Bus Transfer to Ha Giang
Pickup from Hanoi, Ha Long, Ninh Binh, or Cat Ba to Ha Giang City. Available on request – not included in the base price.
Local breakfast and check out
Start with banh cuon Ha Giang, steamed rice rolls dipped in warm bone broth, a regional specialty you won't find done quite this way anywhere else.
Quan Ba Heaven Gate and Twin Mountain
At roughly 1,500m elevation, this is the official gateway to the Dong Van Karst Plateau. The viewpoint looks down on Tam Son town and the two near-perfect cone-shaped mountains called the "Twin Mountains" or "Fairy Bosom Mountains", one of the most photographed scenes in Ha Giang.
Lonely Tree and Can Ty Slope
Two short photo stops. Quick legs-stretch and fresh mountain air before the next leg.
Lunch in Yen Minh
A quiet pine-fringed town between two stretches of karst mountain. Refuel here.
Sao Ha Village
A real H'mong village, not a built-for-tourists version. Traditional earth-walled houses, daily farming routines, and locals living the way their grandparents did. A rare chance to see Ha Giang's most populous ethnic group up close.
Tham Ma Pass
One of the most photographed roads in Ha Giang, a winding ribbon of switchbacks cut into the limestone. The name "Tham Ma" means "test the horse" in H'mong; in the old days, only horses strong enough to climb this slope were worth trading.
Vu Family Mansion (H’mong King Palace)
Built between 1898 and the early 1900s for Vuong Chinh Duc, the powerful H'mong leader nicknamed "the H'mong King." The mansion blends H'mong, Chinese, and French architectural styles, stone walls, ironwood pillars, yin-yang tile roofs and was officially recognised as a National Monument in 1993. It's also a window into one of the most fascinating chapters in Ha Giang's history: the opium trade, French colonialism, and a clan that ruled the karst plateau for two generations.
Arrive in Dong Van
Check in at Serenity Bungalow. Dinner and a proper night's rest before tomorrow's big day.
Breakfast
Breakfast at the Serenity Bungalow.
Ma Pi Leng Pass and Tu San Canyon viewpoint
One of Vietnam's "Four Great Mountain Passes," running about 20km along the Happiness Road between Dong Van and Meo Vac, with the crest at roughly 1,500m. The pass overlooks Tu San Canyon, limestone cliffs rising 700–800m vertically from the Nho Que River below, making it the deepest canyon in Southeast Asia. We hike about 10 minutes to a quieter ridge viewpoint where you can take in the panorama without the crowds at the main lookout.
Boat Trip on the Nho Que River
From the cliff edge you saw the river as a thin emerald thread; from a wooden boat at water level, the canyon walls tower over you on both sides. The water stays a vivid turquoise year-round, thanks to dissolved limestone minerals. Around 45 minutes of pure quiet between sheer rock walls. Then lunch in Meo Vac.
Coffee break at Deo Gio (Windy Pass)
Wide panoramic views with the wind doing exactly what the name says. A proper pause.
Thien Huong Village and the 500-year-old tree
A small Tay village tucked into a valley most travelers ride straight past. The centerpiece is a half-millennium-old tree at the village entrance, locals consider it a guardian spirit and still leave offerings at its base.
Lung Cu Flag Tower
Vietnam's symbolic northernmost point, standing on top of Dragon Mountain (Lung Cu Peak) at about 1,470m above sea level. The current 33m-tall octagonal tower was completed in 2010, modeled after the Hanoi Flag Tower. The flag overhead is 54m²,one square metre for each of Vietnam's 54 official ethnic groups. The base is decorated with Dong Son bronze drum motifs depicting Vietnamese history.
Lo Lo Chai Village
Sitting at the foot of Dragon Mountain, just 1km from the flag tower, this village is home to the Lo Lo people, one of Vietnam's smallest ethnic minorities, alongside H'mong families. The earthen-walled houses with yin-yang tile roofs and stone fences have changed little in centuries. In 2023 the UN World Tourism Organization named Lo Lo Chai one of its "Best Tourism Villages." Then ride back to Dong Van for the night.
Check out and breakfast
Sunday bonus: On Sundays we depart earlier at 7:00 AM to catch the Dong Van weekly ethnic market, one of the best places in Vietnam to see H'mong, Tay, Nung, and Hoa traders gathering in their traditional clothes. After breakfast, a brief stop at the Youth Monument, a tribute to the young volunteers who built the Happiness Road in the 1960s.
Rest stop at Meo Vac Information Centre
Quick drink and bathroom break. Then we cross from Ha Giang into Cao Bang along Highway 34.
Lunch
Lunch at Ninh Chi Restaurant
Thach Lam Waterfall
A quiet roadside waterfall in Bao Lam district, wide, layered, and shaded by jungle. Far fewer travelers stop here than at Ban Gioc, which is exactly the point. A perfect cooling break on the long ride.
Check in at Bao Lac homestay
Drop your bags and watch the sunset spread across the valley from the homestay terrace. Bao Lac sits on the Gam River with views straight across to the Chinese border.
Dinner and bonfire with happy water
"Happy water" is local corn wine. Share stories, watch the village lights flicker on across the border, and turn in early, tomorrow is a big riding day.
Breakfast
Breakfast and gear up at homestay.
Khau Coc Cha Pass
Locally nicknamed the "14-storey pass." Only 2.5km long, but stacked with 14 sharp switchbacks climbing nearly vertically up the mountainside, making it one of the most dramatic mountain roads in Vietnam. We park at the top and hike about 1km (around 20 minutes) up to a viewpoint on Pac Thoc peak where you can see all 14 tiers at once, the kind of view you can't quite believe is real.
Na Tenh Pass
A quieter pass with a long panoramic view down the valley to the other end, a winding ribbon of road beneath you. Far less famous than Khau Coc Cha, just as beautiful.
Lunch
Lunch in Ha Quang on the road.
Angel Eye Mountain
A natural circular hole about 50m wide pierces straight through this limestone tower, framing the sky like a giant eye. Tay locals call it Phja Piot, "mountain with a hole", and geologists believe it was formed by tectonic uplift over hundreds of millions of years. It was listed as a National Scenic Landscape in 2021. Surrounded by 36 interconnected karst lakes and wide grass meadows where horses and water buffalo graze.
Phong Nam Valley
A wide, flat valley with the Quay Son River winding through rice fields and Tay-Nung villages. Most travelers blow past it on the way to Ban Gioc, we slow down, walk a stretch, and let you breathe it in.
Check in
Check in at homestay near Ban Gioc Waterfall.
Local Dinner
Tomorrow morning we walk to the waterfall. Get a good night’s sleep.
Breakfast and ride to Nguom Ngao Cave
A 400-million-year-old limestone cave system, discovered in 1921 and recognised as a National Scenic Spot in 1998. It's part of the UNESCO Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark. The cave is over 2,144m long; we trek about 30 minutes through the main route past three iconic chambers – the "Four Pillars of Heaven," the coral-and-dragon-boat formations, and the glittering "treasure chamber."
Ban Gioc Waterfall
The largest waterfall in Southeast Asia and the 4th-largest cross-border waterfall in the world, 30m tall, 300m wide, sitting on the Vietnam–China border along the Quay Son River. We take a bamboo raft to the foot of the falls (the closest legal view), then explore the area on foot.
Lunch
Lunch in Vinh Quy
Vinh Quy (Ba Quang) Grass Hills
Rolling grass-covered hills that change colour with the season. From May to October the slopes are lush green and often draped in a morning sea of clouds; from October to January the grass turns a fiery orange-yellow – locals call it the "burnt grass season." A short 15-minute walk uphill reaches a 360-degree panorama.
Doc Lap/Na Tau Waterfall
A small jungle waterfall with a deep plunge pool, perfect for a quick swim before the final ride into Cao Bang City. Bring swimwear.
Arrive at Cao Bang City
Say goodbye to your group, your guide and your Easy Rider.
Tour ends in Cao Bang City
Onward transfers to Ha Giang, Sapa, Hanoi, or Cat Ba available on request (not included in the base price).
Detailed Itinerary
Bus Transfer to Ha Giang: Pickup from Hanoi, Ha Long, Ninh Binh, or Cat Ba to Ha Giang City. Available on request – not included in the base price
Local breakfast and check out: Start with banh cuon Ha Giang, steamed rice rolls dipped in warm bone broth, a regional specialty you won't find done quite this way anywhere else
Quan Ba Heaven Gate and Twin Mountain
Lonely Tree and Can Ty Slope: Two short photo stops. Quick legs-stretch and fresh mountain air before the next leg
Lunch in Yen Minh: A quiet pine-fringed town between two stretches of karst mountain. Refuel here
Sao Ha Village
Tham Ma Pass
Vu Family Mansion (H’mong King Palace)
Includes
- Motorbike with experienced Easy Rider, or self-drive option (based on your booking choice and valid licence)
- 5 breakfasts and 9 main meals
- 4 nights of accommodation – 2 nights in Dong Van at Serenity Bungalow, 1 night in Bao Lac homestay, 1 night at a homestay near Ban Gioc Waterfall
- English-speaking local guide for the full tour
- All entrance fees to attractions on the itinerary
- Boat tickets on the Nho Que River
- Bamboo raft tickets at Ban Gioc Waterfall
Excludes
- Bus or private transfer from Hanoi, Ha Long, Ninh Binh, Cat Ba, or Sapa to Ha Giang (available on request, quoted separately)
- Onward transfer from Cao Bang City after the tour (available on request)
- Drinks beyond water at meals (soft drinks, beer, etc.)
- Tips for your guide and Easy Rider (appreciated, not required)
- Personal expenses, fees for flower photos with local farmers
- Travel insurance
Important information
Meeting point
HAI TRINH XANH COMPANY LIMITED sends the meeting point and time by email as soon as the booking is confirmed.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts