Hanoi, Xuan Son National Park Trekking

Our local guide will meet you on arrival at Noi Bai International Airport and transfer you to your hotel for check-in. You then visit Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. Hoan Kiem Lake was already regarded as the most beautiful lake in Hanoi when Ngoc Son Temple was built on an island in the lake in the 19th century. The temple was first called Ngoc Son Pagoda and was later renamed Ngoc Son Temple, as temples are dedicated to saints. Saint Van Xuong, regarded as one of the leading figures in Vietnam's literary and intellectual history, was worshipped there along with other national heroes. Overnight at a hotel in Hanoi.

After breakfast, our guide and vehicle pick you up in Hanoi for the 100 km drive to Xuan Son National Park, by way of the well-known Hung Kings Temple in Phu Tho Province. After about 2.5 hours, we arrive at the main gate of the park, meet our local escort and start trekking on a rough, narrow path to Du Village. A boxed lunch is served on the way. The route passes terraced paddy fields and green palm forests. Du Village is home to the Dzao ethnic minority and is also the administrative station of the national park. After 4 km of trekking, we reach Du Village and check in to our homestay. The houses here are stilt houses built in the traditional style. You have the chance to talk with village elders about their daily life and work, such as going into the forest to collect firewood, wild fruit and vegetables. The rest of the day is free to walk around the village and take photographs. You can watch local women cook their traditional dinner, and our own dinner of chicken, bamboo shoots and wild vegetables from the forest, served with rice wine. Overnight in a Dzao stilt house in Xuan Son National Park. Activity: 4 km of trekking on a rough path.

Xuan Son National Park: trek to Ten Mountain. Early in the morning, our local hosts prepare a packed meal of Dao dishes, such as sticky rice cakes. After a light breakfast, we pack our food and drinks for a demanding day of trekking up Ten Mountain (1,000 m above sea level), the highest peak in Xuan Son National Park. You need warm clothing and leech repellent before setting out. The trail through the forest is rough and steep. From the forested summit, there are wide views over the surrounding area. We have a packed lunch at the summit and rest. The way down is easier and quicker than the climb. We descend slowly and walk back to Du Village, home of the Dzao people, for another night. The day involves about 8 hours of trekking in total and is tiring, and in the evening our local hosts serve a traditional dinner prepared in their kitchen. You sleep in a local stilt house to rest for the next long day of trekking. Overnight in Xuan Son National Park. Activity: 8 hours of trekking on jungle trails.

Xuan Son National Park: trek to Coi Hamlet. Early in the morning, after a light breakfast at the homestay, we leave the village for Coi Hamlet, the most remote settlement in the park, in a limestone valley. It is home to the Muong ethnic minority. A 7 km trek on jungle paths brings us to Coi Hamlet, where we rest before our local escorts take us to Coi Cave. We follow a clear stream into the cave to see its stalactites and reach a natural pool, where you can swim. We then walk back to Coi Hamlet for lunch prepared by the Muong people. In the afternoon, we leave Coi Hamlet and transfer to Hanoi. Overnight at a hotel in Hanoi. Activity: 7 km of trekking on jungle paths.

This morning you tour Hanoi, visiting the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (closed on Mondays and Fridays and for the whole of September and October), his former residence and the House on Stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, and the Temple of Literature, known as the first university of Vietnam and built more than 1,000 years ago. Lunch is served at a local restaurant. Note: when the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed, on Mondays and Fridays and throughout September and October, we visit Tran Quoc Pagoda instead. After lunch, you transfer to Noi Bai International Airport for your international flight home. We hope you enjoyed your holiday with us.