Essential
Ha Giang Loop 7 Days 6 Nights: Ha Giang & Cao Bang by Private Car
Ha Giang & Cao Bang by Private Car — 7 days, day by day
Day 1 · Ha Giang → Quan Ba Heaven's Gate → Yen Minh → Tham Ma Pass → H'mong King's Palace → Dong Van
Easy · ~150 km by car
Morning
- 08:00 meet your guide and driver at Ali Hostel, Ha Giang City.
- 08:30 departure.
- Stop at the Km0 marker, climb the Bac Sum Pass, then take in the plateau from Quan Ba Heaven's Gate above the Fairy Bosom Hills.
Noon
- Lunch in Yen Minh.
Afternoon
- Wind down the switchbacks of the Tham Ma Pass and visit the H'mong King's Palace in Sa Phin, the mansion of the Vuong family who once ruled these highlands.
Evening
- Arrive in Dong Van, check in to your private en-suite room.
- Dinner is a black-chicken hotpot, then a stroll through the lantern-lit old town.
Day 2 · Dong Van → Lung Cu Flagpole → Lo Lo Chai → Ma Pi Leng Pass → Nho Que River boat → Meo Vac
Easy–Moderate · ~120 km · boat 60–75 min · stone steps at Lung Cu
Morning
- Drive north to the Lung Cu Flagpole, climb the stone steps to Vietnam's northernmost viewpoint, then walk through Lo Lo Chai, a Black Lo Lo village of rammed-earth houses and mossy stone walls.
Noon
- Lunch in Dong Van, then onto the Ma Pi Leng Pass, cut into the cliff high above the deepest canyon in Southeast Asia.
Afternoon
- Board a boat on the jade-green Nho Que River into the Tu San Canyon, walls rising straight up on both sides.
- Back on the pass, stop at the viewpoints to see the same canyon from above.
Evening
- Check in to your private en-suite room in Meo Vac.
- Dinner: sturgeon hotpot.
Day 3 · Meo Vac → M-shaped bend → Ngoc Long stream → Du Gia (waterfall swim)
Easy · ~90 km · ~300 m stone path down to the falls · bring swimwear
Morning
- Photo stop at the famous M-shaped bend, then through Mau Due to the clear Ban Ang stream in Ngoc Long for a break.
Noon
- Lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon
- Turn into the Du Gia valley, home of the Tay people and their wooden stilt houses.
- After check-in, head out to Du Gia Waterfall: a pool deep enough to swim in after three days on the rock.
Evening
- Home-cooked dinner with a Tay family — sticky rice, garden vegetables, braised pork.
Day 4 · Du Gia → Bac Me lake → Bao Lam → Bao Lac (into Cao Bang)
Moderate · ~165 km — long driving day · regular stops every 1.5–2 hours
Morning
- 06:30 early start: this is a travel day on a road very few visitors ever see.
- Follow the Bac Me reservoir and the Gam River between steep green walls.
Noon
- Lunch in Bao Lam, the first town in Cao Bang province.
Afternoon
- Continue along Highway 34 to Bao Lac, a market town ringed by mountains, then to Khuoi Khon, a Black Lo Lo village of traditional stilt houses under the forest.
Evening
- Dinner with your Lo Lo host family.
- Early night.
Day 5 · Bao Lac → Khau Coc Cha Pass → Pac Bo → Angel Eye Mountain → Cao Bang City
Moderate · ~210 km — longest day of the trip · ~1.5 km flat paved walk at Pac Bo — Easy · ~800 m grass path to Angel Eye Mountain — Easy
Morning
- 06:30 start for the Khau Coc Cha Pass, hairpin bends stacked like a ribbon down the mountainside, rarely included in standard tours.
Noon
- Lunch in Ha Quang, then the Pac Bo Historical Site: Coc Bo Cave and the jade-green Lenin Stream below Karl Marx Peak.
Afternoon
- Angel Eye Mountain, a limestone peak pierced by a round natural window, standing over the grassland of the Thang Hen lakes.
Evening
- Check in to your private en-suite room in Cao Bang City.
- Dinner: Cao Bang's famous seven-flavour roast duck.
Day 6 · Cao Bang → Phja Thap incense village → Ngoc Con rice valley → Ban Gioc Waterfall
Easy · ~100 km
Morning
- Visit Phja Thap incense village, where Nung An families hand-make incense from natural bark and leaves and dry it in bright red fans across the yards.
Noon
- Lunch on the way to Trung Khanh.
Afternoon
- Drive through Ngoc Con, a rice valley along the jade Quay Son River, then reach Ban Gioc Waterfall in the late afternoon, when the light is soft and the day-trippers have gone.
Evening
- Stay in Khuoi Ky, a Tay village of houses built entirely from stone.
- Home-cooked dinner.
Day 7 · Ban Gioc boat ride → Nguom Ngao Cave → Cao Bang City (lunch) → end
Easy · ~95 km · ~1 km lit, paved walk in the cave — Easy
Morning
- Back at Ban Gioc at the quietest hour.
- A bamboo boat takes you right up to the foot of the falls, the only angle that shows all three tiers at once.
- Then explore Nguom Ngao Cave, nearly 3 km of lit limestone chambers.
Noon
- Drive to Cao Bang City for a farewell lunch.
Afternoon
- Program ends in Cao Bang City around 14:00. Daily sleeper buses run to Ha Noi (~7 hours); we are happy to book one for you.
Where you sleep
- Night 1 — Dong Van · Dong Van — private en-suite room, hot shower
- Night 2 — Da Nho Homestay, Meo Vac · Meo Vac — private en-suite room
- Night 3 — Pachidua Ecolodge, Du Gia · Du Gia — private en-suite room
- Night 4 — Khuoi Khon Homestay, Bao Lac · Khuoi Khon, Bao Lac — private en-suite room
- Night 5 — Cao Bang City · Cao Bang City — private en-suite room
- Night 6 — Yen Nhi Homestay, Khuoi Ky stone village · Khuoi Ky stone village, Dam Thuy — private en-suite room
Why riders pick this one
- One way from Ha Giang to Ban Gioc, never twice down the same road
- Private car with driver and an English-speaking guide all the way
- Ban Gioc Waterfall twice: at sunset, then at dawn from a bamboo boat
- Boat through the Tu San Canyon and a swim at Du Gia waterfall
- Private en-suite room every night, in villages rather than towns
- Border-area permits for both provinces already inside the price
What is included
- 6 nights — private en-suite rooms (Dong Van · Meo Vac · Du Gia · Khuoi Khon · Cao Bang City · Khuoi Ky)
- Meals as per itinerary: 6× breakfast · 7× lunch · 6× dinner
- Private car with driver for the whole route, fuel included
- English-speaking local guide for the whole route
- Border-area permit for Ha Giang and Cao Bang — filed and paid by us
- Entrance fees and boats: H'mong King's Palace · Lung Cu Flagpole · Nho Que River boat · Ban Gioc Waterfall · Ban Gioc bamboo boat
- Drinking water every day
- Travel insurance for every guest
- VAT 8%, already inside the price
Not included
- Transport to Ha Giang at the start and onward transport from Cao Bang City at the end
- Drinks with meals, shopping, personal expenses
- Tips for guide / driver / homestay hosts
Read before you ride
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