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Pu Luong Nature Reserve is an area of outstanding beauty, cultural interest and high biodiversity stretching from Mai Chau in the north-west to Cuc Phuong National Park in the south-east. The region is blessed with rich forests, limestone panoramas, magnificent rice terraces and breath-taking scenery. On this 3-day trek through Pu Luong Nature Reserve you can experience the everyday life and culture of Thai and Muong ethnic minorities and spend your nights with friendly locals.
Your guide will collect you at your hotel in Hanoi after breakfast and we’ll depart for Hoa Binh Province, which lies just 80km west of Hanoi. On the way we’ll make a stop at a local market before continuing towards Mai Chau Valley and stopping in the village of Pom Coong for a bit of rest and lunch in a typical Thai house built on stilts.
After lunch, we’ll go for a hike through the Pu Luong Reserve, walking amidst rice fields and mountains, and crossing small villages where we’ll get to see the traditional daily life of the locals all around us in this natural paradise. You’ll get an even closer look at this when we have dinner and spend the night with a local family in one of the Thai stilt houses.
Pu Luong National Reserve
Meal: Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Thai stilt house
On the second day we have an optional activity for those that don’t mind rising early. If you get up before sunrise, you can enjoy watching it ascend over the mountain tops, as local farmers hustle around doing their early morning activities. You can even join in for a little while to get a true taste for rural Vietnamese life.
Whether you participate in this or not, you’ll enjoy breakfast made by the local Thai people you’re staying with, before starting the 5-6 hours of trekking we have planned for you. The first stretch is the hardest, containing some steep climbs and exciting river crossings, but you will be well rewarded as the next stretch is easier, and you’ll get to see absolutely stunning views of the valley and rice terraces, rainforests and streams within from your high vantage point.
A picnic lunch will be served when you reach Hin Village, before continuing on to Hieu Village, considered by many to be the most aesthetically beautiful rural village in all of Vietnam.
Finally we’ll reach Kho Muong village, where you can spend your time freely, either by strolling around the village and talking to locals, or relaxing in the eco homestay set up by FFI (Flora and Fauna International) in conjunction with the local communities. The total trekking you will have done to get here is around 12-15 kilometres.
At night you’ll have time to drink and socialize with the friendly locals amidst the tranquil ambiance of Kho Muong, before turning in for the night in a traditional Thai style stilt house.
Trek to Kho Muong Village
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Traditional Thai stilt house
For your final day it’s time for another 3 hours of trekking, or around 5 to 7 kilometres. Starting with a nice easy stretch, giving you a chance to relax and connect with your surroundings, as well as warming you up for the challenges ahead.
After a short rest in Ban Hieu Village, you’ll conquer some steep climbs and even more thrilling river crossings, before the valley opens up into fantastic views from your elevated position. Once you’ve spent enough time to enjoy these sights, we’ll move on to Pho Doan Village.
Here we’ll take some more time to rest, before heading to the main road where your driver will be waiting to take you back to Hanoi. We’ll stop for lunch along the way, and you’ll arrive at your hotel in Hanoi in the late afternoon.
A village in Mai Chau
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: N/A
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