Vietnam: Caves, Conservation, Culture

6 September 2023 - 13 days for £3,229

Discover a different side of Vietnam in this wide-ranging tour that covers geology, stunning landscapes, animal conservation and history. Starting off in Hanoi with stays in Cuc Phuong National Park, sailing down a river in the Ninh Binh valley, cruising the Halong Bay and trekking to the famous Hang Tien cave. Finishing in Hue, the ancient capital of Vietnam. 

Experience tropical jungles, limestone caves, blissful villages and amazing feats of underground engineering. Immerse yourself in local culture and sample Vietnamese cuisine, ranging from street food to dining like royalty. A real treat for the senses in this highly stimulating country.

In partnership with Intrepid Travel

DAY 1: ARRIVE INTO HANOI

Welcome to Vietnam! Check into La Siesta Premium Hang Be Hotel. Hanoi is famous for its beautiful lakes, shaded boulevards, verdant public parks and its thriving Old Quarter. The latter is a veritable architectural museum piece, with blocks of ochre buildings retaining the air of a 1930s provincial French town. In the evening, you will have a welcome dinner at the hotel with fellow guests where the tour leader will brief you on the tour ahead.

DAY 2: CUC PHUONG NATIONAL PARK

After enjoying breakfast at the hotel, you will head to Cuc Phuong National Park. It takes about 3-hours drive to get there. Upon our arrival, you will visit the Endangered Primates Rescue Centre. Here, they focus on the conservation of the gibbons and langur. You will have a chance to see how the staff feed them in captivity and semi-wild areas of primary forest. Then how their behaviour is studied in semi-wild conditions, and they are prepared for full release into the wild.

After checking into the Cuc Phuong Resort, you will transfer by car to the Save Vietnam Center to meet conservation staff and observe how they protect and feed pangolins, civets and otters. This rescue centre is one part of the worldwide effort to save endangered primates from extinction through poaching and loss of habitat. The entry fee (included in the tour price) helps fund their work which includes rehabilitation, reintroduction, research and conservation education. This is followed by a late dinner just inside the national park’s gates.

DAY 3: ENDANGERED PRIMATES AND STUNNING LANDSCAPE OF NINH BINH 

After waking to the sounds of the jungle you will take a short guided trek in the forest, then drive to Ninh Binh town. You will take lunch in a traditional Vietnamese restaurant, then transfer to Tam Coc pier where you will take a boat up the river. Whilst gliding along the river among the rice paddies and karst limestone mountains, you will visit the Tam Coc grottoes. Part of an exquisite cave system with ceilings just 2m high, eroded through the limestone hills.

In the late afternoon, when it’s a little cooler, you will visit the misnamed Mua Cave whose main attraction it two karst mountains with 500 steps each that afford amazing views of the Ninh Binh landscape of beautiful, forested limestone pillars, calm river, pristine rice fields and local villages.

Overnight you will stay at the luxurious Tam Coc La Montagne Resort & Spa.

DAY 4: CRUISING HALONG BAY

In the morning transfer to Halong City wharf, where your cruise will begin at midday aboard the small but luxurious Athena Luxury Cruise ship. A delicious lunch will be served as you slowly cruise through this Halong Bay, characterized by thousands of towering limestone islands rising dramatically out of the sea.

It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994 and according to geologists, the Halong Bay you see now has been in the making for 300 million years. Centuries of erosion from the rain and sea have shaped the karsts, valleys and caves that make this incredible landscape.

Mid-afternoon head to the Vung Vieng fishing village by local rowing boats or kayaks to explore the interesting daily lives of its inhabitants. In the evening you will experience a Vietnamese cuisine cooking demonstration served in the main dining room. Evenings are beautiful on Halong Bay, and just because the sun goes down, it doesn’t mean the night is over. Relax on the top deck and take in the transformation of the bay.

DAY 5: CRUISE TO THEN EXPLORE THE OLD QUARTER OF HANOI

The best time to observe Halong Bay is in the early morning. Tai Chi will be conducted on the upper deck and is a terrific way to feel as one with the peaceful surroundings. After breakfast enjoy visiting the Thien Canh Son cave, strewn with stalactites and stalagmites. Located in the quieter end of Bai Tu Long Bay, the cave is one of the most stunning of 59 in the bay, with its distinctive geomorphology strewn with stalactites and stalagmites.

After a delicious brunch and farewell from the crew, you will be transported back to Hanoi and check in again to the La Siesta Premium Hang Be Hotel. 

In the evening, you will take a guided walk through the Old Quarter and then stop at the local restaurant for ‘Bún Chả’, Hanoi’s specialty. Your last journey of the day will be along the Hanoi railway tracks. Where houses are often located just meters away from the tracks yet still retain their beauty. After a long day, you will finish with evening beers at famous Bia Hoi Corner for a local freshly brewed beer.

DAY 6: HANOI TO DONG HOI

This morning, you will meet your guide around 7am and head towards Hoan Kiem Lake. It is a cultural thing in Vietnam to wake up very early and start the morning with some exercise and you will see several groups of people practicing tai chi and aerobics. Be part of Vietnam and join the locals in their morning routine! 

After visiting the Ngoc Son Temple, located in the middle of the Hoan Kiem Lake, you will try Vietnam’s traditional local coffee and street food. Later, you will get deep into Hanoi’s Old Quarter with a walking tour where you will be able to witness the French architecture in different Vietnamese buildings. Including St. Joseph Cathedral and Hoa Lo Prison. To finish your morning, Huu Tiep Lake, better known as ‘B-52 lake’, where US B-52 bomber wreckage can be seen.

You will then take a short flight to Dong Hoi on the north coast, followed by a short drive to the Phong Nha Lake House Resort. The area is renowned for its enormous caves, karsts and jungle clad mountains leading to an extraordinary ambiance.

DAY 7: TREK TO THE HANG TIEN CAVE

After a very early morning pick-up, you will head an hour and a half to Tan Hoa, located 70 km from Phong Nha. The drive is beautiful, passing alongside jungle, fields and over the historic Da Deo Pass. You will have the choice of two enjoyable treks, depending on your level of ability.

Your first choice is to Hang Tien which is actually two gigantic caves, one of which is over 3km long. Marvel at the unusual formations such as astonishing layers of rock and stalagmites that look like terraced rice fields, giving the caves an otherworldly feel.

Jungle trekking equipment will be supplied including jungle boots, water bottles, lights and helmets. You will then take a drive to the trailhead, where the trek begins with a hike through the forest. The last kilometer before the cave is very rocky with many boulders, as if the cave terrain has spilled out onto the landscape in front of it. You’ll enjoy a BBQ feast, before entering the spectacular cave. 

On your way back, take a dip in the natural jungle swimming pool and have a coffee, a quick swim, before making your return journey. Overall, there is 8 kilometres of trekking, 1.5 kilometres in the caves and 300 metres of elevation gain on steep rocky ascents. You will be assisted all the way by trek guides.

Should you want a less -strenuous trek, the second option is to the Tu Lan cave system. The trek starts after the briefing with a flat path past peanut fields and grazing buffalo and cows. A river crossing leads to a 60m rocky uphill section. Here you will visit Little Rat Cave with numerous unique challenges and opportunities to capture wonderful photos await. Pass through the cave exit and drop downhill into the Rat Waterfall, where you will have lunch, and lots of time to swim in the wilderness.

After lunch, trek back along the river and pass over a short climb to explore Rat Cave, a small but beautiful cave. Exit Rat Cave and back over the buffalo fields to the office where a cold drink awaits.

After your chosen trek. Take a quick shower in Tan Hoa, then back to Phong Nha for a well-earned rest after this amazing day.

DAY 8: KEY SITES OF THE VIETNAM WAR

The day starts with the Vinh Moc tunnel complex that sheltered sixty families from intensive bombing in the Vietnam war without any loss of life. Be guided through the tunnels and gain insight into this feat of engineering and human resilience.

Then onto the Hien Luong Bridge over the Ben Hai River in the middle of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). The river that was the only true physical demarcation between North and South Vietnam during Vietnam War (the 17th Parallel).

After midday, you will visit the Old Citadel at Quang Tri. A military bastion and an administrative head office of Nguyen Dynasty in Quang Tri Province from 1809 to 1945. In 1972 the Citadel came under intense attack from American forces for 81 days but managed to remain in Vietnamese hands.

After lunch near the Citadel transfer to Hue and check into the Pilgrimage Village Hotel for two nights.

DAY 9: DISCOVER HUE THE AUTHENTIC WAY

Hue is the ancient capital, a centre of arts and religion in Vietnam, plus a significant battlefield of the Vietnam War. Today, you will get a taste of what real life is like in Hue. With our guides who have grown up here, learn about Hue through the eyes of a real local. Hear stories of their childhood, through the war and their families. If available, you will receive a blessing from the monks at Thien Mu, travel along the calming Perfume River by Boat, see and experience the famous bronze factories of Phuong Duc, have a local lunch by the walls of the citadel, learn about the Imperial City and it's secrets before ending the tour with a visit to the home of descendants of the Royal Court. 

One of the city’s most famous culinary experiences is the Royal Dinner. You will have a unique experience where you will have a private audience with a descendant of the last royal family of Vietnam, in her own home. Spend time learning about her family’s past and taste the authentic dishes that were once served to royalty. A huge step away from the well-known street food culture of Vietnam, not only taste some special dishes but have the perfect dinner host for the occasion. 

DAY 10: LANG CO LAGOON AND HOI AN

Today you will travel to Hoi An via the Lang Co lagoon, anidyllic panorama of water overlooked by the Annamite Cordillera mountains covered by jungle. Also known as Heaven’s Door, the mountains form an important tropical rainforest with rare species such as the Annamite rabbit, the antelope-like saola and the douc langur.

Upon arrival in Hoi An, you will check into the Anantara Hoi An Resort for two nights, then explore this World Heritage Site on a guided walking tour. Hoi An was a major international trading port during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Today, parts of the beautifully preserved town retain the feel of centuries past.

DAY 11: A DAY AT LEISURE IN HOI AN

Today is a free day to relax in the lush gardens of the resort or explore historic Hoi An. The tour leader will have suggestions and will also be able to make arrangements for you. 

DAY 12: BACK TO HANOI

After breakfast, you will take a short flight back to Hanoi. Upon arrival, you will check back into La Siesta Premium Hotel and have the rest of the day free to hang round the Old Quarter and enjoy more local specialties. As always, the leader will be able to suggest things to do for you.

DAY 13: DEPART HANOI

After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll say goodbye to Hanoi and Vietnam. yOU will take you to the airport for your flight back home.