Tour with
Private Room
$205 /person
- Private room for 1–3 guests
- Full in-room amenities for a comfortable stay
- Ideal for couples, friends & small groups
The gold-terrace season in the west of Ha Giang, away from the stone plateau, with grasslands, waterfalls and quiet villages most travelers never reach.
Overview
Three days in the west of Ha Giang, a softer, greener world than the stone plateau of the loop. In September and October the terraces of Hoang Su Phi ripen into sheets of gold, waterfalls run white through the valleys, and the whole landscape slows to the rhythm of the harvest.
You ride past the meadows of Suoi Thau, walk the golden fields of Ban Phung and Ta Su Choong, try your hand at catching carp in the paddies, and sleep in private rooms with La Chi and Red Dao families. It's a quieter, more rural Ha Giang, in a group of no more than ten with a local guide who knows the season by heart.
Please contact us if you prefer to travel by car or Jeep.
Itinerary
Here's how the three days run, timed around the light and the harvest so you see the terraces at their best.
The golden rice depends on the weather and the harvest, so the exact fields and timing can shift a little. Your guide always adjusts for the best views and a safe, comfortable day.
Overnight sleeper bus transfer from Hanoi and early-morning rest before the mountain journey begins.
Sleeper bus pickup from Hanoi
Board the sleeper bus from Hanoi and begin the overnight transfer toward Ha Giang. Pickup can be arranged from Hanoi or other northern provinces depending on the final booking route.
Arrive at Km60 on National Road 2
Get off at Km60 on National Road 2 and check in at a hotel to rest until morning. This short rest helps you begin the first day feeling more comfortable and ready for the western Ha Giang route.
Mountain passes, waterfalls, Suoi Thau Grassland, La Chi culture, and the golden terraces of Ban Phung.
Wake up and prepare
Freshen up and prepare your luggage for the journey. At 7:30 AM, your guide meets the group. For the motorbike option, guests receive the motorbikes, arrange two people per bike, and secure luggage for the route.
Breakfast and Deo Gio Pass
Have breakfast on the road and begin the ride toward Xin Man. Stop at Deo Gio Pass for mountain views and the feeling of entering Ha Giang's fertile western highlands.
Thac Tien Waterfall
Visit Thac Tien, a beautiful waterfall surrounded by fresh mountain scenery. The white water and forested setting bring a soft, cooling contrast to the golden fields of the season.
Morning rice views, Hoang Su Phi Km 0, Ta Su Choong terraces, Thong Nguyen waterfall, and Red Dao hospitality.
Breakfast with rice terrace views
Wake up, freshen up, and have breakfast while looking over the golden terraced fields around Ban Phung.
Vinh Quang Town and Hoang Su Phi Km 0
Depart for Vinh Quang Town and check in at Km 0 of Hoang Su Phi, a simple but meaningful marker for the district's mountain routes.
Ta Su Choong golden terraces
Continue to Ta Su Choong to admire the ripe rice fields spreading across layered terraces. This area gives you wide views of the harvest landscape and a strong sense of the farming rhythm that shapes Hoang Su Phi.
Sunrise clouds, Nam Khoa terraces, the Mam Xoi viewpoint, and the return sleeper bus to Hanoi.
Optional sunrise and cloud-hunting
Guests who wake early may enjoy sunrise and cloud views right from the front of the room, depending on weather conditions.
Breakfast and departure
Freshen up, have breakfast, and depart around 8:00 AM for the final day of the journey.
Local market, if traveling on Sunday
If the route falls on a Sunday, visit the local market for a glimpse of highland trading life, local food, and ethnic communities gathering from surrounding villages.
PRICE INCLUSIONS
Rates & room options
Both options share the same itinerary, the same local riders and the same attention to safety. The difference is simply where you rest at night.
Tour with
Private Room
$205 /person
Tour with
Dorm
$190 /person
THE SERENITY DIFFERENCE
This is the green, western half of the province, all rice terraces and open meadows rather than the stone plateau of the loop. If you've done Dong Van already, this feels like a whole new place.
You stay with La Chi and Red Dao families, walk the paddies and try catching carp in the fields, so the trip is as much about the people and the land as the views.
Some of Hoang Su Phi’s most beautiful corners are best reached on foot. Walk through rice terraces, village paths and quiet mountain valleys, getting closer to the landscape along the way.
We run this route in September and October, the short window when the terraces of Hoang Su Phi ripen into gold and the valleys are at their most beautiful.
STAYS & MEALS
You sleep close to the route every night, in warm, local places we know well and eat well in. Both a private room and a dorm bed are available on every night of the tour.
Your first night sits high above the valley, with terraced fields dropping away in layer after layer below the balcony. Wake up early and the whole hillside glows gold in the first light, about as close to the harvest as you can sleep.
Thong Nguyen is a Red Dao village of fewer than a hundred households, where the morning often starts with cloud drifting right over the homestay. Soak in a Dao herbal leaf bath, walk out to the paddies and hills, and try catching fish with your hosts, an easy way to fall into the rhythm of local life.
Dinners are cooked in the house and shared around the table with your hosts: black chicken hotpot, wild mountain greens, smoked pork from the kitchen rafters, and whatever the season brings, warm and homely after a day in the fields.
Traveller stories
A few honest impressions from guests who've done this trip.
"Doing the Ha Giang Loop with Serenity was an incredible experience"
Gabbi
"It was one of the best experiences in my life"
Gulia
"It've been a lovely experience"
Joel
"Ha Giang Loop with Serenity was amazing"
Nico
"I've been having a really awesome time"
Samuel
"We loved it because people were so kind"
Sarah
01 / 06
Start planning
Share your travel dates and group size. A local planner confirms availability, pick-up point and the right plan for your group.
Plan with a local
Tell us your dates, pace and interests. A local planner will help shape the route around you.
Message sent
A local planner will get back to you by email. Your reference:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The landscape changes throughout the year. Summer brings green terraces across the mountains, while September and early October usually bring the golden rice season. Outside these months, you’ll see a quieter landscape shaped by planting, harvesting and everyday farming life.
Very much so. The Ha Giang Loop is known for dramatic mountain passes, limestone peaks and long days on the road. Hoang Su Phi feels greener, quieter and more rural, with terraced fields spreading across the mountainsides and villages tucked between forests and farmland. If you have already done the Loop, this is a very different side of Ha Giang.
The route is planned around the September and October harvest, with time in Suoi Thau, Ban Phung, Ta Su Choong and Thong Nguyen. Small adjustments may be possible for private bookings, while the guide may change stops according to the harvest, weather and road conditions.
Expect an active three days rather than a difficult expedition. Mountain roads can be narrow and winding, and some places are best explored on foot. You should be comfortable spending time outdoors, walking on uneven paths and dealing with weather that can change quickly in the mountains.
No previous trekking experience is necessary. The walks are about getting closer to the landscape and village life rather than testing how fast or far you can hike. Good shoes and a reasonable level of fitness will make the experience more comfortable.
Yes. The terraces are part of the landscape all year, but they look very different from season to season. Green rice fields, golden terraces, freshly harvested slopes and the reflective water season each have their own character. We prefer being clear about what you can expect rather than promising golden fields throughout the year.
Continue exploring the north
POPULAR TOUR
Ride the famous passes, then turn off to quiet H'mong villages like Sao Ha, with a Nho Que boat ride and local riders the whole way.
POPULAR TOUR
A slower, deeper ride through Ha Giang, pairing Ma Pi Leng and Lung Cu with the streams, caves and craft villages most tours skip.
In-depth Tour
The full sweep of the northeast in one ride, from the passes of Ha Giang to the waterfalls and hidden valleys of Cao Bang.
Popular Tour
Follow Cao Bang from the history of Pac Bo to working craft villages, Ban Gioc Waterfall and a sunset walk through Ngoc Con Valley.
Popular Tour
Ride from craft villages and grass hills to Nguom Ngao Cave, Ban Gioc Waterfall and a night in Khuoi Ky Stone Village.
01 / 05