Cao Bang to Ba Be Lake 4D3N

We pick you up from your Old Quarter hotel anytime between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM depending on that day's bus schedule. The bus takes around 6 hours. You arrive in Cao Bang late and check into a city hotel for a proper sleep before the tour begins. Note: Departures from Sapa, Ha Giang, Ninh Binh, and Cat Ba are also available on request.

History, hanging valley, and Angel Eye Mountain trekking. Around 120 km of riding with at least 5 breaks.

1. 7:30

   Office briefing and route introduction

   Meet your guide and Easy Rider at our office in Cao Bang City. Safety briefing, gear check, and a run-through of the day's stops.

2. 8:00

   Local breakfast

3. 8:30

   Pac Bo Historical Site

   A Special National Relic Site of Vietnam and one of the most important historical places in the country. On 28 January 1941, after 30 years abroad, Ho Chi Minh secretly crossed the Chinese border and chose this remote cave – called Coc Bo, meaning "headwaters" in the Nung language – as the first base of the Vietnamese revolution.

   View a larger photo of Pac Bo Historical Site
4. 12:00

   Lunch at Pac Bo village

5. 13:30

   Lung Luong Hanging Valley

   A wide hanging valley with dramatic karst formations dating back roughly 300 million years – a natural classroom in Cao Bang's geological history. The viewpoint is fresh, quiet, and far less travelled than most stops on this route. Pure fresh air and a chance to feel the scale of these mountains.

6. 13:45

   Ride to Angel Eye Mountain

7. 15;15

   Angel Eye Mountain trekking

   A natural circular hole about 50m wide pierces straight through this limestone tower, framing the sky like a giant eye. Geologists believe it was formed by tectonic uplift over hundreds of millions of years. The Tay called it Phja Piot – "mountain with a hole" – and it was listed as a National Scenic Landscape in 2021.

   View a larger photo of Angel Eye Mountain trekking
8. 16:30

   Ride to Phia Thap Incense Village

9. 17:00

   Hot shower, relaxing, dinner

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The cultural heart of the trip. Around 120 km of riding with at least 6 breaks.

1. 7:30

   Breakfast at the homestay

2. 8:00

   Phia Thap Incense Village walkabout

   A Nung An ethnic village where around 50 families have been making incense entirely by hand for generations. Everything is natural – bamboo, tree bark, sawdust, and wild bau hat leaves used as glue. The craft has been recognised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Vietnam. Incense sticks are central to the worship culture of Tay and Nung communities across the Northern provinces – this is a chance to see where they actually come from.

   View a larger photo of Phia Thap Incense Village walkabout
3. 8:30

   Dia Tren Paper Village

   A Nung An traditional papermaking village where the craft has been passed down for hundreds of years. The ivory-white, durable paper is used in daily life and traditional ceremonies, and is made entirely from tree bark soaked, pounded, and coated by hand. The link between paper and incense isn't accidental – the two crafts have been intertwined in Tay-Nung ritual culture for centuries. \

4. 9:30

   Yin-Yang Tile Village

   A specialist Nung village where artisans use four different types of clay to craft yin-yang tiles, also called trough tiles. These are the same tiles that have covered Tay and Nung traditional rooftops for thousands of years – a craft that's almost vanished elsewhere in Vietnam.

5. 11:15

   Early lunch in Quang Uyen town

   Heads up: We eat early here because after Quang Uyen there are no restaurants – not even grocery shops – for the next stretch. Fuel up.

6. 12:30

   Ba Quang Grass Hill trek

   A short trek to a 360-degree ridge view across rolling grass hills shaped by hundreds of millions of years of limestone formation. In monsoon season (May to October) the slopes are at their lush, deep-green peak – and you'll often see an early-morning sea of clouds drift through the valleys. The kind of view that justifies the climb.

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7. 15:00

   Truc Lam Phat Tich Ban Gioc Pagoda

   Inaugurated on 15 December 2014, this is the first pagoda ever built on Vietnam's northern border – a symbolic site for the country. Built on Phia Nham Mountain just 500m from the waterfall, it offers the best elevated view of Ban Gioc from above. Traditional Vietnamese architecture with ironwood pillars and terracotta tile roofs, plus a 1.5-ton bronze bell tower.

   View a larger photo of Truc Lam Phat Tich Ban Gioc Pagoda
8. 16:30

   Free time around the pagoda

   Quiet walks, photos, and a peaceful view before we move on.

9. 17:30

   Ride to second night accommodation

10. 19:30

    Dinner with the dream team

    Savory, specials, and local. The kind of dinner you remember.

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Heads up: This is the most demanding day of the trip. Around 230 km of riding with at least 10 breaks, crossing three mountain passes. Big day, big rewards.

1. 7:00

   Breakfast at the homestay

2. 7:45

   Nguom Ngao Cave (Second Route)

   A 400-million-year-old limestone cave system, discovered in 1921 and recognised as a National Scenic Spot in 1998. It's part of the UNESCO Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark. We take the new "Second Route" – only opened to visitors since 2022 – which is quieter and more atmospheric than the main path. The route winds past three iconic chambers: the "Four Pillars of Heaven," the coral-and-dragon-boat formations, and the glittering "treasure chamber."

   View a larger photo of Nguom Ngao Cave (Second Route)
3. 10:00

   Ban Gioc Waterfall

   The largest waterfall in Southeast Asia and the 4th-largest cross-border waterfall in the world – 30m tall, 300m wide, sitting on the Vietnam–China border along the Quay Son River. We take a bamboo raft to the foot of the falls – the closest view you can legally get.

   View a larger photo of Ban Gioc Waterfall
4. 11:30

   Lunch at the nearest restaurant

5. 13:00

   Long ride toward Ba Be Lake

   Around 230 km. Three mountain passes ahead – pace yourself.

6. 15:00

   Rest stop in Cao Bang City

   Coffee, snacks, and a proper break before the passes.

7. 16:00

   Tai Ho Sin Pass

   One of the classic crossings between Cao Bang and Bac Kan. Winding, scenic, and a great spot for a photo break.

8. 16:30

   Cao Bac Pass

   A border pass linking Cao Bang and Bac Kan provinces, with sweeping valley views as the road climbs.

9. 17:00

   Gio Pass (tea break)

   The aptly named "Windy Pass" – tea, mountain air, and a chance to stretch tired legs before the final stretch to Ba Be.

10. 19:00

    Arrive at Ba Be accommodation

    A beautiful, quiet village near Ba Be Lake. Hot shower, dinner, and a real rest.

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Rest day. Boat ride, lakeside lunch, and a comfortable ride back to Hanoi.

1. 8:30

   Breakfast at the accommodation

2. 9:00

   Boat tour on Ba Be Lake

   Ba Be Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in Vietnam – over 500 hectares, stretching about 8 km long, sitting at roughly 150m elevation. It was formed approximately 200 million years ago during the Triassic period and is actually a chain of three connected lakes: Pe Lam, Pe Lu, and Pe Leng ("Ba Be" means "three lakes" in the Tay language).

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3. 11:00

   Roam the lake on foot

   Walk through Tay stilt-house villages along the lakeshore. Pure quiet.

4. 11:30

   Lunch with picturesque lake views

5. 13:00

   Limousine transfer to Hanoi

   A private limousine picks you up from the lakeside accommodation and takes you straight to Hanoi. Farewell to Cao Bang, Ba Be, your guide, and the riders.

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