From Hanoi: 3-day Ha Giang Loop - Small group

The minimum time to give the Northern Ha Giang Loop any justness is three days. We call it jokingly ‘hurry, hurry’ to indicate that it would be three quite long days of motorcycling. The tour would still ensure the completion of the full loop with inclusion of Heaven’s Gate, the Highland of Stone, Dong Van, the Ma Pi Leng mountain pass and the backroads of the spectacular inner Ha Giang mountains. There will be no time for lazy sleep-in mornings, and we will be out on the road at 8:30 am each of the days. Possibility to self-drive or to ride pillion (behind guide/driver). If self-driving, we recommend sound prior motorcycling experience Accommodation will be one night in ethnic minority homestay and one night in hotel (choice of doing both nights in homestay) Itinerary The tour may be done clockwise or anti-clockwise around the loop and will depend on driving skills, seasons and market-days. For the tour to include Dong Van or Meo Vac weekly Sunday market it needs to start on a Friday morning. Day 1: Ha Giang – Quan Ba – Du Gia, approx. 120 km drive After some breakfast, we go out on ‘Road of Happiness’ and start driving north out of Ha Giang City. We climb up the Quan Ba mountain pass and enter the Dong Van Geopark and reach the Heaven’s Gate and pass the Fairy Hills. In or around the small town of Tam Son we find our lunch. Thereafter we venture deep into Ha Giang mountains and reach the picturesque village of Du Gia. Here we will stay with an ethnic minority family at their homestay. We will have dinner and breakfast with the family. (Day includes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Day 2: Du Gia – Meo Vac – (Ma Pi Leng) – Dong Van – Lung Cu – Dong Van, approx. 110 to 150 km drive We say thanks to the family of the homestay and head north, passing some of the most magnificent mountain passes you will ever have seen, pass the town of Meo Vac (where we take lunch) and move up the majestic Ma Pi Leng mountain pass before reaching Dong Van, the most northern town in Vietnam. Depending on season (days are very short in December – February) and weather we may continue up to Lung Cu, the most northern point of Vietnam. The Lung Cu Flag Tower can be climbed for stunning views. Back to Dong Van where we take into a hotel or homestay as agreed for the tour. Maybe a Hot Pot for dinner?! (Day includes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Day 3: Dong Van – Sa Phin – Yen Minh – Tam Son – Ha Giang City, approx. 150 km drive After breakfast, we start our journey south. Soon we reach Sa Phin where we find the one-hundred-year-old palace of Vuong Chinh Duc – the King of H’mong people. We go down the Highland of Stone and reach Yen Minh where we take lunch and then climb a mountain pass covered in pine forest and sweeping rice terraces along our drive. Down to the Song La river valley until the road takes us up to Tam Son, over the Quan Ba mountain pass and back to Ha Giang. (Day includes Breakfast, Lunch) end trip about 16:30 at ha giang City.