From Hidden Laos to Hanoi

Bite-sized trip

Itinerary:
Phonsavan (Plain of Jars) - Sam Neua - Vieng Xai- Mai Chau - Hanoi
Duration:
4 days / 3 nights
Price:
From £ 549.- per person (excluding flights)
When to go:
November - May

Take a beautiful rural journey of a million turns, exploring one of the most remote regions of Laos. Next, cross the border into neighbouring Vietnam, where you’ll stay at home with hill tribes, wander between the rice terraces and continue to the tangled, tiny streets of atmospheric Hanoi. Over four days, you’ll travel from the mysterious Plain of Jars to the motorbike swarms and pho stalls of colourful Hanoi, crossing a secluded and beautiful landscape on your way. You can cycle through emerald valleys between karst mountains, visit caves steeped in history and meet a handful of friendly minority tribes.

Day 1 – Plain of jars – Sam Neua

This morning, you’ll be collected from your hotel in Phonsovan by minibus and begin the breezy, beautiful journey to Sam Neua, the capital of Houaphan province and one of the least-visited provinces in Laos. The route is packed with dramatic beauty and often described as “a journey of a million turns”. You’ll arrive in Sam Neua late in the afternoon and spend the night in a simple guesthouse run by friendly locals. While the accommodation here is basic and won’t match Western standards, it’s clean and comfortable and comes with a warm welcome.

Day 2 – Sam Neua – Mai Chau

Today, you’ll be collected from your hotel and transferred to Viengxai, a narrow valley peppered with spectacular limestone peaks and caves. With an audio guide, you’ll visit the cave of Kaysone Phomvihane, one of the Pathet Lao leaders who later became the first prime minister of Lao PDR. During the war, these caves were the headquarters of the Pathet Lao leaders and – incredibly – around 23,000 of their followers.

Afterwards, you’ll continue to the border at Na Meo. Once you’ve crossed over the border, your Vietnamese guide will be waiting on the other side. You will need a Vietnam visa in your passport already as no visa on arrival facility is available at this crossing. You’ll travel through Thanh Hoa province, an isolated region scattered with Muong villages, tumbling rice terraces and limestone peaks. Eventually, you’ll arrive at your homestay in Mai Chau, where you’ll sleep in a traditional stilted house for 2 nights.

Day 3 – Mai Chau

After breakfast, you’ll hop on the back of a motorbike and be whisked off to Pu Luong Nature Reserve, an area of outstanding beauty with rich forest, karst mountains and cascading rice terraces. You’ll stop for lunch at a local Hang village before trekking through the nature reserve. During the trek, you’ll visit a handful of minority villages before returning to Mai Chau.

Day 4 – Mai Chau – Hanoi

This morning you will visit remote villages with your guide to learn more about their customs and culture. You’ll return to your homestay for lunch before beginning the minibus journey to Hanoi, stopping along the way to stretch your legs and buy some local snacks. You’ll arrive in the late afternoon and continue your adventure in Vietnam.