Cao Bang 2D2N Easy Rider Tour Waterfalls and Mountains

Overview

Day by day itinerary

1. 1Hanoi to Cao Bang⌄

   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 sleeper 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.

2. 2Cao Bang City to Khuoi Ky Stone Village⌄

   8:30 AM: Often called the most beautiful pass in Cao Bang. 3.5 km long, 700m above sea level, with seven steep hairpin bends. It's also a UNESCO-recognised geological heritage site - the dark, pillow-shaped basalt rocks here were formed 260 million years ago by underwater volcanoes. A great spot to stretch and take photos.

   9 AM: 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 was recognised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Vietnam. When the village dries the incense in the sun, every surface is covered in red and yellow bundles - one of the most photographed scenes in Northern Vietnam.

   10 AM: The largest hand-forging village in Northern Vietnam. Legend says villagers once made weapons for Nung Tri Cao's army to fight the Song invaders; today around 150 families still forge knives and farming tools the same way. The Nung An blacksmithing craft was recognised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2019. You can watch the forges in action and pick up a hand-forged knife as a souvenir.

   11 AM: A short 700m walk to a 360-degree ridge view of rolling grass hills. From May to October the slopes are deep green and often draped in early-morning sea of clouds; from October to January the grass turns a fiery orange-yellow that locals call the "burnt grass season." Either way, the view is the kind of thing you'll see and stop talking for a minute.

   2:30 PM: 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. The cave is over 2,144m long; the tourist route covers about 1km past three famous sections - the "Four Pillars of Heaven," the coral-and-dragon-boat formations, and the glittering "treasure chamber." Bring a light layer; the cave stays cool year-round.

   Meals: Lunch: 12:30 AM: Lunch at local restaurant · Dinner: 7 PM: Family-style dinner at homestay. Local Tay dishes, home-cooked. · Breakfast: 7 AM: Breakfast at Hotel and meet your team

   Overnight: 4:30 PM: Check-in at Khuoi Ky Stone Village. This Tay ethnic village has stood for more than 400 years.

3. 3Ban Gioc, Pagoda, Lake and Sunset Mountain⌄

   8:30 AM: 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 will take a bamboo raft to the foot of the falls - the closest view you can legally get.

   10 AM: 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 panoramic view of Ban Gioc. Traditional Vietnamese architecture with ironwood pillars and terracotta tile roofs, plus a 1.5-ton bronze bell tower.

   1:30 PM: Stop at Thoong Got, a stunning cascade on the emerald Quay Son River often called 'Little Ban Gioc,' where you'll take in panoramic views of terraced waterfalls framed by limestone peaks and lush green valleys.

   3:30 PM: Sitting at roughly 1,000m elevation, this is part of a cluster of 36 interconnected karst lakes - fed by underground springs, which is why the water stays emerald-green year-round. The main lake is shaped like a bee's tail ("Thang Hen" in the Tay language). It was officially recognised as a national scenic site in 2001.

   4 PM: A natural circular hole - about 50m across and 50m above the lake - pierces straight through this limestone tower. Geologists believe it was formed by tectonic uplift over 300+ million years. The Tay call it Phja Piot ("mountain with a hole"). It was listed as a National Scenic Landscape in 2021. At golden hour the light pours through the "eye" and the cliffs glow - the photo everyone comes for.

   Meals: Lunch: 12:30 AM: Lunch at local restaurant · Breakfast: 7 AM: Breakfast at the homestay

   Overnight: 5 PM: Back to Cao Bang City for your bus to Hanoi (Sapa, Ha Giang, Ninh Binh, Cat Ba or Ha Long if you've requested it)