Located in Hoa Binh province in the northwest of Vietnam about 160km (99 miles) from Hanoi. The 4 hours driving takes you passing wonderful limestone mountains, lush rice paddies, endless sugarcane plantations and small villages. This off-the-path destination offers a wonderful combination of cultural immersion and pleasurable activities. Beautiful and peaceful Maichau is a place where the air is clean and fresh, the woman are skilled from generations of weaving and are naturally beautiful, a place where a simple and slower paced lifestyle is enviable.... a perfect 3 day culture excursion.

 Mai Chau Excursion

Day 1: Hanoi - Mai Chau - Hang Kia village (L/D)

After breakfast we depart Hanoi for Hoa Binh province and the town of Mai Chau. We ride for four hours passing the fields of tapioca and sugar cane as well as rice paddies. After lunch in a traditional stilt house of the Thai people, we ride for one hour to Sa Linh Village to begin our trekking. The verdant and rugged mountain scenery combined with the colorful local population makes this an unforgettable experience. Today we walk along gravel tracks and small paths used by the locals.

In the evening, we visit the Hang Kia village, home of the H'mong Minority people. Here we stay overnight as the guests of an H'mong family in a traditional long house, situated in a picturesque valley of peach orchards.

Overnight in guest house.

Day 2: Hang Kia village - Van village (B/L/D)

Today we get well and truly off the beaten track as we trek through tropical rain forest, using the local tracks and passing through cornfields as we descend in to Mai Chau Valley. Along the way we encounter the local villagers as they go about their daily business: whether it be tilling the fields, logging or herding buffalo.

The trek usually takes around 7 hours and is quite steep in places. Lunch will be provided en route, and weather permitting, we will have a picnic near a babbling brook at the foot of the valley. From here we pass through several White Thai villages, and are sure to attract attention as this part of the country receives very few visitors.

We arrive at Van village by late afternoon and will have time to walk around this charming little village, enabling us to understand a little more about how the people live. The village is home to the Thai people, and tonight we will be their guests in one of their traditional stilt houses. There, we will be toasted as honored guests and will be able to sample some of their homemade rice wine!

Day 3: Van village - Khoe - Hanoi (B/L)

After breakfast we ride for a couple of hours passing through several more Thai hamlets. When we get to Khoe we leave the bikes in the village then we walk on the valley floor and are surrounded by rice paddies and beautiful scenery.

On return to the village we ride back to Mai Chau. Enjoy Lunch in Lac Village and there is also the chance to do a little souvenir shopping before we return to Hanoi.