Mai Chau - Pu Luong Trekking & Homestay

Mai Chau is located in Hoa Binh province, approximately 135 km from Hanoi and 60 km from Hoa Binh. From the top of Cun Mountain, one can admire the superb panorama of Mai Chau surrounded by a green valley and stilt houses. Many minorities, including the Thai ethnic group, live in Mai Chau. Mai Chau can be a base for some trekking tours to the villages around, this is with homestay overnight on the traditional houses of the H'Mong and the Thai. Worth a guided treking tour there.

- Length of the trip                     : 4 days

- Trip Starts from                        : Hanoi city

- Trip Ends in                               : Hanoi city

- Required booking time              : Before 15 hours  in advance for individuals and 5 days in advance for group.

- Rates are net per person  : 225USD

- Rates are valid from 15 December 2010

Full intinerary:

Day 1: Hanoi - Mai Chau - Hang village              (170 km, Meals: L/D)

Departure from your hotel at 7.00 am. On arrival in MaiChau, we take a short walk to visit Thai village, then lunch will be served on a local house of Poom Coom village. 

After lunch, we take a short ride (~20km) along Ma river blessed with rich forest, limestone panoramas. Then we start our walk to untouched Sai village (~1hour) through hill sides, magnificent rice paddies, water wheels. After Sai village, we trek approximately 2.5 hours to Hang village (alt.+260m). We spend the night with a local Thai family who will be our hosts in a traditional house on stilt. While enjoying hospitality of locals, we learn little more about their culture and activities of their daily life.

Day 2: Hang village - Kho Muong village            ( 5 ~ 6 h trek, Meals: B/L/D)

The daily life of the locals starts early, it will be interesting for you to get up and take part in their activities (this is sure with fun!).Good opportunity to stroll around the village before having breakfast served by Thai people.

Start our trek at 8.00 am. The first hiking is hard with some steep climbs and yet more stream crossings, the next is really glorious with beautiful views of valley, rice terraces, rich rain forest, streams… Picnic lunch on the way at Eo Ken village (alt.+600m), or Ban Pa Ban (alt. +760m). Late afternoon, we arrival in Kho Muong village (alt.+400m) - perhaps the most beautiful one in this region. We promenade around the village and join in as villagers go about their daily life, or relax in one of the three eco homestays superbly set up by FFI (Flora and Fauna International) in conjunction with local villages. Here we will spend our second night in a typical Thai eco stilt house.                                                                                                 

Day 3: Kho Muong - Ban Hin village                    (5 ~ 6 hrs trek, Meals: B/L /D)

Having breakfast, then start for a harder full day of hiking (5- 6 hrs). There are some steep climbs and yet more stream crossings. Trek to an incredible cave, only recently discovered and now protected by the Forest rangers. We pass steep limestone mountain, caves, rain forest inside the Pu Luong Nature Reserve to Nua village.

After a rough trek, what is more than refreshing yourself with cool stream bathing! Then picnic lunch will be served here. Relax from the heat of the day before continuing on to Hin – the village of Thai people in the afternoon. 

Day 4: Ban Hin village - Ban Ton village - Hanoi ( 6 ~ 7 hrs trek, Meals: B/L)

Start early for a long day trek (6- 7 hrs) through rich and wild rain forest. This challenging hike goes through the forest of Pu Luong Nature Reserve. Having picnic lunch inside the forest, then continuing our trek get to Ton village (alt.+870m) . Jeep pick us up from Ton, transfer over LungVan  mt. pass (alt. +950m) and down hill to MuongKhen, lunch en route. Be back to Hanoi around 6.00pm. End this trip at your hotel.

Tour price:

Price	Group	Private
		1pax	2-3pax	4-6pax	over 7pax
Private Tour	N/A	490	225	165	149

Price included: English speaking guide, local guide, transport, accommodation (home stay), permit, admission fees, boat trip along Ma river, meal as specified: B for Breakfast; L for Lunch; D for Dinner.

Price excluded: Visa to Vietnam, Departure airport tax, Meals which are not included in the program, Personal travel & medical insurance, International flights to and from Vietnam, All personal & daily expenses, All gratuities and tips to drivers and guides. 

Notes:

What to Bring                          : Passport, towels, swimsuits, toiletries, rain coat, walking boots, sandals or light footwear, change of clothes, sun block, sun cream with a high factor 10-20, sunglasses & hat with a shade, flash lights, insect repellent, first aid kit.

Accommodation                       : Homestay condition is basic.

Best Time to Do                       : all year round, best from September to April of next year.

Please Travel Responsibly      : The small things you do will make a big difference!

Booking Terms & Conditions   : Surcharges for peak seasons, Christmas and New Year Holidays, lunar New Year Festival, extras for room, air tickets upgrades shall be applied.

General information about Mai Chau & Hoa Binh

Hoa Binh

Area                             :4,600 sp.km

Population                    : 744,000

Provincial capital          : Hoa Binh

Districts                        : Da Bac, Mai Chau, Tan Lac, Lac Son, Ky Son, Luong Son, Kim Boi, Lac Thuy, Yen Thuy

Economic potentialities: coal

Hoa Binh is a mountainous province located in the north. It is bordered by Son La in the west, Phu Tho and Ha Tay in the north, Ha Nam and Ninh Binh in the east, and Thanh Hoa in the south. The culture of Hoa Binh combines six minorities with their own languages, traditional literature, and festivals. The climate is hot and humid with high levels of precipitation during the rainy season. Several calamities such as heavy rains, floods, violent storms, and droughts occur in this area.

Tourists especially enjoy the minority specialty dishes including rice cooked in bamboo and grilled meat. They also enjoy watching traditional dancing, music performances (bronze, drums, gongs), and Thai minority singing and dancing. The remote minority  villages are attractive sites for tourists.

Located on Highway 6, Hoa Binh provincial is 70 km south-west of Hanoi. Hoa Binh town and the adjacent area was the cradle of the Hoa Binh culture. Archaeological finds show that this is the first place man domesticated crop plants. Hoa Binh province is inhabited by various ethnic groups, the Muong, Kinh, Thai, Tay, Dao, H'Mong and Hoa.

Mai Chau Valley Vietnam Information

Mai Chau is a 139km trip from Hanoi, and 66km further on from Hoa Binh. Though it’s not far, the trip from Hoa Binh to here takes almost two hours by motorbike due to the mountainous terrain. Mai Chau is in a valley just over the biggest hump, about 10km from the Song Da river and only 150 metres above sea level. The village, nestled between two towering cliffs and surrounded by emerald green paddies, is an enchanting sight as you wind down the cliff side.

Mai Chau itself presents an idyllic rural valley that could easily charm you into staying longer than intended. In spring Mai Chau is a bright, almost parrot-green and by autumn this green transforms into golden hues as the rice approaches harvest. Taking the time to watch these transitions of colour seems like a perfectly useful way to spend your life while in Mai Chau.

Those bemoaning the dearth of truly budget accommodation in Vietnam will be happy to learn that this is one place you can stay for a song. The star attraction here is a ‘homestay’ in a stilt house in one of the two ethnic White Thai villages, Ban Pom Coong and Ban Lac. But, it’s hardly like trucking into a Karen village in northern Thailand and staying in the spare room of someone’s house. The ‘bare bones’ accommodation here is purpose-built to give tourists the ‘homestay’ experience, while the watchful eye of the government makes sure they have western toilets, ample bedding, and sometimes even satellite TVs in the common rooms.

Ban Lac is the more developed of the two, and the main drag was packed with tourists and tour buses on our visit, people playing pool at an outdoor billiards table, and pop music blasting on a sound system somewhere. But this, surprisingly, does not spoil the fun all that much. The homestays are still run by ethnic minority families who have lived on and worked the land for generations, and it’s heartening to see how the influx of tourist dollars hasn’t changed their essential character, which we gauge to be as warm and easy-going as you please. Driving for a bargain here is a meandering lark through the countryside compared to Hanoi.

Orientation

Mai Chai is 5 km off highway 6, 135 km from Hanoi. You’ll pass through the ‘Vietnamese’ town on the way to the stilt houses — few will opt to stay in the former rather than the latter, but if you’re looking for internet, long distance phone services, or any shopping needs beyond the very basic ones available in the villages, you’ll need to head back into town during your stay.

You’ll find the villages by proceeding through town, about 2 km from the centre, and taking a right at the Mai Chau lodge across the rice fields. The first village is Pom Coong, and Ban Lac is just a few hundred metres to the left. Everything is located along the main road into town - addresses are confusing and there’s no agreement on what to call the road, but one trip up and down it is all you’ll need to get oriented.

There is a cafe that serves coffee and food across the road from the entrance to the villages.

Cafe Hua Hoan: T: (018) 867 969. Hours: 07:00 to 22:00

There are no ATMs or banking options for travellers, but there is an Agribank that can convert dollars to dong, though your host in the village is likely to be no stranger to the greenback.

Agribank: Along the main road, Mai Chau. T: (018) 867 258. Hours: 07:30 to 11:30 and 13:00 to 15:30 Monday through Saturday

Internet is available at the Post Office for 2,000VND per hour, along with long distance telephone services .

Mai Chau Post Office: Tieu Khu II, along the main road, Mai Chau. T: (018) 867 209, F: (018) 867 353. Hours: 07:00 to 21:00, closed Sundays and Holidays

For any minor ailments there is a small hospital in Mai Chau, but for anything remotely serious, head to Hanoi.

Mai Chau Hospital: 185 Mai Chau Rd, Mai Chau. T: (018) 867 244. F: (018) 868 220

You can rent bicycles at most houses in the villages for 20- to 30,000 VND per day. Motorbikes can also be rented - you’ll just be given a bike usually used by a local for about 150,000 a day.

Surrounds Guesthouses and Hotels

There are many dozens of accommodation options in the ethnic villages, and more are being built as you read this. And yet, there is little to differentiate one place from the next — they’re all traditional stilt houses with large communal rooms where you can sleep on a mat laid upon a squeaky, split bamboo floor, for just about the same cheap price everywhere. The sleeps are really a loss leader — they make the real money off the food you eat, and the curios and textiles you buy. Not to mention, the liquor you drink. A typical charge is 100,000 VND per person for dinner, breakfast, and a bed. You could save ’small money’ by eating in town, but family-style Vietnamese cooking is generally far superior to restaurant fare, and you wouldn’t want to miss out on the nightly group meals. There’s also a new luxury option near the village, and you can stay in a regular Vietnamese guest house in town if you like.

Mai Chau sights and attractions

Mai Chau doesn’t have a tourist service per se, but the staff at the new Mai Chau lodge can be pretty helpful, and many villagers speak enough English to help you out if you ask around. One trek we’ve heard of goes 18 km up a mountain about a kilometre above sea level to a H’mong village and typically includes an over night stay. The surest bet is to make arrangements at a travel agency in Hanoi before you arrive. Luckily you can return by road if you arrange to have a vehicle meet you for the trip back. There’s a lot of untapped potential for treks here, so if you’re giving Sapa a miss, this is the place to explore your options.

Boat tours can also be undertaken along the Song Da river that visit other minority villages, such as the Dzao tribe, and the Ba Khan Islands. You may be able to catch a boat on the fly by showing up at the Bai San Pier - go to the Tong Dau Junction outside of town, follow the road to Moc Chau, and the pier is about 6 km further down the road on the right. A return trip will be in the US$30 to 40 range, for one boat that seats up to ten passengers. Overnight homestays are also available. Ask at the Mai Chau Lodge to arrange something more official (and more expensive).

Getting There and Away

Buses directly to Mai Chau that drop off in town depart from the My Dinh bus station in Hanoi at 06:00, 14:00, 14:30 and cost 35,000 VND. Any bus leaving for Son La or Dien Bien Phu will also pass by and drop off at the Tong Dau junction about 5 km from town (the road sign for Mai Chau town centre reads ‘Pho Vang’). From there, a motorbike taxi will be about 20,000 VND, or more, and since you’re essentially stranded, bargaining won’t get you far.

Getting out of Mai Chau, unless you can catch one of the above buses on the return trip to Hanoi, gets a bit trickier. You’re only option is to go to the Tong Dau Junction and wait for a minibus to come along. Passengers tend to wait in front of Com Pho Tuan Anh, T: (018) 867 146, just past the Petrolimex station on the road to Moc Chau. There will be something coming along each way every half hour or so during daylight hours, but be prepared to overpay: we were quoted prices of 100,000 VND to get to either Hanoi or Son La.

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