Halong Bay & Homestay Adventure (4 Days)

Live the village life, cook your own Vietnamese food, plant rice and plough with buffalos. Experience a whole new life in the Vietnamese countryside, yet so close to Hanoi.
Then sail northwest to remote parts of the UNESCO-certified Halong Bay through the finest limestone landscape. Explore hidden bays and limestone universes covered in rainforest, with eagles cruising above. Kayak in quiet remote bays, then relax on board the ship and spend the nights star gazing.
This is a small glimpse of Vietnam away from the tourist trail.

Price from 331.00 USD per person

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Details

Unique Experiences:	Live the local life while staying in an outskirts Hanoi homestay – taking part in daily deeds. Explore the uncrowded parts of UNESCO-certified Halong Bay by boat – away from the tourist route. Discover impressive caves, swim in the emerald green waters, kayak below the karst islands, explore the surroundings and relax onboard the beautiful wooden boat.
Participants:	Shared Group Experience – normally has more than 2 people in a group and expect to share your experience with up to 15 pax in homestay, 26 pax on the share bus trips and 20 pax on boat in Ha Long Bay. Please note that this tour might have fixed departure days. We recommend you to check and book in advance to secure your preferred departure day.
Trip Length:	4 Day(s) 3 Night(s)
Tour Departure Dates:	Daily
Travel Season:	All Year March to May: Some days have light rain. Clear with blue sky June to August: Hot months! Some days have heavy rain which is mostly quickly over. High season in Halong Bay – Cat Ba Island. There will be a lot of travellers and many Vietnamese tourists, especially in the weekends. September to November: The best time to enjoy Halong Bay with cool temperature December to January: Cold with strong wind. Sometimes it is misty and rainy This product may be affected by Vietnamese TET (New Year) – normally in Jan/Feb. Specific dates are blocked in the booking calendar if and when not bookable. What can you expect during TET? The lunar New Year is very important to the Vietnamese. The days are spent together with family and relatives in private homes to celebrate. Expect the streets to be fairly empty and life at street level to be very limited.
Type of Transportation:	Minibus and boat
Type of Accommodation:	Homestay in private room with shared bathroom, and deluxe boat in private room with private bathroom.
Physical Rate:	2/5
Child Policy:	Infants: 0 - 2 years of age is free of charge Child: 3 – 6 years of age Please be aware of: Some activities may not be suitable for children/infants including the farm work and bike tour during your homestay. It is possible to alter the farm work according to the child’s abilities. For the bike tour it is possible for children to be seated on the back of adult’s bikes, however, there are no special child seats available.
Included in Price:	Meals: 3 x Breakfast, 4 x Lunch, 3 x Dinner Accommodation: 1 Night in Homestay and 2 Nights on Deluxe Boat Entrance fees: All entrance fees and Ha Long Bay tourist registration Transport: Minibus and boat according to itinerary Others/Activities: English-Speaking Guide is included for the entire tour according to itinerary (may be 2 different guides for the homestay and for the Halong Bay part).
Excluded from Price:	Personal Travel insurance (Compulsory) Tips to guide and driver Drinks and personal expenses All other expenses not stated as included in the above.

Map

Locations Visited:: Ngoc Hoa village, Hai Duong, Bat Trang Ceramic village, Stork Island, Halong Bay
Start City:: Hanoi
End City:: Hanoi

Itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi to Ngoc Hoa Village. Get close to the village life, try hands on local cooking and bicycle the countryside

A bus will pick you up at your hotel around Hanoi Old Quarter between 8:00 - 8:40 AM and depart towards Ngoc Hoa Village. On the way, you will pass fields with busy workers farming their rice fields using traditional methods of cultivation.

After a couple of hours, you will arrive in Ngoc Hoa Village. Settle in and enjoy a cup of tea with the local family. You'll go for a bike ride around the country lanes and see some old traditional houses while enjoying the peaceful lifestyle of the local people, get interact with the locals, explore the rural Vietnamese architecture and traditional culture. Then you’ll return to your local family for lunch.

With stomachs full it's time to wear traditional farmer’s clothing. You will start the farming work, including ploughing and raking with buffalo on the rice field. You can ride the buffalo, cultivating rice while a farmer explains the farming process of the wet rice.

Change pace and go by bus to see the Khuc Thua Du Temple. Khuc Thua Du began to rule the country when the Tang Dynasty collapsed and is considered the ruler who marked the beginning of the independent Vietnam. This is an old temple in the north of Vietnam. Proceed for a sampan-boat trip around the stork island located in Chi Lang Nam commune. The island is located right in the middle of a broad lake with tens of thousands of stork and herons residing and nesting. The stork island is a home to 20,000 stork, more than 7,000 herons of various kinds and precious birds such as pelicans and teal residing together.

Around 17:30 PM, enjoy cooking your own dinner at the cooking class. Relax in the evening or join “Soil Firecracker” (Phao Dat).

Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Overnight at homestay.

Day 2: Ngoc Hoa Village to Ha Long Bay. Board your ship, kayak and feel the raw nature

Wake up for breakfast at 7:30 AM in your homestay and check-out afterwards. Then we check out the homestay. Go biking to see Ngoc Hoa local market. This is a great way to see the market where local people brought whatever they planted or raised to sell.

You are now ready to proceed to the UNESCO-certified Halong Bay. We will transfer you to Tuan Chau harbor. Here, you will be picked up and join a group tour. Just past noon you will embark your ship, your home for the days ahead. After check-in procedure at the pier, enjoy a thirst-quenching welcome drink and meet your fellow sailors.

Your lunch will be served while cruising among rough limestone islands standing tall before you. Majestic, beautiful and rough – just as nature created it.

As you sail deeper into the Halong Bay you will stop at a cave for a bit of kayaking, going by kayak allows you to get closer to the inlets and the raw nature and gives you a sense of freedom.

Once you are back on the boat, you’ll be joining a cooking class, then relax before your dinner is served around 19:00. As the night falls you will have the choice to entertain yourself with squid fishing, karaoke, board games, movies or star gazing on the upper deck with a cool drink in hand.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Overnight on boat.

Day 3: Sail, kayak and go cave hunting and explore the less crowded areas of Lan Ha Bay

After breakfast on the boat, we’ll sail on smaller boat along the majestic limestone islands. Slowly you will find the less crowded areas in Lan Ha Bay, kayaking around the Dark and Light Cave. Paddle close to the steep cliffs, find your own hidden spot and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Once we’re back on the boat, we’ll move to Ba Trai Dao, have fun doing high jump from the boat, take a swim or get laze on the sandy beach and enjoy the sceneries.

Your lunch will be served on the boat, you can relax on the sundeck after your stomach is filled amongst the amazing landscapes. We’ll leave Lan Ha Bay and sail back to Halong Bay in the late afternoon and board back to Fantasea boat.

At your anchor point for the night and dinner is served on board at the restaurant deck. The rest of the evening is free at your own leisure.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Overnight on boat.

Day 4: Halong Bay to Hanoi. Slowly cruise back towards mainland for your return to Hanoi

Rise early to spot a beautiful sunrise and have breakfast. Before the crowds arrive, you’ll be at one of the most beautiful beaches, take a swim, climb to the top of the mountain and admire the spectacular view of Halong Bay.

Lunch will be served on the boat while cruising back to Tuan Chau harbor. Upon arrival back to the mainland around noon, you’ll swap from boat to vehicle and start your trip back to Hanoi.

You will be dropped off at your hotel or drop-off points in Hanoi Old Quarter around by late afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Note: Please let us know your hotel in Hanoi at least 48 hours in advance, if it is not booked through us.
The agricultural farm tour depends on the season. The details are just basic, we will visit more attractions, provide more information, and more stories. Expect a Halong Bay expedition where the full day takes place in remote waters. The exact itinerary, visiting options and sailing route is dependent on the conditions of the day.