Ha Giang, the roof of Vietnam
A fabulous escape to meet with a unique population and some of the world’s top geological wonders
From $2890
/ person
ADVENTURE OVERVIEW
Ha Giang is a hidden gem in Vietnam’s northernmost province, boasting breathtaking landscapes, fascinating ethnic cultures, and some of the most stunning rice terraces in Southeast Asia.
It’s a land of towering mountains, winding rivers, and verdant valleys dotted with traditional villages, each with their unique customs, languages, and costumes. For photography enthusiasts, Ha Giang is a dream destination that offers endless opportunities to capture stunning images of the region’s natural beauty and cultural diversity.
QUICK INFO
DESTINATION
North Vietnam
NEXT DEPARTURE
25 May 2023
TOUR DURATION
8 Days / 7 Nights
PHOTOGRAPHY
Travel, People, Landscape
GROUP SIZE
6 Person Max.
FITNESS LEVEL
Moderate
LEVEL
All levels welcomed
JOURNEY HIGHLIGHTS
Rice Terraces
The magnificent rice terraces of Hoang Su Phi, listed as a Vietnam National Heritage site
Dong Van
The incredible karst plateau of Dong Van, listed in UNESCO Global Geoparks Network
H’mong Minorities
The visit of H’mong villages and encounters with the local population
Meo Vac Market
The sunday markets of Dong Van and Meo Vac.
Spectacular Roads
The spectacular road from Dong Van to Meo Vac, and the Ma Pi Leng passage.
Rice Terraces
The magnificent rice terraces of Hoang Su Phi, listed as a Vietnam National Heritage site
Dong Van
The incredible karst plateau of Dong Van, listed in UNESCO Global Geoparks Network
H’mong Minorities
The visit of H’mong villages and encounters with the local population
Meo Vac Market
The sunday markets of Dong Van and Meo Vac.
Spectacular Roads
The spectacular road from Dong Van to Meo Vac, and the Ma Pi Leng passage.
BRIEF ITINERARY
DAY 1 : HANOI, QUAN BA
DAY 2 : QUAN BA, DONG VAN
DAY 3 : DONG VAN
DAY 4 : DONG VAN, MEO VAC
DAY 5 : MEO VAC, HA GIANG
DAY 6 : HA GIANG, HOANG SU PHI
DAY 7 : HOANG SU PHI
DAY 8 : HOANG SU PHI, HANOI
DAY 1
The Road to Quan Ba
We will leave Hanoi early in the morning to reach Quan Ba in the late afternoon. As we’ll move forward to our destination, the sceneries will become more and more spectacular, crossing stunning hilly landscapes, corn and manioc fields, tea plantations and after reaching Ha Giang town, we’ll come upon our first rice terraces.
Just before Quan Ba, we will pass the “Heaven’s Gate”, with its mountains stretching to the horizon, marking the entrance to Dong Ba Karst Plateau, listed in UNESCO Global Geoparks Network. A magnificent point of view to come back home with stunning landscape photos, hopefully helped by a nice weather.
Dinner and night in our Red Dao eco-lodge.
DAY 2
Harvest Activity & Traditional Hmong Village
We will start the day with a beautiful valley below Quan Ba well filled with rice fields. We will then delve into Dong Van Plateau, an extremely wild region made of limestone pitons and black granite needles: a truly breathtaking panorama.
After lunch in Yen Minh, we will head to Pho Cao, a superb Hmong village with some 200 years old houses, so far my favorite village in the area, with Pleiades of villagers vacant to their daily occupations of another age before finally reaching Dong Van in the late afternoon.
Dinner and night in Dong Van.
DAY 3
Dong Van’s Karst Landscape & Minorities
Today we will explore the Dong Van Karst plateau wonders and it’s surrounding rice fields to make beautiful landscape photos, while looking for opportunities to develop your people photography talent, as we meet the black H’mong people who live in the area.
Dinner and night in Dong Van.
DAY 4
Ethnic Markets & Ma Pi Leng Passage
We’ll have much to do on that morning, as we’ll go visit 2 dominical markets, linked together by one of the most spectacular road in Vietnam: better get your gear ready! The ethnic minorities of many different groups leave their home villages very early in the morning to reach Dong Van market, a place to trade merchandises but also a gathering site to socialize and meet with others.
We will then head to Meo Vac, home to the Black H’mong Eagle’s Nest. Upon arrival we’ll discover the livestock market, a one of its kind location in the Ha Giang province, where between 400 and 1000 cattle are traded during the course of the morning, along with many horses, pigs and dogs, before visiting the main market.
After lunch, we will wonder around Meo Vac and the Ma Pi Leng passage taking multiple photography stops, following a road meandering through the mountain sides and getting through the Ma Pi Leng passage, overlooking a vertiginous canyon and the No Que River gorges further down.
Dinner and night at the Auberge de Meo Vac eco-resort.
DAY 5
Mountain Landscapes from Meo Vac to Ha Giang
After an outing to enjoy the first rays of sunshine on the karst peaks nearby Meo Vac, we will head back to Ha Giang town following a different road surrounded by breathtaking karst mountain landscapes. We will take our time and make multiple landscape photography stops. We will arrive in Ha Giang town in the early evening for dinner.
Dinner and night in a Lodge.
DAY 6
Tay & Dac Ethnic Villages
After spending the early morning hours in lovely Tay ethnic villages nearby Ha Giang town we will head to our resort in Hoang Su Phi, nested in a beautiful rice field valley.
After lunch we will go exploring to a nearby-forested area dotted with rice terraces, and meet up with the Dap ethnic people in Ban Peo and Ban Nhung villages.
Dinner and night in our Ecolodge.
DAY 7
Hoang Su Phi: Rice Terrace Paradise
The rice terraces of Hoang Su Phi have existed for more than three centuries; many generations of farmers from La Chi, Dao or Nung ethnic groups have shaped those hill curves, dug up the irrigation canals and terraced the mountainsides in stairs to cultivate rice. These rice fields have a total surface area of 630 km2 and are listed since 2012 as a Vietnam National Heritage site.
In the morning, we will go explore the village of Ban Luoc. It is home to the country’s largest rice terrace field, stretching over 200 acres and with an altitude difference of more than 1500 meters, and is consisted of thousands of successive platforms separated from each other by one meter. In the afternoon, we will visit Ban Phung Village with its equally visually stunning rice terraces.
Dinner and night in our Ecolodge.
DAY 8
Photo Review & Road Back to Hanoi
We will spend our morning doing our final photo review checking everyone’s photo series.
After lunch we will take the road back to Hanoi that we will reach in the end of the day.
Personalized
We only work in small, intimately-sized groups to ensure one-on-one instruction without overwhelming our subjects or intruding on our surroundings. This allows us to hear what you would like to focus on and provide instruction that’s tailored to your skill level.
Authentic
We specialize in showing you the real Vietnam. As the region’s tourism industry becomes more developed, it can be a challenge to get off the beaten path. That’s why we constantly scout new locations to ensure you experience the real culture, scenery, and way of life. We don’t do the typical tourist checkpoints.
Adventurous
We embrace adventure and encourage you to leave your comfort zone. For some people, this can be a challenge. If you’re open to experiencing something new and exploring the unknown, then we’re going to have a good time together.
Friendly
We are serious about photography, but we try not to take ourselves too seriously. Our focus is on creating a fun learning environment for like-minded people who love travel and street photography. All skill levels are welcome.
Knowledgable
Our goal is to leave you feeling like you truly learned something. Whether you are a beginner looking for a better understanding of light and composition or an experienced photographer in search of the best shooting locations, we strive to educate our guests on the art of photography through meaningful advice and insights.