Pu Luong Private Day Tour from Hanoi – Biking & Rafting
Description
A day trip to contemplate the best assets of each area that have made Northern Vietnam famous - all in ONE place: Pu Luong Nature Reserve. Iconic rice terraces in Don Village, a lovely ethnic village known for traditional brocade weaving. A soft trek to discover giant water wheels - a clever invention by the Taidam people for irrigation. Enjoy lunch with a stunning view. Pack and go now!
Tour Options
Itinerary
6:30 AM, pick you up at Hanoi Opera House. We offer hotel pickup service if you stay at hotels in the Old Quarter area. And then go ahead to Pu Luong Nature Reserve with a 4-hour drive with normal traffic.
Stop for a 15-minute rest near Cuc Phuong National Park in Ninh Binh before continuing to Pu Luong.
Arrive in Pu Luong around 11:00 and meet your local guide at the starting point of your excursion. Cross a suspension bridge to reach one of Pu Luong's most scenic villages, where the largest stream flows through. Along the river, admire stunning landscapes, rice fields, and village life at Pu Luong. Seek for the giant water wheels, a remarkable invention of Vietnam's ethnic minorities in the mountains.
Arrive at Chieu Lau dam and embark on a bamboo rafting experience. Paddle the raft upstream with locals and enjoy the moment. In Pu Luong, activities like eating or singing on bamboo rafts may sound fun at first, but they come with real risks, especially when the water level rises or flows fast after heavy mountain rain. That is why at Puluong Excursions, we keep it simple and safe: Life jackets are required at all times. Land on the other side of the river and start an another 2km walk through rice fields and villages to complete a loop trail. During the morning leisure stroll, you have the chance to learn about native herbs and plants such as sweet leaf vegetables, jackfruit, pickled eggplant, betel leaves, and areca nuts. You will also discover more about bamboo, both a symbol of Vietnamese spirit and an essential part of daily life in Pù Luông and a rare mountain fish once reserved only for kings and wealthy lords.
Reach the main road and head to Don Village, the epicenter of Pu Luong for lunch with a stunning view. A set menu lunch is included (drinks are at your own expense). Please inform us of any dietary requirements when you book the tour.
After lunch, enjoy a scenic drive through Don Village with a stop at Pu Luong’s iconic rice terraces - an ideal spot for memorable photos.
As you continue your trip, you will come across Uoi hamlet. When viewed from above, this hamlet nestles humbly at the base of the towering mountain. We assure you that this landscape will be a visual delight and may even fill up your phone's memory card with its beauty. Reach to Lan Village, often known as the "Kingdom of Thai People in Pu Luong" home to around 100 Thai families. You can opt for a leisurely bicycle ride around the village. Here, you will have the opportunity to observe their everyday activities, marked by simplicity and humility, with a special focus on their traditional brocade weaving. Take this time to engage with the locals and learn about their craft.
Around 4:00 PM, after finishing the activities, your local guide will join you for part of the journey back. It is also on the way home for them, a lovely chance to say goodbye after a meaningful day together. A 15-minute rest stop is included en route. You will arrive in Hanoi around 8:00–8:30 PM. Tour concludes.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Make sure that you inform us an exact hotel address in the Hanoi Old Quarter Inform your hotel receptionist to contact us unless you receive our confirmation Be ready at your hotel lobby 15 minutes before pick-up time Travel light with hiking shoes and comfortable clothes
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(16)
A beautiful experience, very authentic. A special thanks to our guide Tuyen, who was very helpful and explained many things about the village of Lan to us. Since she is a local, the experience was even more authentic. The only downside of the tour was the driver, who had such reckless driving that we feared for accidents multiple times.
The Tuorgide on site was very good. He responded to my personal wishes. The negative was the long drive from Hanoi to Pu Long.
Very good experience. The tour allows you to see spectacular landscapes. The bike route and the cave the best. Highly recommended
I had an unforgettable private motorbike and walking tour through Pu Luong with Huy as my guide. From the start, he was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about his homeland. He navigated both the roads and trails with ease, taking me to hidden spots I’d never find on my own—lush rice terraces, quiet villages, and scenic viewpoints.
An amazing trip! Quoc was a great tour guide and was very knowledgeable. The locals were so welcoming and I had many unforgettable experiences.
We had a fantastic tour with Quoc in the beautiful nature reserve of Pu Long! Everything was spectacular from the included lunch at stunning location to the tour of the bay cave and afternoon tea. The locals were incredibly friendly and welcoming and made us feel at home. Quoc is very knowledgeable about the area and kept us both entertained and informed. I HIGHLY recommend this tour for anyone looking for a special experience in Vietnam. You’ll be absolutely knackered by the end but it’ll be well worth it !
Super recommended tour, a wonderful walk through the terraced rice fields of Pu Luong with great lunch! Drive top!
It’s great to experience an area without bus loads of people around you. We watched farmers harvesting their rice & local villagers going about their daily lives.. The views of the whole area are amazing (especially from the lunch spot). The cave was impressive & our guide from the local area was so knowledgeable & friendly -he made it such a memorable experience! It’s a 4 hour drive each way from Hanoi but well worth it!
My time with Pu Luong Excursions was short, but it left a deep impression. The beauty of the landscape, the warmth of the people, and the quiet moments in nature made this trip truly special. Everything was well arranged, simple yet meaningful. I’ll remember it for a long time.
I did a 3 day tour with Quoc Han and I really enjoyed it. We did on day a hiking tour between the rise fields. We locked how the women weaving and tried to do it to. Second day we did a 45 kilometre motorcycle tour and visited a family, trinket tee and happy water! We explored a deep cave and enjoyed a bath in a waterfall. Third day we went to a river and looked for the water wheels and the bamboo boots and did a beautiful hiking trip. I felt very safe, happy and had a great time with my guide. He gave me a lot of information about the country and people.
