Escorted Tours 2023-2024

Smaller Group Tour Day 1: UK to Hanoi Depart the UK on your overnight flight to Hanoi. Day 2: Hanoi B/L/D On arrival in Hanoi, you will be transferred to your hotel. After lunch, a walking tour of the city begins at the Ho Chi Minh Complex. Visit sites including the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s House of Stilts and the One Pillar Pagoda. Explore the Confucian Temple of Literature then return to the Old Quarter to explore it on a cyclo, a three-wheel bicycle taxi. In the evening, experience the arts at a Water Puppet Show. Day 3: Hanoi to Mai Chau B/L/D (Average 2 - 2.5 hours of walking including breaks) After breakfast, drive to rural Mai Chau, passing rice paddies and sugar cane fields. After lunch in a Thai stilt house, begin your walk to Pom Coong where you’ll have the chance to explore the village. Follow small paths used by the locals and soak in the verdant scenery as you observe daily village life before arriving at your lodge in the afternoon. Day 4: Mai Chau B/L/D (Average 4 hours of walking including breaks) Follow flat, local roads on today’s walk through the Mai Chau Valley. Arrive in Xo Village for lunch then continue on for another hour, taking in incredible scenery before arriving at your endpoint where your bus will carry you back to Mai Chau, with the rest of the day at leisure. Day 5: Mai Chau to Don Village B/L/D (Average 1.5 hours of walking including breaks) Following breakfast, transfer to Pu Luong Nature Reserve, an area of palm-clad hills and terraced rice paddies. On arrival and after lunch, travel by bus to the Cham River, where you begin your walk in search of bamboo water wheels. Discover how these handmade aqueducts are used then board a river raft for a guided trip along the Cham River. Sail down the river before arriving at the Tan Lap Bridge for your transfer back to your hotel. Day 6: Don Village B/L/D (Average 4.5 hours of walking including breaks) This morning, descend into the valley facing the retreat. Walk past cascading rice terraces to the base of the valley, where you’ll reach a scenic spot for a picnic lunch. Enjoy free time to explore the village then walk to a pick-up point for your transfer back to the retreat. Day 7: Don Village B/L/D (Average 4 hours of walking including breaks) Transfer to Bang Village and set out on your walk to Kho Muong Village, reaching a vantage point which provides magnificent views. Once in the village, visit a local family to learn more about their culture. After a picnic lunch, visit a bat cave where you can encounter its resident bats if you choose (proper shoes and torch are required). Journey on through a picturesque natural reserve as you head to Dong Dieng where you will be transferred to your hotel. Day 8: Don Village to Ninh Binh B/L/D After breakfast, a coach carries you to the province of Ninh Binh. After lunch in the afternoon, board a traditional ‘sampan’ boat and glide through the water, admiring the enormous limestone karsts on shore’. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure before tonight’s farewell dinner. Day 9: Ninh Binh to the UK B After breakfast, transfer to Hanoi airport for your return flight to the UK, or continue to your chosen extension. Walking Trails of Vietnam Tour highlights ✔ Embark on a guided walking tour of Hanoi’s cultural sites ✔ Explore rural Vietnamese villages ✔ Soak in lush vistas in the Pu Luong Nature Reserve and Mai Chau Valley, an area of outstanding beauty ✔ Enjoy lunch in a traditional Thai stilt house ✔ Walk amongst the limestone karsts of Ninh Binh, ‘Ha Long Bay on Land’ Wander through terraced rice paddies and palm-clad hills as you follow northern Vietnam’s scenic rural walking trails, visiting the majestic Hieu Waterfall, remote village settlements, Pu Luong Nature Reserve and Ninh Binh. Walking Tour Meal plan: All meals daily Accommodation: Hanoi, 4 H Muong Thanh Mai Chau, 4 H Mai Chau Ecolodge Don Village, 3 H Pu Luong Retreat Ninh Binh, 4 H Hidden Charm Hotel and Resort Ninh Binh Flights: London Heathrow to Vietnam with Vietnam Airlines Average daily walking time: 3 hours Walks will be along varied, flat, level terrain and will range from village trails through the countryside to rainforest walks. Walking pace: Intermediate Ninh Binh Hanoi Ninh Binh Don Village Mai Chau <   <   Coach Air Foot Nights 2 1 2 3 1 Extend your tour Hoi An beach stay, 5 nights, B&B 4 H from £499 or 5 H from £629 Departures & from prices 2 May 23 £1,749 30 Apr 24 £1,999 16 May 23 £1,899 14 May 24 £1,899 10 Oct 23 £1,949 8 Oct 24 £2,099 5 Dec 23 £1,999 3 Dec 24 £2,149 12 Mar 24 £2,149 • A single supplement starts from just £369 • Tipping paid locally $67 57 Hundreds more escorted tours are available on our website www.mercuryholidays.co.uk East Asia