Cao Bang Loop 2-Day Tour: Incense, Paper and Forging Villages, Riverside Homestay

Craft villages fill the first day of this two-day loop around Cao Bang, with a riverside homestay for the night. Local guides lead it through the UNESCO Non Nuoc Cao Bang Global Geopark. Day one starts at 8:00 with a Cao Bang breakfast, then goes over Ma Phuc Pass, tied to the legend of the Tay hero Nung Tri Cao. The first village makes bamboo incense by hand. At Dia Tren the Nung An people show their old art of handmade paper, and guests make a sheet to take home. Phuc Sen follows, a blacksmith village where farming tools are still forged by traditional methods. After lunch the route crosses Phong Nam Valley and takes a border road to Ngoc Con Valley and the Quay Son River. The night is at 17:00 in a riverside homestay with a home-cooked dinner. Day two can begin at 7:30 with an optional 12 km ride along the Quay Son River, past Co La Waterfall and a traditional market, where breakfast is eaten at 8:30. Ban Gioc comes at 9:30, then Truc Lam Phat Tich Pagoda over the falls, and Nguom Ngao Cave at 11:30 for about 40 minutes. After lunch the day ends at Angel Eye Mountain, named for a giant opening in the rock and ringed by grassland where horses and buffalo graze. The tour returns to Cao Bang City at 17:00. It is designed for self-riding by motorbike, which needs a valid International Motorbike Driving Permit and a signed waiver. Alternatives for guests without one are listed under What's Excluded.