Mai Chau local living tour : 3 days – A real rural paradise

3 days Mai Chau Local living tour : Fishing, Cooking, Farming and more

Day 1 – Arrival at Mai Chau

Included – Lunch and Dinner

You will begin your tour by being collected at your hotel at about 7.30am.

12pm: Following a rest stop for refreshment you will arrive at noon at Mai Chau, just in time for lunch with a local family

2pm: After lunch, spend the afternoon exploring the settlements of the White Thai people. You can stop and take photographs of the area, and do not hesitate to talk to the local people you meet along the way. The route taken is on flat terrain, however if you do not wish to travel by bike we can arrange for you to take a short hike of two hours through the rice farms to explore the same villages.

6pm: Your first taste of local Vietnamese food prepared with your help by your hosts. Learn about how to cook these traditional meals and ancient recipes. Chat with your hosts about your day as you eat and learn a little more about their day to day lives.

This evening, head to bed in the traditional stilt house – a truly unique and interesting way to sleep for all.

Day 2: Try your hand at farming

Included – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

AM: This morning you will head out after breakfast to assist locals in their vegetable patches. Learn the tools and methods they use to maintain their crops and livehood. You will also begin to learn the recipes in which these crops are cooked. Prepare the soil and harvest the crop with your new friends, before heading back to your host for lunch.

PM: After a delicious meal and some rest you will head to the water where you will learn how to fish like a local with the traditional tools used in this area. You may also be able to assist with the herding of the buffalo for their evening feed. Dinner for you is once again served in the hosts home.

Optional Extra – Visit a Local Primary School

If you wish, you can visit some children at a school to chat to them and let them try out their English. A small contribution would be very welcome in order for the teachers to source much needed school supplies.

You will then have some time to relax with your host or wander through the village taking it all in before eating dinner with your host and heading to bed.

There is an optional extra, for an added cost of $15, to attend a cookery class and learn how to make the local Thai cuisine typical to this tribe.

Optional: Cooking class (surcharge)

Day 3: Mai Chau Experience and return to Hanoi

Included – Breakfast and Lunch

7am: After breakfast you can peruse the items in the village market stalls before taking a short visit to the 1000 Step Cave. The views from this spot are spectacular and best enjoyed early in the morning.

Those who wish can add on to their tour by taking an excursion to Hoa Binh Lake:

8:30am – Journey the 20km to the lake at Hoa Binh, which boasts a large hydro-electric dam, stopping at the stunning Go Lao waterfalls on the way.

09:30am – You will arrive mid-morning at the village of Hoa Binh and meet your boat transfer in order to tour around the lake by water. There will be the chance to fish, swim or simply relax depending on your preference

12:00pm – Lunch time at a local resident’s home

1pm: Head back to Mai Chau, stopping at leisure to take photos along the way.

3pm: A late lunch will be served before you board the bus for your journey back to Hanoi

Farming works in Mai Chau

Hands-on cooking in Mai Chau

Mai Chau Cycling

$159 per person (applied for a group of 10 people)

What’s Included

•  Round trip transportation by local bus
• Vietnamese pusk bike
• Hands-on farming experiences with locals
• Local school visit
•  English speaking tour guide
•  Meals as indicated in the itinerary
•  Private room in a homestay (02 nights)

Excluded

•  Drinks
•  Tips and Gratuities
•  Personal expenses
•  Other services not mentioned