Northern Explorer Honeymoon

Early morning transfer to Hanoi station for the scenic train to Lao Cai (or private car if you prefer). Arrive in Sapa by lunchtime and check into your hilltop ecolodge. Afternoon orientation walk through Sapa town and the surrounding terraces.

Full-day trek through the Muong Hoa Valley with a local Black Hmong guide. Walk between terraced paddies, cross swaying bamboo bridges and lunch at a Hmong family farmhouse. Return to the ecolodge for a soak in the infinity pool overlooking the mountains.

Drive east from Sapa to Ha Giang (6 hours through dramatic highland scenery). Stop at a Tay village for lunch en route. Check into your boutique lodge in Ha Giang town and explore the evening market.

Begin the famous loop road. Wind through the Quan Ba Heaven Gate, descend into the Tam Son valley and cross the Dong Van karst plateau, a UNESCO Global Geopark of pinnacle rocks and Hmong settlements. Overnight in a converted stilt house in Dong Van.

Ride the Ma Pi Leng pass, one of Vietnam's most jaw-dropping stretches of road, with the Nho Que River far below. Continue through Meo Vac and loop back towards Ha Giang city. Farewell dinner at a riverside restaurant.

Drive back to Hanoi (7 hours with comfort stops). Arrive by late afternoon. Free evening in the Old Quarter for a final chance at egg coffee, bia hoi or a wander through the weekend night market.

Morning transfer to Ha Long Bay and board your overnight junk. Afternoon kayaking through grottoes and swimming from the boat. Watch the sunset paint the karsts gold, then sit down to a seafood dinner on the open deck.

Gentle morning on the bay with stretching on deck, brunch and a bamboo-boat visit to a floating pearl farm. Disembark at noon and return to Hanoi. Afternoon at leisure. Farewell dinner at a French-Vietnamese restaurant in the French Quarter.