Move
The sleeper car, departing at 21:30 from Hanoi, arrived in the center of Cao Bang city at 5:30. There are many bus companies going on this route such as Khanh Hoan, Vinh Dung, Thanh Ly... Ticket price 300,000 - 350,000 VND per person one way. The group's main means of transportation in the city is a motorbike, rented right at the homestay for 200,000 VND per car a day.
Behave
Cao Bang has homestay services of locals, clean rooms, price about 200,000 VND per night, for two people.
Some specialties that visitors should not miss are mushroom spring rolls, sour pho, roast duck pho, kitchen guard meat, roast duck... If you come in September, you will have the opportunity to eat the famous Chongqing chestnuts in this place. You can also visit the local market to enjoy the above dishes, with prices starting from 30,000 VND.
Itinerary
Day 1
Lenin Stream, Pac Bo Cave, 14-storey pass (Me Pia Pass). After getting off the bus, Thu's group took a taxi to the homestay to check in and make a car rental contract. At 7 a.m., we set off for breakfast, then arrived at Lenin Stream, Pac Bo Cave at 10:30 a.m. These two destinations are about 50 km from the city center, easy to walk. Tickets to visit this place are 45,000 VND per person, there is a two-way tram shuttle service.
After visiting, taking souvenir photos, at 12:30 the group had lunch and rested, in the afternoon continued to the 14-storey pass. This pass is about 100 km from the city. Arriving at the destination, visitors pay about 20,000 VND for motorbike parking, then go about 3 km to climb the mountain to be able to see the panoramic view of this spectacular pass. Describing the emotion of seeing the 14-storey pass with her own eyes, Thu said succinctly: "Tired but worth it". At 20:30, everyone arrived in the city.
Day Two
The places to visit are Ban Gioc Waterfall, Truc Lam Chongqing Zen Monastery, Ngom Ngao Cave, Thong Mountain. She departs from 6:30, has breakfast and arrives at the waterfall at 10:30. The group also visited Truc Lam Zen Monastery and then had lunch, rested and experienced a tour to explore Ngom Ngao Cave. At 16:30, the group moved to Thong Mountain and returned to the city at 19:30.
In 2021, Travel + Leisure magazine announced the 21 most beautiful waterfalls in the world, including Vietnam's Ban Gioc. This tourist attraction is about 90 km from the city center. It is recommended to rent a boat near the waterfall to have more interesting experiences, at a cost of 50,000 VND per person. The entrance ticket is 45,000 VND per person.
Thong Mountain is also known as Mat Than Mountain, where there are leisurely horses and beautiful grass. The scenery here is considered peaceful, suitable for camping. "If you like to watch the sunrise, go to the back of the mountain. If you are watching the sunset, go to the front of the mountain. Ask the locals for the exact route, because Google Maps only shows the way to the nearest place," Thu said.
When coming to Ngom Ngao cave, if you have time, you should buy an experience tour ticket of 195,000 VND per person, to explore the entire cave system that has just been fully exploited and put into visit from the end of 2021. Visitors are fully equipped with reflective vests, flashlights, and shoes to walk in the cave. Guests will have experiences in the cave including walking, wading, climbing walls... All accompanied by a local guide. Thu group had less time, so they only bought tickets to visit part of the cave, priced at 45,000 VND.
On the third day, the group had breakfast, rested and then got on the bus at 10 a.m. to depart for Hanoi, ending the tour containing many emotions. The most touching impression in Thu through this trip is that Cao Bang has many beautiful scenery, fresh air, friendly people and delicious, cheap food. The average total trip for each person in the group is two million VND for all transportation, accommodation, and sightseeing expenses.
Some notes
Don't trust Google Maps too much. Instead, you should ask the locals, homestay owners the easiest way to get to where they need to go, delicious restaurants...
The tourist attractions are very far from each other, so go early from about 6 am. It is recommended to prepare food to bring, if you change routes at noon to continue to the points without returning to the city. Since the destinations are quite far apart, if you don't want to get too tired, you can take a bus. A day may have to travel distances of up to 200-300 km. If you ride a motorcycle, you should go with a friend to be able to change the steering wheel and need to fill up with gas before starting. Here the gas stations are few, and far apart. It is recommended to prepare a raincoat, and check the weather before leaving.
According to VnE