Pu Luong has a cool climate, terraced rice fields, and peaceful villages nestled in a secluded valley, perfect for weekend holidays. About 160 km from Hanoi, Pu Luong Nature Reserve is home to Thai and Muong ethnic communities.
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In Thai, Pu Luong means the highest peak in the village. Pu Luong is located in the northwest of Thanh Hoa province, covering an area of 17,662 hectares, consisting of dense forests, large and small waterfall streams, caves, and mountains mixed with peaceful villages and green terraced fields every summer.
Transfer
As a nature reserve located in Ba Thuoc and Quan Hoa districts, Thanh Hoa province, Pu Luong is about 4 hours away from Hanoi by road. The north and northeast of Pu Luong are bordered by Mai Chau, Tan Lac, and Lac Son districts of Hoa Binh province. Visitors can go to Pu Luong by motorbike, self-driving car, or passenger car.
From Hanoi, follow Highway 6 through Mai Chau, Hoa Binh, and then follow Highway 15 C to Co Luong, Dong Dieng to Pu Luong. If from Thanh Hoa, tourists take the Ho Chi Minh trail back to the Northwest, go to Cam Thuy town, continue to Canh Nang town, turn to 15C for another 10 km.
Currently, many accommodation places sell combo cars including round trip bus Hanoi – Pu Luong and accommodation prices from 800,000 VND / person/night. In addition, group passengers can rent a private car package or pick up a passenger car with the price of 300,000 VND / person for a round-trip ticket, a higher quality car costs about 500,000 VND.
Upon arrival in Pu Luong, visitors come to the sights and villages by motorbike, bicycle, or trekking. Many properties offer these services with a guide.
Accommodation
Currently, homestays, motels, and resorts in Pu Luong are more and more increasing, but still, ensure the landscape and environment of the nature reserve and eco-tourism development.
For people who love nature and like to learn the indigenous culture, you can choose to stay at a homestay, a homestay on a stilt house in Kho Muong, Ky, Hieu … priced from 100,000 VND / person/night.
In addition, tourists who like to luxury resort also have many options to stay at resorts such as Pu Luong Retreat, Pu Luong Eco Garden, Pu Luong Natura, Ciel del Puluong, Pu Luong Tree House, Pu Luong Hillside Lodge .. .Price from 300,000 to more than 1 million / night.
These places have spacious rooms, infinity swimming pools, beautiful miniatures, super beautiful rice views … Due to eco-tourism, often resorts do not have television, air conditioning, … however, Rooms are always clean, airy, and have basic amenities.
Cuisine
Pu Luong specialties include the Co Lung duck. Lean, firm, and fragrant duck meat, grilled by charcoal, costs 450,000 VND / bird, enough for 3-4 people.
In addition, you can order the inn owners dishes such as rock snails, hill chickens, grilled stream duck, roasted wild boar, sour bamboo shoots, bitter bamboo shoots, wild vegetable soup, sticky rice, banana flower salad …
Our suggested itinerary for 3 days in Pu Luong
Day 1: Son Ba Muoi – Hieu village – Thac Hieu
Located on the road from Mai Chau to Pu Luong, Son Ba Muoi is 3 upland villages in Lung Cao commune, Ba Thuoc district, with a temperate climate, temperature 18-22 degrees C.
This place is quite isolated from the outside. so far, many practices of the ancient Thai people still preserved, traditional stilt houses have many characteristics of the local people.
Overcoming the steep and meandering slopes, visitors stopping at Son Ba Muoi will enjoy the peaceful rhythm of life amid the majestic natural scenery.
Going deeper into the Pu Luong nature reserve’s core zone, Hieu village is famous for Hieu waterfall with clear and strong water flow, flowing into many layers attracting tourists to take a cool bath.
At the foot of the waterfall are natural “swimming pools”, transparent water, cool in summer and warm in winter. In addition to waterfall bathing, you also visit palm hills, terraced fields, primeval forests.
Day 2: Mountain climbing to conquer Pu Luong peak – Don Village
Pu Luong Peak is about 1,700 m high, is one of the mountain peaks that trekking people love to conquer because the way to the mountain is quite steep with many rugged and winding sections.
It takes about 6 hours in good weather to reach the top. Standing on the top of Pu Luong, you can admire the full poetic landscape of mountains, fields, and valleys at the foot of the mountain.
Visitors can set up camp on the top to eat and rest overnight or bring lunch, in the middle of the afternoon, return to spend dinner in Don village. When climbing, you should wear long clothes, hats, climbing shoes, bring mosquito repellent, squeeze, drink, anti-hunger food …
If you do not have much experience in climbing, the resorts also offer day tours or 2 days 1 night. Don village is a place where many Thai people live. In the past 2-3 years, domestic and foreign tourists have come to Don village more and more.
The village has a peaceful space, pristine natural landscape with many attractive specialties such as wild bamboo shoots, duck, wild boar, hill chickens, squash …
Day 3: Ban Kho Muong – Hang Doi (Bat Cave) – Pho Doan Market
Kho Muong village and Doi cave are the most attractive places in Pu Luong that tourists should not miss. Although the road to Kho Muong is difficult to go because of the winding slope beside the cliffs and deep cliffs, everyone must be surprised by the hidden beauty of this place.
Just looking from a distance can also see the stilted roofs, rice fields, and corn sprawl and undulating mountains surrounding the village. Walking from the beginning of the village through a large rice field near the end of the trail will lead to the Bat cave, also known as Kho Muong cave.
Limestone stalactites formed about 250 million years ago created this cave. This is also the home to many species of bats. The deeper you go into the cave, the more visitors will see a large space covered by strange stalactites.
The Pho Doan market takes place every Thursday, Sunday. Coming here, you not only experience the upland market but also shop for souvenirs, local products, and eat specialties. A special point is that the market still operates in the way of exchanging goods with equal value, rarely seeing a challenge or bid.
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