You should bring a Map
If you follow the tour: Most foreign visitors to Pu Luong Nature Reserve are on tour, usually through tour operators in Hanoi. For some reason, walking tours of the reserve are especially popular with groups of middle-aged visitors. If you have booked one of these tours, all transportation and homestay or resort reservations will be arranged in advance.
If you go by yourself: For independent travelers, visiting Pu Luong without a guide will require a map and you can go to Pu Luong Riversider Lodge to get a Free Map Please. For anyone with – motorbike or car and now there are Limousines from Hanoi departing daily most of the main areas and attractions are located in Ban Hieu. You can choose here which is the most suitable.
About roads, traffic: Most of the main areas and attractions of Pu Luong have been paved and some roads to the village are still dirt roads. However, some roads and paths can be flooded, muddy and dangerous during the rainy season from June to August. But the road to Pu Luong is in a constant state of change and under repair. , renovation and re-surface. But overall, the Road, the traffic is always improving and it’s very enjoyable to explore all the small roads and trails around the reserve.
For those of you riding a motorbike, you can reach Pu Luong Nature Reserve from Hanoi within 4-5 hours, depending on the route and how you drive: Route Hanoi – Hoa Binh – Tan Lac – Son Ba Muoi is the shortest and most suitable route for you. Another option is to rent a motorbike, bicycle or car and drive from nearby tourist centers like Mai Chau or Ninh Binh and from there continue to Pu Luong Nature Reserve. To do this, inquire about your accommodation in Mai Chau or Ninh Binh: they will be able to help you with arrangements. Or you can rent a motorbike in Pu Luong via Tho Dia Tourist Mr Tan: 0389506696
Hiking At Hieu Waterfall
About Accommodation
Reservations & Reservations: There are dozens of homestays – hotels – resorts in Pu Luong, most of which are located in clusters in some corners of the reserve. Currently, there are quite a few accommodation among homestays: from cheap, rustic to mid-range and boutique-style luxury. For more upscale homestays – hotels – resorts (which tend to label themselves as ‘resorts’ or ‘eco-resorts’), you should book in advance. For most others, provided you are busy you don’t visit on weekends or holidays, you can go on a weekday just come and sleep one night and the next morning be enough to make you feel good. You can enjoy the peaceful scenery and extremely fresh air of Pu Luong. In any case, because homestays – hotels – resorts are generally clustered, if a place is fully booked, the house next door may have empty rooms. For the homestays – homestays – hotels – resorts listed below, I have tried to include contact information whenever possible.
Most of the homestays in Pu Luong are spontaneously opened by local people, who use their houses to become homestays. The rest Hotels or resorts are opened by investors, but most of them are made of palm roofs and wood in the form of “Boutique”.
Prices & Rates: At typical homestays – hotels – resorts (most of them in Pu Luong), With Homestay, the overnight price is extremely cheap: from 100,000-200,000vnd ($5-10$) a day. night. This is because the sleeping arrangement is very simple (but comfortable): usually a mattress on a wooden floor under a mosquito net in a common area on the first floor of a stilt house, often with curtains or partitions to create privacy and shared bathroom. But food and drinks are not included. However, boutique-style hotels or ‘resorts’ or ‘eco-resorts’ cost much more, sometimes up to $100 a night (though these often include meals). breakfast and/or dinner).
Distribution area Hotels – resorts – Homestays: Because there are hundreds of Hotels – resorts- Homestays in Pu Luong, I cannot list them all. Instead, I grouped a number of Hotels – resorts – Homestays into a number of ‘clusters’ (see below) and then selected one or two specific homestays within each ‘cluster’:
Homestay In Hang Village : In the northwest part of the reserve, Ban Hang is accessed via a steep graded road leading to the main National Road 15C via Pu Luong. The road descends to the river valley and continues along the shore, where a cluster of homestays (including Hieu Yen Homestay: 0168 204 5782) offers beds, food, drinks and local excursions. The homestays here are preferred by young Vietnamese and some tour groups. Common standards of homestays in Pu Luong: wooden stilt houses with beautiful river access, forest and surrounding countryside. Due to its low location (under the valley), the view is not as spectacular as other homestays and the local hamlet (Ban Hang) may not be as invested and attractive as other places in the reserve.
Homestay in Kho Muong Village: Perched on a kind of small plateau in the southwest corner of the reserve, Kho Muong occupies a breathtaking location with stunning views of the valley of terraced rice fields bisected by a stream. Lovely sparkling stream with beautiful limestone mountains surrounding it. The homestay in Kho Muong is located along Kho Muong village from the side of National Highway 15C down to the valley about 3km. There are 2 homestays with the most guests: Homestay Uncle Nech, Homestay Uncle Nam. Currently, the road to Kho Muong village has been concreted, so it is easier to travel than before, but to avoid danger because the road down to the village is very steep and many corners you should walk.
Hotel – Resort – Homestay Area along National Highway 15C
The most famous place to stay is Pu Luong Retreat, which has amazingly beautiful bungalows on a steep hillside dotted with areca groves. This is a luxury ‘ boutique style ‘ Resorts, of course, not a homestay at all but a resort with a beautiful Instagrammable infinity pool. The price is high but it’s worth it. However, there are many homestay-resorts if you continue further down the hillside you will find Pu Luong Treehouse and Natura resorts and others, all with great locations and great value for money. Many visitors come and never want to leave. Along National Highway 15C there are Pu Luong Eco Garden, Pu Luong Jungle Lodge, Pu Luong Enbino… All of these resorts have a modern Boutique style. You can book rooms very easily through Agoda and booking.com.
Homestay In Hieu Village
Located to the southeast of the reserve, the homestays are not much more impressive than those in Pu Luong, a small but spreading collection of bamboo thatched houses on stilts, built on a stilt. steep mountainside, dense forest beside a fast-flowing waterfall with terraced rice fields soaring in the clouds. But this is a place worth staying because it is likened to a miniature Pu Luong with: 9 Floor Waterfall, Terraced Fields, Thai Ancient Village, Hieu Farm. This is a place for families with small children who move less, who are lazy to go.
There are two separate clusters of homestays here, the first cluster of homestays (Ban Hieu 1) has about half a dozen cheap and airy accommodation in wooden and thatched houses, including Ba Yen Homestay (0167 978 1988). . The second cluster (Ban Hieu 2) boasts a number of more upscale ’boutique-style’ homestays, including: Pu Luong Riverside Lodge, Les Bains de Hieu (notoriously difficult to reach), Ban Hieu Garden Lodge, as well For some of the cheaper, more rustic options try Pu Luong Holiday Homestay. In particular, Pu Luong Riverside Lodge is an elegant balance between rustic and luxury. Hiking and biking here are excellent, but the focal point is the Hieu Waterfall (Hieu Waterfall) that cascades down the mountainside in stages, flowing rapidly at first, then collecting a series of perfectly rock pools along the way. at regular intervals, as it descends into the river at the bottom of the valley. These gin-colored pools are great for bathing, and they give the impression that the stream has been ‘stepped’ following the contours of the slope; in the same way that the surrounding rice fields have been terraced: it feels as if you’ve stumbled across the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Homestays in Ban Hieu, Pu Luong Nature Reserve, Vietnam Homestays in Ban Hieu are perhaps the most beautifully located of all the ‘clusters’ in Pu Luong
Homestay In Nua Village: Located right in the middle of the reserve, Lung Cao and Ban Nua are small hamlets scattered over a large area around the floodplain of a beautiful river valley. pretty. Homestays, including Ban Nua Homestay (0125 755 0703), tend to be very nice but basic. Some homestays can be reached by paved roads along the valley such as: PuLuong Lake View Farmstay (0327 221 218).
Other Homestay Areas : In the northeast of the reserve, at the top of the extremely steep and beautiful Eo Mao Pass, is Pu Luong Campground called Khu Son – Ba – Muoi. These are 3 villages of Pu Luong called Ban Son, Ban Ba, Ban Muoi. Around Pu Luong Nature Reserve, there are also some homestays such as Cao Son Homestay and some other homestays that are not known by many people. By far the most popular is Mai Chau, located just north of the nature reserve. However, these days Mai Chau is a fixture on most tour operators, so it can get very crowded and has a slightly ‘commercialized’ feel, although it is still a beautiful place to visit. However, in the same area, just to the northwest of Pu Luong, there are also a few motels in remote and peaceful areas such as Cun Pheo, Mai Hich.
Accommodation: When it comes to accommodation levels, there are “regular” and “good”. The type that used to represent the majority of homestays in Pu Luong: sleeping in a wooden stilt house with thatched roof, in the upstairs common room, with mattress on the wooden floor, hanging curtains, with curtains or partitions separating guests, in general. bathroom. Boutique accommodation is only available in a few places, including some of the places listed above. These offer fancy, upscale interiors in a traditional homestay style, often incorporating some modern touches and a much higher level of comfort, such as padded couches on the patio and soft lighting. . It is delicious and very attractive.
At ‘typical’ homestays, there is no luxury furniture: just a couch and a wooden table on the ground floor with a pot of green tea on it to receive guests. The lives of homestay owners revolve around their farmland and livestock. You can see Roosters, hens, chicks and dogs running all over the living area and downstairs courtyard; cattle live in bamboo stables and pigs squeal in their cages; vegetables are grown under the shade of areca, jackfruit, and cloves; and bees busy making honey in their wooden hive. Toilets are often ‘Western’ style, with separate standing shower. However, at ’boutique style’ homestays, the focus is on relaxation and accommodation: there is no ‘real life’ to witness.
For me, the most romantic time of the day at a homestay in Pu Luong Nature Reserve is at night. Lying on a thin mattress on the wooden floor, the mosquito net fluttered in the breeze through the open window, gazing at the intricate wooden trusses. Especially the chorus of life outside the wooden house: frogs, chirping, cicadas keep pace, birds chirping, roosters through the night, water gurgling from streams, the soft rain tapping against the broad leaves of an areca tree, the jingle of cow bells as animals move in their sleep, and countless other sounds, unidentifiable from fields and woods, transmitted in through the open windows as you lie awake, listening, mesmerized.
Food and drink:
Currently, there are a number of restaurants springing up to meet the dining needs of tourists. But because the town is far away and the Pho Doan Market in the area is only open on Thursday and Sunday mornings, the food supply in this area is limited. These meals, which often include a variety of different local dishes, using local ingredients such as Hat Doi and Nut Mac Khen, are the highlight of any homestay experience. However, you should still bring some snacks to help you avoid hunger.
The price of accommodation at the homestay (see above) does not include meals. In fact, because sleeping arrangements are often simple – mattresses on a wooden floor under mosquito nets – the cost of meals is often double or three times the cost of sleeping. But it’s well worth it and there’s no real alternative anyway. Most guests choose to include two meals: dinner and breakfast. Prices range from 50,000-70,000 VND/person for breakfast, to 150,000-250,000 VND/person for dinner. So expect to pay around 200,000-250,000 VND ($10) per person for breakfast and dinner, considering the quality and quantity of food, this is a very reasonable price for you.
Family meal at homestay, Pu Luong Nature Reserve, Vietnam Dinner in large quantity, price from 50,000 to 200,000 VND/person for breakfast/dinner
The food is almost always excellent and is extremely, um, ‘fresh’, which means that some visitors may find it unsettling to witness (or even just hear) the preparation. (Yes, I am talking about live animals being slaughtered, pigs and chickens squeal before the knife falls: but this is still a part of daily life for most people in Pu Luong, and indeed it is. with millions of people all over Vietnam.) However, once all the fresh meat and vegetables were cooked over a wood-burning fireplace, the result was the best homestay I’ve ever tasted. An example from one of my recent stays in Pu Luong is the spicy dish, goby fish cake, fragrant spring rolls, fried fish fresh from a local stream, and ground cabbage soup, accompanied by some rice wine. Home cooked honey soaked. , Of course. And, for breakfast, a delightful cake made with rice flour and duck eggs and dipped in honey: perfect for a chilly, misty morning in the mountains. Most hosts are used to having foreign guests, but they are still honored and delighted to host you. In general, the hosts immediately have a good rapport with their guests: sensitive and hospitable, and astute enough to know when to leave guests alone and when to engage. However, this may not be the case when there is a lot of alcohol in it.
Activities & To-Do:
Looking at the perspectives and observing the daily routine of a self-sufficient rural Pu Luong is enough to keep most people interested for at least a few days. Livestock, vegetable and herb gardens, tropical fruit trees, food processing and cooking over open flames, and irrigation systems that channel water from mountain streams, through bamboo pipes and into paddy fields, all both are fascinating to witness, especially if, like you and I, are from a big city.
Relaxing in Pu Luong Nature Reserve, Vietnam Relaxing in the surrounding countryside & observing the life of your host family is fun and engaging
However, throughout Pu Luong Nature Reserve there are also excellent trekking, cycling, mountain biking and motorbike riding activities. Some trails even go as far as neighboring Cuc Phuong National Park to the east, in Ninh Binh province. Trips range from gentle strolls to mountain landscapes and caves, to multi-day hikes to waterfalls, mountain peaks and remote forests, staying in various homestays along the way. . Pu Luong and the surrounding areas are dotted with a number of extremely picturesque waterfalls, flowing through the jungle and on limestone steps, where the water condenses into glowing pools that are ideal for bathing. . Hieu waterfall (Hieu waterfall) is especially prominent and is located in a convenient location, close to two homestay clusters in Ban Hieu. But further to the east, May waterfall and Mu waterfall can also be reached by foot or bicycle, motorbike and equally beautiful. Most homestays in Pu Luong Nature Reserve can organize and advise all of the above activities. Really, you can easily spend a whole week in Pu Luong without once feeling bored.
