PU LUONG

TOP 8 TOURIST ATTRACTIONS OF THE PU LUONG AREA

In local Thai language, Phu Luong or Pu Luong means “the highest summit of the village”.Pu Luong nature reserve was established in 1999 with its location in Ba Thuoc District of Thanh Hoa Province, in the northwestern area of Vietnam and its whole area of 17,662 ha, encompassing by three districts of Hoa Binh Province including Mai Chau, Tan Lac, and Lac Son. The value of biodiversity in this park is wonderful with its rich flora and fauna system that has a close association with Cuc Phuong National Park. The reserve is situated along two parallel ranges of mountains running from the north-west to south-west, with its lush central valley scattered with many tradditional villages of Thai & Muong ethnic groups and the vast area of farming land. The landscape is truly beautiful & impressive.

Travelling to Pu Luong on the tours of Vietnam is perfect for the nature lovers wishing to escape the bustle of city life and see imposing mountain ranges, intact rivers and waterfalls, poetic villages, and immense valleys of beautiful terraced rice fields. Plus, a tour of a less-visited place like Pu Luong makes it possible to get off-the-beaten-path and appreciate the remote life and taste the local cuisine. Pu Luong and its nature reserve is slowly gaining favour in the region and starting to see more tourist attention over the otherwise most famous destinations in the north, such as Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Mai Chau, and Sapa…. Here are the places to visit when you come to Pu Luong

Opulent and dreamy scenery attracts your eyes for the first time seeing

1.Kho Muong Village – Bat Cave (Kho Muong Cave)

On the road to Pu Luong Mountain Peak, there is a wild and simple valley called Kho Muong. It is one of the remote villages in Muong Son Commune, Ba Thuoc District which is also the poorest one in the area. However, it has great potential for commune tourism thanks to the natural conditions and cultural traditions of the local residents.The road to the village is meandering because it is still in construction. One side is the cliffs, and the other is a deep end with yellow terraces and endless green forests. There are about 60 families living in the area, most of them are Thai ethnic minority. Traditionally, they earn their living by growing rice, corn,… self-sufficiently. Thanks to the dominance in natural resources, they have trained themselves to turn the village into an attractive tourism destination.An impressive spot that tourists should not miss here is Kho Muong Cave. To reach the cave, you have to go through a perched path stretching for 100 meters. However, the cave heart is very wide, about 2,5 kilometers, with many small spaces sinking deeply into the ground. Hundreds of blocks of limestone have contributed for millions of million years to fulfilling the shape of the cave.
Kho Muong Cave has another name Bat Cave (Hang Doi). It is because it is the home of many kinds of bats, at least four of them have been found out at different time around the year. Entering deep into the cave, tourists will be attracted by hundreds of stalactites and stone blocks in variously strange shapes, in different magic colors. All create a lively and mysterious atmosphere.

2. Hieu Village – Hieu Waterfall

Hieu Village and Hieu Waterfall are in Co Lung Commune, Ba Thuoc District, Thanh Hoa Province. Visiting Pu Luong Thanh Hoa when the rice ripes, you will certainly get surprised at the 25-kilometer roadway from Cang Nang town to Hieu village with endlessly yellow terraced on two roadsides, along two sides of the stream. Go through a wooden suspension bridge to enter the village.There are more than 100 houses scattering along two sides of the river alternating with white rapids behind, creating a picture of watercolors painting catching your eyes immediately. The village is only one kilometer long but has up to five waterfalls, each of which has its own charming features that are completely different from others. Therefore, local people give them a general name “Hieu Waterfall“, and the stream is also called “Hieu Flow” instead of “Hieu Stream” as usual. Both the waterfall and the stream derived from the rocky cave in the limestone mountain range Pu Luong – Cuc Phuong, therefore, the water is especially fresh and blue. The waterfall’s length is about 800 meters. From the peak’s view, the flow is separated into two smaller ones in the mountain body and then they gather at the end. According to the locals, the stream is never out of water. It is blue all over the year, cool in summer and warm in winter.

At the end of the waterfall is a small stream, the water level of which is one meter high. The bottom is covered with a sand layer, turning it into a natural lake for tourists to immerse in after a journey discovering the Hieu Waterfall peak.

3. Son – Ba – Muong Village

Son – Ba – Muoi are three different mountainous villages in Lung Cao Commune. The place is 130 kilometers far from the city center and also known as a “mini Sapa” thanks to its moderate climate around the year. The average temperature is from 18 to 22°C. However, for its height, the weather is so cold in winter that sometimes snows fall when the temperature goes down to -1 or -2°C. In summer, it is cool in daylight but a little cold at night.
These three villages have another name Cao Son, belonging to the core area of Pu Luong Nature Reserve and locating next to Ngoc Son – Ngo Luong Nature Reserve (Hoa Binh Province). They are called Cao Son, which means “a high mountain” in Vietnamese, because they are at the peak of Pha Le mountain range, at the height 1200 meters above the sea level, paralleled with Pu Luong – Cuc Phuong range.

Have nice check-in photos on the road to Son – Ba – Muong Villages

Not only the location but the challenging roadway to approach the place make the area almost isolated from others at the mountain foot. However, that also contributes to the naturally wild beauty of the area and makes it attractive to travelers who love challenges. Especially, there still maintain many traditional customs of the ancient Thai ethnic minority. Thai stilt house architecture is a existing proof showing that it has not been affected by outside so far.

4. Don Village (Thanh Lam Commune)

Don Village is the home of the Thai ethnic minority, including 76 homes (285 individuals), at an area of 125 hectares in Thanh Lam Commune, Ba Thuoc District. For the last two years, the number of tourists visits the place is rising rapidly, among which the number of foreigners makes up for 60%.

Terraces in Don Village

The attraction has a wild scenery, typical for terraces stretching endlessly and groups of houses locating quietly along the hill foot. More impressively, tourists will have a chance to learn about the local traditional weaving, taste some special flavors that you hardly find anywhere else: mountainous bamboo, field ducks, wild boars, mountainous chicken, fish soup,… But what impresses you most may be the warm welcome and friendliness of the locals here.From Don Village, you can have a walk or take a vehicle to visit other attractions in Ba Thuoc District such as Hieu Village, Kho Muong village…

5. Check-in on Pu Luong mountain peak

Also known as “the paradise among the mountains“, the full-range scenery of Pu Luong is much more impressive with dew surrounding all the year. When you get up at early morning, have a look through the window, you will see clouds floating at the peak of the mountain, even in front of your eyes. Everything combines so well that you may get a feeling like in your dream, nothing moves, just the quietness of the landscape exists.

Sunrise scenery on the peak of Pu Luong mountain

If you are a challenge lover, conquering the peak at 1700 meters high is the most exciting experience in Pu Luong Thanh Hoa. It takes about six to eight hours to reak the peak in nice weather conditions. However, it is worth when you can admire the outstanding landscape of mountains and forests together with spotting stilts houses and terraces in the valley on the mountain foot. Enjoy the feeling of fighting yourself to complete the challenging mission. Moreover, you can have a simple camping party and get overnight there before going down on the next day.

6. Pho Doan market

If you visit the place on Thursday or Sunday, don’t miss to join Pho Doan Market, which has been famous since the French period. It is located in Lung Niem Commune, Ba Thuoc District, Thanh Hoa Province. There take place trading activities, purchasing local products of Kinh, Muong, Thai minorities from surrounding areas such as Tan Lac District, Lac Son District (Hoa Binh Province)…
Pho Doan is typical for mountainous markets with mostly self-sufficient products. They are quite simple but prevalent in kinds of products such as traditional silk costumes, tube wine, mountainous vegetable, fresh fruits,…

Pho Doan Market still keeps typical features of a mountainous market

Especially, the most impression is that local residents do not use money for trading but they exchange equivalent products to each other. For example, you can exchange a cock for twenty eggs and a number of vegetables if both are satisfied. They hardly haggle.

7. Muon Waterfall

Located 100 kilometers far from Thanh Hoa city, following the National Highway No. 217 toward the high land, tourists will see Muon Waterfall, also known as Mo Waterfall, which means “exciting and dreamy” in Vietnamese. It is 500 meters high above the water level, originates from the mountain peak at a height of 300 meters.
The flow arrives at a large valley, from which goes down to the hillsides, creating many succeeding grades of water like the white terraces.

Going through these 43 grades at different sizes and heights with stone, water, forest trees, the stream falls out to Dai Lan river, then contributes to Ma Giang river. Tourists can climb on these grades of the waterfall safely thanks to the typical stone features.
In addition to admiring the natural beauty of the landscape, tourists will listen to the story of love related to the attraction, meet the locals and learn about the lifestyle and culture of the area. They are all warm-hearted and welcome tourists to come and have nice experience here.Bottom of Form

8. Son Ba Muoi

Located at an altitude of about 1,180 m, the hardships and the wonderful beauty make Son Ba Muoi (Cao Son area) seem to be separated from the outside world, but also create the undeniable attraction to tourists. The journey to this place is indeed difficult, challenging because visitors have to cross the slope, the forest which is dark, slipper and dangerous. However, when the higher the scene is, peaceful villages filled with flowers, the terraced fields winding down the bottom will dissipate all your tiredness.

Hopefully, the most famous Pu Luong tourist destinations above will help you have more choices and interesting experiences in this beautiful land. If you have any questions, please let us know.

ALL THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE TRAVELLING TO PU LUONG

HOW TO GET TO PU LUONG – THANH HOA ?

Getting there from Hanoi: The travel distance from Hanoi to Pu Luong is in the region of 150 km which makes a journey time of just over 4 hours by private car hire.

Pu Luong Thanh Hoa tour map

THINGS TO DO IN PU LUONG
Once you One glance at the Pu Luong Nature Reserve and you’ll see why the ethnic Thai people made this enchanting valley their home long ago. The slow pace in Pu Luong is a striking contrast to life in the capital just a few hours away. Endless mountains, fertile valleys and pristine jungle are just a few good reasons to visit. Here are seven ways to make the most of your time in this beautiful
1.Trekking
Trekking in Pu Luong is certain to appeal to tourists looking to relax among nature and explore the mysterious beauty in this evergreen region of Vietnam. Walk along the mountain ranges, cross the streams and see the immense fields that create the pristine landscape that is perfect for capturing the photographic memories. Plus, there are plenty of scenic routes to following on the trekking expedition. The thrill-seekers can try the multi-day trek on the least-visited trails and pass several villages, a challenging hike that climbs to the Pu Luong summit, or the more leisurely hike with a trail distance of about 5 km that passes nearby hamlets and explore rustic ethnic villages: Don Village, Uoi Village, Kho Muong Village, and Hieu Village.
2. Cycling– Cycling around ethnic village
With many biking trails, Pu Luong enables travelers to discover the town in its most authentic way. Idyllic valleys, unique terraced rice fields, and romantic mountains are the rewards for eager cyclists. Moreover, you can see Thai and Muong farmers plowing with their water buffalos when you are on a bike. Travelers will be thrilled at spectacular waterwheels which are used to move water to the rice fields. Cycling is a perfect activity for your family holiday in Vietnam
3. Taking photos of emerald rice terraces

Northern Vietnam is an ideal place for a photography tour. Photographers will be thrilled since they can capture the unique landscape that they cannot find anywhere else. Pu Luong will never disappoint you with blue sky, pristine nature, and colorful ethnic culture. Don’t just focus on natural landscapes; ingenuous ethnic people will make your photos more soulful

Rice Terraces in Pu Luong

4. Kayaking
Pu Luong’s river is a great place for the kayaking enthusiasts, especially when the rainy season arrives. A trip along the river gives the stunning scenery with the green farmland, eye-catching water wheels, simple stilted houses, and all-round beautiful riverscape. In addition to kayaking, there is also the option to go rafting on the simple bamboo rafts. The Cham River is extremely peaceful and makes it possible to appreciate the local farming life. Plus, it may even be possible to get full hands-on experience and copy what the local fishermen do.
5. Relaxing & immerse yourself in nature
For the travellers that simply want to relax, Pu Luong can be your stress-free retreat. The local harmonious and pure atmosphere is perfect to simply lay back and relax. Whether it is walking in harmony with nature, sunbathing, swimming, or gardening, there are plenty of things to do to feel relaxed and comfortable on the package holidays to Vietnam.

6. Join a craft workshop
WHERE TO STAY?

Experiencing homestay in local stilt houses

In addition to the number of inns and homestays in the region, Pu Luong Retreat continues to be a popular place to stay while visiting this beautiful part of Vietnam. This retreat is well linked and close to several of the nearby attractions. The accommodation options include suite bungalow, valley-view bungalow, and dorms. A dorm is relatively cheap at $14 per night, while a stay in a bungalow is $20 per night. While this retreat isn’t fitted out with the latest facilities, it does create a comfortable place to rest up for the night. Sun lounge chairs, comfortable beds, and a pool are the pleasant amenities you can enjoy. However, for the travellers on the family tours in Vietnam wishing to experience the more authentic stay in Pu Luong, there is the option to stay with a local family in a homestay. A great benefit of the overnight stay at a local homestay is the ability to get a more in-depth experience and get closer to the local ethnic minority people. Plus, the homestay gives the opportunity to enjoy a traditional meal and drink that has been prepared by your hosts. Recently, some resorts have been built up to meet the rising demands of high-qualified resort services. However, the price is quite high. We will introduce a few more typical ones below:

Resorts at Pu Luong Thanh Hoa
Ban Hieu Garden Lodge:
Puluong Natura Bungalow

WHAT TO BRING FOR YOUR PU LUONG TRIP?

Appropriate clothing: light clothing for summer and warm clothing for winter.
A high-quality pair of shoes
Sun protection items: sunglasses, sunscreen, hats, etc.
Mosquito repellent spray
Trekking gears
Camera

WEATHER & BEST TIME TO VISIT PU LUON

Several questions often come up to the traveler to Pu Luong Vietnam, one of the most typical is that what is the best time to visit Pu Luong. It has recently emerged more popular for its spectacularly Pu Luong Weather, natural landscapes with majestic terraced rice fields, and appealing cultural diversity. Not as crowded and busy as other famous places like Sapa or Ha Long, Pu Luong covers itself a quiet and picturesque beauty all year round. you can know what is The Best Time to Travel To Vietnam

But the ideal time of period you should enjoy falls in the middle of May and June or between September and October when you will have a chance to take a view of the yellow of ripe rice season throughout all the terrace fields. Do not worry for other times of the year, you still take experience farmers’ activities on green terraced fields.
1.Summer Weather In Pu Luong
The summer suffers humid and hot weather, especially hot and dry westerly wind during the day due to bear much effect of a heatwave from the border of Lao until it turns to be cool and more convenient in the night. Despite normally being humid and dry, the climate is tempered by the prevalent cool temperatures of the lowland limestone mountains and many surrounding tropical forests together with scattered inhabitants. May to August is the time of the hottest and wettest months of the year, it has a tendency to rain in the mornings, but clears up in the afternoons. These squalls of rain help reduce partially muggy heat of the summer.

Temperature

Hiking or trekking through prevail villages in Pu Luong in the summer seems to be a challenging experience for those in fond of adventure. The scorching temperatures can reach to a peak of over 30°C in high summer, which makes more energy of tourists lost. However, the temperature is not always at maximum like that but fluctuates at the average level from 20 to 27°C and this is not definitely a big obstacle to be restricted to outdoor activities.
In addition to mountains and fields, Pu Luong Vietnam is also granted with other specialties, more concretely, deer waterfall or waterwheels in spring that allow tourists to take a dip into cool water to eliminate the heat after hiking or trekking. Summer nights turn to be more different from the day when it becomes pleasant and comfortable or even warm, as well, with the temperature dropping lower than 20°C, hence the feeling of heat is no longer there.

Rain

Due to the effect of tropical forests and dry westerly wind, the summer often has rain in the mornings while the afternoon and the night becomes breezy and cool. Sometimes, the summer can arrive in Pu Luong as early as May and can last until September with the total precipitation up to approximately 2,000 mm or almost 70 percent of the total annual rainfall.
2. Autumn Weather In Pu Luong

Temperature

Although the short time of the autumn only occurs between October and November, even the detection sign of this season at some times is invisible and can not be felt obviously, the climate is mild and comfortable enough for travelers to get an exciting trip. The common temperature experiences within 20 and 25°C but it can have a dramatic drop of around 15°C at night.
3. Winter Weather In Pu Luong
The winter brings about chilly feeling and thick fog in early morning and late at night. From December to February are the coldest months with much harsh chill other than plain areas. Despite the mountainous region, the snow has rarely been witnessed in Pu Luong except for some typical occasions at the coldest of the top of Pu Luong Vietnam mountain.

Temperature

In winter, it is extremely common for the sun to occur mid-morning in Sapa and for wet weather to arrive in the afternoon. Temperatures may go as low as 1°C during the night and there are instances when it can plummet to sub-zero with frost along the way.
With the temperatures average around 8°C to 10°C during the nights and between 10°C and 15°C in the afternoons, this is still under the bearable threshold for travelers to go outside and enjoy the breathtaking natural landscape of the region. Even, some visitors with a high sustainable level are ready to jump into the swimming pool in the winter.
However, it is not advisable to try such activities because the temperature in some days may go down at the lowest of 5°C.

Fog

Along with cold weather in the winter in Pu Luong, fog becomes a common feature. The mountains and fields all around the region are covered by full of fog and frost in the morning and late-night which can be a restriction to find the way.

Rain

On visiting Pu Luong in winter, there is occasional small mizzle rain with rainfall at its highest averaging 10 mm and 100 mm of precipitation.
4. Spring Weather In Pu Luong

Temperature

The spring comes between March and May with the average temperature from 19°C to 24°C and gradually increases until it hits 26°C in the early summer. Some drizzle may occur in the early morning but the frequency is less than other seasons.

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WHAT TO EAT IN PULUONG

Because Pu Luong has developed tourism recently, restaurant services have not meet current demands. Instead, you will have meals at your homestay prepared by the owners. The menu will be up to your choice. However, generally, there are local rice or sticky rice presented with some other specialties on a big leaf tray. The meal is typical for Thai minority’s food.
1.Co Lung duck
Co Lung duck is a main ingredient for many delicious dishes in Pu Luong Thanh Hoa. It is known for small bones and attractive layers of meat. The locals let them freely find their food alongside the stream instead of feeding them every day, so the flavor is very special.The most popular dish is roasted duck with a good smelling and greasy taste that tourists will find it hard to forget after once trying.

Co Lung duck is famous all over the country

2. Roasted stream fish
The fish is cleaned and marinated immediately after caught. Special seasons taken from the forests are included to create a special flavor that is hard to imagine. It will be roasted on red ember and you can enjoy it in some minutes together with five-colored sticky rice and local corn wine.

Roasted stream fish is a popular but attractive food

3. Bamboo-tube rice
Bamboo-tube rice is a popular food in the daily meals of the locals. What makes it so unique maybe the local flavoring big-grain rice combined with the bamboo-tube.

Rice is cooked in bammbo tube and enjoyed with roasted meat

4. Hill chicken
The chickens are raised naturally on the hill, so the meat is flavoring and gentle. They are usually boiled and enjoyed immediately with local spices. Only local cooks know how to marinate the chicken in the right way to bring about such a unique flavor.
5. Bitter bamboo shoots
In spring, local residents will go to forests to get bitter bamboo shoots which is naturally bitter but surprisingly turns sweets after that. However, the food only becomes perfect when it is combined with a special season in the area.

Bitter bamboo shoots remind tourists of their Pu Luong Thanh Hoa journey

6. Roasted piglet
It is a local farm animal of Muong ethnic minority. It is hard to keep the originally gentle flavor of the meat in a complex recipe, which also makes the food loved by tourists from all over the world.

Wild pig meat attracts tourists from the first time smelling

7. Can Wine (Tube wine)
Tube wine is a special fermented rice wine of Pu Luong Thanh Hoa. This special spicy and sweet combination between cassava yeast and local stream water will certainly bear in tourists’ mind when someone mentions Vietnam.

Can Wine is also a symbol of the community connection