Pu Luong’s location is in Ba Thuoc and Quan Hoa District, in the Northwest of Thanh Hoa Province. It is 130 kilometers from Thanh Hoa City and roughly 25 kilometers from Cuc Phuong National Park, not a long distance for a Pu Luong trek. The North and Northeast of Pu Luong are bordered by three districts including Mai Chau, Tan Lac and Lac Son of Hoa Binh Province, and from the West to the South is bordered by Ma River. Pu Luong, in Thai Language, means “the highest Mount of the region”. It is considered a very valuable natural reserve in terms of science, socio-economy and biological tourism. There are tremendous interesting experiences waiting for you in a trekking in Pu Luong.
The best time to visit Pu Luong
There are two most suitable time we recommend to visit Pu Luong during the year. The best time is from May to June because this is the time for people to start a new crop season. Visiting here at this time, you will catch sight of everything in green from the color of paddy fields on terraces to the surrounding forests. The green color has a cooling effect, therefore, to meet the demand of tourists to find a place to relax and avoid the harsh weather is not hard to accomplish in this town.
Or tourists can enjoy a trek to Pu Luong from September to October. Contrary to the time mentioned above, this time Pu Luong inhabitants begins harvesting their crops. The fields now turn golden like a gorgeous carpet made by nature. You can witness for yourself the sight of people here harvesting on the fields. The scent of ripen rice spreads everywhere, bringing to you a great comfortable and peaceful feeling.
Ways to get to Pu Luong
From Hanoi and other northern provinces, you can go to Lac Village of Mai Chau by motorbikes. After that, you just have to continue going in the direction of the 15C highway along Ma River to get to Pu Luong Natural Reserve and start your trekking in Pu Luong. Although it is about 40 kilometers from Mai Chau to Pu Luong as is shown in maps, the time it takes to get there will be longer due to the road’s conditions.
Recreation destinations in Pu Luong
- Conquer Pu Luong Mount Peak
If you love to adventure, it would be great for you to try Pu Luong Trekking to the peak of the mountain with the height of over 1,700 meters. From the top of Pu Luong, you can take a glimpse of the entire poetic scenery of mountains, forests, fields and valleys at the mountain foot. Above all, the best reward is the feeling of conquest and victory.
- The climbing journey to Son – Ba – Muoi
Climbing up to Son – Ba – Muoi, the remote area that not many people know, you have to pass Nua, Trinh, Hin, Bo villages and dangerous mountain’s paths. However, the sceneries here are very worthy when reaching the destination.
- Kho Muong Village
With many foreign tourists, Kho Muong is an ideal stay for trekking journeys through Pu Luong. Coming to Kho Muong village, apart from beautiful sights and majestic nature, tourists will also have the chances to explore the mysterious cave system in a Vietnam adventure tour. From Kho Muong village, tourists can go to other related villages to learn more about the daily life and custom of the local inhabitants as well as the cultural habit of the place.
- Waterfall in Hieu village
When coming to Pu Luong, you should not miss a place named Hieu waterfall village. On the way from Pho Doan town to the village, tourists can catch the familiar sight of water wheels, which is featured by Thai characteristics. Passing a bridge and a small hill, you will be surprised to get to the waterfall of Hieu village as the next great stopping point for your trekking in Pu Luong.
- Pho Don Fair Market
Starting your journey on Thursday or Sunday, Pho Don Fair Market is a good choice. This is the place to exchange interesting stuff which can only be sold in mountainous fairs. You can easily purchase special products of the people here like brocade cloth, wine, forest vegetable, insect or fresh fruits.
- Experience the high land life
Tourists will experience the life of Thai and Muong ethnic groups while blending in the daily life of the mountainous people. Besides, there are many interesting outdoor Vietnam adventure activities here for you to join in such as bamboo dancing, singing and trying a special dance of the Thai people.
Pu Luong retreat
Pu Luong retreat is an ideal place to relax and let out some stress. This is where you can stay away from the hustle and bustle of the normal life. In this Pu Luong retreat, to help tourists totally and completely enjoy the natural life, they do not install modern electronic facilities such as televisions, fridges, air conditioners… That will be a great and strange experience for a Vietnam adventure travel. However, there is equipped free and stable wifi all over the retreat.
Pu Luong retreat is a separate resort, which works like a hotel. With small space including only two tilt houses and five bungalows over an acreage of roughly 3,000 square meters, this retreat cannot have enough space for independent tourists or those who do not book the service beforehand.
Pu Luong specialties
Eating service for a trekking in Pu Luong is often booked in tilt houses which are opened for tours. The host will make special dishes which can only be found in mountainous areas such as hill chicken, sour bamboo shoots, bitter bamboo shoots, bamboo sticky rice, grilled spring duck or boar.
Pu Luong hotels
Because Pu Luong is a natural reserve of important tropical forest of Vietnam, tourism activities are often spontaneous. Therefore, there is no hotel in this place. If you come for trekking in Pu Luong nature retreat, you can choose a homestay or spend the nights in some popular guesthouses.
When trekking in Pu Luong, you can also stay in large and airy tilt houses of the Thai or Muong in Lac, Com Poong, Hoa Binh and some other villages in the core area of Pu Luong. The average cost for a night is about 40,000 to 50,000 Vietnamese Dongs per person.
If you have a chance to come to Thanh Hoa, trekking in Pu Luong is a great suggestion. The beauty of this place is widely known and it is also written about tremendously in many tourist blogs. Many stunning sceneries are available for you to take photos of. This will be an interesting and memorable trip of your life.
