Cao Bang Trip, treading on Chinese borders

Hey everyone!

As I’ve promised in my Youtube video here’s the details of my trip to Cao Bang, visiting one of Asia’s most beautiful waterfalls. 

I cannot afford to get off work longer than my official day off, so I hired a private car for two days. 

It costs me $200USD which is a bit pricey against the normal charges.
However, if I calculate the destinations I visited it’s quite cheap already.

I visited three destinations in Cao Bang and because cars can access the road, so it was a door to door drop off and pick up in three attractions. 

I did not take the Hanoi route because I started the trip from Tuan Chau, Halong.  The routes we were using were all Chinese borders from Tuan Chau, Campha, Langson and Phuc Hoa, a total of 303 kilometers.   The green mountain landscape though were unending, so the 8-hour drive was not boring at all.  My eyes were used to seeing busy city environment and beaches. To see the beauty of the mountains were quite a big break to my eyes. 

I left Tuan Chau at 6:30AM and there’s no stopping for lunch, so we arrived almost 3pm.  I said no stopping for lunch because there’s no decent place to have lunch.  There were few restaurant outlets along the road but all of them were catering truck drivers, so not really conducive for tourists. I was just lucky I have fruits, chocolates and cookies with me, so it was enough to sustain until nighttime.

Ban Gioc closes at 6pm and so does Nguom Ngao

Cave, so the trip was a bit rush since I only have three hours.  We went first to Ban Gioc waterfall before heading to Nguom Ngao cave which was a mistake for the likes of me who was squeezing time schedule.  5:30pm the lights inside the cave was turned off already.  Exploring the cave would take at least 30 minutes and in the absence of lights you cannot enjoy the beauty of the stalactite and stalagmite formation. In my case 10 minutes I entered the cave, lights turned off and it was so dark already. I was just depending on the flashlight which was not good in videos and photos, so I decided to go back and not explore deeper the cave.  I suggest if you will be squeezing time, visit first Nguom Ngao and move to Ban Gioc waterfall. 

After exploring the two destinations I headed back to Cao Bang center where I booked a room to stay overnight.  The following day, we headed to Suoi Le-nin which is an hour away from Cao Bang center.  If you start your journey from Hanoi on a private car you can pass by Suoi Le-nin using the Babe Lake route. 

In my case, the driver has to go back Cao Bang center as we were heading back to Halong.  There were public buses from Hanoi or from Halong going to Cao Bang but it’s all about time. If you are like me chasing time, then you can’t make it in two days. You need at least 5 days enough to explore using all public transport. That if you want cheaper options.  The entry to the destinations not that expensive, 30,000VND each for Ban Gioc and Nguom Ngao while 25,000VND for Suoi Le-nin. 

As for hotels in Cao Bang, no need to worry so much because there were not a lot of tourists in the area. I can assure you there are always rooms available if you just walk in. One suggestion though, since the place is really mountainous then scooter is a good option. You can rent a scooter from Cao Bang. It is much handy if you intend to stop for video or photo shoot. 

The attractions in Cao Bang are worth spending your time.  I even wanted to stay longer and explore other destinations nearby but like I said I cannot afford to stay away long from work.    My trip was a bit rush but I still enjoy the breathtaking scenery.   You can see it from my Youtube video.  I only use my iphone and it was not even bad.  How much more if you see it by yourself? If you have questions or you want more details you can send me an email at gmorientalsaigon@gmail.com. I hope that helps. Cheers!