Located in the mountains and forests of the Northwest, Mai Chau valley converges all the necessary elements to become an ideal tourist destination: cool and temperate climate, poetic natural scenery, gentle people. friendly, and typical traditional cultural identity. Unique and fresh experiences are what you will definitely get when choosing Mai Chau, Hoa Binh as your destination. Here is the latest Mai Chau, Hoa Binh travel guide for you.
(1).jpg)
1. Where is Mai Chau?
Mai Chau is a mountainous district located at the westernmost point of Hoa Binh province. About 110 km from Hanoi city center, equivalent to nearly 3 hours traveling by car, the road is also quite flat and safe, Mai Chau soon became one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Tourists near and far come to relax on the weekend with relatives and family. Mountains, nature, climate have made Mai Chau one of the most famous tourist destinations in the North. You will be surprised by the wild and peaceful beauty in Mai Chau.
See more:
2. Weather, climate in Mai Chau
.jpg)
Nature has endowed Mai Chau with a majestic and poetic landscape of mountains and forests, and did not forget to “send” to this place a temperate and cool climate, enough to captivate anyone once booking. foot to Mai Chau. Basically, the four seasons of Mai Chau bring visitors a pleasant and comfortable feeling.
2.1. Summer
Mai Chau summer has a very different feature compared to other northern regions: coolness. While the temperature in the center of Hanoi city always reaches 38 – 39 degrees Celsius in the summer, the average temperature in Mai Chau is always in the range of 27 – 31 degrees Celsius. At night, the temperature is also low. not lower than 34 degrees Celsius. This is the right temperature for you and your loved ones to enjoy a spacious, cool space right in the middle of hot, hot summer days. However, you should also note: around July in Mai Chau, the humidity is quite high, which can cause heavy rain. You should regularly monitor the weather forecast to choose the right time for your Mai Chau trip.
2.2. Fall
Coming to Mai Chau in the fall, you will enjoy a cooler atmosphere than summer, the average temperature is only about 26 degrees Celsius. The humidity in the air also decreases, the feeling of mystery when traveling to Mai. Chau is no more. More specifically, you also have the opportunity to admire the golden fields, because this is the ripe rice season in Mai Chau. This opportune time is very suitable for you to travel with family and friends. One year Mai Chau will have 2 golden rice seasons: June and October. Don’t forget to save in your travel planner the Mai Chau place.
2.3. Winter
Winter in Mai Chau (between November and January every year) is a time of relatively cold air, the temperature usually falls around 16 degrees Celsius. When traveling during this period, you should pay attention. wear warm clothes such as coats, sweaters, scarves, etc. to avoid health problems, and also to have fun.
2.4. Spring
.jpg)
Mai Chau spring, January, February will surely make you ecstatic with the colorful forest flowers. This is the time when the banyan and peach blossoms bloom at their most brilliant. The weather of Mai Chau at this time is also very pleasant, the temperature is about 15-20 degrees Celsius. You and your family can take advantage of the mild spring weather to visit the scenic spots in the Northwest region of Mai Chau. .
3. What is the most beautiful season to go to Mai Chau?
.jpg)
3.1. Ripe rice season
Mai Chau is beautiful every season. Going to Mai Chau every season, you will have new experiences. At the end of May, when students have just had a summer break, Mai Chau enters the first harvest of the year. The farmer is busy harvesting the golden rice in the field. The smell of smoke and the main smell of rice fills Mai Chau. At the end of October, the bright yellow color of ripe rice fields will captivate you from every angle. There is nothing better than having the opportunity to admire 360 ββdegrees of the ripe rice valley.
3.2. Water season
.jpg)
In addition, traveling to Mai Chau between the end of February and the beginning of June is also a unique idea. At this time, the farmer brought water from the stream to the fields. The whole Mai Chau valley appears like a giant mirror sparkling in the sun This is the time many photographers go to Mai Chau to hunt for the best photos.
3.3. Green rice season
.jpg)
Coming to Mai Chau from March to May and from June to October, you will enjoy the most peaceful Mai Chau moments of the year. The whole valley is green in the green color of the growing rice. You will be able to discover Mai Chau’s nature when Mai Chau is not too crowded with tourists.
See more:
4. The way from Hanoi to Mai Chau
If you want to fully experience Mai Chau travel with your friends, self-sufficient travel by car (or motorbike) is a right choice. From the center of Hanoi city, you can follow the following routes to Mai Chau – Hoa Binh:
4.1. Motorcycle
You can move from Nguyen Trai area (Ha Dong), go to Quang Trung – Ba La – Chuc Son – Xuan Mai – Luong Son – Ky Son and then turn into the center of Hoa Binh. From Hoa Binh, continue the road to Cao Phong – Tan Lac – Thung Khe pass. From Thung Khe, you follow the signpost for another 6 km along road 15 to reach Mai Chau.
4.2. Car
You can follow Thang Long Boulevard to go straight to Hoa Binh city. Keep going straight to Luong Son, Mai Chau town – Hoa Binh. Pay attention on major roads, you need to comply with traffic laws to protect the safety of yourself and other road users around.
4.3. Bus
You can buy tickets at My Dinh or Giap Bat bus stations to go to Mai Chau (Hoa Binh). Getting off at Tong Dau junction, you take a motorbike taxi to the center of Mai Chau valley, about 5 km away. The ticket price for a car is about 90,000-110,000 VND/person, depending on the car company.
See more:
5. Means of transportation in Mai Chau
Mai Chau is a valley with quite flat terrain and not too large an area, so you can move easily by simple means such as bicycles, trams or even on foot. Within a radius of about 10km, you can rent bicycles or use free bicycles at the resort to explore the surrounding villages such as Ban Lac, Ban Van, Ban Pom Coong. This is the favorite vehicle of young people or couples on honeymoon. Families with young children also use this vehicle for their children to experience a life close to nature.
.jpg)
If your family has elderly people or young children who do not want to be active, electric cars are the perfect means of transportation. You will be able to visit the villages around Mai Chau for about 300,000 VND/person. The battery-powered electric scooter with a moderate speed allows you to enjoy the scenery and take photos right in the car without effort. In addition, you can also rent a motorbike in Mai Chau at a low cost.
.jpg)
To visit further places within a 30km radius such as Ba Khan, Mai Chau Flagpole, you can hire a taxi or take a private car. Cars have the advantage of being convenient but difficult to access villages with small roads or dirt roads.
Another way to get around in Mai Chau is on foot. You can walk from the resort to visit the rice fields or the village if you are healthy and the weather is not too harsh.
See more:
(1).jpg)
6. Hotels, resorts in Mai Chau
6.1. Homestay
.jpg)
In Mai Chau, the community-based tourism model is very popular with homestays built and managed by local people. These are usually large stilt houses for groups of 10 or more people. These are accommodation facilities close to people’s lives, prices are not too high and are suitable for groups of young tourists, students, and students who do not require too much service quality.
For groups of tourists such as honeymoon couples, office workers or multi-generational families (including children and the elderly), the resort model at resorts is more suitable.
6.2. Resort
.jpg)
Nestled between the quiet mountains and forests, mixed in the mist hovering where the mountain slopes are spreading down the valley, Mai Chau Ecolodge offers visitors a quiet, wild but no less romantic space. With a convenient location, just 1 to 3km from the center of Mai Chau town and surrounding cultural villages, from the 4-star Mai Chau Ecolodge resort, guests can easily access tourist attractions. Mai Chau is famous for its local identity and extremely hospitable people such as Pom Coong, Lac, Tong Dau…
Operating on the principles of closeness to nature, environmental protection, culture and sustainable tourism, Mai Chau Ecolodge was built in imitation of Thai house architecture with a ceiling made of Loi (a type of tree) forest), palm roof, rustic decoration details, but also extremely delicate. The space will bring visitors a feeling of peace and warmth after stressful working days.
Besides the terrain located between the mountains and forests, where visitors can admire the picture of the valley looming each corn field, rice field, feel the quiet life in the private garden of each bungalow, Mai Chau Ecolode also offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy the traditional dance programs of the Northwest ethnic groups in the evenings.
Along with all the facilities of a 4-star resort such as Hoa Lan restaurant with a capacity of 90 guests, a relaxing spa area, a bar with a modern and classic space, a standard swimming pool of 200 square meters on the ground floor. The top of the hill, the attentive, friendly and professional service of the staff at Mai Chau Ecolodge will surely satisfy visitors during their stay.
For more information contact: Mai Chau Ecolodge: 024 3221 6726/ 0901 763 838
(1).jpg)
7. What to visit in Mai Chau?
See more:
7.1 Discovering Thai national identity
.jpg)
Mai Chau is where the White Thai people have lived for a long time. Unlike the Black Thai in Dien Bien, the White Thai people have their own distinctive lifestyle, from costumes, farming and houses on stilts. You can go to Lac, Van and Pom Coong villages to visit cultural tourism villages, shop for souvenirs and visit lovely stilt houses. In which, Lac village is the most touristy village because there are many community guesthouses. Ban Van is a new village planned into a cultural and tourist village, with many foreign tourists. Pom Coong village is a bit further than the other two and is also very attractive to tourists. Just cycle through the winding country roads, enjoy the taste of the rice fields and take lots of beautiful photos.
See more:
7.2. Trekking in Mai Chau
.jpg)
Rice fields in Mai Chau are planted on gently sloping terrain, interspersed with black stone slabs. Although not as majestic as Mu Cang Chai or Hoang Su Phi terraced fields, you can still walk into the deep villages such as Step, Kha, Ban Te and Kha hamlets. However, these trekking routes need the guidance of a local guide and fully equipped for an adventurous trip.
In addition, caves such as Chieu Cave, Mo Luong Cave are also curious for visitors to explore. Climbing 1200 steps to the Afternoon Cave, you will be able to see the surreal beauty of stalactites and admire the panoramic beauty of Mai Chau from above.
7.3. Watch the sunrise in Mai Chau
In particular, in Mai Chau, you must wake up early to see the sunrise behind the high mountains. It is really an interesting and worthwhile experience for a vacation trip, away from the noisy and bustling city, where you almost can’t have the opportunity to see such a beautiful moment to greet the new day.
7.4. Other attractions
In addition, there are many other attractive tourist attractions for you to visit and explore such as Go Lao waterfall, Ba Khan lake. These are places about 30km from Mai Chau and you should travel by car or taxi.
8. What to eat in Mai Chau?
See more:
Mai Chau is a rice valley with the highest quality rice in the North. The delicious dish that you must try is sticky rice, a famous specialty in the verse “Mai Chau is the season for you to smell sticky sticky rice” in the poem Tay Tien by poet Quang Dung. Sticky rice here is dyed with plants and trees in the mountains to form the famous five-color sticky rice. In the past, five-color sticky rice was only processed on New Year’s Day or wedding and death anniversary. Com lam is also another dish made from Mai Chau rice. Rice is baked in bamboo tubes and then sold in many places in Mai Chau.
With the terrain of many rivers and streams, Mai Chau people eat a lot of stream fish and Da river fish in their meals. Most fish are processed by grilling such as grilling, grilling in charcoal or steaming dong leaves.
People also increase the production of man-man pig breeds, hill chickens and process dishes such as marinated meat, grilled chicken, and Ban pork.
Don’t forget to try the delicious dipping vegetables.
Source: Collected internet.