Lung Khuy Cave Quan Ba: How to Visit and What to Expect
05/10/2026
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Thúy Kiều (Grace) is a travel blogger and content contributor for Loop Trails Tours Ha Giang. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Tourism from Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and has a strong passion for exploring and promoting responsible travel experiences in Vietnam’s northern highlands.
Before you book, you want to know what you’re actually paying for. That’s a reasonable thing to want, and it’s not always easy to work out from tour pages, since “all inclusive” means different things depending on who’s using the phrase.
This post is the reference document. It goes through every item in a Ha Giang Loop package, states what’s standard, what’s almost always extra, and what varies by operator. At the end, there’s a sample budget for a 4 day Loop so you can work out a realistic total before you commit to anything.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop Tours
Almost always included: accommodation, the meals listed in the itinerary, fuel, your driver or guide, helmets, the stops written into the day plan, luggage storage and the pre departure briefing.
Almost never included: buses to and from Ha Giang, private room upgrades, alcohol, tips and travel insurance.
Depends on the operator: entrance tickets, the Nho Que River boat trip, rain gear and damage deposits for self drive tours.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop 2 Days 1 Night
Every tour includes a bed for each night of the tour. The default is a dorm bed in a homestay: a mattress in a shared room with other guests, usually with a mosquito net and shared bathroom facilities.
The quality of the homestays varies between operators. Some use larger, more comfortable family homestays; some use whatever’s cheapest on the route. Ask specifically what the accommodation is like, not just that it’s included.
Private rooms are a different item. They exist at most homestays and can usually be booked for an extra nightly fee, but they’re not part of the base price on any standard group tour.
The meals listed in the itinerary are included. On a standard 4 day Loop, that means breakfast and lunch and dinner on the full riding days, with lunch only on the last day since you’re back in Ha Giang by afternoon.
Homestay dinners are typically shared, family style: several dishes in the middle of the table, served with rice. The food is usually very good. Breakfasts are simpler, often noodle soup, eggs and bread.
Dietary requirements are worth stating at booking, not on the day you arrive, since homestay hosts shop for the evening meal in the morning.
Learn more: Ha Giang Motorbike Rental
Fuel for the route is included on all guided tours, whether you’re riding on the back of an Easy Rider bike, following a guide on self drive, or in a jeep. On a rental without a guide, fuel is yours to buy.
Fuel here means the riding fuel for the Loop route itself. It does not mean the bus to Ha Giang from Hanoi, or transport from Ha Giang to your next destination at the end of the tour.
Included, and more important than almost anything else in the package. On an Easy Rider tour, your driver is also your guide: they ride the bike, navigate, translate, introduce you to people and tell you what you’re looking at. On a self drive tour, a guide leads the group. On a jeep tour, the driver handles the vehicle.
The quality of this person is the single biggest factor in how good your trip is. Ask how long the drivers or guides have been riding this route.
Helmets are provided on every guided tour. They’re not optional and they’re not an upgrade.
Beyond helmets, what operators provide varies. Some include rain ponchos in their kit; others have them available for purchase at the hostel. See the grey zone section below.
Every stop written into the day by day itinerary is included in the sense that your guide will take you there. Whether any entrance fee is included is a separate question (see grey zone).
Some tours have detailed, specific itineraries (Vuong Palace on day two, Ma Pi Leng Skywalk on day three). Others list regions or general areas. More specific is better: it means the operator has actually thought about where you’re going, and it gives you something to check against when you’re comparing two quotes.
Your main bag stays at the hostel base in Ha Giang City while you ride. You take a daypack for the Loop. This is standard and almost always free, though it’s worth confirming that the storage area is secure.
Before departure, most operators run a group briefing: route overview, safety notes, what to expect at the homestays, who to call if there’s a problem. It typically happens on the morning of departure, sometimes the evening before.
Comparing tour packages? Our Ha Giang Loop tour pages list inclusions exactly: what’s in, what’s out, what’s grey. If anything’s unclear, message us on WhatsApp and ask. We’ll answer about ours, not wave a hand at “all inclusive.”
Learn more: Ha Giang Sleeper Bus
This catches people more than anything else. Almost all Loop tours are priced from Ha Giang City, not from Hanoi. The overnight sleeper bus from Hanoi to Ha Giang and the return journey are separate.
Most operators can book those buses for you, at an extra cost. Options typically include open sleeper, cabin sleeper, limousine vans and private cars. We book these as a separate item from Hanoi, Ha Long, Cat Ba, Ninh Binh and Sapa, and from Ha Giang or Cao Bang at the end of your trip.
When comparing two tour quotes, make sure the buses are either in both or out of both. A tour that includes bus tickets and a tour that doesn’t are not directly comparable at the headline price.
Dorm accommodation is the default. A private room is an upgrade that most homestays can offer at a premium. Availability varies and popular homestays run out of private rooms first in peak season.
If you want a private room, ask at booking. The operator can usually quote the upgrade cost or tell you which nights it’s available.
Beer, spirits and soft drinks beyond the water provided on the road are extra. Rice wine (known on the Loop as happy water) sometimes appears at homestay dinners as hospitality from the host family: this may or may not be included depending on the household. Don’t count on it and don’t feel obliged to drink it.
Tips aren’t mandatory, aren’t part of the tour price and aren’t mentioned in any booking confirmation. If your driver or guide looked after you well for three or four days, a tip is standard practice. The amount is entirely your call.
Never included, and important. Check your policy carefully before you go. Many standard travel insurance policies exclude motorbike riding without an appropriate licence. If you’re self driving, you need a licence and IDP that match your policy’s requirements, or the coverage may be void. If you’re on the back as an Easy Rider passenger, the licence question shifts but coverage specifics still matter.
Souvenirs, extra snacks, coffee stops, market purchases, the knife from Phuc Sen if you’re on the Cao Bang route: all personal spend, all cash, all on you.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop 3 Days 2 Nights
Several stops on the Loop charge entry: Vuong Palace, the Ma Pi Leng Skywalk, Lung Khuy Cave. Whether these are inside the tour price or collected from you at the gate varies by operator.
Ask specifically whether entrance fees to the listed stops are included. This question produces a clear yes or no from any decent operator. If the answer is vague, treat it as no and budget accordingly.
[OPERATOR TO CONFIRM: whether entrance tickets to the stops on your itinerary are inside the tour price. This is the most important publishing blocker for this article. Once confirmed, replace this paragraph with the Loop Trails position: either “entrance tickets at the stops in our itinerary are included” or “entrance tickets are paid separately at the gate, and we’ll give you the expected amounts when we brief you.”]
The boat trip through Tu San Canyon on the Nho Que River is one of the Loop highlights. Whether it’s included depends on the itinerary and the operator.
On our tours, it’s included on the 4 day Ha Giang Loop and the Ha Giang and Cao Bang 5 day route. It’s not included on the 2 or 3 day Loop, because there isn’t time to do it properly.
When you’re comparing tours from different operators, check specifically whether the boat trip is written into the day plan or just mentioned as a highlight photo on the page. If it’s not in the day plan, it’s not in the price.
Some operators provide rain ponchos as part of their kit. Others sell them at the hostel. Others assume you’ve brought your own.
A decent poncho costs very little in Hanoi or Ha Giang and weighs almost nothing. Buy one rather than relying on the operator. If they provide it, you have a spare.
On self drive tours and bike rentals, there is almost always a damage deposit or a stated policy about who pays for repairs if the bike is damaged. What varies widely: how much the deposit is, whether it’s held in cash or something else, who assesses damage and at what rate.
Ask before you sign anything. Walk around the bike and photograph all existing damage before you ride. This is not paranoia; it’s the same due diligence you’d apply to any rental.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop 4 Days 3 Nights
| Item | Easy Rider | Self Drive | Jeep | Rental only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | Included | Included | Included | Not included |
| Meals per itinerary | Included | Included | Included | Not included |
| Fuel for the route | Included | Included | Included | Not included |
| Driver or guide | Included | Included | Included | Not included |
| Helmet | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Itinerary stops | Included | Included | Included | You decide |
| Luggage storage | Included | Included | Included | Usually available |
| Briefing | Included | Included | Included | Basic briefing |
| Travel insurance | Never included | Never included | Never included | Never included |
| Buses to Ha Giang | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Private room upgrade | Extra | Extra | Extra | N/A |
| Alcohol | Extra | Extra | Extra | N/A |
| Entrance tickets | Depends | Depends | Depends | You pay |
| Boat trip (Nho Que) | Depends on length | Depends on length | Depends on length | You arrange |
| Rain gear | Depends on operator | Depends on operator | N/A (in vehicle) | Not included |
Learn more: Ha Giang Cao Bang 5 Days 4 Nights
Different tour lengths include different stops, and some experiences only fit into longer itineraries.
What’s in the itinerary: Ha Giang to Dong Van via Heaven Gate, Quan Ba, Yen Minh and the Geopark. Return via Ma Pi Leng, Meo Vac and back north. Homestay in Dong Van.
What’s not included because there isn’t time: Lung Cu Flag Tower, the Nho Que boat trip, Vuong Palace (sometimes, if the route is compressed), Lo Lo Chai village, Du Gia, Lung Tam.
What the extra day adds: Vuong Palace on the second day, the Ma Pi Leng Skywalk, Du Gia village and a more relaxed pace at the viewpoints. The 3 day Loop covers the core circuit without the add ons.
What’s still not included by time: Lung Cu, the boat trip and the Du Gia waterfall swim (sometimes).
What the extra day adds over 3: Lung Cu Flag Tower, Lo Lo Chai village, the Nho Que River boat trip through Tu San Canyon, Du Gia waterfall swim, Lung Tam linen weaving village. This is the full Loop experience.
What’s still not included by itinerary: anything in Cao Bang.
What the extension adds: the western passes through Bao Lac, Khau Coc Cha, Xuan Truong valley, the Pac Bo historical site, and in Cao Bang: Ban Gioc Waterfall, Nguom Ngao Cave, Phuc Sen blacksmiths, Phia Thap incense village and God’s Eye Mountain.
The 6 day version typically adds one more night on the Cao Bang side for a more relaxed pace through the province.
Learn more: Ha Giang Cao Bang 6 Days 5 Nights
Your tour price is the fixed number. Dorm accommodation, meals, fuel, driver or guide, helmets and itinerary stops. That’s what you’ve paid for.
On top of the tour price, budget separately for:
This is a worked example, not a promise of costs. Market prices and personal spending vary enormously. Use it as a structure, fill in the current numbers from your own research.
| Item | Included in tour? | Approximate extra budget needed |
|---|---|---|
| 4 day Easy Rider tour | Yes | 0 |
| Night bus Hanoi to Ha Giang | No | Check current rate with operator |
| Night bus back to Hanoi | No | Check current rate with operator |
| Entrance tickets (4 days) | Confirm with operator | Budget if not confirmed included |
| Nho Que boat trip | Included on 4D | 0 |
| Private room upgrade (optional) | No | Per night, ask on arrival |
| Daily drinks and extra water | No | Allocate per day |
| Tips (your call) | No | Your decision |
| Souvenirs and market | No | Your budget |
| Personal spending | No | Your estimate |
Fill the right column with real numbers before you commit to a budget. The tour price alone is not the full number.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop Photography Guide
Before you pay a deposit to any Loop operator, get clear answers to these:
A good operator answers all five in one message. The quality of the answer tells you as much as the content.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop Mistake to Avoid
Since this is a transparency article, here’s ours, stated plainly.
Included in all Loop Trails tours:
Not included:
Entrance tickets: [OPERATOR TO CONFIRM AND REPLACE. This is the most important fact to add to this post. Say whether tickets at Vuong Palace, the Skywalk, Lung Khuy Cave and any other paid stops are inside or outside the tour price. One clear sentence here would make this the most complete inclusions reference on the internet for Ha Giang tours.]
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop Easy Rider
The inclusions above apply to all our tour styles. The style determines your physical experience, the licence requirement and the price structure.
Easy Rider is the best option for most travelers. You ride on the back, no licence needed, same access to every stop.
Self Drive is for confident riders with a home motorcycle licence and an International Driving Permit issued under the 1968 convention. IDPs issued under the 1949 convention are not valid in Vietnam. Riding without the correct documents can mean fines, reported in the range of 2,000,000 to 6,000,000 VND, and can affect your travel insurance. Some ASEAN licences are recognised here under a regional agreement. Rules change, so verify before you travel. We don’t run self drive on the 2 day Loop.
Jeep is priced per vehicle (up to 4 guests), suits families and non riders, and handles the cold mountain mornings better than anything else. Book well ahead.
Learn more: Cao Bang Loop 3 Days best kept secret
Jeep prices are the total for your group in one vehicle. Motorbike prices are per person. All tours include dorm accommodation and everything in the itinerary as described above.
| Tour | Jeep, 1 guest | Jeep, 2 guests | Jeep, 3 guests | Jeep, 4 guests | Easy Rider (per person) | Self Drive (per person) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ha Giang Loop 2D1N | 12,990,000 VND | 15,990,000 VND | 19,990,000 VND | 22,990,000 VND | 3,490,000 VND | not available |
| Ha Giang Loop 3D2N | 15,990,000 VND | 19,990,000 VND | 23,990,000 VND | 25,990,000 VND | 4,490,000 VND | 3,790,000 VND |
| Ha Giang Loop 4D3N | 19,990,000 VND | 25,990,000 VND | 30,990,000 VND | 34,990,000 VND | 5,890,000 VND | 4,990,000 VND |
| Ha Giang and Cao Bang 5D4N | 27,990,000 VND | 36,990,000 VND | 41,990,000 VND | 46,990,000 VND | 10,990,000 VND | 10,590,000 VND |
| Ha Giang and Cao Bang 6D5N | 36,990,000 VND | 44,990,000 VND | 49,990,000 VND | 54,990,000 VND | 13,990,000 VND | 13,490,000 VND |
| Cao Bang Loop 3D2N | 14,990,000 VND | 19,990,000 VND | 24,990,000 VND | 31,990,000 VND | 6,490,000 VND | 5,990,000 VND |
Prices are in Vietnamese dong. Jeep tours use a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, except the Cao Bang Loop, which runs in an army style jeep.
Want the definitive list for your specific dates and tour? See the full inclusions on our Ha Giang Loop tour pages. Or send us your dates on WhatsApp and we’ll give you the exact included and excluded list for your booking.
Learn more: Ha Giang Loop by Wrangler Rubicon Jeep
The tour price covers the substantial part of your Ha Giang trip: accommodation, food, riding, a guide, the stops. What it doesn’t cover: getting there, private comfort upgrades, alcohol and personal spending.
Use this guide as a checklist before you book anything, from us or anyone else. Ask the five questions. Get answers in writing. Add the extras to the tour price and compare the real totals. Then book the version of the trip you actually want.
The standard package includes dorm accommodation for each night, the meals listed in the itinerary, fuel, your driver or guide, helmets, all the stops in the day plan and luggage storage at the base hostel.
Typically not included: buses to and from Ha Giang, private room upgrades, alcohol, tips and travel insurance. Entrance tickets and the Nho Que River boat trip vary by operator and itinerary length.
Usually not. Most tours start and end in Ha Giang City. Operators can book bus tickets for you as a separate item. Confirm this and the bus cost before comparing tour prices.
It depends on the operator and the length of the tour. On our tours, it’s included in the 4 day Ha Giang Loop and the Ha Giang and Cao Bang routes. It doesn’t fit comfortably into 2 or 3 day itineraries.
This varies by operator. Some include site fees in the price; some collect them at the gate. Always ask specifically before booking.
Yes. Dorm accommodation in homestays is standard on every guided tour. Private room upgrades are available at most homestays for an extra fee.
Yes, the meals listed in the itinerary. Usually breakfast, lunch and dinner on the full riding days. Coffee, alcohol and anything outside the stated meals are extra.
Travel insurance is never included in tour prices and you should arrange it before you travel. Check your policy’s motorbike clauses carefully if you’re self driving.
No. Tips are not part of any tour price. Tipping your driver or guide at the end of the trip is common and appreciated, but the amount is entirely your decision.
The core inclusions are identical across all three: accommodation, meals, fuel, guide and itinerary stops. The differences are your physical experience, the licence requirement and the price structure.
Yes. Dorm beds are the default on group tours. Private rooms are available at most homestays for a nightly upgrade fee. Ask on the evening before you need it, or at booking if you want it guaranteed.
At minimum: buses to and from Ha Giang, entrance tickets if not included, and a daily allowance for drinks and personal spending. Add tips and private room upgrades if applicable. The sample budget table in this article gives you a structure to fill in.
Contact information for Loop Trails
Website: Loop Trails Official Website
Email: looptrailshostel@gmail.com
Hotline & WhatSapp:
+84862379288
+84938988593
Social Media:
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Office Address: 54A Tran Phu, Ha Giang 2, Tuyen Quang
Address: 54A Tran Phu, Ha Giang 2, Tuyen Quang
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