LOCATION: Thanh Hóa Province (about two hours’ drive from Mai Chau or four hours from Hanoi)

GETTING THERE: Pu Luong Nature Reserve is relatively remote. The easiest way to get there is by motorbike or car from Mai Chau or Ninh Binh. Your guesthouse in Pu Luong can organise a transfer for you.

WHERE TO STAY: There are a number of homestays clustered around the south-eastern corner of the reserve. I highly recommend Ban Hieu Garden Lodge (a very well-appointed, budget-friendly homestay). For a luxury option, the nearby Pu Luong Retreat is a popular choice.

Relatively isolated and far less developed than nearby Mai Chau, Pu Luong Nature Reserve is an absolute gem. If you want to get off the beaten track in Northern Vietnam for a bit of fresh air and trekking, this is the perfect place to do it. Set in a valley between two mountain ridges, Pu Luong Reserve was established in 1999 to protect the area’s biodiversity. Idyllic hamlets of thatched-roof houses and tall palm trees are dispersed throughout the valley, along with dramatic rice terraces. Pu Luong is the best place to see Northern Vietnam’s famous waterwheels—huge bamboo wheels built by people from the Thai and Muong ethnic groups (who dwell on the reserve) to bring water from low streams into their rice fields. Once it’s scooped up, the water is channelled through an elaborate system of bamboo pipes. The craftsmanship involved is absolutely incredible. Wherever there’s a village, you can also find both ‘antique’ and newly constructed wheels.

Hiking is a popular activity in Pu Luong, either short walks or multi-day treks between villages. It’s also a nice place to simply relax with a good book, especially if you can find a waterfall and swimming hole all to yourself. I highly recommend visiting during green season (around late March to July) to see the landscape at its most vivid.