Day 1: On the edge of the NEVERLAND – arriving in Hanoi

ActiveTravel Tour guide welcomes you at the airport and transfer you to Hanoi center.

The PAN movie crew arrived in Vietnam in 2014 quite silently to shoot background settings then back to Hollywood for editing. Pitifully, PAN movies in 2015 is that success as expected but the beauty of Vietnam on the screen can convince any viewers that there is a real NEVERLAND right here.

We wrap in this adventure all places appearing on the screen along PAN adventure from Neverwood – taken from Hang En inside, Fairy stream and Crocodiles Lake – taken in Trang An and Mermaid island – taken in Halong bay.

For this today, we leave you some free time to check out our capital city before overnight.

Summary:
Transportation: Private car for airport pick up
Meal: Not available
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi
 

Day 2: Hanoi – Ninh Binh biking to Trang An

Wake up today to prepare for our wonderful adventure. In the movie, Captain Blackbeard kidnaped Peter and kids from the orphan and travelled with a cruise. Do you want us to do quite similar like this such as a seaplane/helicopter trip to Ninh Binh for instance? If yes, contact us now. Otherwise, we will start up with a 2,5 hours transfer to Trang An where we can shout out loud as Cap Blackbeard “WELCOME TO THE NEVERLAND”.

Get on boat on beautiful stream that was cut to turn into Crocodiles lake. But…no crocodiles really here, we confirm! Just the lovely stream snaking under limestone formations, thrusting under the karst hills with evergreen paddy fields on two banks. There is no crocodile to interferer the romantic moments between Tiger Lyly and Hook. Get off the boat and do some energy burning today with biking into villages back to our hotel.

Enjoy your first night in The NEVERLAND.

Summary:
Transportation: Private car transfer from Hanoi to Halong
Biking: approx. 20km on paved and flat village roads
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Indochina Sails

Day 3: Discover Mermaid Island – swimming back to subconscious memory of PAN

Halong bay – the pride of Vietnam needs no more words to describe its beauty. With about 3.5hours drive from Ninh Binh, you arrive in the bay – where transformed into Mermaid Island on the movie. The islets rising from the sea, the stunning caves made from the seawater scratching the limestone for million years perfectly create a magic world.

In the movie, Princess Tiger Lyly came here to help Peter to understand his destiny and knew about his mother through the memories in water stream.

Let immerse yourself into your own memories of childhood with kayaking for about 2 hours on calm water, through dark, small cave thrusting under islets and finally jumping into emerald water for swimming. Floating on the surface, facing to the blue sky, do you feel tiny and lonely as Princess Tiger Lyly sit here to sadly look the cruise by Hook leaving this wonderland?

…..back to reality, we will not leave you here as Hook. Our support boat will collect you back to mother boat for overnight. After dinner is the time relaxing on sundeck, enjoy starry sky, quiet bay and perhaps whisper childhood wishes – “I want to be in the NEVERLAND”. Slowly slide into your sound sleep.

Overnight on our Halong bay

Summary:
Transportation: Private car transfer from Hanoi to Halong
Kayaking time: 2 - 3 hours
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Accommodation: V’spirit cruise
 

Day 4: Waking up with Tai Chi and cave trek of Mermaid island

Early rise up to catch the dawn over the bay and you will shortly understand why this “descending dragon” bay is so perfect to be a part of the imaginary NEVERLAND. The first lights from the sun reflect into the water to create sparkling and splendid, fairy picture. We will have this morning to explore a cave in Halong bay with easy walk up to a small limestone islet.

Admire the masterpiece of the God Nature with thousand stalagmite and stalactites inside stunning caves that make you feel to be lost in an alien world. The cave hike will burn your breakfast so quickly and get your morning time seemingly flying. Get back the boat and we say goodbye to Mermaid Island. We transfer back to Hanoi at around 5PM. Have some free time for dinner then get on night train straightly forward to the most important place of then NEVERLAND. 

Summary:
Transportation: Private car transfer from Halong to Hanoi
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: Cabin on night train to Dong Hoi
 

Day 5: From  Neverwood to the Fairy Hive

Save the best for the last…and yes this cannot be more correct in this adventure. This last today is the most stunning, desired trek to all caving trekkers over the world – Hang En trekking and camping.

The third largest cave all over the world appeared spectacularly, magically and unbelievably in almost most important scenes of PAN movie: from the Neverwood that actually shot inside Hang En cave with incredible, million years primitive jungle to the Fairy Hive that are all edited from inside Hang En.

We will collect you at the Station and we start our trek on dirt, muddy, twist paths, up and down hills, under dense Neverwood for nearly 3 hours before reaching to the giant, overwhelmed cavern of Fairy Hive – Hang En cave. The inside will blow your mind with a completely exotic world that you have ever thought that it is existing on earth.

We set tent near a stream while you trek around the cave, immerse yourself under the lights from “sky will” from the cave dome. The underground stream, the limestone formation are all sparkled by those lights. We are in Fairy Hive.

We will not fight with Captain Blackbeard tonight, just campfire, sit around and tell about fairy tales of childhood that we might forget when growing up and flowing with busy desires of a mature life.

Summary:
Transfer: Private transfer 3hrs
Activity: Trekking, camping, En Cave discovery
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Local guide: Yes
Support team: Yes (porters, rangers)
Accommodation: Camping
 

Day 06: Leaving Fairy Hive – back to our real world

This day you will wake up in a peaceful, magical, splendid scenery: mist covers over horizon that forms dew falling down like rain. Do you have a feeling that Tinkle Bell is around with fairy dust and her tiny lovely wings? Or do you ever wish you will never grow up?

Going back to the reality, our tour guide will prepare the breakfast and collect our things for leaving. Please do not leave anything behind but your footprints.

Trekking on the same trail toward Doong Village to have lunch and rest, then keeping on walking to the jungle’s edge where our transportation await to collect you for the airport/station transfer to next destination.

Our Vietnam adventure inspired by PAN movie ends up here. We hope to see you in our next adventures. End of the journey to the magic world.