What a fantastic trip! I went into this trip with my eyes open, I knew that there would be long days on the bus and that the homestay accommodation would be reasonably basic. What I wasn't prepared for was the fabulous surrounds that the homestays were located in, the lovely hosts and the great quality and quantity of food that was served to us breakfast/lunch and dinner. The sites themselves were beautiful and well worth the trip on the comfortable air conditioned bus.
I had a great experience from the start, Kevin was very helpful and responsive when I initially booked. The tour guide Tung was so funny, I don't think that he realised how good of a sense of humour he has. It was only his second time doing this particular tour so he had to read his notes but if you asked him a question that he didn't know the answer to he'd go out of his way to find the answer for you. He was very caring and was always watching out for everyone.
On returning from our trip, it was market night in Hanoi and some streets were closed so he personally walked people from the bust stop to their accommodation. The bus driver, Long is the safest driver that I have ever been with in Vietnam, in fact in Asia (and I've been to Vietnam 4 times and many times to other parts of Asia), you'd be very lucky to have him as your driver.
We did have a few hiccups during the tour, the same ones that I have read on other peoples posts like not being able to find The Gate of Monsters along the way but it didn't bother anyone because we were there mostly to see the lake and waterfall.

We went on the 3 day 2 night tour to Ba Be Lake and we’re so glad we did. Not many tourists go to Ba Be Lake so it felt like we had the place to ourselves. We just about never ran into any other tourists so it felt like we were fully immersed in the local Tay village life. While the drive is long from Hanoi (about 4hrs and with lunch and breaks, takes about 5.5hrs), the scenery and the glimpse of real Vietnamese countryside life is great. The actual tour, with Mr. Long as our guide, was very well planned and communicated. The lake itself is beautiful and kayaking on it is a treat and Mr. Long took the time to have his friend show us how local fishing on the lake is done. We also went on a 6hr trek to the H’mong villages and views were amazing! After the initial uphill climb, it was all downhill from there and the view of the mountains, terraced farms, and ethnic houses were so much more stunning than we expected. My mother who is 72 did the trek and thoroughly enjoyed it. The homestay itself was also incredibly comfortable, with great lakeside views and places to relax, had a small capacity so did not feel crowded at all, and the food throughout the trip was possibly the best part. Definitely go with Mr. Linh’s Adventures if you want to visit Ba Be.

We were fortunate to have Loi, the thoughtful English speaking local guide and Long, the attentive driver, for our 3 days trip. They were patient, flexible and accommodating. They had made the long journey to Cao Bang and BaBe Lake a comfortable one.
Throughout the trip, there were surprises such as walking around the Maze farm, not knowing where we were heading to, but we knew we could trust our guide. The home cook dinner at the homestay was great. Surrounded by mountains and amazing views. We had fun kayaking on the calm Ba Be Lake, enjoying the serenity.
Thank you Mr Linh’s Adventures for the arrangement.