CYCLING VIETNAM: HANOI BIKE TOUR 8 DAYS

Give us your heart first when you get out of the Nội Bài International Airport for a half hour to transfer you to the hotel in the Old Quarter Hà Nội. 

In the afternoon, our guide takes you for a walk through some of the 36 famous streets and an hour cyclo (Rishaw) tour is listed in our Hanoi Impressions before having you dinner with our biking team.

After an early breakfast, we’ll spend the morning enjoying a brief sightseeing tour of Hanoi’s major landmarks including the gardens of the Presidential Palace within the Ho Chi Minh complex and the Temple of literature. We then have lunch at a local restaurant before heading to the bike depot where we will be equipped to start our ride. We depart directly from the depot along the dyke road out of Hanoi. We head North along the Red River, quickly exiting the urban jungle and the road changes into a quaint rural route. The ride takes us through cultivated areas and carpenter’s villages. The ride is about 35 km until we reach Duong Lam ancient village. From there we continue another 10km on a flat road and end up with a 600-meter elevation climb to the heights of Ba Vi National Park. Check-in and relax for the evening.

After a greedy breakfast, we hop in the vehicle for a 20km transfer to our starting point. From here we descend down Mountain Ba Vì then ride through the National Park to its most western edge where the Da River flows. Our ride today is a total of 75km, first across the National Park and then along the Da River for about 25km. Here we hop on a local ferry to cross the river. Lunch will be arranged en-route at a local restaurant. After the river crossing, the following 40km takes us slowly up a scenic road in the mountains of Hoa Binh Province before the 10km descent to the huge Da Reservoir. Welcome to the wild and remote Muong ethnic lands, a natural haven providing an edge of the world atmosphere. We are welcomed into a traditional Muong house by the host family. Enjoy a refreshing swim in the lake before sitting down for a home cooked dinner.

We’ll bid farewell to our hosts and load our bikes on a local boat to set sail across this beautiful blue reservoir surrounded by towering jungle-covered mountains. Sit back and enjoy the stunning scenery as the crossing takes around an hour. From the pier, we start with a fairly steep 4km ride uphill to exit the foothills of the reservoir and get back on the road. We continue for another 20kms along flat roads before reaching the Mai Chau mountainous region. Enter the territory of the White !ai, a large valley carpeted in rice fields, hamlets of stilted houses and surrounded by limestone mountains. We cycle to a traditional guesthouse on stilts where we break for lunch. 

In the afternoon, we have a 40km ride to our lodge. We continue cycling towards the Laos border before veering to the east to enter the Pu Luong Nature Reserve. The scenery changes, the road tracks the mountainside with overviews down deep and tight valleys of terraced rice fields. !e changes in elevation are insignificant for the initial 15 km before we start a 15km ascent before being rewarded with a 10km downhill. We’ll arrive at a beautiful lodge perched on the mountainside. Enjoy a dip in the swimming pool with the most spectacular views. 

Today we complete our journey across the reserve. It starts with a 10km ride downhill to Pho Doan Village and the gates of the nature reserve. From here we take a hidden route that very few know which leads us towards the historical Ho Chi Minh trail. This stretch is particularly scenic and the local people living here are renowned for being incredibly friendly. The following 60km are along gently undulating terrain before we get the bikes in the truck and hop on the bus to transfer to our resort at the doorstep of Van Long Nature Reserve. Check-in the room before gathering at the pier nearby to enjoy a traditional sampan ride on the waters of the largest wetland reserve in the country. !is area is famous for the abundance of waterfowl.

After riding 280 km across some of the most beautiful landscapes of Northern Vietnam, we take a break from riding and indulge in two days of rest. Early breakfast for an early departure to HaLong Bay. We drive across the Red River delta and reach the coast little before noon where we embark on a beautifully crafted wooden junk for a 1 night cruise in the legendary turquoise seascape of Ha Long Bay. Once aboard, we are served a delicious seafood at lunch as we cruise between the soaring limestone karst. In the afternoon we reach a less traveled area and will devote ourselves to relaxation, sunbathing and visiting a cave if you wish. The program is not fixed and depends on the time of the year and weather. We end the day with sundowners and will hopefully be treated to a spectacular sunset. It is time for an aperitif or to attend a cooking demonstration before dinner.

✅  In the morning: Enjoy coffee, tea, and breakfast served in the dining room. You can wake up earlier to catch the sunset moment from the cruise which gives more stunning views than on land. Taichi class may take place.

Following breakfast: The next destination of Halong Bay's classic route is Sung Sot Cave (Surprise Cave), one of the most magnificent and largest caves in Halong. To reach the mouth of Surprise Cave, you have to climb more than 50 steps and feast your eye on the mysterious natural vegetation of Ha Long Bay. Discovered in 1901 by the French, its original name is “Grotte Des Surprises” due to the amazing variability in the cave. Sung Sot Cave occupies an area of approximately 10,000m2, divided into two large chambers. Each has its own typical scientific value which features million-year-old stone stalactites and columns formed throughout millions of years. After that, you will have time to pack your luggage or chill out on the sundeck while our boat is heading for the pier, having lunch on cruise and ends at Tuan Chau Port, where you sit back and relax in the waiting room for return transportation, we transfer from Halong to Hanoi around 15h30 in the Old Quarter Hanoi. Free in the evening !

Breakfast at the hotel In the morning and transfer to Nội Bài International airport for departure to your homeland. Finish the unforgettable trip arranged by Vietnam By Bike Travel! Good bye & see you again! Airport transfer included!