SPECTACULAR NORTHERN VIETNAM OFFROAD MOTORCYCLE TOUR – 10 DAYS
Best places to visit: Hanoi - Mai Chau - Phu Yen - Than Uyen - Sapa -Bac Ha - Ha Giang - Dong Van - Bao Lac - Ba Be - Hanoi
10 days
Daily Tour
20 people
English, Cezch
This 10-Day Northern Vietnam offroad motorbike tour is the most perfect way to explore Mai Chau, Than Uyen, Sapa, Bac Ha, Dong Van, Bao Lac, and Ba Be lake before finishing the tour in Hanoi. There is no better way to get immersed in the beauty of the regions and local cultures.
Itinerary :
* Vietnam Offroad Motorcycle Tour to Mai Chau, Sapa, Ha Giang, Ba Be – BRIEF ITINERARY:
Day 1: Vietnam Offroad Motorcycle Tour to Mai Chau, Sapa, Ha Giang, Ba Be: Hanoi Motorcycle Tours to Mai Chau (Hoa Binh)
After a light lunch in Hoa Binh Province, we cross Thung Khe, one of the most beautiful mountain passes in North Vietnam then descent to the mountain valley settlement of Mai Chau. After dinner, we join performance, where you can dance and share a range of special liquors (rice wine) with the locals. Overnight in a house-on-stilts of the Thai people.
Summary:
Distance: 160 km
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Home-stay
Day 2: Vietnam Offroad Motorcycle Tour to Mai Chau, Sapa, Ha Giang, Ba Be: Mai Chau Motorcycle Tours to Phu Yen (Son La) – Offroad Motorcycle Tours to Tribal Villages
Mai Chau is one of the closest places to Hanoi where you can experience a ‘real’ Montagnard village. In the morning we take a short walk around the village to discover local life. Life in the side starts early so by sunrise there is a wealth of activity. The Thai women are masterful weavers who ensure that there is plenty of traditional-style clothing to buy in the village center. You will see women weaving on looms under or inside their houses in the village We can buy some handmade traditional-style clothing, knife or cross-bow.
After breakfast in home-stay, we say goodbye to villagers and leave Mai Chau around 10 am. We ride from Mai Chau to the direction of Moc Chau, where we have lunch. This highland town produces some of Vietnam’s best tea and is a good place to stock up. The surrounding area is also home to several ethnic minorities, including Green H’mong, Dzao, Thai, and Muong. Moc Chau boasts a pioneering dairy industry that started in the late 1970s with Australian (and, later, UN) assistance. The dairy provides Hanoi with such delectable iuxur us as fresh milk, sweetened condensed milk and little tooth-rotting bars called “Banh Sua”.
After lunch, we turn to the less travelled Road 43 leading to the Da River, crossing the reservoir of Da river at Van Yen ferry, then ride on a beautiful winding secondary road until Phu Yen where we stay in a basic guest-house.
Summary:
Distance: 140 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Guest-house
Day 3: Vietnam Offroad Motorcycle Tour to Mai Chau, Sapa, Ha Giang, Ba Be: Phu Yen Motorcycle Tours to Than Uyen (Lai Chau)
In the morning, we keep motorbiking across Lung Lo pass before head up on Road 32. During the First Indochina War, the 15km-long Lung Lo Pass, used by the Vietnamese resistance force to transport weapons, goods, and food during the Dien Bien Phu campaign of 1954, was heavily bombed by the French in order to sever the front lines from the rear. Lung Lo Pass, situated in the northern province of Yen Bai, was also recognized as a national heritage by the ministry.
After lunch, we ride through the Mu Cang Chai massif, almost as high as the Fansipan. From the top, it offers one of the most beautiful views of North Vietnam. The ride is challenging but very rewarding.
Distance: 210 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel
Day 4: Vietnam Offroad Motorcycle Tour to Mai Chau, Sapa, Ha Giang, Ba Be: Than Uyen Motorcycle Tours to Sapa (Lao Cai)
We motorbike straight toward the main Fansipan Mountain range. There is also the option for a very challenging back route which takes us through several river crossings. The massive mountain range dominates the road until finally we must make a splendid climb up from Binh Lu and up to the top of the highest road pass in Vietnam (Tram Ton Pass).
Crossing into Lao Cai Province at over 2,000m the views looks out over the main range for miles and miles, before we descend to the mountainous Sa Pa valley. Sa Pa is located in Lao Cai Province, north-west Vietnam, and 350 km north-west of Hanoi, close to the border with China. Sapa is famous both for its fine, rugged scenery and for its rich cultural diversity. French used to consider Sapa as Summer Capital of Northern Vietnam in the early decades of the 20th century. Its naturally gifted beauty keeps attracting more and more people to spend their vacation there since then. Particularly, the place is the foremost choice for honeymoon couples!
Overnight in Hotel.
Summary:
Distance: 110 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel
Day 5: Vietnam Offroad Motorcycle Tour to Mai Chau, Sapa, Ha Giang, Ba Be: Sapa Motorcycle Tour to Bac Ha (Lao Cai)
Motorcycle down from Sapa to Lao Cai City and then have a coffee-stop on the bank of Nam Thi river, which is Vietnam – China border. Enjoy your coffee while taking the view to China. Head to Road 70 before turn to Bac Ha on Road 153. Long touted as the weekend alternative to Sapa, this small highland town doesn’t have the same dramatic location of its more illustrious neighbour, but it is calmer when Saturday comes.
One of Bac Ha’s main industries is the manufacture of alcoholic homebrews (rice wine, cassava wine, and corn liquor). The corn hooch produced by the Flower H’mong is so potent it can ignite! Bac Ha is the only place in Vietnam where you’ll find this particular moonshine; there’s an entire area devoted to it at the Sunday market.
Overnight in Bac Ha.
Summary:
Distance: 120 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Home-stay
Day 6: Vietnam Offroad Motorcycle Tour to Mai Chau, Sapa, Ha Giang, Ba Be: Bac Ha Motorcycle Tours to Ha Giang City
After breakfast, we take a motor ride on the track to Xin Man and Hoang Su Phi on many small; back roads with scenic mountain views. Xin Man is right on the border between Vietnam and China. It is, as of this writing, well hidden and completely surrounded by wild mountains and forests.
There’s a single road from Xin Man to Hoang Su Phi. Hoang Su Phi is among the most untouched area of Ha Giang Province of Vietnam. The area was separated from the mainstream society until very recently. Passing Hoang Su Phi, we will be charmed by the pristine beauty of the wild mountains and the authentic culture of the local ethnic groups which include: the Nung, the Flower H’mong, the Tay and the Ha Nhi People…After lunch, join the main road heading up to Ha Giang City, where we stop for the night and apply for a permit.
Summary:
Distance: 200 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel
Day 7: Vietnam Offroad Motorcycle Tour to Mai Chau, Sapa, Ha Giang, Ba Be: Ha Giang Motorcycle Tours to Dong Van (Ha Giang)
It is really difficult to find the exact words to describe Ma Pi Leng Pass, located between Dong Van and Meo Vac, near the northernmost tip of Vietnam, as a painting of astonishing beauty and magnificence that captures the eyes of all viewers and nature lovers. Ride on a zig-zag track until reaching Vuong Family’s Residence, 14 kms before Dong Van.
Vuong Family was considered the King of the Hmong People in Dong Van, Ha Giang. Their residence was built in the scenic valley of Sa Phin with Chinese architecture. The whole house was built out of wood and rock only. The rocks for the buildings were imported from China. Vuong Family Residence is a masterpiece of man work in the valley of the heavenly beauty of Sa Phin.
This is a remote area and we can meet the hard-working local people here. It is inspiring to see how they survive as they manage live in the rocks. When we reach Dong Van Town we will have some extra time to wonder the ancient streets lined with H’mong homes of clay bricks and tiles roofs built centuries ago.
Summary:
Distance: 160 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel
Day 8: Vietnam Offroad Motorcycle Tour to Mai Chau, Sapa, Ha Giang, Ba Be: Dong Van Motorcycle Tours to Bao Lac (110 km)
The motorbike ride in the morning is still winding along the Rock Plateau, after breakfast, enjoy slowly Vietnam motorbike tour on some beautiful mountain passes until Meo Vac where we stop for lunch. In the afternoon, we will motorcycle downhill along the river and see the different mountain view( less rocky and more green). Arrive in Bao Lac town at 5 PM.
Hotel stay in Bao Lac.
Day 9: Vietnam Offroad Motorcycle Tour to Mai Chau, Sapa, Ha Giang, Ba Be: Bao Lac Off-Road Motorbike Tour to Ba Be Lake (150 km)
Day 10: Vietnam Offroad Motorcycle Tour to Mai Chau, Sapa, Ha Giang, Ba Be: Ba Be Lake Motorbike Ride Back to Hanoi (240 km)
Staying off the main road for as long as possible we head back towards the Red River Delta, passing through areas inhabited by Hmong, Dao, Tay and Nung minority peoples. A mixture of both challenging track and glorious sealed road all the way back to Hanoi. the great Vietnam motorbike tour to Ha Giang will end safely in Hanoi before rush hours.
* Inclusion:
+ Motorbike(s) (Honda XR 250cc or Honda Baja 250cc)
+ Helmet(s)
+ Driving gears
+ Gasoline on tour
+ English speaking guide
+ Mechanic (only for the group from 6 passengers)
+ Accommodation as indicated in the itinerary (based on twin or/and triple shared)
+ Homestay permission
+ Meals as indicated in the itinerary
+ Entrance fees & Sightseeing fees
+ Fruits and Coffee on tour