Vietnam Back Roads 8 days
VIETNAM BACK ROADS ( 30% offroad )
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
This itinerary takes you over the Tram Tom “Heaven’s Gate” Pass (highest point of Sapa road to Laichau province, around 2,000 m) to explore the other side of Mt. Fansipan (highest mountain in Indochina), where few tourist ever been.
Quite road, big adventure, a lot of fun. So expect plenty of curious faces and smiling children shouting “Hello!”.
Often when Sa Pa is shrouded in cloud and fog, this side is clear and blue. Descend through one of ’s most picturesque and inspiring valleys. The partially rocky road meanders along the base of the mountain range past old growth forest and through the villages of Thai, H’Mong and Lu ethnic minority people.
[schema type=”review” url=”https://bikingvietnam.com/vietnam-back-roads” name=”Rich” description=”.” rev_name=”Vietnam back road” rev_body=”That was a great tour. I have a few shots that I thought turned out pretty well. The smiling kid is from the valley we dipped into after I banged my head—you probably know the name better than I do. And the remote countryside is just a few kilometers before we stopped for lunch on the last day. The rest should be easy to figure out. I’ll send more pictures when I have time to review them” author=”Rich” pubdate=”2009-02-05″ user_review=”5″ ]
Itinerary
Day 1: (L) Hanoi- Yen Bai : ( riding 90km)
Meet in hotel ( 7: 00AM), driving out of Hanoi city. Start riding ,It’s a fascinating ride past many minority villages as we climb onto a higher plateau. We ride pass of rice field and tea plantations before arriving in the Doan Hung for lunch, continue biking to Yen Bai city. Dinner and overnight in Hotel in Yen bai.
Day2: (B,L) YenBai-LaoCai ( riding 105 km)
After breakfast we start riding on bank of Red river o Lao Cai. About 40 km off road track (pretty wide) start climbing on the left. After many villages and a beautiful narrow suspension bridge, we enjoy a long single track section, starting on terraces by long climb, leading to an off road pass (about 300m of elevation) and finishing on a long downhill through waterfalls and rain forest. Lunch with noodle soup and breads, fruits, tea coffee.Then we get to the asphalt where the minibus is waiting at BaoHa , take long transfer (35’) to LaoCai. Night in Hotel in Lao Cai
Day 3:(B,L): Laocai- Sapa (+-60km)
After breakfast ride to Batxat and Muong Hum . Lunch on road, end of cycling in Sapa. Chek in hotel, free time as leisure. Overnight in Sapa
Day 4: (B,L): Sapa – ThanUyen (+-90km)
Ride down 80km of occasionally rocky road to Than Uyen . We cycle up to the Tram Ton Pass (2,019 m; 6,230 ft) the highest mountain pass in Vietnam and riding down a charming little tea town where you’ll spend the night in Than Uyen local Hotel .
Day 5:(B,L): Than Uyen -Tu le (+- 90 Km)
Breakfast in hotel and starting ride down to Mu Cang Chai – Tu Le through valleys of old growth forest, tea plantations and rice paddies. After 90 km we arrived Tu le . Overnight in Tu Le local Hotel
Day 6: (B,L): Tu le – Nghia Lo (+-55km )
We will cycle through undulating road before we finally end the day in Nghia Lo. It sits on a mountain ridge overlooking the Red and Black River and is home to the Thai, Nung, H’mong, La Ha and Ma peoples. Overnight in Nghia Lo
Day 7: (B,L): Nghia Lo – BacYen (+-95km)
A 90 km ride up and down other side of the spectacular black river. Valley provides plenty of time to stop and take pictures of the local sights. Arrive in BacYen .Overnight in Bac yen hotel.
Day8: Bac Yen-Hanoi ( 72 km)
Virtually we go through an active back road biking to Thanh Son,lunch, then continue riding. End of cycling . Drive back to Hanoi ( 3hours )
(B,L)
Tour overview
Tour Cost
| Guide tour Group Size | 2 | 3 | 4-5 |
| Price /person | 990USD | 900USD | 810 USD |
Note:
1) Self guide tour only have Hotel with breakfast, minibus stand by, bicycle
2) Prices are based per person, double occupancy, with a separate cost for solo travelers. If you are traveling in a group but prefer single accommodations, a single supplement fee applies. Triple accommodations are not available in many of the destinations we visit.
Best time to go
From Aug to May
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- English speaking local guide
- Accommodations in hotels in Hanoi, home stays and local hotel around trip as mention with breakfast
- Meals as mention with B= breakfast, L= Lunch, D= dinner.
- Drink as water, coffee, tea, energy drink by nutritional gel, juice
- Sightseeing and activities as noted in the itinerary
- Ground transportation
- Additional guides where necessary
- Entrance fees and permits
- Basic medical
WHAT NOT
International airfare; meals not noted on itinerary; Vietnam visa; insurance other than basic medical ; optional tipping to leader, guides and local staff; excess baggage charges; international airport taxes; cost of medical immunizations; items of a personal nature (alcoholic beverages, laundry, etc.).
Bike Hire
including in tour price, Cannondale F3 , 26 or Surly Cross 700cc
Bikes suggest : XC hardtail 29 , Cyclo-cross
If you bring your bike please ensure that you bike is in good working order before you leave on tour. If you are not the most mechanically minded we suggest that you get your bike looked at by a professional bike mechanic. In particularly we would suggest looking and adjusting all wheel spokes, greasing all your bearings, checking your brakes/gears cable, tighten all nuts and bolts, check chain, quick release clamps, tires and put in new inner tubes and check wheel rims are not worn. In addition make sure the bike is well serviced and ride it with as much care and attention as possible.
Total Distance
+-520 km
Number of cycling days
9 full days
Average Daily Distance:
75km
Off Road
15%
Road Surface
This tour follows a mix of asphalt roads, broken roads, , and long cycling uphill . You should be confident of your physical condition and bike handling skills.
Support
One or two 16-seat air-conditioned transit vans converted to take bikes and bikers.
Group Size
Minimum 2. Maximum 8.
Staff
English speaking Vietnamese cycling leader plus guide and support team.
Accommodation
1 nights in comfortable tourist class train, 4 nights in basic tourist class hotels, All accommodation in hotel has a/c or fan, hot water and private facilities.
Food
All meals as mentioned.
Break every 15- 20 km ( 10 miles) for tea break with water, coffee ,tea, juice, bread, tuna ,banana, apple… including nutritional ( 3 Clif Bar MoJo energy bars /per day)
During the ” BikingVietnam.com” the main meals are breakfast and the evening meal. Thus, breakfast should be large and substantial (and include cereals). We recommend that all participants should bring a supply of their favorite cereals as many of the hotels where we stay don’t yet have cereal on offer at breakfast.
For lunch (picnic) we have some day is fire rice, Sushi or you will need to make sandwiches in the morning, and take some fruit. We recommend you also bring along some of your favorite energy bars.
The evening meal will be in a restaurant, and precooked by the Organizers. We will make sure there are always plenty of carbohydrates and protein on the menu.
Don’t forget adequate hydration is as important as a good meal and so you should make sure you carry enough water with you. In some stages there is no where to “top up” along the way. Follow your guides instructions for each stage. We recommend you use a hydration pack with at least 2l capacity, rather than water bottles. The water bottles don’t carry as much water, plus it will get warm during the day, they are not as hygienic and the water bottle cage can get in the way when you may have to carry your bike.
NUTRITION We recommend you should bring nutrition as details: * Hammer Gel energy gels are 100% pure complex carbohydrates4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein; excellent for post workout recovery “
* Clif Bar energy bars are a great-tasting, convenient source of energy for any activity. Made with 70% organic ingredients Mix of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber promote steady increase in blood sugar levels followed by a gradual decline for sustained energy
