1. Hanoi - Thac Ba lake (165 km, ~5 h)Our journey takes you along the Red River to discover the agriculture civilization of Viet and Muong people in the Red River Delta. We will stop to visit their traditional houses and villages on the way. The car stops in Yen Bai City where you will take a two hour cruise across the lake. Check in with our host families of White Trouser Dao ethnie. We provide everything: hot shower, fresh water, blankets, mosquito-nets and pillows. Enjoy traditional dinner with delicious food made by Dao people. You can also have a free cooking class to learn about the local food.
Sleep in stilt house with a Dzao family.
2. Thac Ba - Bac Ha (180 km, ~6 h)After breakfast with local rice-cakes called banh cuon and fresh fruits, we continue along the east side of Thac Ba lake with beautiful scenery of thousands of green islands and through the attractive villages of Tay people who work on terraced rice paddies.
Night in hotel.
3. Bac Ha - Xin Man (100 km, ~5 h)It’s not a long distance but a climb up to Xin Man is a must. Vehicles haven’t appeared on the tortuous road up the mountain for a long time. The local ethnic family leaves the travellers with a very impressive experience.
Night in hotel.
4. Xin Man - Ha Giang (140 km, ~6 h)The regular Sunday Xin Man market is located right at the edges of Xin Man itself. Here you will see people from the H'mong, Nung; Tay, Dao… ethnic minority groups. They all walk through mountain paths and rough terrain from their mountain villages to the Xin Man market to trade items and socialize. This market is one of the most isolated in Vietnam, so it has never been given much attention. To reach Xinman, it's at least a 3 hour ride along narrow meandering roads from the town of Bacha, on this leg you have to be careful not to lose yourself in the dense woods. An easier but longer route can be taken on the curving road cutting through steep mountains for the 100 km ride from Xinman. This will still take about 4 hours despite the newly upgraded bitumen road and the absence of other vehicles.
The lively central market of Xin Man will be visited in the morning before we depart for Bac Quang where you will have to be alert as the road has many dangerous meandering turns. After reaching Heaven’s Gate II and the Hoang Su Phi Pass, a picnic lunch will be provided amongst superb surrounding landscape. When dropping down into Tan Quang the tour will take a leisurely ride along the National Highway No 2. If time permits we’ll have a dip in the warm waters of the hot springs. The remainder of the day we will spend relaxing. This night will be spent in a hotel.
Night with Tay family.
5. Ha Giang - Dong Van (130 km, ~5 h)Rise and shine for a few hours trek to many of the Heaven Gates such as Quan Ba, Yen Binh, Dong Van. They are so called because one gets the feeling of touching the sky - heaven's gates. This is the best time and place to enjoy the wonderful sightseeing of this vast limestone mountain range and perpendicular walls of rock, which brings one a feeling of adventure whilst being lost in a magic land. Here we are surrounded by many rocks of all shapes and sizes. After lunch at Yen Minh town, the scenic route climbs over a pass before arriving in Pho Bang, also called Pho Bang Street, which was built a long many centuries ago and features multi-storey houses made of clay bricks and tile roofs. Then we continue our trip to visit the infamous Vuong Palace, a H'mong family of high rank during French colonial rule. This palace attracts keen interest from architecturally minded visitors due to its mixed style of European and Chinese architecture.
Night in hotel.
6. Dong Van - Bao Lac (110 km, ~4 h)We take time to climb over the Ma Pi Leng Pass from which we can see and enjoy a beautiful sunset over the Nho Que river.
Visiting these remote areas, we will witness how hard the local people struggle with their environment for their survival and development. Living conditions are extremely harsh, there is barely any arable land within the rocky mountains and the people survive on a diet of corn, which is about the only crop able to grow in the rocky soil. Even through this hardship, the local people are very friendly, simple yet develop a strong attachment to other people. They are the soul of this remote area.
Night in hotel.
7. Bao Lac - Ba Be (150 km, ~5 h)Our last day in moutainous area. Take a rest in Ba Be national park with a short boat trip.
Night in Tay family
8. Ba Be - Hanoi (300 km, ~7 h)Here we have two options, we will discus then decide to take the road pass by Thai Nguyen city or the more interesting road passing through Tan Trao Security Zone, the head-quarter of Viet Minh during the French War. By taking this road, we will pass by Son Duong with beautiful limestone mountains with rice fields, palms and villages surrounded the mountain. But then we meet one of the worse traffic in the North, the road No 2 for 20 km before arriving to the High Way leading to Hanoi. This road is more difficult for riding than the road pass by Thai Nguyen on the road No 3.
INCLUDING:
- Motorcycle: Honda XR / XR 250 Baja
- All gasoline needed
- Chance to ride with the most experience rider in Vietnam and Footprint guide book writer
- All food
- All accommodation (double/twince)
- Unlimitted local home-made wisky
- Riding equipments (jacket, pans, helmet, saddle-bags...)
- Boat trips (Thac Ba Lake, Ba Be Lake)
- Permits
- Chips and sneack for stops at beautiful places
- Travel insurance
- And more...
NOT INCLUDING:
- other bottled drinks (beer, coke...)
- personal insurance
Contact us now to book this tour or to know about different itineraries.