Day 1, Hanoi – Mai Chau, 140 km, ~4-5 hrs.
Heading out of Hanoi on road number 6 to Mai Chau, and idyllic valley populated by mainly White Thai ethnic people. Visiting Mai Chau, you have a chance to enjoy folk songs and traditional colourful culture of White Thai in Mai Chau. The scenery of the arrival to Mai Chau is characterized with beautiful limestone mountains and colourful hill tribes who can be seen and visited on the way. We also have an opportunity en route to learn about the culture of the rice-cultivating inhabitants in the Red River valley and Da River down stream. From the top of Thung Nhuoi pass there is a beautiful view of Mai Chau valley, often engulfed by clouds but still a sight to be enjoyed. After visiting this wonderful site, we drop down to explore more of the area of White Thai people.
In the evening, we can enjoy a local dinner and overnight in a beautiful village at the edge of a river. After dinner, you can spend the evening sitting together around a fire and join in a Thai traditional music show. In their traditional attire, typical of their culture, Thai women invite visitors to participate in the Xoe dance. To the rhythmical and ebullient music, the hosts and guests will dance for hours hand-in-hand. When they get tired, they stop for a while to drink special sticky rice liquor called "ruou can". Visitors who participate in the Xoe dance once, especially by the light of a fire at night are likely to remember it forever.
- B,L,D + permits, entrance fees, and traditional dancing show.
- Overnight in Thai family
Day 2, Mai Chau – Hang Kia, ~100 km, ~4 h
Ride on the old road No6 through villages of Thai, Muong, Dao ethnic. This road provide you a chance to practice the ride on muddy.
Enjoy picnic lunch served on roadside with beautiful scenary of Da River and Moc Chau highland.
The last part to Hang Kia, riding through villages of H’mong on bumpy and rocky.
- B,L,D + Entrance fee
- Overnight in H’mong family
Day 3, Hang Kia – Bac Yen, ~140 km, ~4 h
In the morning, we will have time for hiking around the village to learn about local people lives before heading on rocky road through wild forest to Moc Chau for Lunch.
After luch, ride down hill until we meet the Black River, cross the river to the other side on a ferry.
- B,L,D + Ferry
- Hoang Gia Hotel, standard
Day 4, Bac Yen – Tuan Giao, 170 km, ~4 hrs.
The journey north continues onto Son La, following the 113 Highway. Along the way, there are superb landscapes with green valley and terraced rice fields. Passing the Chen Pass to the largest "maize" and "manioc" forest, we arrive at Son La plateau.
After lunch in Son La town, we will visit the former French Prison and provincial museum. We have more mountain passes to challenge us, such as Son La, Chieng Pac, and Pha Din. You will enjoy the beautiful landscape on your way from Son La to Lai Chau town. The afternoon will provide free time to climb over the top of the Pha Din Pass - known as the interface between Heaven and Earth. Pha Din forms a natural border between Son La and Dien Bien Phu, the site of the decisive battle in Vietnam’s struggle for independence in 1954. Then we take time to travel to Tuan Giao to view the sunset.
- B,L,D
- Trade Union guesthouse
Day 5, Tuan Giao – Dien Bien, 100km, ~3h
We leave the route No 6 to head on road 12 on ward to Dien Bien Phu.
This is another beautiful riding part following the supplied road for the Dien Bien Phu battle field in 1954 of Viet Minh. Visiting Pa Khoang Lake and the "shack" where General Giap leading Viet Minh for 55 days and nights of Dien Bien Phu.
After lunch in hotel, we will discover the old battle field.
Day 6, Dien Bien – Muang Khua – Muan La, 150km 4h
Leave Dien Bien for Tay Trang border crossing to Laos. Check out Vietnam and into Laos, it is almost no traffic on road to Muang Khua but the road is narrow and dirty.
From Muang Khua we follow the Nam Phak River to Muang La for an overnight in a friendly local guesthouse.
- B,L,D
- Local Guesthouse
Day 7, Muang La – Muang Sing, 200km, ~5h
Drive to Udom Xai then follow the main road to Luang Nam Tha for lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, we ride to Muong Sinh for a short hiking to village of Akha people.
Muong Sing is a small town located just 10 km from China border and it is on drug road between China and Burma.
- B,L,D
- Hotel standard
8, Muong Sing – Huay Xai, 240km ~4h
After one night in Muong Sing we return to Luang Nam Tha to continue riding to Huay Xai. It is a new highway link from Chiang Khong (Thailand)/Huay Xai (Laos), Luang Nam Tha, Boten, Mohan (China) for trading between Thailand, Laos and China. The ride is not very special but the scenery is beautiful, we will have an overnight in the bordering town Huay Xai lies on the Mekong River Bank.
- B,L,D
- Hotel standard
Day 9, Huay Xai – Xieng Neon, 95km, ~3h + 1,5h boating
Our real challenging on the bike with the beginning of 50 km riding along Mekong River on dirty and mud. Stop in Pak Tha the first check point along the border of Laos and Thailand where we carry all of our bike on the long-tail boat.
After an and half hour visiting Mekong, we will be dropped off on the other side of the river, into the middle of nowhere to another check-point, it is closing, just very close to Thailand border and begin the trip to the wildest area of Laos. Crossing stream, watching elephants walking along the road...more check point.
- B,L,D + Boat trip + Border fees
- Local guesthouse
Day 10, Xieng Ngeun – Hong Sa, 100km, ~3 - 4h
It is more dirty running in this wild forest, narrow road. Take your time, injoy wheeling your motorcycle remember to take the break when you can.
Taking this road, you will find that you are the only western (falang) in the area. You also discover many different local cultures of such as Yellow Banana tribe, many peaces of wild lives. This is the area with largest number of wild elephants in South East Asia.
- B,L,D
- Local Guesthouse
Day 11, Hong Sa – Luang Prabang, 140/230km, ~4/~6h
If the weather is permitted, we will take the short cut with 140km on narrow dirt trail to Luang Prabang. If not we will take the direction to Xayaboury with 95 km on rocky, bumpy cross some more streams before arrive on a larger one Road No 2. It is flat, dirty
Taking a ferry to cross Mekong River to Luang Prabang province, picnic lunch on the roadside.
- B,L,D + ferry
- Villa Phu Sy 3***
Day 12, Luang Prabang
Full day relax to wash out our dirt from our trip and then we discover the World Heritage Luang Prabang with many Wats and other cultural sites.
- B
- Villa Phu Sy 3***
Day 13, Luang Prabang – Plan Of Jars, 230km ~4h
Windy road 13 on high mountain of Phou Khoun with some stops to villages of local people. After a hot Laos coffee in Phou Khoun we turn left on road 7 heading to the Xieng Khoang Plateaux. Beautiful scenery and friendly local H’Mong people who live along the road side.
Arrival in Phonsavan, leave our luggage at the hotel then we ride to visit Plan of Jars an impressive archaeological site where thousands of large stone jars are littered all over the Xieng Khoang plateau. These huge jars are supposedly over 2,000 years old, but most of archaeologists are still mystified about their purpose.
- B,L,D + Entrance fee
- Hotel standard
Day 14, Plan Of Jars – Con Cuong, 250km ~5h
Beautiful ride in Xiang Khoang Plateaux with rice paddies, this is one of the most beautiful rice paddies view in the Northern Laos. Large road heading to Nam Can border crossing, where we cross the border to Vietnam again.
Follow Lam River to go down to Con Cuong.
- B,L,D
- Local Guesthouse
Day 15, Con Cuong – Kenh Ga, 270km ~4,5h
Long distance but we ride on the Ho Chi Minh Highway so it take 4 to 5 hours riding to day to Kenh Ga canal.
- B,L,D
- Resort
Day 16, Kenh Ga – Hanoi, 150km
Kenh Ga mean chicken canal it is one part of Hoang Long River and surrounded by massive limestone, where we will take a small boat, gliding along the river and canals, this is a unique experience for there is no other place in Vietnam that combines the stunning backdrop of the limestone cliffs with an authentic floating village.
- B,L + Boat trip
COST
* Including:
- Motorbike Minsk, all fuel;
- Tour guide / Translator;
- Motorbiking protective pants, jacket, gloves, helmet, rain gear, and other safety equipments;
- Sleeping bags, mosquito nets, sheets, pillows and accommodations;
- Third party motorbike insurance;
- All food;
- All entrance fees, permits, tickets, boat trips, ferries, bamboo rafts, etc...
- Voyage Vietnam assistance throughout your trip;
- We also love to celebrate our guests' birthday... well any excuse for a celebration on the open road.
* Personal expense (such as souvenirs), personal insurance, drinks, train or flight tickets, food and accommodation in Hanoi and tips are not included in our fee.
Contact us now to book this tour or to know about different itineraries.
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