Day 1, Hanoi – Phu yen, ~180 km, ~5h.
First day of our loop. We go North West direction Son Tay. Discover step by step the countryside and the traditional farming activities.
Very nice road in medium mountain, tea fields and rice paddies.
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- Hoang Gia Hotel
Day 2, Phu Yen – Mu Cang Chai, 160km ~4h
Ride along 2kms of dirt road on the Lung Lo mountain passes wild through forest, follow Hoang Lien Son mountain ranges heading up North on road 32.
Visit our friend villages of Dao, H’mong and Thai ethnic
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- People Communist Guesthouse
Day 3, Mu Cang Chai – Sapa, 170km ~4h
Ride along Muong Kim Stream to Than Uyen, where we will make a short riding to villages of Black Thai people dirt road through green tea field.
Explore the most beautiful landscape in the Northwest of Vietnam - Tram Ton passes - walking to visit Sapa.
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- Hoang Long Hotel
Day 4,Sapa – Xin Man, 140km ~4h.
We go down hill to Lao Cai to visit Lao Cai international trading border and Red river with mark the nature border between Vietnam and China. Visit the temple right at the border and listen to the story of a heavy war with Black-Flag Chinese army.
After the lunch in Ba Ha town we make our journey to Sin Man. On the way we make some stops to walk through villages of Flower Mong, Nung…ethnic
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- Gia Long Hotel
Day 5, Xin Man – Ha Giang, 140 km, ~5 hrs
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.
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- Hotel standard
Day 6, Ha Giang – Dong Van
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. After bidding farewell, 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.
Day 7, Dong Van – Meo Vac
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.
Day 8, Meo Vac – Bac me, 150 km, ~5h (Lung Phin Market)
Lung Phin is the most interesting market to be in the natural and missed in the crowded of local dressing as it is the only one still sitting on the opened-hillside. Also this market is not on weekend days as other mountain markets, it is on every days of Tiger and Monkey (Lunar Calendar).
Lung Phin market lasts till the mid-afternoon. However the tour will hit the road before lunch, as today is a real challenge as riding on track through a forest. This 80 km motorcycle ride is a measure of your bravery and skill. The rolling rocky roads take you to hell on a rainy day. However the breath-taking scenery makes the hardship all worthwhile.
Day 9: Bac Me – Ba Be, 80 km, ~3-5h
Yesterday you had an opportunity to develop your riding skills, and again today its time to muster up all your skill, technique and experience for the 80 km of forest road. Only with the help of our experienced guides will you not get lost in one of the 16 branching roads. Along the way, we traverse many tall passes and deep river valleys. This road trip will take you only 3-4 hours during the dry season, but at least 7-8 hours during the rainy season. However, the feeling of ‘conquering nature’ makes the hardship all worthwhile. Upon arrival, we will cross 3 rivers between 20-30m in width and up to 70cm in depth, all managed with the instruction of our experienced guide. The remaining 3kms of the journey is a pleasant and relaxing ride. You’ll ride along an open hillside road along the Nang river. Catch your breath while you can. We complete our journey at the Dau Dang waterfall. This is basically an overnight stop to break our long journey and stretch our legs, take the tiredness away and share the day's adventure with the owner of the Nang river restaurant; Mr. Pirate’s. The next day we canoe our hearts out through the tranquil lakes of Babe, renowned for their majesty. Then we can swim or trek to visit the Tay ethnic minorities and talk with the local people. We overnight with our host family.
Day 10: Ba Be
Today is a full day to take advantage of lake Babe. During the cruise on the lake, we visit Babe National Park and witness the simple lifestyle of local people in these remote areas, including the Tay, H'mong and Dao ethnic groups. After another delicious meal cooked by our hosts, we spend the evening sitting together around a fire, discussing and enjoying the days sightseeing with the local people.
Day 11, Ba Be – Hanoi, 250km, ~5h
Early departure is necessary to have more stops in villages of Tay people along the road. We don’t take the main road, but the small road no 279 with about 20 30 dirty and bumpy to pass by Cho Chu town.
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.
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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