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Code: |
VNBKTD65 |
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Routes: |
Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Mai
Chau - Thung Man - Phu Yen - Tuan Giao -
Sin Ho - Tam Duong - Sapa - Muong Hum -
Lao Cai, night train to Hanoi |
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Duration: |
09 Days |
Itinerary in brief
Day 1: Hanoi - Ninh Binh
Day 2: Ninh Binh - Mai Chau
Day 3: Mai Chau - Thung Man
Day 4: Thung Man - Phu Yen
Day 5: Phu Yen - Tuan Giao
Day 6: Tuan Giao - Sin Ho
Day 7. Sin Ho - Tam Duong
Day 8: Tam Duong - Sapa
Day 9: Sapa - Muong Hum - Lao Cai, night train
to Hanoi
Detail Itinerary
Day 1: Hanoi - Ninh Binh. ~170
km
Ride to the south of Hanoi for ~ 90 km on
National Highway 1, and then follow the little
road (~8 km) through rice fields to Hoa Lu.
Around 10:30, we propose to visit two temples in
Hoa Lu of the two kings, King Dinh and King Le -
Dinh Dynasty (968-980) and Early Le Dynasty
(980-1009). This is the old capital of Vietnam
with natural protection afforded by the region's
bizarre landscape.
Ride on the back road of Yen Ngua Mountain along
the mountain range, snaking through limestone 8
km until Linh Xuan village. The road is narrow
but newly sealed and easy to ride. There is a
possibility to take many photos of this region
and the landscape look like "Halong Bay without
water". We talk with local people we meet on the
way and have a cup of tea with them. Then there
are two roads: Ride to Ninh Binh for 1 km from
Linh Xuan village (or straight from Linh Xuan
village) to Tam Coc, where we have lunch at Anh
Dung restaurant.
We propose 2 options for the afternoon:
Option 1
Ride to Bich Dong (8 km) to visit the 3 pagodas,
of which two are built into the caves. We
propose a short boat trip (30 minutes) to
discover the 700-m cave under the mountain.
Option 2
Take a relaxing sampan cruise to visit the three
caves of Tam Coc, "The Three Lagoons" in almost
3 hours.
Then ride to Ninh Binh town or Hoa Lu for the
night in hotel.
Day 2: Ninh Binh - Mai Chau. ~180 km
Beautiful landscape. Bumpy road but very quiet
and peaceful. Once out of the Red River Delta,
which brims with traditional farming activity,
we pass through limestone monoliths and into
foothills populated by Muong people. We head
straight at the main range before breaching a
high and beautiful forested pass, which descends
into the hidden valley of Mai Chau where we
spend the night with friends in a traditional
Thai stilt house. The valley of Mai Chau lies
between two rivers: the Da River and the Ma
River that make it very fertile and rich in
varied landscapes, medium mountains, forest,
lake, rivers, and infinitude of small footpaths
and offer many possibilities of trek. In the
valley of Mai Chau and its surroundings are
Muong, White Thai, H'mong (in the height), and
the Dao who we meet at the markets or in their
villages during trekking, boating or while
driving.
Day 3: Mai Chau - Thung Man. 100 km
Today we continue venturing onto Northern
Vietnam by following the old National Highway No
6 which has been neglected for 20 years. The
rough narrow road, cutting through many
hill-tops makes the terrain difficult to
manoeuvre, so the road transport is very
limited. Sometimes, if lucky you might catch
sight of a horse-drawn carriage or buffalo cart
but, apart from that, this road is quite
deserted. Along the way, we have excellent
opportunities to learn about the people of
different cultures, such as the Red Dao, Dao
Tien, Muong and Thai ethnic groups. The people
living here are very friendly and live a simple
lifestyle. Typically they live by cultivating
dry rice, vegetables and fruit at high altitudes
and hunting in the wild forest.
At noon we stop for lunch at the top of the pass
and enjoy a beautiful view of spacious Moc Chau
grassland and the Da River.
The afternoon will provide a real challenge.
After heading out on New Highway 6, we make our
way onto the torturous and bumpy road. However,
exploring the H'mong hill tribe's colourful
customs and majestic mountainous scenery makes
the hardship all worthwhile.
Day 4: Thung Man - Phu Yen. 130 km
After breakfast we say farewell to our hosts and
visit thung Mai, the most timeless village of
the H'mong ethnic people residing at an altitude
of over 1,000 meters above sea level and in
complicated topography. The H'mong people have
lived here for nearly 100 years. While on the
way to Ha Giang, they were forced to flee from
French colonialists and settled in this remote
area. To reach Thung Man, it takes about one and
half hours to the top of the mountain. Upon
arrival, you will see a pretty village with
about 20 houses built from "stone" surrounding a
small, fairy pond at the mountain top. The
village seems isolated from the mainstream
world. There is no motorbike or karaoke here!
The owners of this mountain still retain their
age-old culture and traditions. Moreover,
visitors to this remote area will have
opportunity to discover these people's unique
customs and simple lifestyle and even share the
wisdom of the elders who enjoy the happiness of
living under the same roof with 5-6 generations.
You also have a chance to listen to the legends
about the "toward South" process.
After lunch, we have the afternoon free to
explore the dreamlike grasslands. These
beautiful grasslands of Moc Chau have the best
of both worlds, breath-taking scenery and some
of the most favourable climate, in the Northwest
mountains. Moc Chau’s flora is diverse, ranging
from forests and tea plantations to fruit
orchards.
We can walk to the local dairy farms and sample
produce from the local processing factories.
Dairy produce is Moc Chau’s specialty and is
exported to many other countries.
After visiting beautiful area, we drop down to
Da River and take a specialized boat along the
river. Then we ride along the river to Phu Yen
valley, one of the most prosperous and beautiful
villages of Thai people in Northwest.
Day 5: Phu Yen - Tuan Giao. 210 km
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 Bac Yen
Mountain top, through 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.
Day 6: Tuan Giao - Sin Ho. 150 km
Today we continue venturing in to northern
Vietnam with the 98ksm remainder of the
historical Highway 6. The road is rough, but the
scenery is unbelievably beautiful and
magnificent with the 7 tall passes cutting
though steep mountain along the Da River flowing
around the foot of the passes, which can be
found nowhere else in the Northwest route.
Moreover, part of the pleasure of travelling by
motorbike in this region is the simple joy of
the friendly smiles and greetings of the local
people, which make the hardship all worthwhile.
Along the way, we stop to visit the Black Thai,
Kho Mu, Lu, Black H'mong, Green H'mong and White
H'mong, just some of the many hill tribe groups
and discover their simple lifestyles and
colourful cultures.
After lunch at Lai Chau, we take a boat to
travel along the Nam Na River, passing the high,
dangerous and sheer rocks, the pretty villages
on the two sides of the river and the hillside
green rice fields. The boat is not a big one,
but the boatman is skilled enough to make your
cruise safe and adventurous to the next
destination. After that we make our way to Sin
Ho.
Day 7. Sin Ho - Tam Duong. 110-170 km
Due to the environment and a height of 1,700m,
getting there is very hard journey, so the
people living here mostly retain their
long-lasting lifestyle. The unchanged way of
life from ancient days is hard to maintain in
the modern world, however it should be said that
there is no way for urbanization to occur in
these areas. Moreover, only a handful of tourist
agencies can visit this remote area. The reason
Sin Ho is regarded as the richest mountain
market in the northwest province, is because
anybody who is courageous enough to visit the
area is rewarded with the fortune of visiting.
This does nothing that limits the bright motley
colours of traditional clothes of various ethics
such as the Green H'mong, the Black H'mong, the
White H'mong, the Dzao Dau Bang, and the Lu.
Sin Ho market lasts till late in the afternoon
but due to a long hard road down the mountain,
we need to prepare lunch and equipment for the
trip. When arriving at the foot of the mountain
we will ride along Nam Na River to Pa So. After
climbing Hong Thu Man pass, home of the Dzao
Khau and the H'mong people, we will reach Tam
Duong, a small town surrounding by brilliant tea
fields and a tapestry of green mountain ranges.
Day 8: Tam Duong - Sapa. 70 km
This morning finds us on the road for the 50km
ride to the village of Lu ethnic minority whose
origin comes from Lao. We’ll have a chance to
see beautiful stilt houses and girls who blacken
the teeth and have a seductive smile. After that
we have to cross the Muong Kim River back to
National Highway 4D to travel to Sapa.
We will enjoy a picnic lunch at the top of Tram
Ton Pass, the most beautiful one in Sapa. In the
afternoon we are free to explore Sapa, which is
usually engulfed by clouds. After enjoying an
Artichaux cup of tea, a special drink from Sapa,
we embark on a walk to discover this charming
town and get acquainted with the host people who
are the soul of this area.
Sapa was founded in the early years of the last
century as a hill resort for the French
administration at the time. It soon became
famous in Indochina for its ideal climate.
Nowadays, Sapa’s breathtaking scenery is some of
the best in Asia.
Day 9: Sapa - Muong Hum - Lao Cai, night
train to Hanoi. 100 km
While Sapa is characterized with the beauty of
European architecture, the path to Muong Hum is
absolutely different from the scenic beauty of
Sapa. This road passes through many neglected
villages and tracks. During the rainy season, no
one dares to ride the muddy and slippery road
off the highway. Despite its close link to Sapa,
this road receives very few visitors.
This road was newly upgraded and sealeded in
2004 but the journey of 100 km on this road is a
tad difficult. However, it is definitely
worthwile as the scenery is breathtaking.
Moreover, on the way back to Lao Cai, you will
ride along the Red River which forms the natural
border between Vietnam and China and enjoy a
visit to Lao Cai, the international border town
with China. Dinner in a restaurant en route to
Hanoi and arrive back in Hanoi by 5.30am.
Included
* English Speaking tour leader (other languages
upon requests)
*All accommodations base on twin-share at hotel,
guesthouse and Home stay.etc…
* Meals detailed in the itinerary (B = Breakfast
, L = Lunches ,D = Dinners)
* A/C transfers and transportation.
* Boat trip mention in itinerary
* Mountain bicycle 24 or 27Speed (LA bike or
Trek bike. etc…)
* Sightseeing excursions as outlined in
itinerary
* Pump, bike tools, spares tubes.
* Spare bike
* Cold water box, small fresh towel.
* Mineral water drinking.
* Seasonal fruits.
* Snacks
Excluded:
* International airfares
* Travel insurance and bike helmet (compulsory)
* Items of a personal nature
* Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks
* Mineral water beyond that supplied
* Optional excursions
* Additional transport required due to any
emergency situation
* Personal expenses such as telephone and
laundry bills
* Visa fees
* Departure taxes
* Tipping for guiding
Note
This itinerary allows for 08 field days on the
cycling section. You will be able to decide for
yourself at any time during each of these days
how far you want to cycle. Average daily cycling
distances are approximately 60 -100 km. These
distances may vary according to weather, road
conditions and group fitness and preferences.
This is a sightseeing cycle tour, not a marathon
or time trial.
What to bring:
1. Bike Helmet
2. Small backpack
3. Shoes and shorts for cycling
4. Sunglasses
5. Gloves
6. Professional Pedal
7. Sun block
8. Camera + Film
9. Insect repellent
10. Original Passport
11. Wide brim hat
12. Bike water bottle (if you don't want to use
Green Trail Tours bottle)
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