Destinations: Welcome to Green Trail Tours... Come on a real adventure and explore off the beaten track into the fascinating
region of Northeast Vietnam. After starting our trip in the bustling capital of Hanoi we head northwards for one of the best cycling adventures in Asia. Expect great
Mountain scenery, timeless villages and colorful hill tribes - but very few other tourists! Cycling Northeast Vietnam is a real challenge because of the mountainous terrain and remoteness but very rewarding. If you want adventure and challenge in your life this is it!
Detail Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive in Hanoi
The group will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel, just near the Old Quarter.
Day 2 - Ride around Hanoi and countryside
An optional city orienation tour in the morning with the afternoon free to wonder and explore Hanoi in your own time.
Meals provided: Breakfast
Day 3 - Ride around Hanoi and countryside
An early start gets us out on the bikes and into the streets of Hanoi. As the markets are humming and people are exercising around Hoan Khiem Lake, we will ride to visit The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Temple of Literature. We will then cross the river for a ride around some of the farmlands surrounding Hanoi. The late afternoon is free for you to adjust to Vietnam.
Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch and Welcome dinner
Day 4 - Transfer to Ha Giang
After a morning walk of the Old Quarter, we will leave mid morning for our drive out of Hanoi and into the foothills of Ha Giang Province. We will reach the provincial capital in the late afternoon. This is a small town and gives us a taste of the sorts of places we will be spending out time in for the next week or so. Few travelers make their way to this province and even fewer to the areas that we will be traveling through.
Day 5 - Cycles to Tam Son
Today we begin the challenge. Shortly after leaving Ha Giang, we start climbing and continue an uphill ride through the day. We will climb over the dramatic Cong Troi Pass; we will drop into Tam Son, a very small town on the side of the mountains where we spend the night.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Distance Cycled: Approximately 60km
Day 6 - Cycles to Yen Minh
We start the day with a fantastic descent into a lush valley. We then follow a small river along the valley and pass the ruins of a French position from the Indochina war. We then start climbing again to reach the top of Doan Kiet pass. We then descend into Yen Minh, which sits at the base of another sub-range of mountains bordering China.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Distance cycled: 65km
Day 7 - Cycle to Dong Van
We enjoy some level ground as we leave town and then after our first rest stop, start climbing. Today’s climbs are harder, but more spectacular, as we move into a higher altitude. We will climb through the black volcanic rock, where you will see various hill-tribes seeking out a living from this infertile ground. The colorful, traditional costumes of these people will help you to face the challenge of the mountains, and the views over these spectacular mountains and through the huge gorges will reward your efforts. Tonight we stay in the mountain town of Dong Van. At this point, we are less than 20km from the Chinese border.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Distance cycled: 68km
Day 8 - Cycle and drive to Ha Giang
We set off through Chinese, border frontier country. We pass many houses of the hill tribes, constructed from compacted mud. We have some climbing to do, before we enjoy a big descent on our loop back to Yen Minh. From Yen Minh, we will drive back to Ha Giang where we spend the night.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Distance cycled: 43km
Day 9 - Cycle to Vinh Quang
Today we start with an easy ride along a valley for about 50km, before tackling a climb and then a descent to reach the small town of Vinh Quang.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Distance cycled: 90km
Day 10 - Cycle then Jeeps to Bac Ha
Today is a relatively easy ride with some rolling hills along a river towards Xi Man. From here we meet our hill tribes, bushy mechanics and their Russian built jeeps who will take us over the dramatic range separating Xi Man from our overnight home of Bac Ha. Bac Ha is becoming popular with day trippers from Sapa, who come to visit the once a week market. The people of this area are colorfully dressed and even on an ordinary day; there is plenty of interesting merchandise through town.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Distance Cycled: 21km
Day 11 - Cycle to Lao Cai & Overnight train
We start with a 40km continuous downhill. Your legs will forget what it was like to have to pedal as you sweep down this wide road into the Lao Cai Valley. We then ride along fairly flat ground to reach Lao Cai town. Lao Cai is the border checkpoint town with China. It is also where we catch our overnight train to Hanoi. We will have a shower and dinner before boarding the sleeper train.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Distance cycled: 60km
Day 12 - Hanoi Free time
We will arrive very early in the morning into Hanoi, so a nap might be a good idea before setting out to explore the city. Tonight we will celebrate our achievements!
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 13 - Hanoi - Departure
The group will transfer to the airport for a flight back to your home.
Meals included: Breakfast.
0 comments:
Post a Comment