15 days Ha Noi Luang Prabang cycling trip

Highlight: Undoubly, Cycling is one of the most brilliant way to  experience stunning scenic beauty  and rich cultural treasure in the north Vietnam and Laos.One of the most populardestinations in Asia, Vietnamabounds with natural andcultural splendours that aresecond to none in the region.When you venture away fromfrenetic Hanoi, you will discoverthe untouched natural beauty and charming people of northern Vietnam. We cycle through a series of traditional villages, towering karst mountains,refreshing forest, and fertile rice fields and see Vietnam in a new perspective before crossing the border to Laos for more action. We stop for a visit to Vieng Xai, aka The Hidden City, with hundreds of caves used to shelter the Laos Communist Party combatants during the Second Indochina War. The ride then continues into the Nam Et-Phou Louey conservation area where you’ll enjoy a night safari on a long-tail boat and stand a great chance of spotting exotic wildlife. The next stop is the famous Xieng Khouang Plateau, the resting place of the Plain of Jars, a tentative World Heritage site. The region is also one the heaviest bombed during the American War, otherwise known as the Vietnam War. Cycling among mysterious stone jars and bomb craters, we’ll learn about the significance of the plateau, which dates back to the Bronze Age. The tour culminates in Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its colonial and vernacular architecture, glittering Buddhist temples and ascetic saffronrobed monks.

Day 1: Hanoi Arrival

Welcome to Vietnam. Arriving at Noi Bai International Airport,Indochina explore tour guide and driver will greet and pick you up to the hotel at the heart of Hanoi capital. Hanoi, the antique and dynamic city of Vietnam, reserves a unique old world charm and several of the most striking colonial architecture of Asia. After the checking-in,Take relax by your own and do briefing itinerary with our guide for coming days. enjoy a cyclo ride through the bustling streets in the Old Quarter to discover the ancient and modern beauty of Hanoi. After the tour, you will be warmly welcome with a special welcoming dinner in a typical Vietnamese food restaurant. Stay overnight in Hanoi :

Day 2: Hanoi – Tam Coc ( three Grottoes)

After hearty breakfast in hotel. Our cycling guide and shuttle bus will pick you up at 7:30 a.m in hotel. Leaving the hustle and bustle of city behind. The shuttle bus transfer us to Xuan Mai, southwest of Hanoi. Upon arriving in Cycling point. We learn how to control the Bike and gear, the rule on the road and safety ride in this trip. We commence riding on tarmac road, passing many peaceful villages, local market, temples and pagodas, vast green rice paddies. Arriving in Duc Khe, Stop for Lunch meal and take some awesome pictures of Huong Son scenic beauty. After lunch meal. We continue riding back road cross the bridge and cycle on paved road , passing rice paddy and countryside village to Van Long Wet land Nature Reserve. Admire magnificent limestone mountains and quaint villages in afternoon. Transfer the rest of distance to Tam Coc. Have dinner and stay overnight in Tram Chim Ecolodge.

Day 3: Tam Coc – Trang An – Bai Dinh – Cuc Phuong National park

Get up early to enjoy pristine nature and admire sunrise over karst mountains. Have breakfast in hotel. We commence our cycling day from hotel , cycling leisurely through peaceful village and village to admire dramatic limestone karsts jutting out from the green rice fields. Stop on the way to capture incredible scenery. Our journey continue to Trang An Nature Scenic Beauty Complex – Newly designated as world cultural and natural heritage site. Spending two hours on boat trip loop to explore outstanding beauty, learn about its background culture. Our boat disembark to visit an ancient temple date back ten century. Our journey continue loop back to expose stunning twisted karst mountains, explore hidden caves under water. We hop back on bike to ride through heritage site. Stop for lunch in local resturant to enjoy tasty food. After lunch we ride through stunning green rice paddy and villages to Cuc Phuong. Have dinner and over night in Resort or guest house.

Day 4: Cuc Phuong National Park – Phu Luong Nature Reserve

This morning you will have the opportunity to explore Vietnam’s first national park and hopefully sight one of the 97 species of mammals said to inhabit the park. After breakfast, we transfer to the park’s centre, then start pedaling on the beautiful concrete lanes passing the jungle to the park’s headquarters. Visit the Endangered Primate Rescue Center where a wide variety of native monkeys and gibbons, including critically endangered langurs were saved from wildlife smugglers and are being rehabilitated to return to the wild. After the visit we continue cycling out of the park. The scenic ride past peaceful lakes, authentic villages and rice paddies . have lunch on Hochiminh highway. After lunch , we start to explore the magnificent scenic beauty of Phu Luong Nature Reserve as ride through sugar farms and lush green forest. Stop on the way to admire water wheels, meet and talk with local people. Arriving in Eco homestay, we enjoy primitive scenery amongst eco village, have dinner and join in traditional music performance.

Day 5: Phu Luong Nature Reserve – Quan Son

Enjoy tasty breakfast prepared by host family, we start our cycling day from Eco – homestay, cycle on scenic route to admire breathtaking rice terrace and brilliant limestone panoramas, passing rustic villages to local Market. If we are lucky we will meet on weekend. Our journey continue riding along the river to admire beautiful rice paddy dotted with water wheels. Arriving in Hoi xuan stop for lunch. Following lunch meal, we cycle on contrast scenery route into dense tropical forest, ride through bamboo forest and rice terrace paddy. Conquer some passes before arriving Quan Son Town. Have dinner and stay overnight in Quan Son.

Day 6: Say good bye Vietnam – Hello Laos

This morning you bid farewell to Vietnam as you cycle the short distance to the border crossing to Laos . Completing immigration. We meet our’s Laos Cycling guide on the other side of the border and start our ride to Vieng Xay. Our ride will be along streams and through karst landscapes interspersed with rice paddies. Our destination today is historic Vieng Xai, once the war-time headquarters of Laos’ communists, famous forits remarkable landscape of karst limestones honeycombed with caves that were used as shelter during the relentless bombing raids. Along the way we’ll see a number of historic caves,
including the Lao-Cuban Hospital Cave.

Day 7: Vieng xai –Sam Neua

After breakfast, we’ll head to the Vieng Xai Caves Visitor Center to get ourbearings and get ready to go on the audio tour. The Vieng Xai Caves are an extensive network of caves in limestone mountains.Four hundred and eighty of these caves were used by the Communist Party army to shelter from American air raids during the Second Indochina War, also known as the Vietnam War. We’ll use our bikes to get from cave to cave and walk through the caves listing to the commentary and audio effects. After lunch,we’ll get back into the saddle and cycle to Xam Neua, Houaphanh’s provincial capital through a number of traditional ethnic villages.

Day 8 : Sam Neua Ban Sonkhoua & Nam Nern Night Safari

Today we will have a rest and go on a different type of tourism adventure, a safari within the Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area. The area is known for its primary forest, high level of biodiversity and endangered species including tiger, gaur, Sambar deer, and white-cheeked gibbon. We’ll transfer from Sam Neua to the starting point of this adventure in Ban Sonkhoua. Along the way, we will stop to see the 100m-long cascade overrock slabs of Saleuy Waterfall. We overnight at simple but well-appointed bamboo huts with the sounds of the jungle surrounding us. When dusk comes we’ll head out for wildlife-spotlighting down the Nam Nern River on long-tail boats that drift downriver to allow for the best chances of spotting wild animals.
Nam Nern Eco lodge. B L D

Day 9: Ban Sonkhoua – Meuang Kham

After breakfast our boats will float back to Ban Sonkhoua where we’ll get on our bikes to start riding again. Today is all about magnificent downhills! Our first spectacular descent will bring us to lunch on the Nam Nern River bank in Ban Sop Lao. After lunch, we’ll transfer to the village of Ban Souanmon, from which we’ll cycle through the mountainstowards our second outstanding descent onto the Xieng Khouang Plateau. The day ends at the Ban Xang Hot Springs, where we’ll be staying the night in acommunity lodge.Ban Xang Community Lodge. Ride 51 km. +1,120 m. B L D

Day 10: Meuang Kham – Phonsavanh

After a hot spring bath and breakfast we’ll start our journey of the plateau,which is home to the mysterious Plain of Jars, which is now on Laos’ tentative World Heritage list. On the way, we’ll visit and have lunch at Tad Ka Waterfall in Tachok, a spectacular jungle trail that winds its way up andcrosses the waterfall several times. We ride out of the forested mountains and down into sprawling Phonsavanh set amidst grassy plains.This area was one of the most heavily bombed in Laos and evidence of unexploded ordinances (UXO) are everywhere. Resourceful locals use bomb casings and other remnants and put them to use as fences, tools, vegetable planters, decorations and barbecue fireplaces. Vansana Plain of Jars Hotel. Ride 66 km. +1,087 m. B L D

Day11: Plain of Jars

Today we’ll cycle to visit the mysterious prehistoric jars and learn the many theories of their existence. We return to town for lunch and you havethe afternoon free to visit the MAG Office-UXO Visitor Information Centreand watch their movie for a fascinating insight into the legacy of the second Indochina War, aka the Vietnam War. There are more than 30 restaurants in town and you can choose which you prefer as dinner is on your own tonight.Vansana Plain of Jars Hotel. Ride 25 km. B L.

Day 12: Phonsavanh – Phou Khoun

We’ll head east to Phou Khoun with the first 50 km to Nongtang, a large natural lake surrounded by high limestone cliffs, a relatively flat ride. We’ll explore the temple ruins, visit a cave and have lunch. After we will continue on our bikes for another 27 km to Ban Nam Chat, from which we will transfer the final 60 km uphill to Phou Khoun.Sala Phou Khoun. Ride 77 km. +947 m. B L D.

Day 13: Phou Khoun – Luang Prabang

Today we have an overall descent to Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage listed site located on the banks of the Mekong River. . However, before we go down we have 40 kms of up-and-down riding. We then descend 20 km to Ban Khoua Nam Ming, which translates to the bridge over the Ming River. Here we’ll have lunch and during that time decide whether to conquer one more mountain to reach the district town of Xieng Ngeun, or to transfer straight to Luang Prabang. We head out to the temple-filled town to have our last dinner together. Sala Prabang. Ride 72 km or 104 km. +2,165 m. B L D

Day 14: Luang prabang -Pak Ou Loop

The final day of the tour consists of a bike ride to Pak Ou for a visit to the striking limestone Tham Ting and Tham Teung Caves set in a cliff at the confluence of the Ou and Mekong rivers. The caves are packed with thousands of Buddha images. After lunch at Ban Pak Ou, we’ll be returning to Luang Prabang by boat, with a stop at Ban Xang Hai, where you get to watch Lao rice-wine production and do some sampling too! We return to the hotel so you can freshen up before your onward journey home.
Ride 30 km. +219 m. B

Day 15: Luang Prabang – Departure.

Have breakfast in hotel and relax by yourself. Our guide and driver will meet you again , we depart to International Airport to catch Flight onwards. Our service finishes. Thanks you very much for joining a lifetime cycling holiday with us.,

In remote destinationsabnormal conditions canprevail at any time, and alladventurous holidays can
therefore be subject tounexpected change.Though we will do our bestto adhere to the originalitinerary, we cannot be heldresponsible for any lastminute changes. This alsoapplies to the hotelsmentioned and anychanges will be to anotherhotel of the same or higherstandard. In order to enjoyyour cycling holiday youshould be prepared to beflexible when necessary

Tour included in:

English speaking cycling guide ( other languages upon requests)
Accommodations are based on double/ twin occupancy
Meals details in itineraries ( 15 breakfast, 14 lunches, 15 dinners)
A/C transfer/ and transportation
Van or bus supported during the cycling times.
Truck supported for the group size from 6 and above.
Trek mountain bikes – 4300 with disc brake and helmets
Sightseeing excursions as outlined itineraries
Bike tour pump, bike tools, spares tubes, spare bikes
First aid kit
Cold water box, small fresh towel.
Mineral water for drinking
Fruit and snack for cycling days

Tour excluded in:

International airfare
Travel insurance
Items of personal nature
Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks in meals
Mineral water beyond that supplied
Optional excursions
Additional transport required due to any emergency situation
Personal expenses such as telephone, laundry bills.
Visa fee
Departure tax
Tip for team and guide
Visa fee in Laos ( 35 USD per person upon arrival + 02 passport pictures

Bikes: we use the new 4300/4500 trek moutain bikes for all most cycling trip with different size from 13.5’’ – 23,5’’.We generally use 2012 /2013 models of TREK mountain bikes because they are high quality, durable pieces of equipment. Besides.

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