The Great Trails 7 days 7 nights

07:30 am at your hotel. Before we kick off, we will spend about 30 minutes to check over the bikes and insure that we have all necessary tools and equipment to guarantee maximum fun. Today, there is not much to see en route, although this will be a great opportunity for you to test your biking abilities and get a feel for your bike (Russian Minsk). We will drive through Thai Nguyen city, keep moving through many other timeless villages linked to the road, which is the main artery of trade between the Northeast region and the Hanoi Capital. This is our first glimpse of rural Vietnam and sets the tone for the days ahead. Lunch on the way. Depending on traffic conditions, we will arrive at Ba Be Lake about midday. What is more to take a local boat trip to explore one part of Ba Be Lakes, visit Goa & Han Ma island then more cruise to the village. After arriving at our home stay in Bo Lu village, you are welcome by the host family of Tay people. Free time then to have shower, walk around the village. Dinner and overnight in Ba Be.

Today, with a medium drive with more slopes but we will soon be enjoying the wonderful sightseeing of mountain, riding through villages. Lunch will be served on the way at a local restaurant then continue our journey to Bao Lac. Arrival at the town in the late afternoon. Check in hotel and free on your own leisure to have shower and rest. Dinner and stay overnight in Bao Lac.

After breakfast, we leave Meo Vac to Ha Giang. Remember to prepare your camera with lots of films for today since we will be hitting the Heaven – a more beautiful place, here we are surrounded by many rocks of all shapes and sizes, chances to see and even visit the traditional houses of the hill tribes here. The scenic route climbs over a pass, and then we descend down to Meo Vac valley, a beautiful valley situated very close to Chinese border. Have lunch in Meo Vac then we take time to climb over the Ma Pi Leng Pass where we can enjoy beautiful mountain ranges and the the Nho Que river – just an amazing place to be! We keep hitting the zigzag roads to Dong Van, visiting these remote areas, we will witness how hard the locals struggle with their environment for survival and development. We will stay in town to get the chances to visit the ancient streets with old houses of the H’mong made of clay bricks and tile roofs, built centuries ago. Sleep in Dong Van town.

A leisurely drive from Dong Van, back to Yen Minh & Quan Ba, this day will make your itinerary a good pace, not in a rush. We will 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. We then hit the road back to Quan Ba and down hill to Ha Giang for the night. Note: Quan Ba Sunday market is worth an arrangement!

A long but stunning scenery along the zigzag road from Ha Giang to Bac Ha will make today a little busier, some parts of the road might be difficult to travel so make sure that you depart early this day from Ha Giang to arrive to Bac Ha in time before dark. Dinner and overnight in town. Note: Road from Ha Giang to Hoang Su Phi then Xin Man – Bac Ha can be bad and impossible to ride during the raining season, however a backup to travel to Bac Ha is already planned.

We have this morning free in Bac Ha to roam around (if we are lucky on Sunday for the market). In the afternoon 3 hours drive to Sapa. Your free time to visit this tourist town and overnight in town.

We suggest to ride down hill to a village then leave your bike there then head out for some hours of trekking to Ta Phin or Ta Van village. We will ride to Lao cai train station (1,5h) in the late afternoon, our bikes are then loaded on the train before your own dinner in Lao Cai. Our train leaves at 8.15 pm to Hanoi, arrival in Hanoi at around 5 am next morning, tour ends at your hotel.