Guided Mai Chau to Ninh Binh Northern Vietnam Bike Tour

This is an intermediate to challenging level tour with an average of 50-70 km cycling per day and 700m elevation gain. The route includes steep climbs, fast downhills, and varied terrain including cross-country paths and paved mountain roads. It's suitable for cyclists who are comfortable with challenging rides but also want time to enjoy local culture.

High-quality mountain bikes are provided in all sizes, along with helmets, tool kits, and water cages. E-bikes are available for an additional surcharge of $100 per trip. Customers are welcome to bring their own helmets, cycling gloves, and our mechanics can fit your own seats and pedals if preferred.

The tour includes 4-star hotel accommodations with daily breakfast, all specified meals, cycling guides and mechanics, support vehicle with gear and luggage transport, entrance fees, boat trips, biking equipment, water and snacks on cycling days, and complimentary cold beer at the end of the tour. Airport transfers, visa, international flights, and travel insurance are not included.

Yes, the tour can accommodate various dietary requirements including vegetarian, vegan, and allergy-related needs. Food is fresh, locally sourced, and home-cooked to provide an authentic experience. Please inform the tour operator of any dietary restrictions when booking.

A support vehicle follows the group throughout the tour and is available for emergencies. If you wish to stop cycling after lunch or at any point, you can be safely transported in the air-conditioned minivan to the next destination.

While not provided by the tour operator, it is strongly recommended that each guest has comprehensive travel and health insurance that covers cycling activities. Medical facilities in remote mountain areas of Northern Vietnam are limited, though a support vehicle is available for emergencies.

A guided bike tour includes a professional local guide who rides with you throughout the trip. The guide handles navigation, manages daily logistics, ensures safety, and shares cultural insights. In addition to the guide, you also have a support vehicle that transfers luggage, provides water/snacks, and offers on-route assistance or a lift whenever needed. You simply follow the guide and enjoy a fully supported experience.

Your guides are local cycling experts, fluent in English, with deep knowledge of the region’s history, culture, and food.

On our guided tours, we ensure you begin your ride feeling comfortable and well-supported. Your guide and local team play an active role in getting your bike properly set up.

Before Your Tour

When you book, we ask for your height. This allows our local partners to select the correct frame size and prepare the bike in advance so it’s close to your ideal fit when you arrive.

At the Start of the Tour

You’ll receive a full in-person bike fitting with your guide or local representative. This typically includes:

• Adjusting saddle height
• Moving the saddle fore–aft (small adjustments to move the saddle forward or back for better balance and comfort)
• Fine-tuning handlebar height and reach (where adjustable)
• Confirming pedal preference — flat pedals are provided by default. If you bring your own clip-in pedals, our guide will help install and adjust them
• A short test ride to check comfort

Your guide will ensure everything feels right before the tour begins.

During the Tour

Throughout the trip, your guide will make additional adjustments whenever needed. This is especially helpful if you discover new comfort preferences after a few hours of riding.

What to Expect

Our guided tour bike fitting is hands-on, comfort-focused, and practical, ensuring you ride safely and enjoyably each day. It’s not a detailed workshop-level fit, but it covers all essential adjustments for multi-day touring.

Our support vehicle is always close by to make your ride worry-free. It carries your luggage, water, snacks, and spare parts, and is there if you need a quick lift or just want to rest for a while. You’ll see it at regular intervals along the route and during meal or refreshment stops. The vehicle is also used for scheduled transfers and to ensure safety and comfort along the route.

For guided tours, we do not provide GPX files separately, as navigation is handled by your guide. On certain occasions, if you prefer more independence, we may offer app-based navigation access with the daily routes loaded. However, please understand that this may not always be possible and depends on the specific tour setup.

Airport transfers are not included unless specifically mentioned in your trip inclusions.

For airport pickup, we recommend booking directly from the airport upon arrival — most airports have reliable taxi, shuttle, or app-based options.

For airport drop, please book a transfer through your last hotel — they can easily arrange it for you.

We focus on delivering exceptional experiences during your tour. For logistical simplicity and flexibility, we do not handle pre- or post-tour hotel bookings. However, we’re happy to share a list of recommended hotels near the starting and ending points of your trip so you can plan your stay independently.

The fitness level required for each trip is indicated by the "level" of the tour, which in turn is mentioned on each tour page right next to the price and the trip duration.

Easy: The terrain is mostly flat with a few gentle climbs.

Moderate: The terrain is either mostly flat or consists of rolling hills with a few challenging climbs. There could also be a few days with longer riding distances of up to 75 kms (45 miles)

Difficult: The terrain is mostly hilly with strong elevation gains and/or has long days on the bike. Such trips are recommended for intermediate to advanced cyclists.

Please note that we usually bike around 4-5 hours per day irrespective of the level of the trip.

Yes, your trip leader will carry bottled water or RO water in a camper in the support van for guests' use.

Yes, please communicate your dietary preferences to your trip leader and they'll ensure that the food you eat is spiced as per your requirements.

Yes — we do our best to accommodate all dietary requirements. Vietnam and Cambodia are generally friendly to vegetarian diets, especially in larger cities where “quán chay” (vegetarian restaurants) and tofu-based dishes are common. However, vegan and gluten-free options can be more limited, particularly in smaller towns and rural regions.

We recommend carrying a few essential staples if you follow a strict vegan or gluten-free diet, as availability may vary from place to place.

Please inform your tour guide clearly at the start of the trip, and we will make every effort to arrange suitable meals and assist you in finding appropriate options along the way.

We are happy to pass on your room preference for a twin or double setup, and our hotel partners do their best to accommodate these requests. However, room configurations are always subject to availability at each property.

On some of our trips—especially those that travel through remote regions or small boutique inns—room types may be limited. In such cases, despite our best efforts, you may need to stay in a double room instead of a twin, or twin instead of a double, depending on what is available.

Given the nature of our journeys and the unique places we visit, we kindly ask for your understanding and support if such adjustments are required.

We will always inform you in advance wherever possible and work closely with our partners to ensure the most comfortable arrangement for your stay.

The road surface is mostly good. 90% of the cycling on this bike tour happens on paved roads.

We've designed this itinerary such that most of the cycling happens on quieter countryside roads far from busy traffic. The shuttle transfers on this tour have been strategically planned to bypass busy vehicular traffic.

We are not medical advisors, and as such are not qualified to dispense medical advice. However, we recommend consulting the resources below for advice on vaccines and medications:

1. CDC portal for travelers from the US
2. NHS' Fit For Travel portal for travelers from the UK
3. Smart Traveller portal or travelers from Australia.

In addition to the above, you may also refer to the travel advice issued from time to time by your government.

1. US residents may refer to the State Department's travel and vaccination advice for Vietnam here.
2. UK residents may refer to the FCDO's travel advice for Vietnam here.
3. Residents of Australia may refer to Australian government's travel advice including medical advice for Vietnam here.

While your tour price covers most common expenses, a few meals are not included in the itinerary. This allows you the opportunity to dine independently and explore the local cuisine at your own pace. Your guides will be happy to provide recommendations if desired. As a general guideline, you can budget approximately US $100–200 per person for additional expenditures over the course of the trip.

Tips are not included in your tour price.

As a general rule, you may tip US$ 15-25 per person per day.

This figure is for the entire crew including the trip leader, the driver, and other support staff.

However, you are not obligated to tip, and you can always tip less or more than the above amount depending on the level of service you received on tour.

It is usually the norm to tip the tour guide, who then distributes the amount among the entire crew. However, you can also tip each individual member of the crew if you so desire.

In case you want to tip the staff at a hotel such as porters, you may pay them US $2-3 per day.

The meeting time on Day 1 is mentioned in your travel planner shared with you. You can arrive either on the morning of Day 1 depending on the meeting time, or book a pre-tour night to arrive a day earlier.

Yes, you may wear riding shorts while riding your bike. When not cycling, it would be advisable to wear comfortable full-length pants. We recommend keeping a pair of comfortable pants handy in you support van.

When visiting temples and monuments, visitors should wear full-length, loose-fitting pants. Holy places of certain religions may also require covering your head. Your guide will inform of the dress etiquette required for visiting specific religious places.

You can exchange currency at the airport itself, or at ATMs in larger cities. Most commercial establishments will accept international credit cards for payments, though its good to carry some local currency with you at all times.