Mekong Delta Bike Tour

The morning is free for you to explore the city. We recommend exploring on your own some of the most popular sites - Ben Thanh Market, Saigon Opera House, Continental Hotel, The Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and Post Office, The War Remnants Museum, China Town (Cho Lon in Dist 5), Thien Hau Pagoda, Landmark 81 building and Jade Emperor Pagoda. It gives you an excellent introduction to the city’s history with plenty of opportunities to soak up the unique mix of chaos and tranquility that is modern-day Saigon.

Our guide meets you at your hotel at 17:00hrs for a bike fitting followed by dinner to celebrate the start of our journey on a bike.

If you intend to arrive in Ho Chi Minh City a day in advance, we recommend seizing the chance to explore the Cu Chi Tunnels—an elaborate network of underground passages that were extensively used during the Vietnam War.

Our guide meets you at your hotel in Saigon at 8 am.

We begin the day with a shuttle transfer of about 1 hour 20 minutes to arrive at Cai Lay, on the outskirts of Saigon. We ride for around 25 kms (15 mi) along a small creek to the Mekong estuary past gorgeous paddy fields and orchards of durian and dragon fruit. Seasonally, on the way to the Mekong Delta, we can enjoy the peaceful scenes of farmers seeding, ploughing, and harvesting the rice crop.

We arrive at Cai Be and take a boat trip along the mighty Mekong River and its tributaries to experience the daily lives of people who work and play on the waterways of the Mekong Delta. We also visit the floating market at Cai Be, and a family-run business producing rice paper – a key ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine. We also get to see the locals make coconut candy and puffed rice.

We break for lunch on an island at a local house, set amongst fruit orchards and bonsai trees. There are both veg and non-veg options available at this delicious home-cooked lunch, including home-made noodles, rice pancake, sea food, and pork.

After lunch, we have another shuttle transfer of about 30 minutes. We then continue riding along the river, passing through several quiet villages, under a lush green canopy of trees. The surface is about 80% smooth and 10% gravel.

We end the day's biking after riding another 20 kms (12.5 mi) and hop on to a boat which takes us to our hotel in Cai Be. The boat ride to the hotel takes around 1 hour, but is well worth the wait, for a large swimming pool awaits us here.

Today, we begin cycling from our hotel itself at 8 in the morning and ride into the heartland of the Mekong Delta. We bike along waterways and rice paddies, past pristine hamlets nestled in the orchards and coconut plantations for the initial cycling leg.

We then hop on to a ferry and through this leisurely boat ride of 30 minutes, we witness the diligent work of farmers tending to their jackfruit and mango trees in the nurseries along the route. A stop at a gasoline station along the way allows us to use washrooms to freshen up.

Along the way, we make a stop at Coco Home, a family-owned market located near Cai Be town on the Mekong River. This market specializes in crafting a variety of products from rice, which serves as the lifeblood of the region and a fundamental component of Vietnamese cuisine.

At Coco Home, we observe the production of rice paper, rice wine, puffed rice, and coconut candy. Rice paper finds its purpose as a wrap, noodle, or dumpling ingredient, among other uses. The area takes pride in rice wine, a beloved local beverage. Interestingly, the market proudly showcases bottles containing fruits, scorpions, and snakes immersed in rice wine.

We then continue biking through rice paddies and quiet villages before stopping for lunch at the home of a local family. We again have a choice of both veg and non-veg delicacies including morning glory with garlic, steamed rice, vegetable soup, red tilapia fish, and pork. Post lunch, we can relax for 20 minutes on a comfortable hammock to allow the flavors of the delicious lunch to soak in.

We again hit the road and bike for 15 kms (9 mi) before stopping to visit a Cambodian-style Khmer Buddhist pagoda. We then hop on to our shuttle and drive to our hotel, which is 30 minutes away.

Tonight, you are free to explore your own dinner options. The city center is only a 10 minutes walk from our resort, and there's a vibrant street food market in the town.

Set on the southern bank of the Hau River, Can Tho is known for its network of canals and nearby floating markets.

Experience early morning Cai Rang floating market on a boat ride and then cycle to Phong Dien floating market. Weave through teeming early morning market bustle along the banks of an active riverfront. Absorb the sights of the endless cottage industries, timber merchants, coconuts shredders, dock loading/unloading rice, and vibrant markets. Continue by bike on the narrow lane and loop back to the main road.

Later shuttle to Saigon for an extension here or your onward flight.

We aim to reach HCM (Saigon) by 16:00hrs and will drop you at your hotel in Saigon or the airport. It’s good to book your onward flight for 17:00hrs onwards.