Northern Vietnam: bike, hike, kayak

Our guide meets you at your hotel at 13:00hrs for a bike fit.

Post that, walk the busy streets of Hanoi visiting some of the cultural and historical highlights of Hanoi. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, which was constructed nearly a millennium ago, and is delicately elevated in a pond. Also visit the Temple of Literature, dating back close to a thousand years, is a wonderfully preserved piece of ancient Vietnamese architecture and stands to honor the scholarly achievements of the country’s academics and philosophers. Continue exploring the area around Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake, the old quarter including Ngoc Son Temple, which sits perched on a little island in the lake. In the evening, we convene over dinner.

Ride past the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta before taking a shuttle to Halong City. The river rises in Yunnan province, and flows across the Tonkin region, through Hanoi, and enters the Gulf of Tonkin. We criss-cross the rivers and ride over a multitude of bridges.

A quick ferry journey amidst spectacular limestone mountain scenery brings us to Cat Ba Island. After lunch, get on the bike for a loop around the island. Enjoy the stunning sunset over the limestone mountains.

After a hearty breakfast, get on board a smaller boat and take a journey to the more remote and secluded parts of the Lan Ha Bay waters and islands. Trade your boat with a kayak and explore the lagoons, the coral reef, beaches, and limestone peaks. Ferry back to Hai Phong and shuttle to Ninh Binh. The transfer to Ninh Binh takes about 3 hrs.

A short cycling ride along the river brings us to Trang An, known as Halong Bay on land. The landscape is largely dominated by limestone mountains, rivers, caves, and pagodas. Here we take a boat ride and get to experience the magical scenery dotted with natural and cultural wonders.

We take a break at the ancient city of Hoa Lu for a quick temple tour and then continue riding toward Cuc Phuong National Park through the stunning landscape.

In the early morning hours, visit the Cuc Phuong National Park, an important site for biodiversity in Vietnam

It’s a long day interspersed with transfers and rides. We start with a transfer of about 90min to the starting point for our cycling. Unload the bikes and cycle on largely undulating paths. We continue cycling past acacia plantations, sugarcane fields, and corn farms dotted with Thai and Muong Tribes' villages. Arrive in Pu Luong, and check in at a family lodge located in the heart of Pu Luong Nature Reserve.

Another day of the undulating ride. Cycle past a spectacular mountain range with karst cliffs, terraced rice fields, and a typical agricultural landscape, ending at the beautiful valleys of Mai Chau. The experience is truly unique as we get to experience a good change in landscape.

Mai Chau is a collection of villages and offers a true rural cycling experience. Do enjoy the evening walking around the valley and admiring simple rural life amidst spectacular scenery.

The initial stretch has a bit of climb and then it delves down to the foothills of mountains. The topography is adorned with timber and fern trees. After around 45km, we stop for lunch along the Da reservoir and then make a transfer to Ky Son to cycle further along rivers and lakes. The cycling is up to yen Trung and then take a shuttle transfer to Hanoi.

Today is a rest day and you can plan your own day.

In the evening, we take an overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai.

Meet your tour guide at Lao Cai railway station and get transferred to Sapa. Sapa is a spectacular hill station and home to the region’s largest ethnic groups, H’mong and Dao people.

After having breakfast at a local restaurant, we drive out of Sapa to Binh Lu town. On the way, enjoy a short break at the Silver Waterfall and then head to Tram Ton Pass (Heaven Gate), and be amazed by breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains including Mt. Fansipan, the highest peak of Indochina reaching 3143metres above sea level. Continue driving downhill to Chu Va village of the Red H’mong. Walk for an hour to visit this village which beautifully sits near the foot of the pass by the side of a river before continuing 8 km to Binh Lu. The hike is rewarded with enchanting views of terraced rice fields, tea plantations, and innumerable streams. After lunch, take a short shuttle of 2 km through the lush Binh Lu Valley to Pa Pe village of the Lu ethnic people who wear beautiful traditional costumes and still dye their teeth black. The rest of the afternoon is for exploring villages of the tribal peoples in the countryside including the Black Zao and Zao Tien (Zao with coins) and enjoying a peaceful walk to see a tea farm in the suburb of Lai Chau. Later we return to Sapa.

Today enjoy a full-day hike of about 12km (7mi) exploring the spectacular Muong Hoa towards the Lao Chai village of Black H’mong ethnic people. Here, we get to learn about their fascinating culture and daily chores and how they make traditional clothes, and handicrafts. Visit the biggest valley which provides the best views of golden rice terrace fields in Vietnam. After Lao Chai, we walk to Ta Van village of Giay people. It is a small group of ethnic people in Vietnam with a rich culture and beautiful houses located on rice paddy fields. The scenery is spectacular throughout the day and gives an opportunity for plenty of landscape photos. Dinner and overnight at homestay with a local family in Ta Van village.

Today hike past terraced rice fields, and a typical agricultural landscape, ending at the beautiful valleys of Ban Ho village. Enjoy the pristine Lavie Stream, the Ca Nhay Waterfalls, and the tranquility of Ban Ho.

Today we go for another short hike in the surroundings. The scenery is again typical of mountain villages, with stilt houses, streams, waterfalls, terraced fields, and ethnic villages. Post-lunch, we shuttle back to Hanoi. The transfer takes about 5 hours and we aim to reach Hanoi by 7 pm.

Please make arrangements as per your onward travel plans.