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Overview
Taking to our bikes we are out in the countryside and engage with kids playing and chickens crossing the road. Spend time with the local hill tribe people, the White Thai, and get to know their daily routines when we spend two nights in a homestay. Meet monkeys, gibbons and the quirky pangolin and interact with the conservation efforts at two rescue centres on the edge of Cuc Phuong National Park. Try rowing a sampan boat with your feet and cooking a traditional Vietnamese dinner.
- Duration: 5 days / 4 nights
- Tour Type: Private Tour
- Departure: Hanoi
- Theme: Cycling Tours
Highlights
- Experience Vietnam's village life in a remote setting
- Learn how to cook Vietnamese dishes with locals
- Get your hands dirty transplanting rice. You will have a chance to do the farm work with local farmers
Tour itinerary
From your Hanoi hotel drive 4 hours to Mai Chau, a rural town in Hoa Binh province, southeast of Hanoi. The scenery is dotted with limestone karsts and ethnic highlanders of White Thai, Hmong, and Zao living in the small villages that we pass along the way. We stop at the top of a pass for a panoramic view of stunning Mai Chau Valley so you can get an overview of where we will be cycling.
We start pedaling on small paths, past green rice paddies and local stilt houses, and of course meeting friendly local villagers. Taking a break at Hoa Ban Plus, a weaving centre and living complex for disabled women, gives us a chance to see the traditional handicraft of weaving in action, and we can even give it a try. We continue cycling on to our homestay overnight at Pom Coong village.
- Accommodation: Homestay in Pom Coong Village (stilt bamboo house in an open dormitory-style room with shared facilities)
- Riding distance: 4 hours
- Cycling distance: 20KMs
Children in Pom Coong Village
After breakfast at homestay, we ride up to the hills along a village road frequently used by local villagers. As we climb, the valley view opens up to boundless and spectacular scenery. A steep 2 km climb is rewarded with a 10 km downhill through rustic villages and lush terrain. A quiet paved road and a small trail leads us to the White Thai village of Buoc.
In Buoc Village, we can take a short walk around and learn about local village life, visit a few households where families cook and sleep. We help with preparing lunch by making “Com Lam”, traditional sticky rice in bamboo. With a belly full of local delights, we relax and enjoy a peaceful evening in Buoc Village.
- Activities: Cycling appox. 13km
- Accommodation: Homestay in Buoc Village
Stunning landscape in Buoc Village
We start the day by a drive one hour to Lo Market Area where we then get on the bikes.
A flat ride on country roads follows where we'll have to watch out for chickens crossing the road and give right of way to water buffaloes. A bowl of Pho, noodle soup, will hydrate and fill us. Be sure to add in the greens, herbs, spicy pastes, and a squeeze of lime to make the soup taste to your liking.
A short transfer takes us uphill to Cuc Phuong National Park in Ninh Binh Province, the oldest national park in Vietnam and its most significant biodiversity site. Time to get wild! A guided tour of a rescue centre where monkeys and gibbons are being rehabilitated to return to the jungle will show you how many species there are in the jungle. After seeing the antics of the monkeys it's a short walk to the Carnivore and Pangolin Education Centre, where we'll learn about and see civets and the unusual pangolin with their protective armour of scales and long tongues for capturing ants and termites. The rescued animals are in well-designed, spacious enclosures, and the centre offers interactive displays to understand the threats to wildlife and learn about conservation. A fun and educational afternoon with wildlife!
- Cycling appox. 30KMs (or more if you could)
- Riding distance appox. 3 hours
- Accommodation: Guest House in Cuc Phuong
Cycling in Cuc Phuong National Park
A feast for the senses today, from the sight of the towering karsts to the sound of the river to the taste of our self-cooked dinner. Cycling from our guesthouse, we go downhill before riding along a dyke that provides a flat and safe ride, to the town of Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh. An ancient capital of the Dinh and Le Dynasties, we step back in time and visit a 17th century temple built in the shape of a Chinese character.
After lunch, we change from bikes to boats and relax and enjoy the amazing mountains that dominate most of the region. We are rowed through a cave by local sampan rowers who use their feet to oar and enter a green and fertile land.
Back on land, we head to our resort amidst rice fields. Another hands on meal as we assist in the preparation, learning the best technique to roll fresh spring rolls, and then feast on our creations.
- Cycling appox. 50KMs (or more if you could)
- Riding distance appox. 1 hour
- Accommodation: Tam Coc Rice Fields Resort or similar
Cycling in Ninh Binh
- Cycling appox. 50KMs (or more if you could)
- Riding distance appox. 2 hours
- Accommodation: NA
Price & Inclusion
| Tour Class | Price | Booking | ||
| 2 pax | 3 - 4 pax | 5 - 7 pax | ||
| Private Tour | USD $758 | USD $562 | USD $455 | |
NOTE: PRICE PER PERSON
* Please contact our travel consultants at sales@vietodyssey.com to get discount for big group OR special price for children (under 10 years old).
* Private tour for a solo traveler is also available with a surcharge. Single supplement: applies for those who travelling with others but requires an single room for him/herself.
* The prices above are for the ready-to-book adventure outlined in this detailed program which has been handcrafted by our product experts to include the best of every destination. Our travel consultants are also happy to customize this journey to suit your specific interests and style of travel: longer or shorter stays, offer hotel upgrades, or add an extension to additional places of interes
Accommodation
Meals
4 Breakfasts, 5 Lunches, 4 Dinners
Vegetarian Meals are available, please request at the booking time
Transportation
Air-conditioning back up car
Mountain Bikes
Price Includes
- Mountain Bike, helmet
- 1 Cycling English Speaking Guide
- 1 assistant guide for 8-16 cyclist, 2 assistant guides for 17+ cyclists
- 1 first aid kit per guide
- Each guide will have a full set of travel bike tools
- 16-seater van for two to three pax
- 16-seater van and luggage truck for three to four pax
- 29-seater van, luggage truck and backup bike for eight to nine pax
- Plenty of water provided throughout the day when cycling
- Snacks and local fruits
- Meals as mentioned in the itinerary (B – Breakfast, L – Lunch, D – Dinner)
- Sightseeing tickets where mentioned in the itinerary.
- Accommodation as listed above
Price Excludes
- International flights and Visa arrangement
- Others meals not mentioned above
- Alcoholic, and other beverages beyond water – we can add this into costs at your request
- Personal expenses, tips and gratuities
- Travel insurance
- Any other services not clearly mentioned in the itinerary and in the inclusive portion.
Tour Information
| Type of Bike |
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| Total Cycling KM | 115KM |
| Number of cycling days | 3 days |
| Road Surface |
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| Support | Fully supported van including spare part, back up service |
| Group Size | Minimum 2 pax |
| Staff |
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| Cycling pace |
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| Climate |
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Cancellation Policy
Cancellation by Customer
- Cancellation received before 60 days: FREE of charge
- Cancellation received from 30 days to 59 days prior arrival date: 10% of total rate
- Cancellation received from 15 days to 29 days prior arrival date: 30% of total rate
- Cancellation received from 7 days to 14 days prior arrival date: 50% of total rate
- Cancellation received less than 7 days prior arrival date or No show: 100% of total rate
