Active North to South Cycling - 19 days

North to South – Vietnam

This tour has sightseeing in Hanoi, a little trekking in Sapa with some cycling in the north west of Vietnam, cruising on Halong Bay, plus cycling the Southern coastal route down to Nha Tran and ends in Ho Chi Minh City.

The tour starts in the capital city of Hanoi where we take in a day’s sightseeing the main sites with a water puppet show included, before catching the overnight train to the North West town of Lao Cai.
On arrival in Lao Cai we transfer to visit the Ba Ha markets, then onto Sapa. We will then take a two day trek near Sapa in the tribal area with a overnight homestay before returning to Sapa. The next day we start our cycling tour of this North West area, where you won’t find many other foreigners, which is just fantastic, and the mountain scenery is amazing.
The  northwest is known as ‘The roof of Vietnam’ where the Hoang Lien Mountains (Tonkinese Alps) soar to over 3,000m and where some of Vietnam’s most spectacular scenery with magnificent views of rice terraces and mountains. Much of the area is sparsely populated and the mountains are still home to many ethnic minorities.

The Montagnard women still favour elaborate costumes of brightly coloured skirts, tops and hats with each ethnic group favouring its own colour variation and design.
After returning to Sapa from cycling, we stay the night to relax before catching the overnight train back to Hanoi and transferring to Halong Bay for some cruising. Here we cruise for two days in Halong Bay (one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the World’), on a traditional Chinese Style Junk where you will have the opportunity to kayak around these impressive islands. Halong Bay (known to be the ‘dragon descends into the sea’,) has emerald waters with 3,000 islands rising steeply to create a dramatic seascape.  You will experience this beautiful region from the comfort of our deluxe Chinese Style Junk. The second day we will transfer to Cat Ba & Monkey Island resort for the night for some more RNR and other activities if you so desire.

We then transfer back to Hanoi for the night before flying to the Imperial city of Hue where we start our Coastal section of our trip. We cycle mostly on quiet roads, through rural villages visiting some wonderful intact historical sites and seeing the local culture first hand.
We visit the wonderful Historic Hoi An where you can get silk garments and leather shoes made to order overnight.
There will be time for swimming along the way in some of the pristine white sand beaches resort of Nha Trang (where we will take a day cruise and snorkeling) and finish in the bustling city of Ho Chi Minh City.

The northern temperatures will be cooler; however in the south they will be mild and most enjoyable.

Trip Details

Trip Code: T4W 195
Grade: Easy  to Moderate
Group Size: 4 – 12
Accommodation: Cabins while cruising,  sleeper overnight  train, home stay while trekking, standard hotels in the cities
Deposit: USD$500

Further full payment due 60 days before departure:
USD$ 2,690 per 4 – 7 clients
USD$2,490  per  8 – 10 clients
USD$2,290  per  10 – 12 clients
Includes flight from Hanoi to Hue and Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh city
Single supplement: USD$680 (only available on some sections of the trip)
Bike hire USD$170
Optional extra add on – 3 – day Mt Fansipan trek (3,143 metres) Vietnam’s highest mountain
Prices for 2013 season still to be confirmed

Trip Dates

Start: Hanoi     End: Ho Chi Minh
11.08.12 – 29.08.12
25.08.12 – 12.09.12
15.09.12 – 03.10.12
06.10.12 – 24.10.13
26.01.13 – 13.02.13
09.02.13 – 27.02.13
23.02.13 – 13.03.13
09.03.13 – 27.03.13
23.03.13 – 10.04.13
17.08.13 – 04.09.13
31.08.13 – 18.09.13
14.09.13 – 02.10.13
28.09.13 – 16.10.13
Other dates available on request.

Vote with your feet and come walk with me.