| Number of Cycling Days: 11 Days | Total Cycling Distance: 615 Km |
| Accommodation: Included | Bike Hire: Included |
| Single Supplement: Supplement Charge | Tour Code: VN – CVL |
| Next departure: 05 March, 2025 | Difficulty: Challenge |
Embark on an unforgettable cycling adventure from the vibrant streets of Hanoi, Vietnam, to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Luang Prabang, Laos. This 10-12 day journey covers diverse landscapes, from lush valleys and terraced rice fields to rugged mountains and charming riverside villages. Experience the rich culture, history, and hospitality of both Vietnam and Laos as you cycle through remote hill tribes, cross ancient bridges, and visit bustling markets. With a mix of challenging climbs and scenic descents, this tour is perfect for experienced cyclists seeking an off-the-beaten-path experience in Southeast Asia.
Day 1: Hanoi Arrival
Upon you arrive at the airport you will pick up by our guide who will then transfer you to your comfortable hotel. Afternoon tour briefing & welcome dinner at a local restaurant, overnight in Hanoi.
Day 2: Hanoi City Tour
In the morning, we’ll leave the hotel to visit Ngoc Son temple in Hanoi’s old quarter. We’ll stop by Dong Xuan market, and then continue to the old citadel. We will next visit the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and museum, One Pillar pagoda, Quan Thanh Temple, and Tran Quoc pagoda. After lunch, we’ll stop by the ethnology museum, literature temple, and Quoc Tu Giam. In the evening, there will be a water puppet show. You will again stay overnight in Hanoi.
Day 3: Hanoi – Overnight train to Lao Cai
You will have the morning free, followed by an afternoon walking tour around Hanoi, and a trip briefing in the evening. We will take the overnight train to Lao Cai, a town that lies at the end of the train line on the Chinese border. The border crossing at Lao Cai closed during the 1979 war between China and Vietnam, and remained closed until 1993. Now, Lao Cai is a major hub for travelers journeying between Hanoi, Sapa (38km away), and Kunming.
Day 4: Sapa Cycling
We will travel up the mountainside to Sapa, and adjust the bikes before biking into the Sapa Valley. The Queen of Mountains, Sapa overlooks a beautiful valley, with lofty mountains towering over the town on all sides. Sapa, the French hill station, was built in 1922. You will stay there overnight.
Day 5: Sapa Cycling
You will cycle off-road to the village of Ta Phin, where the ride will be more challenging with steep, forested hillsides and minority villages. You will loop back to stay overnight in Sapa.
Day 6: Sapa – Tam Duong (Phong Tho) – Pa So
We’ll start today with a short uphill cycle, as a warm up to the Tram Ton Pass, before starting a long descent to Binh Lu. We will then ride a truly off-road track (jeep track) with a combination of hard-packed gravel and clay, to Tam Duong and Pa So. You will stay overnight in Pa So.
Day 7: Pa So – Sin Ho – Lai Chau (Muong Lay)
On the seventh day, we will take a brutal ride to Lai Chau and Sin Ho, with a great reward of truly spectacular views. We’ll take the main road while traveling uphill, and tarmac (a mix of gravel and hard-packed clay) on the way down. You will stay overnight in Lai Chau.
Day 8: Lai Chau (Muong Lay) – Tuan Giao – Dien Bien Phu
In the morning, you will take the hardest, most rewarding ride to Tuan Giao and Dien Bien Phu. The entire ride will be on a rough tarmac terrain, but you will be rewarded with views of stunningly beautiful scenery and untouched remote villages. You will stay overnight in Dien Bien Phu.
Day 9: Dien Bien Phu – Muang Khua
In the early morning, we will explore Dien Bien Phu, a historical site that once served as the battlefield for the fight for independence from the French. Then, we will cycle 70km to the border crossing at Tay Tran. This northeast region of Laos is the least populated area of Laos. In the afternoon, we will continue cycling to Muang Khua along the Nam Ou River. You will stay overnight in Muang Khua.
Day 10: Muang Khua – Oudomxai
After breakfast, we will cycle 75km on the main road to Oudomxai. We’ll take a scenic, lightly traveled road. During the second Indochina War, the provincial capital of Oudomxai became the center for Chinese troops supporting Pathet Laos. Today, its location at the junction of National Road 1, 2 and 4 has made the city a booming Laos – China trade center.
Day 11: Oudomxai – Pak Mong
After breakfast, we will fill up our water, and then do a bit exercise to warm up our muscles. The cycle will begin with a tough climb, with hill after hill, but the scenery is magnificent. Then we’ll take a break and re-energize before continuing on to Pak Mong, where you will stay overnight.
Day 12: Pak Mong – Luang Prabang
This will be our longest cycling day. We’ll begin on the main road, passing Ban Thabu, and will continue on along the Nam Ou River. It’s an interesting ride along the river, cycle through different villages and see the rural lives of the locals. We’ll enjoy a picnic lunch on the riverbank, take a power nap, and then head to Pak Ou (home to the famous Pak Ou caves). At the end of the day, we’ll arrive at Luang Prabang, a World Heritage town. You will enjoy dinner and stay overnight in Luang Prabang.
Day 13: Luang Prabang Cycling
After breakfast, we’ll set off south from Luang Prabang, enjoying splendid mountains and unspoiled forest scenery. When we hit Nam Khan River, we’ll take a small long-tail motor taxi downstream. Your bike will be ready at the local pier near Ban Phanom for our journey back to Luang Prabang. We’ll take a alternate route back, stopping over at the well-known weaving village of Tai Lue. This village used to make silk weaving textiles for the former Lao royal family. We’ll arrive in Luang Prabang in the afternoon and enjoy a guided cycling tour around the city before sunset.
What’s Included
What’s Excluded
Guides
Your trip will be led by our local cycling tour guide. For a group of less than 5, there will be one English-speaking cycling guide and a driver. For a group of 6 or more, there will be a Cycling Tour Leader, an English-speaking cycling guide, drivers, and assistants. All of our guides are well-informed about the history, culture, and religions of the area where you will be biking and are skilled at sharing that knowledge with you.
Bikes & Repairs
The bikes you will be riding are well-known makes of hybrid bikes or mountain bikes. The ones you receive depend on the type of tour.
During the tour, your guide will carry a reliable toolkit and help you in fixing any bike problems, so you only need to bring a daypack for your camera and other necessities. However, please note that we cannot guarantee being equipped for all types of repairs. If you are bringing your own bike, it is crucial to ensure that it is in good working condition before the tour. In case of any doubts, we recommend having it fully serviced by a bike shop before you embark on your journey.
Support Vehicle
Throughout the tour, you will have the security of a backup vehicle that will be with us at all times. The vehicle will transport your luggage, which we’ll move by support vehicle from each overnight stop to the next, and it can carry you if needed. The backup van will accompany us throughout the day, stopping roughly every 15 kilometers.
Safety
For your safety, wearing a helmet is mandatory during all of our biking adventures, and we strongly recommend it. If you refuse to wear a helmet, you will not be permitted to cycle. While your tour guide is well-trained in first aid and emergency rescue, it is important to note that you are largely responsible for your own safety while riding.
Terrain
The terrain featuring mainly hills, flat paths that follow a combination of tarmac and dirt roads through the countryside and rural villages. You will cycle on back roads that offer stunning, unobstructed views of the landscape, and we’ll make frequent stops every 15 kilometers to rest, snack, take pictures, and enjoy drinks.
Our guides are experienced in accommodating riders of all skill levels. In the event that you are unable to complete the distance, you can always hop into the support vehicle.
Fitness level
Our tour is designed to cater to cyclists of all levels of experience, fitness, ages, and backgrounds. We encourage all of our cyclists to embrace the challenges of the tour while respecting everyone’s individual limits.
Our tours are designed to accommodate each rider’s pace, and it’s important to note that this is not a race. We want everyone to enjoy the journey and take in the beautiful scenery at their own leisurely pace.
Health & Medical Conditions
As our tours are physically demanding, it’s essential that you are in good physical health and able to fully participate in the group tour. Before the start of your tour and at every stop during the trip, we require all travelers to provide details of any pre-existing medical conditions or to inform the tour guide if they feel unwell.
Disclosing this information is crucial to ensuring that we can respond effectively in case of an emergency. We take the safety and well-being of our travelers very seriously and appreciate your cooperation in providing us with the necessary information to keep everyone safe and healthy.
Drinking
At our company, we take hydration very seriously and strive to keep you completely hydrated throughout your tour. As you ride, we provide cold water, locally sourced fruit for energy, and soft drinks—all of which are included in the tour price.
Please note that soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included in the tour price. While beer is readily available throughout the tour, it is not included in the price.
Extra Expenses
Our package tour includes most things, but we recommend budgeting for food and drinks if you choose to venture out at night or partake in additional activities. The cost of these activities will vary depending on what you choose to do.
We suggest bringing a small amount of cash, around US$30, for incidentals such as souvenirs or small purchases throughout the tour. Please note that this is only a recommendation, and you are free to bring more or less cash as you see fit.
Money
Vietnam: The official national currency is the Vietnam Dong, but the US dollar is widely accepted in tourist centers. However, in smaller towns and villages the Dong is preferred. ATMs are available in all major tourist destinations and big cities. Vietcombank has the best network with a single withdrawal limit of 2,000,000d (about US$125). Most major currencies can be exchanged at leading banks in Vietnam, but the US dollar is preferred away from the tourist centers. Changing US$100 will make you an instant millionaire! You cannot legally take the dong out of Vietnam but you can reconvert reasonable amounts of it into US dollars on departure.
Laos: The official national currency in Laos is the kip, however, Thai baht and US dollars are also used, especially in larger cities and towns. In smaller towns and villages, kip is usually preferred. There are now a few ATMs in Laos, but they are not widespread and are operational only sporadically. The best overall exchange rates are those offered at the BCEL (Banque pour le Commerce Extérieur Lao). Licensed moneychangers rates are similar to banks Spend all your kip before you leave as no one will exchange it for you once you leave the country!
Solo Traveller
We welcome a diverse range of cyclists on our tours, including couples, friends, and solo traveller. Our tour prices are based on twin shared accommodation, which means that if you sign up as a solo traveller, you will be paired with another person of the same gender in your group. However, if you prefer to have your own room, this is an option for most of our tours, but it will come with an additional charge.
Passport & Visa
Vietnam: Whilst we endeavour to provide correct and relevant information obtained directly from the relevant Embassies, High Commissions and Consulate Generals – this information is subject to frequent changes, without warning and at very short notice. Due to this, we cannot be held liable for any errors in the information provided on this site. We strongly advised you to check all information with the relevant embassy for details on your visa/passport requirements.
You must be in possession of a valid passport and visa. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after date of arrival or 1 month after expiration of visa.
British and Thai passport holders do not need a visa if they stay in country less than 14 days. For information relevant to the country for which you hold a passport, check with your local Vietnam embassy for up to date advice. Your visa must be applied for in advance. You can arrange for a visa on arrival in advance of the trip and our agent can provide you with a travel document that will permit entry to Vietnam for issue of the visa. There is a £10 admin charge for this. The visa fee is payable at Noi Bai airport, Hanoi.
Laos: All nationalities require a visa for Laos. You have two options to get a single-entry tourist visa (max 30 days): 1) E-Visa or 2) Visa on Arrival. Both are very straightforward processes, though we suggest procuring an E-Visa in advance as it will save you time on arrival in Laos. Apply via this website. If you prefer to do a Visa On Arrival, make sure you have the required documents prepared (including 2 passport-sized photographs and the exact amount for the visa fee in USD). See here for more information.
Please Note: While E-Visa and Visa on Arrival are available for all international airports and major land borders, some border posts do not yet accept them. Therefore, if your tour crosses into Laos from Vietnam through a more remote border post, obtaining your visa through a Laotian Embassy or Consulate in advance may be required. If that is the case, we will let you know at the time of booking.
Insurance
Yes, it is mandatory that all participants are well-insured for the full duration of the tour. This includes coverage for personal injury, medical expenses, death, repatriation, helicopter or aircraft rescue, loss of luggage or equipment, cancellation, or curtailments. It is important to ensure that your insurance policy does not have any exclusion clauses that limit protection for the type of activities included in your tour.
In the event of any claims related to matters for which you are insured, you should contact your insurers directly. We strongly recommend that you take out insurance at the time of booking your trip to ensure that you are covered in the event of cancellation.
Climate
Vietnam: Vietnams weather is split into two distinct weather patters Tropical and a temperate zone. The average temperature ranges from 22 to 27 degrees all year round but in the South temperatures can stay almost the same. The Southern part of Vietname has 2 distincted seasons. The cold season is from November to April and the hot season from May to October. Whilst in the North there are 4 season with distinct difference between them. It can get cool in the winter but very warm in the summer.
The best time to visit North Vietnam is October to April, this is predominately a dry season with very pleasent temperatures.
Laos: Laos has a tropical climate with fairly high humidity. There are three seasons: from March to June it is hot and dry, with temperatures between 27C and 40C (80-104F), with night temperatures in the 20C/75F). The rainy season is from June to October. The cooler season, is from November to February, with average temperatures between 20C and 30C (70- 86F). It can get a little cold at night at higher elevations year round so bring a light fleece for the evenings.
Deposit
Once the tour is confirmed, we do require 30% deposited to secure the booking with us, the other 70% will be required one month before departure date. For the tours less than a month to the departure date, we will require full amount of the total tour cost.
Balance
The remaining balance must be paid 30 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.
Final Tour Confirmation
Upon confirmation, our team will send you a final tour confirmation containing your personal details, including flight information, advice on visa application, a suggested packing list, and a detailed tour itinerary. Additionally, we will provide you with a checklist to help ensure you have everything you need for your upcoming holiday.
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