VIETNAM / Hills and Tribes
At a Glance ...
| Best traveltime | October to March, |
| Start/Finish | Hanoi / Hanoi |
| Duration | 14days |
| Distance covered | |
| Day rides | |
| Roads | Tarmac for most of the part. Not too demanding offroad stretches |
| Motorcycles | Honda CRF250cc, Honda XR and XLR250cc |
| Rider's requirements | Medium riding skills |
| Group size | Min. 4 and max. 10 riders - pillion rider on request. |
| Accomodation | Middle class hotels, Homestays |
| What's included | All meals, water and soft drinks, all entry fees, petrol for the bikes |
| Highlights | Halong Bay, Hanoi, |
| Important | "VISA on Arrival" - apply online! |
Hilltribes and Hillrides
| Day 1 | Arrival in Vietnam and transfer to your hotel. Later on a first walk around the Old Town and to Hoan Kiem lake, Hotel in Hanoi |
| Day 2 | Our first riding day sees us cruising along the Red River to Thac Ba lake in Vu Linh where we will stay with a Dao family next to the lake. Homestay |
| Day 3 | On minor roads along we follow to lake to Luc Yen. Since it's only a short ride we have time to explore the rural area - this place sees hardly any foreigners. Another homestay this time with a Tay family. |
| Day 4 | We leave the rice paddies of the plains and reach the karst mountains of Ha Giang - not touristy yet but one of Vietnams most spectacular regions. Hotel / Resort in Ha Giang |
| Day 5 | For the next days it's gonna be mountain rides. Awesome limestone mountains and winding roads on way to Meo Vac. This area is settled by the Hmong community - they featured prominent in Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino". Homestay |
| Day 6 | We ride up to Heaven's Gate pass and you should make sure to have your cameras batteries charged. Might stop at a local market for a stroll before we reach Ba Be National Park - another Homestay next to BaBe lake. |
| Day 7 | As are are getting closer to the border with China we will see a bit more traffic - not enough to spoil the great riding and the scenery though. For a change we stay at a hotel in Cao Bang tonight. |
| Day 8 | "Lonely Planet" guide agrees with us that we are enjoying one of Vietnams most scenic areas today. We do a loop towards the chinese border and Ban Gioc waterfalls and visit a limestone cave before we head back to Cao Bang. |
| Day 9 | As we turn south the country gets more populated, water Buffalos and Pig's will show up more often but the kart mountains remain. We stay in a hotel in Lang Son. |
| Day 10 | The closer we get to the sea the smoother the craggy karst seems to get. Souvenier shops tell us it it getting touristy - we reach Halong Bay. Hotel |
| Day 11 | Once you're out on a boat in Halong Bay there will be no doubt why this is a UNESCO Heritage. It's simply breath-taking. A great day on the boat where we will spent the night sorrounded by karst islands. |
| Day 12 | Our last days ride - not all that specatcular - brings us back to Hanoi where we say goodbye to our bikes. |
| Day 13 | A full day to do some shopping, sip a beer and watch the world go by - enjoy life. Tonights farewell dinner might might come with a few Bia Hoi beers, we will see. |
| Day 14 | "Good morning Vietnam" for the last time and after breakfast we drop you at the airport. |
