BIKING 15days/14nights HANOI to LUANG PRABANG(LAOS) of Vietnam Bike Tours

BIKING 15days/14nights HANOI to LUANG PRABANG(LAOS)

Brief Itinerary:

Day 1: Hanoi arrival

Our guide will retrieve you from the airport and take you to your hotel. We will have a welcome dinner at a local restaurant, and you’ll stay overnight in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi City Tour (B, L)

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 (B)

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 20km cycling (B, L)

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 Full Day 30km cycling (B, L)

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 80km cycling (B,L,D)

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) 45km cycling (B,L)

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 90km cycling (B,L)

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 70km cycling (B,L)

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 75km cycling (B,L)

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 60km cycling (B,L)

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 95km cycling (B,L)

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, as Vietnam Bike Tours’ll 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 50km cycling (B,L)

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.

Day14: Luang Prabang 42km cycling (B, L)

As the sun rises, you’ll participate in giving alms to the Buddhist monks. Then, we’ll head north from Luang Prabang to the village of Ban Pak Ou. After enjoying a picnic lunch surrounded by picturesque countryside, we’ll cycle toward the Pak Ou and Thamting Caves, located on the Mekong riverbank.

Day15: Luang Prabang Departure (B)

After breakfast, we will visit the National Museum at the former Royal Palace. The museum contains a lovely collection of the artifacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture, dating from the days of the first kings to the last sovereign rulers. We will also visit the Phousi Market, where you will see dried buffalo skin, chickens grazing among local tea and saltpeter, unique vegetables, and hill-tribe weaving. When the tour ends, you will be transferred to the airport for your departure flight.

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