12 days riding around the Northwest mountains and discover the historical Ho Chi Minh Trails.

Day 1, Ha Noi - Vu Linh.

Day 2, Vu Linh – Sa Pa.

Day 3, SaPa.

Day 4, Sa Pa – Mu Cang Chai.

Day 5, Mu Cang Chai  – Phu Yen.

Day 6, Phu Yen – Mai Chau.

Day 7, Mai Chau – Tan Ky.

Day 8, Tan Ky – Phong Nha.

Day 9, Phong Nha – Khe Sanh.

Day 10, Khe Sanh – Hue.

Day 11, Hue.

Day 12, Hue – Hoi An.

Day 1, Ha Noi - Vu Linh – 170km, 5hr ride – Home-stay.

After breakfast, we take a taxi to get to the starting point at the outskirt of Hanoi, from here you take the bikes and start your first day ride to Vu Linh.

Leaving Hanoi and breaking out of the delta plains, we pass through endless limestone karts scenery as we travel up to the Northwestern region, the extensive farming lands comprising a sea of paddy fields split by tree-lined roads. Arrive in Vu Linh in late afternoon, night o a stilt house of the Dao Minority peoples, dinner with the family.

Day 2, Vu Linh – Sa Pa – 210km, 7 hr ride – Standard hotel.

Leaving the family and ride up to Sa Pa, we will take a small paved road going along the Thac Ba Lake until Luc Yen. We join after that the main road no 70 that will lead us to the Chinese border. Stop for lunch at Pho Rang town then continue to Sapa. Arrive in Sa Pa in the late afternoon, check in hotel. Night and dinner at hotel.

Day 3, Sa Pa – standard hotel.

Today we spend our time to discover the beautiful area of Sapa. In the morning, we ride to Lao Chai, Ta van villages, return to Sapa for lunch. Continue the ride to Ta Phin village in the afternoon. Night at hotel.

Day 4, Sa Pa – Mu Cang Chai – 160km 4 hr ride – Guest house.

Today is a beautiful day with many high mountain passes. After breakfast at hotel, we head straight towards the main Fansipan Mountain range. The massive mountain range dominates the road until finally we must make a splendid climb up to the top of the highest road pass in Vietnam (Tram Ton Pass). Crossing into Lai Chau Province at over 2000m the views looks out over the main range for miles and miles, before we descend to the mountainous Mu Cang Chai valley. Dinner in a local restaurant, night at hotel.

Day 5, Mu Cang Chai  – Phu Yen. 170km, 5 hr ride – Guest house.

Continue our ride by taking the road no 35. We ride through rural areas with beautiful rice field along the wild and bumpy roads. We go through the Mu Cang Chai massif, almost as high as the Fansipan: From the top, we have one of the most beautiful views of North Vietnam. Lunch stop at Nghia Lo town. Arrive in Phu Yen in the afternoon. Night at a small hotel.

Day 6, Phu Yen – Mai Chau. 170km, 6 hr ride – Home-stay.

We backtrack on the main a few kilometers before embarking on a new road which drops down the side of a huge valley, steadily falling all the way back down to the Black River Reservoir, from here we will take a ferry crossing. The 50 kilometers route has plenty of challenging surface and is prone to landslides. Much of the area is inhabited by Kinh and both Black and White Thai ethnicities. The road rises up on the opposite side of the valley, offering the impressive views over the area on a clear day. On an easy dirt, paved road we approach the delta settlement of Mai Chau, set in the middle of a vast valley floor of paddy fields. Overnight in a stilt house of the Thais peoples

Day 7, Mai Chau – Tan Ky – 300km, 8hr ride – Guest house.

Ride on a small, spectacular and paved trail along the Ma river until Cam Thuy town where we stop for lunch. Hit the Ho Chi Minh trail (now a newly built highway) all the way to Tan Ky town where we spend the night in a hotel.

Day 8, Tan Ky – Phong Nha – 300km, 7 hr ride – Standard hotel.

Ride on Ho Chi Minh Highway until Pho Chau where we stop to visit the HCM Trail victory monument which is in fact the real starting point of our HCM Trail ride.

Ride all the way to Phong Nha - Ke Bang, the biggest and also the most beautiful cave in Vietnam and Indochina and is now a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. The karst formation of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park has evolved since the Paleozoic (some 400 million years ago) and so is the oldest major karts area in Asia. Subject to massive tectonic changes, the park's karts landscape is extremely complex with many geographic features of considerable significance. The vast area, extending to the border of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, contains spectacular formations including 65 km of caves and underground rivers.

Day 9, Phong Nha – Khe Sanh – 200km, 7 hr ride – Standard hotel.

We strike south through foothills which were once sprayed heavily by Agent Orange towards the former DMZ. There is still much evidence of bombing on the mountain sides and from time to time we will see remnants of the original Trail. We take in the Vinh Moc tunnel, the famous Hien Luong Bridge (former demarcation line between North and South Vietnam, the Truong Son Cemetery and finally Khe Sanh (former US Marine base). Overnight in Khe Sanh.

Day 10, Khe Sanh – Hue – 180km,5hr ride – Standard hotel.

In the morning we head south over the Da Krong Bridge (built by the Cubans in 1973) into the infamous A Shau valley, an area of intense wartime activity. Passing Hamburger Hill and mountains still barren due to the extended effects of Agent Orange, we arrive at A Luoi, where there are many Bru Van hill tribe people. Then, cruising through green back country down the steep Me Oi Pass, we continue on to the beautiful city of Hue which lies along the banks of the Perfume River. Overnight in Hue.

Day 11, Hue.

Hue is the former imperial capital of feudal Vietnam and is a perfect place to relax after our driving to date. Take a boat cruise along the Perfume River to visit the tombs of the former Emperors Minh Mang and Tu Duc or visit the remains of the Imperial Citadel, which was largely destroyed during the Tet Offensive in 1968. Overnight in Hue.

Day 12, Hue – Hoi An – 160km, 4hr ride. Tour ends.

Join the National Highway 1 and head up the Hai Van Pass (Cloudy Pass) before the World Heritage site of Hoi An, a major trading centre in SE Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Arrive in Hoi An by 16pm, we will say goodbye and our guide flies back to Hanoi from Danang. Tour ends.

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