north west mountain bike 9 days

NORTH WEST MOUNTAIN BIKE 30% off-road

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

This unique mountain biking holiday, a cross country from Sapa to Hanoi, is full of fantastic contrasts along its route. Beginning in the Hanoi and finishing in national park of Puluong. the tracks of the old  road number 06 wind their way along the beautiful Valley and  a spectacular of  undiscovered mountain bike route which takes us to MaiChau. The brand new biking adventure in Vietnam

This unique mountain bike tour will take you through some fantastically remote wilderness steeped in ancient of Hmong, Tay,Thai hill tribe history.

There are three very long hard days riding on badly broken roads, off road so participants should be fit and experienced riders.

We ride just over 650 kilometers. There are some long, grueling climbs and some scintillating descents.  The rewards are empty roads and incomparable views. If you enjoy hill climbing and riding in the mountains, this tour is a dream.

Testimonials of this trip

Thank you for another great trip. We really enjoyed our mountain biking trip at Chinese New Year  2008- another great tour!

 We are interested in doing another trip later this year. We would like to do a much longer trip. If possible, we would like to cycle from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh (or the other way!). Is this an interesting trip? Hung (I’m sorry I don’t know if that’s the correct spelling of our guide’s name!) said October was the best time of year. Could you please confirm the best time of year. Please could you also give an estimate of how long you think this trip would take and how much it would cost?

Tom Calahan

HI there Joe.

Just a message to say thanks again for the awesome tour. I really enjoyed every minute of it. Highlights include:

• The second day aver the four wheel drive track
• Cycling up Pha Din pass in the rain
• Cycling down Tram Ton pass singing at the top of my voice
• The home stay in the Black Thai village

Thanks once again for looking after me and giving me this awesome experience. All the best.

Ian

Itinerary

8days/ 8nights starting and finishing in Hanoi.

Day 1: (L) Hanoi- Yen Bai : ( riding 90km)

Meet in hotel ( 7: 00AM), driving out of Hanoi city. Start riding ,It’s a fascinating ride past many minority villages as we climb onto a higher plateau. We ride pass of rice field and tea plantations before arriving in the Doan Hung for lunch, continue biking to Yen Bai city. Dinner and  overnight in Hotel in Yen bai.

Day2: (B,L) YenBai-LaoCai ( riding 105 km)

After breakfast we start riding on bank of Red river to Lao Cai. About 40 km off road track (pretty wide) start climbing on the left. After many villages and a beautiful narrow suspension bridge, we enjoy a long single track section, starting on terraces by long climb, leading to an off road pass (about 300m of elevation) and finishing on a long downhill through waterfalls and rain forest. Lunch with noodle soup and breads, fruits, tea coffee.Then we get to the asphalt where the minibus is waiting at BaoHa , take  long transfer (35′) to LaoCai. Night in Hotel in Lao Cai

Day3: Laocai-Sapa (+- 65 km )

Arrive in Lao Cai: after breakfast , Back road riding to Sapa. Afternoon rest and free time for visiting Sapa. Overnight in Sapa . (B,L,D)

Day4:Sapa-ThanUyen:(80 km )

Ride over Tram Ton Pass and downhill to  ThanUyen.

Riding over Indochina is highest peak . Overnight in ThanUyen. (B,L,D)

Day5:Than Uyen -Tuan giao: Cycling to Tuan Giao.( 86 km)

There are two hard climbs today the first starts after 5 km with a 12 km ascent but the second, and most challenging comes at the end of this stunning day, with an 18km strength-sapping climb.

Overnight in Tuan Giao. (B,L,D)

Day6:Tuan Giao-Son La ( 90 km)

The ride begins with is a 15km up hill, climb into the beautiful surrounding countryside of Pha din  mountain range  pass and ride down . We finish the day with a thrilling 5 km decent before we reach the town of  Son La.

Overnight in Son La.(B,L,D)

Day7:Son La-Yen chau- MocChau ( 67 km)

Continue cycling to Yen Chau. Virtually we go through an active market. Everything is brought in fresh daily. The larger markets serve as distribution points for smaller markets. End of cycling after 80km and driving to hotel in MocChau.

Overnight in Moc Chau hotel (B,L,D)

Day8:MocChau- MaiChau ( 72 km)

Back road cycling to MaiChau. Virtually we go through an active off road.

Overnight in Mai Chau homestay (B,L,D)

Day9: MaiChau- Offroad- Hanoi( 53 km)

Off road biking to PuLuong . After breakfast riding to Co Luong then continue in the off road to the bank of  Ma river, boat trip along then single track riding as relaxing before end of wonderful trip. Picnic lunch , meet mini bus for driving to Hanoi. End of trip in your hotel in Hanoi. (B,L)

Extension tour , 2 days sleep in wooden boat in Halong bay = from 190 to 450 USD one cabin for 2 people with  lunch, dinner , breakfast , Shuttle bus around trip .

Tour overview

Tour Cost

Note: Prices are based per person, double occupancy, with a separate cost for solo travelers. If you are traveling in a group but prefer single accommodations, a single supplement fee applies. Triple accommodations are not available in many of the destinations we visit.

Best Time to go

From October to May.

 Small group , from 2 to  6 person

 WHAT’S INCLUDED

English speaking local guide

Accommodations in  home stays and  local hotel around trip as mention

Meals as noted B= breakfast, L= lunch, D= dinner

Drink as water, coffee, tea, energy drink by nutritional gel, juice

Sightseeing and activities as noted in the itinerary

Ground transportation with 100% vehicle stand by.

Additional guides where necessary

Entrance fees and permits

Basic medical

WHAT NOT: International airfare; meals not noted on itinerary; Vietnam visa; insurance other than basic medical ; optional tipping to leader, guides and local staff; excess baggage charges; international airport taxes; cost of medical immunizations; items of a personal nature (alcoholic beverages, laundry, etc.).Bikes

Trek4500, Giant Yukon  including in tour price, Cannondale F3 pay 140 USD, Giant XTC team 110 USD.

Bikes suggest :  XC hardtail, Freeride , All mountain

If you bring your bike please ensure that you bike is in good working order before you leave on tour. If you are not the most mechanically minded we suggest that you get your bike looked at by a professional bike mechanic. In particularly we would suggest looking and adjusting all wheel spokes, greasing all your bearings, checking your brakes/gears cable, tighten all nuts and bolts, check chain, quick release clamps, tires and put in new inner tubes and check wheel rims are not worn. In addition make sure the bike is well serviced and ride it with as much care and attention as possible.

Gears checklistTotal Distance+- 650 kmNumber of cycling days7  full days and one half-dayAverage Daily Distance:70kmOff Road50%Max. Altitude2,190 metersRoad SurfaceThis tour follows a mix of asphalt roads, broken roads, vehicle-width dirt roads, and rough tracks. A lot of up hill with 10 to 12%  with  3 or 4 climb per day  You should be confident of your physical condition and bike handling skills.Support4WD car or 15-seat air-conditioned transit vans converted to take bikes and bikers.Group SizeMinimum 2. Maximum 6StaffGroups of 6 or more  Vietnamese cycling guide and drivers and assistants. Groups of 4-5, an experienced English speaking Vietnamese cycling leader plus guide and support team.Accommodation1 night in sleeper train. 3 nights in comfortable tourist class hotels, 4 nights in basic tourist class  hotels. All accommodation has a/c or fan, hot water and private facilities.Food

All meals are included as B= breakfast, L= lunch, D= dinner.

Food from whole trip are local Vietnamese foods

Break every 15- 20 km ( 10 miles)  for tea break with water, coffee ,tea, juice, bread, tuna ,banana, apple… including: nutritional ( 3 Clif Bar MoJo energy bars /per day)
During the ” BikingVietnam.com”  the main meals are breakfast and the evening meal. Thus, breakfast should be large and substantial (and include cereals). We recommend that all participants should bring a supply of their favorite cereals as many of the hotels where we stay don’t yet have cereal on offer at breakfast.
For lunch (picnic) you will need to make sandwiches in the morning, and take some fruit. We recommend you also bring along some of your favorite energy bars.
The evening meal will be in a restaurant, and precooked by the Organizers. We will make sure there are always plenty of carbohydrates and protein on the menu.
Don’t forget adequate hydration is as important as a good meal and so you should make sure you carry enough water with you. In some stages there is no where to ‘top up’ along the way. Follow your guides instructions for each stage. We recommend you use a hydration pack with at least 2l capacity, rather than water bottles. The water bottles don’t carry as much water, plus it will get warm during the day, they are not as hygienic and the water bottle cage can get in the way when you may have to carry your bike.
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NUTRITION: We recommend you should bring nutrition  as  details:* Hammer Gel energy gels are 100% pure complex carbohydrates>

* Clif Bar energy bars are a great-tasting, convenient source of energy for any activity. Made with 70% organic ingredientsMix of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber promote steady increase in blood sugar levels followed by a gradual decline for sustained energy

4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein; excellent for post workout recovery ”

Biking Grade Challenging

Scenery