High light: Hanoi - Hang Kia - Hang Kia - Moc Chau - Gia Phu - Vu Linh - Ba Be - Bao Lac - Quang Hoa - Thai Nguyen

(TRAVPR.COM) VIETNAM - December 26th, 2011 - Price: Contact Us Duration: 10 days / 9 nights Tour route: Hanoi - Hang Kia - Hang Kia - Moc Chau - Gia Phu - Vu Linh - Ba Be - Bao Lac - Quang Hoa - Thai Nguyen Transportation type: Motorcycle Tour code: IET - VN 6.5

Day 1: Hanoi - Hang Kia (Moc Chau). ~200 km, ~7 h. Ride to the direction of the West. We pass through Hoa Binh town, then along the Laotian border on our left and Da (Black) river on our right. We leave the river in the mountainous cirque of Mai Chau to go up until the plateau of Mai Chau. Multiple horizons in range of green and grey. Before the plateau, we turn right toward the border until the H'Mong village of Hang Kia, which accommodates us for the night. The other option is to ride on to Moc Chau and sleep in a hotel.

Day 2: Hang Kia (Moc Chau) - Gia Phu. ~100 km, ~6 h. We cross the Da river reservoir, then about 30 km dirt road until Gia Phu, a Thai village near a small river. You will meet no tourist there, but also accommodation in Hang Kia and Gia Phu are quite simple. Welcome is as usual: beautiful. If you choose this itinerary, you have to be ready for some off-road riding.

Day 3: Gia Phu - Vu Linh. ~140 km, ~6-7 h. Dirt road ~60 km (technical) This crossing from South to North, on the west side of Da river is very wild and beautiful. Many different ethnics live there and different types of cultivation. Arrive at Thac Ba lake where a boat will be waiting for us. Then we will cruise on the lake from south to north, until the Dao village of Vu Linh. The welcome is exceptional.

Day 4: Vu Linh - Ba Be. ~250 km, ~9 h. Quite a long drive but easy (early departure is better) from Vu Linh to Ba Be (~250 km). Ba Be is a nice stop and it is good to arrive the first day to have a full day (of the second) day there. However, if you feel like resting before, it is all the time possible to stop 50 km before Ba Be. The place before Ba Be is Na Khan, a village of Tay people lost in the forest.

Day 5: Ba Be. Boating. Easy boating on the lake and river. Go to market (if it is the day you arrive). Stop at waterfall, beautiful swim…Ong pirate, the chef of Dau Dang waterfall where we enjoy dinner. Down the waterfall, we could visit the village and a small school (only few pupils during the summer). We propose to stay in the stilt house of forest guards.

Day 6: Ba Be - Bao Lac. ~130 km, ~5 h. Minor road, bumpy and wild will take us through the jungle. Bao Lac is a small town, near China where we meet ethnic people from both sides of the border.

Day 7: Bao Lac - Quang Hoa. ~180 km, ~7 h. High roads, high spirit: we dominate the region and climb many passes. Great diversity of landscapes, which makes it possible to forget the tiredness of this long crossing. Lodging in our host house, accommodated in a family of the Nung An people. Reward, our hostess is a true cordon-bleu cook.

Day 8: Bao Lac - Quang Hoa. ~180 km, ~7 h. Option 1 Na Tau is a completely unknown area that we propose to discover it by raft and motorbike. Rivers and waterfalls everywhere are extremely beautiful and wild. It is only 15 km from Quang Hoa. Option 2 Having obtained permission from the border police, we make our way through spectacular scenery to Vietnam's most impressive waterfalls. Weather permitting we can swim right up to where the 50 m high falls hit the river.

Day 9: Quang Hoa - Thai Nguyen. ~220 km, ~8 h. Long ride with 150 km off-road. Not easy but beautiful, far from tourism. Night in hotel to recover.

Day 10: Thai Nguyen - Hanoi. ~100 km, ~4 h. On the way, we propose to see the ethnology museum of Thai Nguyen, not as big as the one in Hanoi, but complimentary. Ride back to Hanoi after lunch and we estimate that you will arrive in Hanoi about 5 pm.

TOUR PRICE: This is a sample itinerary so the cost really depends on your hotel choice, number of people in your group and time of travel. Please contact us to customize this itinerary and price to meet your needs and budget.

INCLUDING - Motorcycle(s), all fuel; - Tour guide/Translator; - Standard hotel and/or homestay (sleeping bags, mosquito nets, sheets, pillows...are provided); - Third party motorbike insurance; - All food; - All entrance fees, permits, tickets, boat trips, ferries, bamboo rafts, etc; - Vietnamese tea and rice wine.

NOT INCLUDING - Personal expenses, personal medical insurance; - Drinks other than tea and local rice wine; - Motorbiking protective pants, jacket, gloves, helmet, rain gear and other safety equipment at favourable rental rate; - Train or flight tickets; - Breakfast on the departure day and dinner on the return day; - Accommodation in Hanoi; - Tips

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