BEST-EVER VIETNAM NORTH-WEST MOTORBIKE TOUR TO SAPA, PHU YEN, MU CANG CHAI, LUC YEN, BA BE LAKE

Day 1: Hanoi Motorcycle Tours to Phu Yen (Son La)

Day 2: Phu Yen Motorcycle Tours to Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai)

Day 3: Than Uyen Motorcycle Tours to Sapa (Lao Cai)

Day 4: Sapa Motorcycle Tours to Luc Yen (Yen Bai)

Day 5: Luc Yen Motorcycle Tours to Ba Be lake (Bac Kan)

Day 6: Ba Be lake Motorcycle Tours to Hanoi

Summary:
Distance: 160 km
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Hotel

In the morning, we keep motorbiking across Lung Lo pass before heading up on Road 32 . During the First Indochina War, the 15km-long Lung Lo Pass, used by the Vietnamese resistance force to transport weapons, goods and food during the Dien Bien Phu campaign of 1954, was heavily bombed by the French in order to sever the front lines from the rear. Lung Lo Pass, situated in the northern province of Yen Bai, was also recognised as a national heritage by the ministry.

We keep riding through winding roads and beautiful rice terraces to Nghia Lo town via Van Chan. There are chances for us to stop to see green rice fields formed by hard-working local Thai people before lunch in Nghia Lo.

In the afternoon, the wheels are going to take you to a beautiful village called Tu Le, which is famous for producing one of the best sticky rice strains in Vietnam. FYI, sticky rice plays an important part in Vietnam’s agri-based culture, it appears in almost every family’s meals on our traditional holidays. Steamed sticky rice, salt,… are common offerings that we Vietnamese dedicate to our ancestors following our belief in veneration of the dead.

The highlight of today’s ride is Khau Pha pass, one of the four highest passes in Vietnam. Spanning over 30 kilometers, the pass stuns travelers with its beautiful and poetic scenery, where high mountains stand on one side and the other side is a deep valley covered with fluffy white clouds around the year, we will stop at the top of this pass for an incredible view to Tu Le valley before heading to our Mu Cang Chai, our destination of this day.

Mu Cang Chai is home to some of Asia’s most magnificent cultivated topography. Rice terraces coil in ribbons around the hills to spectacular effect, luring photographers, hikers, and avid motorbikers. Mu Cang Chai is not only beautiful because of majestic nature but also the the very unique features of local life here. This place is mainly populated by the Black Hmong, a subgroup of one of Vietnam’s largest ethnicities. Pretty Hmong villages are dotted around the district. Each one offers a glimpse into a rich culture Highland living in Mu Cang Chai is simple and peaceful, making people remember forever. Those are honest, honest, hard working people with the desire to be warm; innocent babies with clear smile and eyes.

We stop at the Mam Xoi Hill of Mu Cang Chai (a famous photo spot in the remote mountains) for some nice pictures and learn about the mountainous lifestyle of local H’Mong people here.

We overnight in a small hotel tonight.

Summary:
Distance: 170 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel

Our adventure continues at 9 o’clock after breakfast, we have a morning warm-up by rolling on some backroads nearby and then get some real challenges with beautiful dirt tracks through mountains and H’mong local villages. We will have chance to see how local ethnic people live and work under very harsh conditions of terrain and climate.

After a lunch break in Than Uyen, on a road full of tea farms and rice fields we head to Sapa via the epic O Quy Ho pass. O Quy Ho Pass is one of the most impressive and challenging mountain passes in the northern region of Vietnam. It is approximately 10 kilometers away from the town of Sapa and 60 kilometers away from the city of Lai Chau.

O Quy Ho Pass winds through Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range. Running alongside National Road 4D, the pass stretches for nearly 50 kilometers, with the peak of the pass marking the boundary between the two provinces of Lao Cai and Lai Chau. And when you feel the air getting cooler, see the mist coming from the mountain ranges, that’s when we arrive in Sapa, where we spend the night.

Located at the altitude of 1600 meters above sea level, Sapa is famous for its cool weather, breathtaking scenery and culture diversity with 6 different tribes of people living together. This is also a big town comparing to other destinations on the tour so you can spend your time here for casual entertainment activities like bars, pubs… We stay in a hotel for this night.

Summary:
Distance: 140 km
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Hotel

Take our motorbikes down from Sapa to Lao Cai City and then have a coffee-stop on the bank of Nam Thi river, which is Vietnam – China border. Enjoy your coffee while taking the view to China.
Head to Road 70 before turn to Luc Yen on Road 152. We ride through palm forest all the way to Luc Yen and stay in a family in the Tay territory. It’s a great home stay and the hosts are very welcoming.

Summary:
Distance: 170 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Home-stay

Saying goodbye to the lovely village of Lam Thuong, we get back on the wheels at about 8.30 o’clock. Following local backroads, we ride through vibrant rice fields and karst mountains to National Road 2. Take a turn to Road 189, we ride to Ba Be lake via Tuyen Quang province. The ride today is a combination of main roads, rural backroads and stunning dirt tracks with lovely towns and remote villages waiting for us along the route.

Located in Ba Be national park in Bac Kan province, Ba Be Lake is well- known as the largest natural freshwater lake in Vietnam and one of the 100 largest ones in the world. The area was established as a national preserved forest and tourist centre in 1978, before being established as Vietnam’s eighth national park in 1992. Located 145m above sea level, the lake has an average depth of 20-25m and its deepest part is 35m. The lake bed is made up of limestone with millions of crags and crevasses that are ideal for a large variety of marine life – there are over a hundred of species of freshwater fish in this natural wonder.

We finish the ride by taking a boat trip on the lake, at the end of the day we enjoy a nice stay in a homestay of a local Tay family.

Summary:
Distance: 200 km
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Homestay

One last big day to complete our trip of a lifetime, it’s a long way to go this day so we’d better depart early. An easy motor ride in the morning will take us through peaceful villages and rice fields before reaching very busy road in the afternoon. After our last meal in Thai Nguyen city, traffic will get worst on the way back to Hanoi, so we should be back before rush hour and finish our trip around 3 pm.

Summary:
Distance: 230 km
Meals: Breakfast, lunch

If you need further details on our updated quotes for such a tour, kindly email us at dnqtravel@gmail.com or sales@vietnammotorbiketour.co.uk directly.

* Note: We provide support truck (120$ per day) for emergency and for your safe riding in Vietnam – Most of other tour operators do not offer that. Contact us if you think it’s necessary.