Biking Hanoi to Luang Prabang

DestinationsVietnam, Laos
Tour MeetsHanoi
Tour EndsLuang Prabang
Fly in toNoi Bai International Airport (HAN)
Fly out ofLuang Prabang International Airport (LPQ)
Group Size2-16 riders
Minimum Age18 (on scheduled departures)
645kmTotal cycling distance
72kmAvg distance / day
1057mAvg climbing / day

Trip Profile

This tour offers a broad range of activities and experiences that befit this diverse region. After a day exploring Hanoi’s many sights, followed by an overnight train ride from Hanoi, we ride up to 645 km through Indochina’s most spectacular mountain scenery. The cycling ramps up slowly in distance and intensity, with shorter rides on Days 3 and 4 (albeit with climbing involved) followed by more challenging rides on Days 5 to 7. Days 8 and 9 once again reduce the distance and elevation somewhat, with time spent in the Dien Bien Phu historic area. On Day 10, we have a relaxed day off the bike, cruising on longtail boats and taking in the remote riverside landscapes. Day 11 is a day of riverside trail riding on the bike, with Day 12 providing some serious distance and elevation as we reach Luang Prabang. This makes for a well-paced tour, balanced between sightseeing and riding.

The trip is fully supported, and your guide’s expert knowledge of the area and terrain means that you always know what is coming up in terms of distance and difficulty. This makes a tremendous difference, as does the constant supply of water and refreshments along the way.

Suitability: This trip should only be attempted by fit and experienced cyclists who are used to these types of distances and elevations. It is a very mountainous region, often with hot and humid weather, and we must cross many valleys and mountains to get to Dien Bien Phu and then onwards to Luang Prabang. A support vehicle follows the group at all times, though there are some sections where it cannot access the narrow roads and trails that we ride and rendezvous points will be set. Cyclists should be prepared to handle their bikes in busy sections, including on some main roads which we must occasionally take.

Biking Conditions: The roads are a mixture of good asphalt, broken or potholed roads, and some off-road cycling tracks. Navigating gravely and cratered country roads requires some handling skills, but does not require advanced technical manoeuvring. Likewise, while the off-road riding is not that technical, some experience will help. While much of the route is on quiet, countryside roads with minimal traffic, we will also be sharing the roads with other vehicles, including cars, motorbikes, and buses. While we have scheduled our departures to avoid the wettest months of year, showers can occur at any time. We generally ride rain or shine though, based on the guide’s discretion or your level of comfort, modifications to the planned route can be made. It’s all part of the adventure!

What's Included

  • SpiceRoads jersey
  • Water bottle
  • Support vehicle
  • Guide(s)
  • Meals (as indicated)
  • Accommodation
  • Snacks and drinks

What's Excluded

  • International flights
  • Domestic flights
  • Airport pick up
  • Airport drop off
  • Visa fees
  • Alcohol
  • Tips

Nuts & Bolts

Bikes

Because some people can't imagine going on a trip without their own beloved bicycle, we do not provide them as part of this tour. However, you can hire bikes locally for the price listed in the tour pricing section.

If you bring your own bike, please make sure it is a mountain bike or gravel bike, preferably with front suspension, in good mechanical order.

Bike Repairs

Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.

Safety

Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.

Guides

You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.

The Nitty Gritty

Vietnam

Passports and Visas

Vietnam e-visa application is available to all nationalities. You can apply for a single-entry visa up to 30 days, or a multi-entry visa up to 90 days. Application is through the Vietnam visa portal. Please note that e-visas cannot be used if you are joining "Cultural Road from Hoi An to Angkor Wat" or "Road Biking from Saigon to Angkor" (more information in the Visa on Arrival section below).

Please carefully fill out the form and check the information you have entered. Even minor spelling errors will render the visa invalid and your entry to Vietnam will be denied.

For peace of mind, we suggest applying for your e-visa as early as possible, and no later than 2 weeks before your expected arrival in Vietnam. While processing time is generally no more than 1-3 working days (not including weekends and Vietnamese holidays), it is wise to give yourself some buffer time in case there are any issues.

If you are joining a multi-country trip beginning in Vietnam, please be sure to select the correct exit point from the list below:

“Saigon to Bangkok” and “Saigon to Siem Reap”: Song Tien Landport
“Road Biking from Saigon to Angkor”: Moc Bai Landport
“Remote Vietnam and Laos”: Na Meo Landport
“Hanoi to Luang Prabang”: Tay Trang Landport

If your SpiceRoads trip will end in Vietnam, please choose your point of exit as the airport, port or land border through which you have arranged to leave Vietnam.

Visa on Arrival

If you are joining "Cultural Road from Hoi An to Angkor Wat" or "Road Biking from Saigon to Angkor", e-visas are not permitted for the exit through the land borders we cross during the tour. Before the tour, our sales team will collect your passport and flight information from you, and we will provide you with the Visa on Arrival letter within 10 business days.

When you arrive in Vietnam, you will need to present the following at the Visa on Arrival counter:

  • a printed copy of the Visa on Arrival letter, which we will have sent to you by email. You will also likely need this printed letter to check in and board your flight to Vietnam.
  • the visa stamping fee (USD $25 for a single-entry visa). Please prepare the visa fee amount in cash, using USD or the equivalent in Vietnam dong to avoid unfavourable airport exchange rates.
  • two printed passport photos.

Your Visa on Arrival will be processed quickly, and you may then proceed to immigration to enter Vietnam.

Please ensure that you update our sales team if your passport or flight details change before the tour, as mismatched information will result in entry to Vietnam being denied. Changes to this information when a Visa on Arrival letter has already been issued will result in a charge for a new letter to be processed.

Health

See here for recommendations and detailed information.

Weather

Weather in Vietnam is divided into 4 main regions - the far north, north, central and south.

The far north can get very cold in December and January while the dry season runs from October to late March and the wet season between April to September.

In Hanoi & the north, it is hot, wet and humid from May to October while November to April is cooler and dry.

Central Vietnam experiences hot, dry weather between January & August with temperatures ranging in the mid 30°C. High levels of rainfall are during September - November.

Southern Vietnam is dry and hot from November to April, and warm and wet between May & October, with the highest rainfall in June, July & August.

Food

Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner. Most meals are Vietnamese food and features noodles, rice curries and soups. Vietnamese cuisine is world famous and we make sure you sample as much variety as possible. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.

Drink

Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit, and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere in Vietnam but is NOT included in the price.

Solo Travelers

SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for traveling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveler of the same gender and if we can not match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.

Extra Expenses

We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$10, for incidentals. It is customary to tip local tour guides and drivers, however, the amount you give should be dependent on the level of service you receive. We will send you a tipping guideline before the tour begins.

Money

The official national currency is the Vietnam dong (d), but the US dollar is widely accepted in tourist centers. However, in smaller towns and villages the dong is preferred. ATMs are available in all major tourist destinations and big cities. Vietcombank has the best network with a single withdrawal limit of 2,000,000d (about US$125). Most major currencies can be exchanged at leading banks in Vietnam, but the US dollar is preferred away from the tourist centers. Changing US$100 will make you an instant millionaire! You cannot legally take the dong out of Vietnam but you can reconvert reasonable amounts of it into US dollars on departure.

Laos

Passports and Visas

The visa application process for Laos depends on the entry point where you will cross the Laos border.

Please see the visa options for our Laos tours below:

“Hidden Tribes and Trails of Laos”: You can apply for an e-visa in advance, or obtain a visa on arrival at the Luang Prabang airport.

When applying for a visa on arrival, be sure to have cash in the amount of USD $50 per person or equivalent in THB, LAK, or EUR, in clean, pristine bills.

“Southern Laos by Bicycle” and "Remote Vietnam and Laos": Visas on arrival are obtained at the Laos border on Day 2 of the tour. E-visas are not available for this crossing.

When applying for a visa on arrival, be sure to have cash in the amount of USD $50 per person or equivalent in THB, LAK, or EUR, in clean, pristine bills.

“Cycling Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang”: Visas on arrival are obtained at the Laos border on Day 6 of the tour. You can also apply for an e-visa in advance.

When applying for a visa on arrival, be sure to have cash in the amount of USD $50 per person or equivalent in THB, LAK, or EUR, in clean, pristine bills.

“Biking Hanoi to Luang Prabang” and "Remote Vietnam and Laos": Visas on arrival and e-visas are not accepted for these border crossings (Pang Hok-Sop Hun and Nam Soy).

We would like to summarize your options to obtain your visa in advance:

1 - The most straightforward way is to get the visa from a Laos embassy or consulate near you. Please contact them directly. Please do this as soon as possible, as processing time can vary.

2 - We know that Laos embassies/consulates may not be within a reasonable distance of where you live. If that is the case, you may consider using a reliable Travel Visa agency such as CIBT who will take care of the process for you. Please do this as soon as possible, as processing time can vary.

3 - We can help to obtain your visa at the Laos embassy in Hanoi. This would require you to be in Hanoi before the beginning of the tour, and it cannot fall on weekend or national holiday. You need to submit the visa before 09:00 AM and will receive it in your passport in the afternoon of the same day. You need to prepare a passport-sized photo and your passport. The cost for this service is 45 USD/per person including the visa fee and transportation to the embassy. This needs to be paid in cash and in USD.

Further visa information:

The full list of entry points indicating where e-visas and/or visas on arrival are and are not accepted. https://immigration.gov.la/checkpoints/

The list of countries with visa exemptions for Laos (please see the column on the right-hand side, “Ordinary Passport”, for the visa exemption period): https://immigration.gov.la/visa-exemption/

Health

We recommend that you visit a travel medical doctor and ask about the following vaccinations: typhoid, polio, tetanus and hepatitis A. A certificate for Yellow Fever is required when arriving from an infected area within six days.

Weather

Laos has a tropical climate with fairly high humidity. There are three seasons: from March to June it is hot and dry, with temperatures between 27C and 40C (80-104F), with night temperatures in the 20C/75F). The rainy season is from June to October. The cooler season, is from November to February, with average temperatures between 20C and 30C (70- 86F). It can get a little cold at night at higher elevations year round so bring a light fleece for the evenings.

Food

Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D =dinner. Most meals are local Laos food and feature noodles, curries and soups. Lao cuisine is very similar to Thai food and we make sure you sample as much variety as possible. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.

Drink

Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere, but is NOT included in the price.

Solo Travelers

SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for travelling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveller of the same gender and if we can not match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.

Extra Expenses

We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$10, for incidentals. It is customary to tip local tour guides and drivers, however, the amount you give should be dependent on the level of service you receive. As a general guide we suggest US$3-4 per person per day is appropriate.

Money

The official national currency in Laos is the kip, however, Thai baht and US dollars are also used, especially in larger cities and towns. In smaller towns and villages, kip is usually preferred. There are now a few ATMs in Laos, but they are not widespread and are operational only sporadically. The best overall exchange rates are those offered at the BCEL (Banque pour le Commerce Extérieur Lao). Licensed moneychangers rates are similar to banks Spend all your kip before you leave as no one will exchange it for you once you leave the country!

General booking info

If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:

FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS

Booking a SpiceRoads cycling adventure is easy and we try to do everything possible to make sure you have full flexibility and peace of mind. We do not require a deposit to hold your place on a tour and once full payment has been made your money is protected in our client account and you have the flexibility to cancel or change your booking if needed.

CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.

You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.

TRIP STATUS

There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.

BOOKING ONLINE

From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).

If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.

BOOKING OFFLINE

Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS

We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.

The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.

In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.

In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.

The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.

FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS

If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).

If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).

Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.

If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.

Loyalty Riders Club

For those who have been on several long tours with us, we reward customer loyalty by offering repeat customers a special discount off the tour price (excludes single supplement and bike rental). If this is your fourth scheduled tour or more you will receive a 5% discount. If this is your eighth scheduled tour or more we will extend a 10% discount. The discount will be reflected in your online booking, but please contact us if any questions. Loyalty discounts cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Note: Only tours of 7 days or more will be applicable for a loyalty discount.

International Flights

International flights, to and from the start and finish points are not included in the tour price. Once your tour is Guaranteed to Depart you can book your flight. Please contact us for advice before arranging flights for the best arrival and departure times. We would only cancel a trip for an extreme circumstance, but in that case, where we cancel your trip, we cannot be liable for losses incurred relating to any flight booking you have made. Please claim any losses from your travel insurance that you acquired when you booked your holiday.

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