North Vietnam Family Explorer

Day 1 Hanoi - Mai Chau

Our guide will pick you up at your Hanoi hotel to start our 4 hour drive to Mai Chau, a rural town southeast of Hanoi where we start our family bike tour. The scenery is dotted with limestone karsts and ethnic highlanders of White Thai, Hmong, and Zao living in the small villages that we pass along the way. We stop at the top of a pass for a panoramic view of stunning Mai Chau Valley so you can get an overview of where we will be cycling. We check into our lodging, have lunch, and then it's time to start our bike trip pedaling on small paths, past green rice paddies and local stilt houses, and of course meeting friendly local villagers along the way. Taking a break at Hoa Ban Plus, a weaving centre and living complex for disabled women, gives us a chance to see the traditional handicraft of weaving in action, and we can even give it a try. You'll leave with a new appreciation for fabric after seeing how complicated it is to make. Tonight, we stay in the lively town of Mai Chau.

Mai Chau Sunset Hotel
Lunch, Dinner
Ride 22km

Day 2 Mai Chau - Buoc Village

After breakfast, we ride up to the hills along a dirt road frequently used by local villagers. As we climb, the valley views open up to boundless, spectacular scenery. A steep 2 km climb is rewarded with a 10 km downhill through rustic villages and lush terrain to the White Thai village of Buoc. We can take a short walk around and learn about local village life, visit a few households, and see where families cook and sleep. We help with preparing lunch by making “Com Lam”, traditional sticky rice in bamboo. After these local delights, we enjoy an afternoon of cycling, swimming or the many other activities in this beautiful valley.

Maison de Buoc
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 35km

Day 3 Mai Chau - Cuc Phoung National Park

We drive 90 minutes drive to Cho Lo where we then get on the bikes. A flat bike ride on country roads follows where we'll have to watch out for chickens crossing the road and give right of way to water buffaloes! For lunch, a bowl of Pho, an authentic Vietnamese noodle soup, will hydrate and fill us. Be sure to add in the greens, herbs, spicy pastes, and a squeeze of lime to make the soup taste to your liking. A short transfer takes us uphill to Cuc Phuong National Park in Ninh Binh Province, the oldest national park in Vietnam and its most significant biodiversity site. Then it’s time to get wild! A guided tour of a rescue centre where monkeys and gibbons are being rehabilitated to return to the jungle will show you how many species there are in the jungle. After seeing the antics of the monkeys it's a short walk to the Carnivore and Pangolin Education Centre, where we'll learn about and see civets and the unusual pangolin with their protective armour of scales and long tongues for capturing ants and termites. The rescued animals are in well-designed, spacious enclosures, and the centre offers interactive displays to understand the threats to wildlife and learn about conservation. A fun and educational afternoon with wildlife!

Vedana Ninh Binh
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 35km

Day 4 Cuc Phoung National Park - Tam Coc

A feast for the senses today, from the sight of the towering karsts to the sound of the river to the taste of our self-cooked dinner. Cycling from our guesthouse, we go downhill before riding along a dyke that provides a flat and safe ride, to the town of Hoa Lu. An ancient capital of the Dinh and Le Dynasties, we step back in time and visit a 17th century temple built in the shape of a Chinese character. After lunch, we change from bikes to boats and relax and enjoy the amazing mountains that dominate most of the region. We are rowed through a cave by local sampan rowers who use their feet to oar and enter a green and fertile land. Back on land, we head to our resort amidst rice fields. Another hands on meal as we assist in the preparation, learning the best technique to roll fresh spring rolls, and then feast on our creations.

Tam Coc Rice Field Resort
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 30km

Day 5 Tam Coc - Bat Trang - Hanoi

A change of pace as we get our hands dirty! Cycling away from the karsts, we follow numerous rivers as they reach toward the coast. The scenery changes to flat plains as we cycle into the delta, a guaranteed flat ride. We take a break at Phat Diem Stone Cathedral, which has a unique blend of eastern and western architecture illustrated by its pagoda-styled roofs. We transfer to Quang Phu, a village where the main industry is incense production. Make your own incense sticks, which are very important to daily life in Vietnam! Then it's time to head back to Hanoi for your onward travel. Those looking to extend their trip in Vietnam can head to the beautiful beaches at Nha Trang, discover the Cu Chi Tunnels bordering Ho Chi Minh City, or explore one of the many neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.

Breakfast, Lunch
Ride 40km

Disclaimer: The adventure cycling tours we operate often go beyond the beaten track, and the countries where we ride are not always predictable. Due to these reasons, it is occasionally necessary to reroute or update itineraries. Our guarantee is that we will not change a trip unless for safety or to improve it. Our listed hotels are always accurate at the time of writing, but should we have to change any hotel, it will always be for a similar or better one.