7 Day Guided Motorcycle Tour From Hanoi to Ha Giang via Thac Ba, Bac Ha, and Ba Be

Accommodation

You will be accommodated in various guesthouses, homestays, and hotels throughout this tour.

Program

Day 1: Hanoi to Thac Ba Lake to Vu Linh, 180 kilometers / 111.8 miles

This morning, you will spend 30 minutes for the guide to do a briefing about the trip and how to ride in Vietnam, also to get used to the bike before you start your trip to Thac Ba Lake which has an area of 23,400 hectares and 1,331 islands and hills with diverse ecological environments. The water in the lake is blue and clear and imprinted with reflections of the surrounding ancient forest.

On arrival to Vu Linh ethnic village of the Dao minority by the side of the lake, it is your time to do a leisure walk to explore this beautiful village and people's life. Tonight, the welcome is exceptional with a lot of local rice-wine from the hosts is surely one of the highlights of the trip. Stay overnight in a homestay. The ride for the first day will take 6 hours.

Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Vu Linh to Ha Giang towards Bac Ha, 180 kilometers / 111.8 miles

A beautiful ride today along Thac Ba Lake. On your way, you will have chances to visit many roadside ethnic villages and markets. Continue to Bac Ha for an overnight stay in a guesthouse. The ride for the second day will take up to 6 hours.

Day 3: Bac Ha to Ha Giang via Hoang Su Phi, 200 kilometers / 124.2 miles

This morning, you'll visit a lively and colorful market in Bac Ha, one of the most interesting ethnic markets in Vietnam and possibly everywhere in South East Asia. Sunday is market day in Bac Ha, which is the occasion for the various local ethnic groups to gather in huge crowds to exchange the last news, gossip, shop, and eat a copious lunch. It was visibly festive.

You'll continue your trip to Ha Giang via Xin Ma and Hoang Su Phi. The road is very beautiful with many curves. Stay overnight in a hotel in Ha Giang. The Rice terrace of Hoang Su Phi is an upland district of Ha Giang Province, it takes around 100 kilometers by bus from the center of Ha Giang to Hoang Su Phi. Recognized as National Heritage in 2012, Hoang Su Phi terraced rice fields are an ideal destination for sightseeing as well as photographers. Like the previous two days, the ride will be for 6 hours.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 4: Ha Giang to Dong Van, 145 kilometers / 90 miles

Today's ride must be highlights of the trip and one of the most beautiful parts for doing Vietnam motorcycle tours as you will visit one of the most remote lands in Vietnam which are special with many ethnic groups with their unique cultures and imposing mountains, the “Heaven Gate” in Quan Ba, Rock Plateau, and the Vuong Palace in Dong Van. Stay overnight in Khai Hoan hotel, Dong Van. You will ride for 5 hours today.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 5: Dong Van to Bao Lac via Meo Vac Town, 100 kilometers / 62.1 miles

After breakfast, spend your time visiting Dong Van street and if it falls on Sunday, you will have a great opportunity to visit the weekly market of Dong Van which gathers many ethnic groups and their local products. The market is like a festival for the locals to enjoy the time with friends, talking, and drinking. Continue to Bao Lac via Meo Vac and the highlight will be conquering the Ma Phi Leng Pass. Upon arrival, check-in and stay in a guesthouse in Bao Lac.

In Ma Pi Leng Pass, the road is quite difficult but a stop in this pass will have a panoramic overview of the province. The scenery in Ma Pi Leng Pass is unique with majestic and wild beauty. Looking to the north and northeast, thousands of gray mountains concatenate to the horizon. Over the Ma Pi Leng, there is a mountain with 2,000 meters height located on the 'happiness' road connecting Ha Giang, Dong Van, and Meo Vac town. The ride will the shortest one so far and it will take only 4 hours.

Overnight in Thuy Duong hotel in Bao Lac, Cao Bang.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6: Bao Lac to Ba Be Lake, 150 kilometers / 93.2 miles

Today, you continue to Ba Be Lake and National Park where the landscape is amazing. Upon your arrival, you are free at leisure to do the boat trip or walk to explore the village of the Tay people. Stay overnight in the homestay of a Tay family (Hoang Nguyen homestay).

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 7: Ba Be Lake to Hanoi, 230 kilometers / 142.9 miles

This morning, ride back to Indochina Motorbike Tours' office and get transferred to your hotel. Indochina Motorbike Tours hopes that you have enjoyed your Vietnam motorbike tour with them and look forward to welcoming your next Vietnam motorcycle tour. For this final day, you will experience your longest ride of 7 hours.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Skill level(s) required for this tour: intermediate, advanced

Intermediate

can ride for 3-4 hours
average riding experience
little assistance required
comfortable with extreme curves and leans
average experience with unsurfaced roads
steep ascents and descents

Advanced

can ride for 5-6 hours
extensive riding experience
assistance on demand (if required)
experienced with riding a variety of motorcycles
comfortable with any terrain and weather conditions

Included excursions

Explore the beautiful village of Vu Linh
Explore the village of the Tay people
Trip to Ha Giang via Xin Ma and Hoang Su Phi
Trip to Thac Ba Lake
Visit a lively and colorful market in Bac Ha
Visit Ba Be Lake and National Park
Visit one of the most remote lands in Vietnam
Visit the weekly market of Dong Van (on Sunday)

Location

Quan Ba Heaven Gate

About 1,500 meters above sea level, this is the entrance Vietnam Motorbike Tour to Ha Giang via Thac Ba, Bac Ha, Ba Beof Dong Van Plateau. The road to Quan Ba Heaven gate is winding and twisty crossing limestone mountains. From the top of the Heaven Gate, you could look down across a large valley of unending terraced fields, displaying a charming beauty like a paradise dimly visible through the clouds.

Dong Van Plateau

Situated north of Ha Giang, near the Sino-Vietnamese border, this plateau is covered by karst mountains. Dong Van is an ideal place for trekking and mountain climbing where grandiose mountains may challenge your spirit for real. In return, breathtaking landscapes, meetings with local ethnic minorities, and learning from their life’s stories are nowhere can be found in the world.

Hmong King Palace

Hmong King Palace is located in Xa Phin Village of Dong Van District, which is around 24 kilometers away from the district’s center. With an area of 1,120 square meters, this edifice was built in the early twentieth century in the form of the letter 王 (meaning "king" in English). This is not only a historical relic but also a fabulous architectural landmark of local ethnic groups. This edifice is also a destination that always interests many visitors.

Dong Van Old Town

Dong Van Old Town is located in the middle of a valley surrounded by rocks. The quarter is formed from the early twentieth century, only has a few families of the H’mong, Tay, and Chinese, gradually, more and more other local residents find it. The oldest house is the house of the Luong family was built in 1860. The common architecture here is the two-story house and yin and yang roofs. The lifestyle and daily life of ethnic people such as Kinh, Tay, Mong, Hoa are very impressive.

Meo Vac Town

Meo Vac Town lies snugly in a smallish valley surrounded by rocky mountains. The journey here along the spectacular Mai Pi Leng Pass, about twenty kilometers from Dong Van, is the main attraction. There are different ethnic minorities groups living in Meo Vac including the H’mong, the Kinh, Tay, Dao, etc. Most ethnic groups have maintained their culture untouched by the outside world.

Ba Bể Lake

In Vietnamese (Hồ Ba Bể), Ba Bể means "Three Lakes" in the Tay language and is the largest natural freshwater lake, stretching about 8 kilometers in the north-south direction. The surface area of the lake fluctuates between 3 and 5 square kilometers between dry and wet seasons. Unlike many lakes in karst limestone areas, Ba Bê Lake never falls dry.

Its average depth varies between 17 and 23 meters, the maximum depth is 35 meters. The lake lies about 150 meters above sea level, making it also Vietnam's highest. The name "Three Lakes" refers to the three parts of the lake named Pe Leng, Pe Lu, and Pe Lam. All these three parts are connected into a single continuous body of water.

The Ta Han, Bo Lu, and Leng Rivers feed into the lake from the south and the west. During the dry season, water is drained from the lake northwards into the Nang River. During high floods in the wet season, the latter flow is reversed and the lake takes up water from the Nang River thereby, acting as a buffer regulating flooding.

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Food

You will be served 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and 5 dinners. Bottled water, coffee, and fruits will also be provided while on tour.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks
Drinks

The following drinks are included:

Water
Coffee

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Regular (typically includes meat and fish)

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

Things to do (optional)

On day six, you will have the free time to have a boat trip or walk to Ba Be Lake and Ba Be National Park.

What's included

Motorbike rental (Honda or Yamaha 110cc or 125cc)
Helmet(s)
Driving gears
Gasoline on tour
English speaking guide
6 nights accommodation as indicated in the itinerary (based on twin or/and triple shared)
Homestay permission
Meals as indicated in the itinerary
Entrance fees and sightseeing fees
Bottled water, coffee, and fruits on tour

What's not included

Air-ticket
Personal expenses
Tips
Travel insurance
Visa

How to get there

Recommended Airports

HAN

Noi Bai International Airport

104 km

Transfer not provided

Cancellation Policy

A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.

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