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Beautiful Mai Chau, remote Pu Luong – fabulous backroads riding through tropical mountains, valleys & rice terraces

Beautiful Mai Chau, remote Pu Luong – backroads, mountains, valleys

3 Days | Motorbike | 640+km | Easy / moderate
  
Guaranteed departure on scheduled dates for 2-4 people or more and at least 4 weeks’ notice – see the Information tab. Traveling solo or want different dates? Contact us!
  +84 9 1464 9182      [email protected]

At a glance

Great backroads riding in Mai Chau and Pu Luong, exploring mountains and valleys — in a fully guided motorbike tour.

This is the perfect short break tour. offering such diversity, beauty, spectacular scenery and fabulous back roads coupled with easy access from Hanoi.

Enjoy some of the best lowlands roads for motorcycle touring, through beautiful rural landscapes.

Mai Chau is gorgeous rice fields in a broad valley set among steep limestone hills.   Relatively developed, there are some good resorts with great local fare to relax in and use as a base for exploring the valley.

Pu Luong is all craggy rainforest-clad mountains, winding roads & passes, deep green valleys and pretty ethnic hamlets. There are some great places to stay with wonderful views and terrific off the beaten path touring.  One of our favorite places.

The contrast between Mai Chau and Pu Luong, the breathtaking views they both offer and the great road conditions make this a fantastic 3-day trip. See the itinerary below for more details.

 

There is travel that fits within the expected and then there are journeys that go beyond. At Other Path Travel, we specialize in small group tours that will take you to a Vietnam that most travelers never see, extraordinarily beautiful, amazingly diverse, off the beaten path.

From astounding natural beauty to scooter-packed streets in vibrant cities, we offer a range of experiences to suit your interests and travel style whether that’s exploring extraordinary scenery by private car or motorbike; cruising spectacular islands by boat From astounding natural beauty to scooter-packed streets in vibrant cities, we offer a range of experiences to suit your interests and travel style whether that’s exploring extraordinary scenery by private car or motorbike; cruising spectacular islands by boat From astounding natural beauty to scooter-packed streets in vibrant cities, we offer a range of experiences to suit your interests and travel style whether that’s exploring extraordinary scenery by private car or motorbike;

cruising spectacular islands by boat From astounding natural beauty to scooter-packed streets in vibrant cities, we offer a range of experiences to suit your interests and travel style whether that’s exploring extraordinary scenery by private car or motorbike; cruising spectacular islands by boat

Highlights

  • Ride great less traveled roads from Hanoi through rolling countryside, along the edge of stunning Hoa Binh lake to beautiful Mai Chau valley
  • Explore fabulous back roads, walk or bike through gorgeous rice fields and search out delicious authentic food and sensational local handicrafts
  • Discover remote and tropical Pu Luong, with spectacular scenery and some of the best lowlands motorbike touring in North Vietnam.  Ride challenging trails, or trek through stunning rice terraces and ethnic villages, or kayak a peaceful river, or just relax at a resort with a beer and a view
  • Cruise beautiful roads threading through idylic rice fields and a slice of the Ho Chi Miinh Trail bordering Cuc Phuong National Park

What our travelers say

“Amazing motorbike riding. Mai Chau was beautiful, a small gem, while Pu Luong was spectacular, vast and much less traveled.”

“The bit of riding along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, with its fabulous scenery and viewpoints, was a great return route to Hanoi. “

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Arrival and airport transfer

If you have requested an airport transfer, an Other Path Travel representative will meet you at Hanoi airport, and take you to your hotel in the Old Quarter or city center.

If you are spending time in Hanoi before the start of the tour, you might be interested in exploring Hanoi off the beaten path with one of our half-day Insiders’ Tours.

Afternoon before day of tour departure

In the afternoon of the day before the tour departure, we will gather at a pre-arranged time for a welcome refreshment, introductions and a pre-trip briefing where we will walk through the itinerary, discuss riding a motorbike in Vietnam and answer any questions you might have. We will also provide some panniers and talk through packing.

On the day of the trip start, we will get together around 8am (after your breakfast at your hotel), where will allocate motorbikes to people and give everyone a chance to get familiar with their bike and riding on the streets of Hanoi before we depart.

Hanoi & Red River Basin countryside

We wind our way through the bustle of early morning Old Quarter traffic, heading north towards the calmer streets of Tay Ho, bordering West Lake, Hanoi’s largest and arguably most beautiful lake.  Tay Ho – where many Westerners live -- is a fascinating neighborhood, mixing old Vietnam and western cultures in a unique blend.

Leaving Tay Ho, we continue north along the banks of the mighty Red River, the ancient birthplace of the Vietnamese people and still a major working river. Heading west on small roads we reach a beautiful group of pagodas and temples that are among the oldest Buddhist shrines in Vietnam, dating back a thousand years.  We stop to explore and take a coffee break.

South – fields, forested hills, Hoa Binh lake to Mai Chau

Turning south we ride through open countryside, following mostly less-travelled roads that twist through fields and forested hills.  Away from the occasional section of major road, the traffic is mostly light and the riding great.

We stop for lunch at a pleasant café, and then follow smaller roads again to the shores of the vast and spectacular Hoa Binh Lake.

We stop for some photos and then traverse the slopes above the lake, passing through some beautiful bamboo forest.  Finally, after diverting slightly to visit a lookout with fantastic views, we reach Mai Chau and our friendly resort.

Optional activities

If there is time and energy, there are a number of optional activities. A relaxed motorbike or bicycle ride or trek through the rice fields, beautiful in afternoon light. A visit to a nearby textile & crafts village.  A ride on a more challenging dirt road up into the surrounding mountains; or an easier ride along a scenic valley up to a pretty mountain village.

And of course some cool drinks at a sunset bar with splendid views over the rice fields before a delicious dinner at a local restaurant.

Option to start the riding day in the Hanoi countryside, avoiding city traffic

For riders who want to avoid the morning Hanoi peak-hour traffic, there is an option (selectable as part of the booking process) to start the morning ride in the countryside – we take you and your luggage in a private car or minibus to a rendezvous point where the bikes are waiting. This saves about 40km of riding and makes for an easier first day.

Accommodation: Resort, Mai Chau
Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Sunday ethnic market option

If it is a Sunday there is an option for experienced riders to make an early morning excursion, on the road before 8am, to an interesting weekly ethnic market in a small village about 30km from Mai Chau.

Hmong and Thai ethnic minorities from surrounding villages gather to buy and sell everything from animals to textiles, and to socialize with people they may not otherwise see. 

Many dress in their traditional costumes and the market is a busy, interesting colorful mix of different hill tribes, a slice of old Vietnam. 

The road to Pu Luong

Alternatively, after a relaxed breakfast, we ride down the Mai Chau valley surrounded by steep karst limestone mountains and then turn onto the road leading to Pu Luong.

The scenery is stunning. We climb gradually along a wonderful twisting valley road, each kilometer taking us further off the beaten path. Mountains rise up on either side – steep slopes carpeted in dense tropical forest.  As we crest a pass, amazing views of the Pu Luong ranges, deeply clad in green, open up.  Below stretches the main Pu Luong valley with its scattered hamlets.

It feels a long way from anywhere – the contrast with much busier Mai Chau is incredible. We stop to enjoy the view and take some photos.

Discovering Pu Luong

From the pass we drop down more twists before making an excursion along a dirt side road to a pretty hidden valley and hamlet surrounded by mountains, where daily life still follows the seasons and harvests. We admire the view and have lunch in one of the local ethnic village houses.

Retracing our steps, we rejoin the main road as it sidles along the valley slopes, with rice terraces falling down the hills. This is beautiful, remote Vietnam, a place to ride slowly and enjoy.

Further down the valley, we take another narrow side road and soon reach our lodgings for the night, set among the rice fields and terraces.  Our default is a very comfortable homestay, but you may choose an upgrade to a good ecolodge with a pool and outstanding views -- contact us.

Now there are several options. We can ride further into the Pu Luong ranges and explore valleys and villages – on easy roads or more challenging ones.

Or we can take an easy trek among the beautiful rice fields and villages.  Another option is a ride down to the lower valley and enjoy some gentle riding or kayaking along the river.

Or we can simply spend time over some cool drinks, sitting on a terrace with stunning, sweeping views over the rice fields and valleys below. We end the day with a delicious Vietnamese dinner.

Accommodation: Resort / homestay, Pu Luong
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Water wheels and winding roads

This is our longest day.

After an early breakfast we ride further down the remote Pu Luong valley. The road is beautiful, and the horizon is still filled with green clothed mountains and rice terraces.

Across the fields we might see the giant irrigation water wheels made out of bamboo that are found along some of the rivers and are a signature of Pu Luong.

After a while we enter more open country dotted with karst hills and hamlets, before we join the Ho Chi Minh Trail and head north. We pass through some more deep green karst hills at the top of Cuc Phuong National Park, before leaving the Ho Chi Minh Trail and winding our way north and east on mostly smaller rural roads.

This is lovely riding through typical Vietnamese countryside, a mix of verdant hills and valleys and fields, karst outcrops and scattered villages.

Outskirts of Hanoi

As we get closer to the outskirts of Hanoi, the land is more intensely worked and the density of houses increases. Small towns and commercial buildings start to appear. The riding is still good and the transition a window into Vietnamese ways of life.

Eventually we reach the major highway running between Hanoi and Ninh Binh. Here we can choose to leave our bikes and travel the rest of the way in a car or small mini bus – thus avoiding the traffic of Hanoi city.

Lacquer at Ha Thai

If there is time, we can visit the small village of Ha Thai which specializes in Vietnamese lacquer ware. The lacquer process is fascinating, the lacquer wares themselves are intricate and beautiful, and the skills of the lacquer artisans amazing.

After Ha Thai we skirt around edges of the Red River before diving into Hanoi traffic and ending our trip at Hoan Kiem in central Hanoi, where we will drop you at your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Debrief & departures

After reaching the hotel, and after you have repacked from your panniers into your own traveling luggage, we will arrange a debrief either at the hotel or a local café.

If the group wishes we can organize a dinner at one of Hanoi’s authentic restaurants – it’s a great experience, nearly always packed with locals enjoying themselves.

If you need transfers to the airport, or if you have booked transfers as part of your booking, we will arrange this for you.

Then we bid you farewell and safe travels until we see you again!

 

Booking in advance

We strongly recommend booking well in advance.

Accommodation choices can be limited, especially in less traveled parts of Vietnam.  In more popular locations demand can be high, particularly at peak periods.  If possible, we recommend booking 2 or more months in advance.

Our minimum advance period to book online for this tour is 4 weeks – shorter than that and you need to email us with a reservation request and we need to confirm availability.

Of course, we will always work with you if you have to book at short notice – just contact us.

Peak Periods

Peak periods include: northern hemisphere summer holidays (July – August); Christmas period and southern hemisphere summer holidays (mid-December - early February); Easter; peak Ha Long Bay periods (September - November and March - May); Vietnamese domestic summer holidays (June - early September); Vietnamese lunar new year, Tet festival, usually sometime in February.

Remember, while these are the peak periods, Vietnam is busy all year round.

Minimum number of people

If you are booking as an ‘exclusive’ tour – meaning the tour will be just for your group and no others – then this tour is guaranteed to start on the scheduled date provided there are a minimum number of 2 people. For tours that are ‘not exclusive’, the minimum is 4 people.

Traveling solo? Book as ‘not exclusive’ and join with others. Or contact us -- we will always do what we can to help!

Departure day of the week

This tour has scheduled starts on Monday and Saturday of each week.  It can also be booked to start on other days by arrangement – please contact us.

The Monday start tends to have less traffic and quieter hotels. The Saturday start tends to be busier, but provides the opportunity for experienced riders to catch an ethnic minority market on Sunday near Mai Chau as an optional excursion.

Both start days provide a fantastic tour.

 

A mix of 3 - 4+ star hotels & resorts

In Mai Chau, our default is a 4-star hotel / resort with a pool and stylish but simply decorated rooms just on the outskirts of Mai Chau town, located in a beautiful natural setting.

In Pu Luong, we have a unique 3.5- 4- star hotel / resort with a pool and modern, tastefully decorated rooms in the Pu Luong Nature Reserve.

A great way to go

There is no better way to travel through Vietnam than by motorbike -- the feeling of connection to the landscapes and people is exhilarating.  It's how we like to travel ourselves.

Vietnam is a motorbike rider’s paradise.  The country has not yet developed to the point where cars and trucks are crowding bikes on rural and back roads: there are cars and trucks of course, but motorbikes are still dominant. On the other hand, the country has developed enough to have (mostly) reasonable sealed roads.  In addition, the landscapes and people are fabulous. This all adds up to fantastic back roads riding.

This tour is aimed at people with moderate motorbike riding experience as well as more experienced riders. We modify the daily riding distances and choose roads and side excursions to suit the experience and desires of the group -- from relaxed to demanding.

There is also the possibility of riding pillion behind one of our experienced local riders -- you can select this as part of the booking process.

If you would like to discuss your riding experience and options, please contact us -- we are always keen to help!

'Slow travel' and types of motorbike

In general, we have a ‘slow travel’ philosophy and try and ensure that daily distances are not too large – we take time to enjoy what we are passing through.

Not going too fast is the secret to riding in Vietnam: there are so many fantastic side excursions and so much to experience.  In any case, winding back roads make fast riding impractical a lot of the time -- in the mountains, speeds of 30 - 60 kmh are common.  Of course if you want to ride harder and cover more distance, we can do that too.

We generally ride modest sized semi-automatic bikes of around 110cc-125cc, or slightly larger manual bikes of 150cc.  Both are well suited to the winding roads of Vietnam.

The 110cc - 1225cc bikes are less expensive, are light and easy to manage, and handle dirt roads well.  These are what the locals ride everywhere.  You'll find them more approachable if you're riding what they're riding.  These are the default, included in the price of the tour.

The 150cc bikes are heavier, a bit more expensive and can of course cover long distances more quickly.  You can select 150cc bikes for your group as part of the booking process.

Western riders used to larger bikes often want something bigger -- and if you want to ride Vietnam's crowded highways, then a larger bike makes sense (although bikes of more than 175cc involve more stringent driving license requirements) -- but we do not recommend them for our tours.

Off road bikes are also available for those who wish to add some more challenging dirt roads to the mix – we can provide as much challenge as you can handle.  However, it's not our key focus and if you want a pure off-roading experience, then you should look elsewhere.  Contact us if you are interested in a larger motorbike or mixing in a bit of more serious off-road.

See here for more information on riding a motorbike in Vietnam.

Motorbike licenses

Ideally, you will have a motorbike license in your own country that you can use as the basis to get an International Driving Permit (IDP) before you leave.

Vietnam does not recognize domestic motorcycle licenses by themselves as being a valid license to ride a motorbike in Vietnam, but it does recognize the combination of a domestic license and an IDP from a number of countries: see here for more important information and a link to a list of countries.

If you are from one of the countries where an IDP is not recognized (including USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Ireland, Spain), then please contact us to discuss options.

Note that the rules for what is required to ride validly in Vietnam are always changing -- we try and keep up to date, but it's always best to contact the Vietnamese embassy in your country to confirm.

Choose Your Style

This tour is aimed at both people who are interested in being active as well as those who want a more relaxing trip instead.  We have designed the route and itinerary to accommodate both preferences.

For those who want to be active, we are happy to provide as much additional riding and / or trekking as you desire – and it’s great stuff: fabulous back roads and trails, amazing mountains and gorges, wonderful treks to remote ethnic minority villages, stunning rice terraces and beautiful forests.

For those more interested in a less-active trip, the core riding itinerary provides great, relaxing touring through spectacular and incredibly diverse landscapes and villages. We can adjust the itinerary for each day in accord with the interests of the group.

Weather in Northern Vietnam is changeable, and roads are in a constant state of being repaired (smaller roads and roads in the mountains are especially vulnerable to wet-season damage), and we may need to modify the itinerary, in consultation with trip participants.
Phone and 3G/4G internet, including Google Maps, generally work well in remote Vietnam, even in the mountains. We recommend you get a local prepaid SIM card for your smartphone. We can help do this at the start of the trip, but you need to give us sufficient notice.

The tour price includes:

  • Motorbike, Honda Wave or Future Neo or equivalent semi-automatic, including custom panniers, racks & bungee cords
  • English speaking local guide
  • Accommodation as specified in the itinerary
  • Meals as specified in the itinerary, usually breakfast, lunch & dinner
  • Transfers as specified in the itinerary (covering both persons & motorbikes as applicable)
  • Permits, entrance, trekking and other fees
  • Any optional extras (such as airport meet & transfer) selected as part of the booking process

The tour price does not include:

  • Drinks, including beer, wine & spirits
  • Travel insurance
  • Motorbike clothing & protective gear - including helmet, gloves, knee & elbow protectors. We recommend bringing your own, but if this is difficult, we do have limited numbers available for rent for a modest additional cost; you can select this as an optional Extra as part of the booking process.

Tour Options – Add Something Special to Your Tour

Customise Your Tour with Our Optional Activities

Take your tour further and add some extra experiences we think are not to be missed. From landscapes to people watching, trekking to markets, simply choose the option(s) that’s right for you and click ‘Reload your revised tour’ to open a new tab with an amended itinerary.

At this time we don’t have pre-prepared itineraries for every combination, so please contact us if your combination doesn’t load a new itinerary and we will work with you directly.

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