Northern Vietnam Cycling Tour: Mai Chau To Pu Luong

Cycling distance: 60-70 km Elevation gain: 800-1000 m Meals provided: Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Mai Chau Eco House In the morning, a van will transfer riders outside of town where they will be treated to a hearty breakfast and a bike fitting. We then begin our adventure by climbing through the remote ethnic minority villages of the Muong people, all the while weaving through terraced rice paddies. Hosting both challenging cross country paths and quiet paved mountain roads, we will be rewarded with fabulous views of misty green karst formations and the massive Hoa Binh Reservoir.  After several climbs and fast downhills, we enter the magical valley of Mai Chau where steep mountains ring an expanse of electric green rice fields.   Relax with a fabulous home cooked meal.

Cycling distance: 60-70 km Elevation gain: 1000-1200 m Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner Accommodation: Mr Ba’s Homestay Today's ride features two challenging climbs that pass by stunning vistas, remote traditional villages and some of the most beautiful rice terraces in Southeast Asia. The first climb is a long uphill that will take us out of Mai Chau Valley and onto an elevated plateau in the mountainous part of the region. Following shaded paths beside crystal clear streams, we’ll then enter the Pu Luong Nature reserve and have a traditional lunch overlooking the village’s rice terraces.   After a breather of 10 kms cycling on flat terrain through green fields and ethnic minority villages, we make another short but steep climb to our Pu Luong homestay, where we can chill with a beer in the cool waters of their natural spring before a fantastic BBQ dinner outdoors.

Cycling distance: 60 km Elevation: 500m Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch Accommodation: Ninh Binh Hidden Charm Today begins with a bang: a screaming downhill through the village’s steep rice terraces. Safely in the valley, we embark on a wonderfully scenic and remote x-country track for 15 Km.  Riverside bamboo forests shade us as we roll on, completely alone in nature. We’ll then take an hour-long van transfer before cycling towards Ninh Binh, a UNESCO world heritage site. We’ll pass by limestone formations on the way. We’ll finally reach the Ninh Binh homestay in the evening.