Cycle Luang Prabang To Hanoi - 12 Days

Guide

In 2020, the Cycle Vietnam to Laos adventure is co-hosted by Social Cycles founder Brett Seychell. Brett is passionate about sustainable travel and enriching experiences by engaging with local experts. That’s why he will co-facilitate the 2020 tours and connect riders with local experts. To obtain an authentic Laos experience and truly gain from local knowledge, the adventure is co-hosted by a local Laos bike tour operational expert, based in Luang Prabang. The Vietnam side is hosted by a local Vietnam team. We will be changing teams at the border.

Meals

Sticky rice, fresh vegetables, mountains of fresh herbs, fish and meat, fish sauce, chilli, spices, fruit and more sticky rice… one of the wonderful features of the Lao diet is the almost complete absence of processed foods. Ironically, it’s the poor economic status of this small, landlocked South-East Asian country that has kept its cuisine fresh, vibrant and healthy for hundreds of years. Lao’s culinary offering includes universal hits, like steamed fish in banana leaf and pork laap salad, alongside options for the adventurous eater, such as duck’s blood salad.

Transport

In Laos, we partner with a local supplier for the hire of our bikes and as a result, there is a great range that are designed to deal with the local environment perfectly. You are welcome to bring your own clip in pedals, seat or any other adjustment you like. All mountain bikes have a 24 speed gear set to help you get up and down those hills!

Accommodation

To make the most of Laos & Vietnam, we stay in a variety of different accommodation styles. In Luang Prabang, we stay in a beautiful French colonial style building in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage City. Once we move away from the major towns and into the rural villages, we stay in clean & comfortable guest houses. All local guesthouse rooms have their own private bathroom with a western toilet. On our third day, we will spend the night with a local family in a traditional homestay.

Optional

NGO Donation. Laos is the most heavily bombed country in history relative to the size of population. The USA dropped more bombs on Laos during the Vietnam War than it dropped on Europe & Asia in all of WWII. There are an estimated 80 million unexploded bombs scattered across the country. We’ll meet just some of the NGOs tackling this issue. For every Social Cycles Adventure, riders are requested to contribute a nominal sum of US$150. During the course of the tour, you are given the chance to engage with, and learn from, local NGOs. This Social Cycles adventure has the unique opportunity to visit and learn from these projects. You can learn more about the individual NGOs we visit on the next tab. The funds raised from each rider will be able to influence which project they would like to support based on their learnings throughout the week. In addition to building a profile for our impact partners, Social Cycles also pays each NGO for their time and resources. We spend 1-2 hours with each NGO who are then remunerated, regardless of whether or not there is a follow up donation from the group.