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
