7 Days Hi Giang Plateau Hilltribes Cycling Tour from Hanoi
Tour Overview
This is a challenging, highly rewarding, compact expedition by bike into the remote lands of Ha Giang where the geography, people, and food are unique This trip runs from...
Code of Tour: TAD0000028026
Length of Travel: 7 Day
Destinations of Tour:
Departure City: Hanoi
Price of Tour: Request
Type of Tour: Private
Features of Tour: Cycling
This is a challenging, highly rewarding, compact expedition by bike into the remote lands of Ha Giang where the geography, people, and food are unique This trip runs from Hanoi to Hanoi. The hill tribes of Northern Vietnam are now so iconic and have been featured photographically in so many instances, that you may feel already somewhat familiar with them, but the truth is that those tribes, still living in their traditional ways, exist only in the most remote areas of South East Asia, and Ha Giang Province, open only relatively recently to travelers, is, without doubt, one of the best places left to witness the culture of these people. The riding is some of the most amazing in South East Asia. Every day offers different terrain, gradient, vista, and climate as we climb and descend the various altitudes of the Ha Giang Plateau. This is a ride to remember and if the memory of burning leg muscles isn’t enough to remember it by, then your amazing photographs almost certainly will be.
TOUR ITINERARY
Day 1 : Hanoi- Ha Giang ( L , D )
7:30 Am pick up at your hotel. It is a long drive to get to Ha Giang Province as you might imagine. Never was a remote and untouched area easy to reach. In any case, we’ll stop along the way at a couple of points of interest, and leaving early morning, we’ll arrive just after midday. It’s time to try out the bikes and take a warm-up ride in this sleepy provincial capital. The late afternoon short cycling around the village.
Summary
Accommodation: Khai Hoan hotel
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Cycling distance: 55 Km
Day 2 : Ha Giang – Tam Son ( Quan Ba ) ( B , L , D )
After a full day yesterday, we will glide into the third day of our adventure. After taking our time at breakfast, we set out on our first proper ride. We initially follow the river along an undulating landscape and after the first short climb and descent, we reach a village for lunch. We push on into the second climb and discover what the gradient of Ha Giang province is like. For the most part, it’s a continual, but predictable ascent where you will be at ease once you find a rhythm. The high pass today is called Heavens Gate. We have a short descent into Tam Son, a tiny community clinging to the side of the hill. A short exploratory ride or walk is a great way to see out the day. The village is surrounded by limestone hills and traditional-style houses.
Summary
Accommodation: 567 Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Cycling distance: 50 Km
Day 3: Tam Son Cycle to Dong Van ( B , L , D )
A long day starts early. After a steaming bowl of noodles, an egg baguette, and a strong coffee, we finish the descent that we interrupted the day before. Halfway down, we detour onto a minor road that takes us right down to the bottom of the valley. Here we ride through tiny hill-tribe communities and eventually reach a bustling village market where a dazzling array of bright costume-clad villagers are trading everything from piglets to bamboo shoots and forest fodder.
After following a river for a short while and just after we see the ruins of a defensive wall of speculative age, we start to climb. A gradient similar to the day before is a welcome warm-up before the main climb to come after lunch. As we enter the Ha Giang Plateau, the scenery that was already impressive is now nothing short of mind-blowing. At each stage, you find yourself wondering how you could continue to climb when you’ve climbed so far, but it goes on and on with an amazing variety of scenery. When you finally descend into Dong Van, a beer and a feast will be a welcome sight, and the news that you have just managed the epic Ha Giang Plateau climb is enough to ensure a good night’s sleep.
Summary
Accommodation: Hoang Ngoc Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Cycling distance: 70 Km
Day 4: Dong Van Cycle to Meo Vac ( B, L, D )
After some time to soak up the sun with a coffee on the edge of the charming Dong Van Market, we may take a ride to the site of the palace of the former Hmong King. The news that you will continue climbing this morning may come as punishment for tired legs, but the reality is that you are about to ride one of the most scenic 10km of northern Vietnam. As you leave town, you descend slightly, but into the next climb, you are delivered an optical encouragement as the valley floor down to your right drops at almost the same level as you climb, pronouncing your climbing achievements. The huge gorges leading away from you at this point lead straight into the wild frontier land and Yunnan Province of China. You are less than 20km from a border that has been fiercely defended on various occasions by the Vietnamese, and where its porous nature makes all manner of trade possible.
Summary
Accommodation: Hoa Cuong Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Cycling distance: 25 Km
Day 5: Meo Vac Cycle to Bac Me ( B, L, D )
It’s reward time. After all those days of climbing, today comes the inevitability of physics as we descend for a continual 30km on the well-made road. The climate will noticeably change as we go, to the point where you’ll be shedding layers as soon as you stop at the bottom. From here, we have a lovely ride of ups and downs through sleepy villages in a very different lowland setting to what we’ve seen on the plateau. There are still some steep little hills, but after the last few days, these will be nothing more than a blip. We roll into the nondescript, but convenient town of Bac Me in the mid-afternoon.
Summary
Accommodation: Huy Dương Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Cycling distance: 80 Km
Day 6: Bac Me Cycle to Ha Giang ( B, L, D )
A pleasant ride today of rolling hills as we follow the course of a river. The scenery is enjoyable and the locals are sure to be out cheering you along. After a hill of a few kilometers, we descend into the familiar town of Ha Giang, where we can enjoy a celebratory beer or sugar cane juice in the knowledge that the challenging part of the ride is done
Summary
Accommodation: Khai Hoan Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Cycling distance: 80 Km
Day 7 : Ha Giang – Hanoi ( B , L )
We leave mid-morning for the drive back to Hanoi. We will arrive around mid-afternoon and will be happy to return you to your hotel or the airport as you desire. End The Tour
Summary
Accommodation: None
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Cycling distance: None
