Excursion
Wildlife Lovers: Biking to Nam Cat Tien Park
Tour details
Full Itinerary
Cat Tien is an ideal tropical park to spend exploring nature, wildlife with trekking and cycling. Many trips for bird watching and sightseeing the wetland of crocodile lake. We set off the early morning at 7:00 am for the smoothest journey without traffic jams. After two hours, the vehicle drives, we will pick up the bikes in the countryside village in Tri An rual Dist, Dong Nai province. We pick the bikes, and ready for off-road. We ride through the beautiful landscape; villages, farmlands, foothills, a small beautiful lake, jungle, and view Tri An lake before a big stop at Pilgrimage Center Immaculate Conception Mountain Bend. Visit the large area by bicycle and enjoy mountainous lake views before we bike to highway 1A, Phu Cuong, where we transfer for a bit late lunch. After lunch, we relax on a vehicle drive one hour and a half to Nam Cat Tien Park. experience wildlife. In the afternoon, take enjoy a motorboat ride on the Dong Nai River, admire the fantastic view, see many kinds of birds, cormorants, macaques and civets on the trees along the peaceful River. It is excellent timing to wildlife on waterways through forest and lovely sunset. Back to the hotel, join the night spotting tour by jeep to see wildlife that people rarely see. Return to hotel for dinner and overnight in the park.
After breakfast at the hotel, you will have a jeep transfer of about 9km, where you hike on jungle trails to crocodile swamp. This wetland is a beautiful lake surrounded by the jungle and home to many crocodiles. You will immerse yourself in the beauty of the diverse flora species found in the park. Take a break, view the peaceful natural landscapes, walk along with endless photos, return to the hotel, check out for a bike ride. We ride along Dong Nai River to Ta Lai Ethnic village, where you will explore the history and tradition of the Ma, Stieng, and Tay ethnic groups. Then we follow small tracks through rice paddies, volcano rocks and foothills. We keep on biking the undulating back road, past chilli pepper, coffee plantation and finally, we end up the ride at a rural village near high way—lunch en route. Return to Saigon in the late afternoon.
More Info
Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta, Vietnam, has complicated rural path network systems, well-developed and maintenance by governments. The region comprises 12 provinces: Long An, Dong Thap, Tien Giang, An Giang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau, along with the Mekong Delta Capital of Can Tho. All country back roads are asphalt, concrete paths connecting villages to villages as it's a rural transports. The rest are dirt tracks, so do not worry about exploring the Mekong Delta by bicycle, even you are a beginner. Depending on each province's regions, lowlands, or jungles, and rural villages, our hand-picked routes are the best for your biking trips. Mekong Bike Tours
Flexible route - The most important key is to your trip
You do not have to ride the exact kilometer distance as it's showing on the daily biking of each itinerary. It will be flexible as you want. Even you could choose the longest distance that more than 80km per day if a whole day ride. You could spend more time cycling if you think the biking distance is too short! Or you can enjoy short routes and spend more time taking photos, stopping at villages/ small markets, or the home of locals to find something interesting.
Throughout the Mekong Delta and its rivers with thousand branches! You will ride on various roads; flat trails, paths, rural roads, and country back roads where they are too small for vehicles. However, the Mekong Delta River network has natural creeks and canals that small ferry boats are such essential ways of travelling in the countryside, and riders have no choice!
Cycling routes
We tailor-make unique bike trips depend on the specific route and terrain of your tour. Vietnam Backroads is the first cycle tour operator to explore and build up many adventure trips to Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Rach Gia, Vi Thanh, Cao Lanh, and Sadec and remote villages. Our top cycle tour operator and the pathfinder are Mr Van, nicknamed "Van the man" Each cycling route has to be meticulously well-scouted, investigated, scouted out, and mapped out beforehand by Mr. Van the man. Our guides are licensed, well trained in bike maintenance and navigation and know all routes as they are on their hands. All bike guides can tailor a custom route suitable to your wish and levels of cycling skills.
How were the backup vehicles support cyclists on the trip?
Most routes are small, narrow, just wide enough for two bicycles OR mopeds. There are vehicles to support riders on the entire trip (van/minibus to take up all cyclists and truck to carry all bikes and spare bikes), but they are too big to drive on, follow riders along through the countryside. Do remember! All support vehicles are permanently closed and not far from the group. Where are the support vehicles during the trip? Depends on routes, vehicles sometimes move along the high roads, second highways, or country roads as close to riders as possible. If one of the riders wants to relax on A/C vehicle, the tour leaders will find the shortest route that leads he/she to the support vehicles that are always on standby. That is very easy and also the way Vietnam Backroads organized.
- The weather in Mekong Delta has two distinct seasons. Rainy season from May to last November, and the dry season from May to last April. The weather will be more relaxed from November to February. In general, the preferred travel time is from August to April in both the dry and wet seasons. It will be more humid, a little bit hot from May to July, and farmers start to make rice crops this time of the year. Travellers can take bicycle tours in the wettest months from the last of May to August because the rains usually come in short, heavy showers, mainly in the afternoon, and only lasts for an hour, then sunshine turns back to normal.
Private Support Vehicles
We organize cycling holidays, cycling adventure trips and mountain biking tours. All are flexible with luxury, fully air-conditioned vehicles to support riders on the entire journey. It depends on how many riders are in the group, and the vehicle support services will be well-arranged to satisfy your travels. There are air-conditioned 16-seat van/minibuses to take up all riders, luggage, and a truck to hold all bikes during the trip.
Every morning, the vehicles will transfer you out of the bustling city, and then you will ride to explore the stunning countryside, and you will back on the vehicles to avoid traffic in town when the daily's ride ends in the late afternoon.
Every 20 - 25 km, the support vehicles will be waiting at the high road if you are tired and really would love to ride on A/C van. Your guide will escort you to vehicles easily because many country back roads are linked to the main roadways where keeping vehicles are on standby.
Then you can relax on a support vehicle when others in the group can continue cycling as long as they wish! You will meet the others at the next point/ destination where you love to re-join the group and continue to ride.
All your luggage/ suitcase and day bags are safe on the vehicles and well kept by the company's drivers and its team.
2 to 4 riders in a group
There is only one A/C 16 seater van to take up all riders, luggage & suitcases, and bikes. There are four rows of seating for passengers on the A/C 16 seater van. Two people sit on each row. The third row is for luggage and suitcases. The last row of seats will be folded up, so all bikes will be uploaded here.
A medium group tour: from 5 to 7 people
There will be two vehicles to support riders on the entire trip. One 16 seater van to take up all riders, luggage & suitcases. Another truck to carry all bikes, spare bikes, tool kits, icebox to keep cold drinks, and so on
A large group tour: 8 to 14 people
One minibus to take up all riders, including luggage & suitcases, and one truck to carry all bikes, spare bikes, water, cold drinks, and snacks...Iceboxes
A group has more than 15 riders and more than 20 people
We provide two vans and one minibus, and one truck to escort large groups of riders and help ensure their safety. Our pro guide will motivate a team with support vehicles to bring the best services to riders.
27.5 Giant MTB bikes & Trek Hybrid Touring Bikes
1. There are 60 pro MTB bikes and hybrid MTB bikes and available in store and they are ready for all cycling tours
MTB Bikes for kids: wheel size 20", 24" with suspension seatpost. Kid heights: 120cm, 130cm, 145cm
Pro Giant Mountain Bike - 650B/ 27.5" wheel size
27.5" Pro mountain bikes are use for off-road cycling; on dirt track and hilly single track narrow paths and also country back roads.
27.5" wheel size and MTB tires 27.5" x 1.95 is the best choice and suitable and good for challenge and technical mountain biking.
1 - Good quality and lightweight Alloy MTB 27.5" frames
2 - 27.5" Rockshox XC30 , 100mm travel, manual lockout
3 - SR Gel saddle - Very soft and comfortable for riding
4 - Deore Shimano Group set
5 - Shimano hydraulic disc brake
6 - Shimano Deore hubs - 32 holes
7 - 27.5" Alexrims disc brake rims - 32 holes
8 - Maxxis Cross Mark 27.5 x 1.95 - Good quality and suitable for both on road and off-road riding
9 - Soft grips
10 - FSA sealed bearing headset
11 - Cycle Track, massive MTB flat pedals with sealed bearings
12 - All bikes are well-maintained by Mr Van and his team
2. There are 25 Trek hybrid mountain bikes available in our store. Hybrid bike tires 700 x 38- Good choice for a long trip: Saigon to Hanoi and Hanoi to Saigon
Hybrid bikes are use for an off-road cycling through countryside, dirt track and but working on muddy road. Its really good for touring a long trip, it moves faster and easier. Hybrid bike gives you an easy to pedal uphills, smooth bicycle riding on quiet concrete paths and country back roads. The best choice to challenge mountain and serious hills
1 - Good quality and lightweight alloy hybrid frame
2 - 29" Rockshox XC30 , 100mm travel, manual lockout
3 - SR Gel saddle - Very soft and comfortable saddle
4 - Deore Shimano Group set
5 - Shimano hydraulic disc brake
6 - Shimano Deore hubs - 32 holes
7 - 29" Alexrims touring rims, disc brake - 32 holes
8 - Schwalbe CX Comp 700 x 38 - Good quality and suitable for both off-road cycling and touring a long trip
9 - Soft grips
10 - FSA sealed bearing headset
11 - Cycle Track, massive MTB flat pedals with sealed bearings
12 - All bikes are well-maintained by Mr Van and his team
Biking to Nam Cat Tien
Thanks again for organizing a great trip on the weekend, many good memories and photos will be taken back to Australia with Mary and Carolyn. 29 Oct 2011