Excursion
Biking 5 days to Cuc Phuong - Tam Coc - Hai Phong - Ha Long
Explore Tam Coc holidays and discover the best time and places to visit. It is famous for its scenic ocean karts landscapes and pristine natural beauty. Enjoy the peaceful countryside, panorama views along rivers. Tam Coc, a mystical scenic area that is the perfect place for a boat trip. Discover the best attractions in Cuc Phuong National Park, including Endangered Primate Rescue Center, Turtle Conservation Center. Ha Long Bay situated in the Gulf of Tonkin, includes some 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by a human presence. Its great biological interest complements the site's outstanding scenic beauty.
Be ready to go at 7:30 am after breakfast in the hotel. The vehicle transfers us to Xuan Mai, southwest of Hanoi. Unload all bikes and adjusting saddles before today' ride starts. Ride on the back road, passing many peaceful villages, local markets, temples and pagodas, rice paddy fields, beautiful countryside of Huong Son. After lunch, we continue riding across the bridge and cycle on paved road, passing rice paddy and countryside village to Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve. Enjoy beautiful limestone mountainous scenery and quaint villages before transferring to Cuc Phuong National Park in the late afternoon.
A great day ride and fantastic scenery along with the ways with many highlights; Cuc Phuong national park, pineapple plantations and a loop ride to explore the scenic beauty of Tam Coc, visit many caves, Bich Dong Temple. Enjoy one hour and a half on a small rowing boat (as usual – many stops for photos could take 2 hours) to admire beautiful through rice fields and limestone karsts, caves of Tam Coc. After breakfast, we ride through the rainforest to the heart of the national park so we will discover nature life, a fantastic variety of wildlife. We are stopping at Endangered primates Resued Center, many species of animals. Then we continue cycling on the paths to Tam Diep and transfer to Tam Coc for lunch. After lunch, we will explore mountainous villages to admire the magnificent limestone of Tam Coc before one hour and a half of relaxing on a rowing boat. Then we carry on our cycling adventure on tracks to Ninh Binh city.
Phat Dien Cathedral, Keo pagoda and the Red River Delta region are the highlights of your ride of today. After a short transfer takes you to the outskirts of Ninh Binh town and all will get back to bicycle again. Lovely paths and single trails through beautuful villages allow us to enjoy green ride paddy fields and beautiful landscapes along the way. There will be many stops at some pagodas, local markets. The architecture of Phat Diem church, built in stone in 1892, is a blend of Vietnamese and European architectural styles called the "eclectic architectural style". Although a church, it was made with pagoda type roofs in traditional Vietnamese temple architecture. The delta has the smallest area but the highest population and population density of all regions. A network of dikes well protects the part measuring some 15,000 square km. It is an agriculturally rich area and densely populated. Most of the land is devoted to rice cultivation. Stay a night in Thai Binh, the capital of the Red River Delta.
The Red River Delta region is small in comparison with Mekong Delta in South Vietnam. Soils are very fertile, so most countryside we ride through are farmlands. First, we ride through rice paddies, vegetable fields, ferry crossings the river, and then follow the country road along the river. We ride across through the rich fertile soil farmlands, tobacco fields to Vinh Bao. We'll visit the oldest water Pupet Theatre and enjoy lunch in town before cycling to Tien Lang. We'll finally get on the vehicle to transfer to Hai Phong.
There is only a half-day ride in the morning. After your breakfast at the hotel, our private vehicle takes us to the riverside. A publish ferry takes us to further side to enjoy a leisurely ride on country back roads and villages, passing vegetable fields. It depends on our cycling ability and how fast we are! The tour leader will figure out a transfer to Ha Long, on arrival at the harbour at noon.
12.30: Arrive at Paloma office in Halong City. Get on the boat and check in cabin
13.30: Have lunch while cruising to magnificent Bai Tu Long Bay. We start sailing among the famous Islets of Bai Tu Long Bay.
15.15 - 15.40: Visit and explore the Thien Canh Son Cave and do Kayaking.
18.00: Sunset party
19.00: Having dinner and overnight on the boat.
20.30: Join Squid fishing with the crew or relax or enjoy some drinks on Sundeck with Happy Hour.
Overnight on Oriental Sails
06.00: Starting your day with Tai Chi while complimentary tea & coffee are served.
07.00: Enjoy the breakfast
07.45 - 09.00: Exploring Vung Vieng Fishing Village to discover the daily life of the fisher communities by bamboo boat (one hour). Short visit to the Pearl Farm to learn how natural pearls are grown.
10.00: Check out the cabin, then return to the dining room for Vietnamese cooking class.
10.30: Have lunch.
11.45: Arrive at Hon Gai Harbour. Get on the bus or private car to get back to Hanoi.
16.30: You will arrive at your hotel. The trip ends.. Tour End!
Two third of the mainland of the country are mountain ranges, tropical forests, remote hillsides, and valleys in northern Vietnam with sparse population. Most small towns, cities in the northwest and far north near the Laos border, and the Chinese are homes to hill tribes. Most rural gravel roads and dirt tracks are the primary means of transport for locals due to peak mountain ranges, slopes, deep valleys, and sparsely populated. Many roads are closed to traffic because of rivers, streams and high mountains, while the minor and high roads are less traffic. Mountain biking tours in northern Vietnam are on-road and off-road, and fewer off-roads in rural Districts where rural roads are unsafe and dangerous.
Hanoi and North Vietnam have two distinct winter and summer seasons. The relaxed but primarily dry winter lasts from November to April when temperatures average 17-22°C, the coldest months being December to February. With hot and humid, summer lasts from May to October, and the highest rainfall is from May to August.
In the Northeast, the rainy season usually occurs in May and will end in August with heat and low humidity, while the Far North begins from June to August. The rainy season is from June to August in the Far North, and the cold winter is from December to February.
North West and Far North Vietnam's agricultures depend on the wet season, particularly rice crops on terraces. Rice plants need plenty of water to grow and develop themselves. The yearly rice crop in North West and the Far North is only one crop and will begin after the first rainy month to make the soil more workable before seeding starts. The different times to seed the rice plants are from 2 weeks, depending on locations, high or low terraces, how much water is from raining or getting from streams and rivers.
The best time to explore North West & Far North Vietnam is the farming season, not at the beginning, with too many rains and young seeling rice plants only. From the early September to last October are the harvest seasons. Here are the opportunities for travellers to admire stunning colourful rice terraced fields, lush country farms, green rainforests, waterfalls, and vast vegetations. Travellers also meet hill tribes on farms and their homes.
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.
Giant MTB & Trek Hybrid MTB Bikes & Gears
Trek Hybrid MTB Bikes - Wheelsize 700c x45/1.95 - Gravel tires
Giant MTB Bikes - Wheelsize 27.5 x 1.95
