FANTASTIC GRAND NORTH LOOP 14 DAYS BY BIKE OF VIETNAM
14 days / 13 nights – Fantastic Grand North Loop 14 Days By Bike In Vietnam.
Booking code of Fantastic Grand North Loop 14 Days By Bike: BN1401
The video below has some portions of this fantastic Grand North Loop 14 days by bike in Vietnam. In case you want to watch more videos of our Vietnam motorbike tours please check our YouTube channel.
Day 1: Hanoi – Hang Kia. ~200 km, ~7 h.
Today is the first day of this fantastic Grand North Loop 14 days by bike. Before starting to ride, we will have a short briefing to let you know about the rules. In addition, the guide will show you how to understand him by his body language. We start around 9.30am after the rush hour.
Ride to the direction of the West. We pass through Hoa Binh town, then along the Laotian border on our left and Da (Black) river on our right. We leave the river in the mountainous cirque of Mai Chau to go up until the plateau of Mai Chau.
Multiple horizons in a range of green and grey. Before the plateau, we turn right toward the border until the H’mong village of Hang Kia, which accommodates us for the night.
Day 2: Hang Kia – Son La. ~200 km, ~8 h.
On good road looking high over distant mountains, we head up into a forested region populated by H’mong people before descending into a mountainous tea-growing region. Soon after we follow a long valley floor covered in a sea of rice surrounded by Black Thai villages all the way to Son La with its bargain-filled market. Sleep in a hotel.
Day 3: Son La – Lai Chau. ~200 km, ~8 h.
There are 15 passes in total. In general, you ride on very nice roads with a stunning landscape. Probably the most beautiful journey of the whole trip even the road is in poor condition. Sleep in Lan Anh Hotel.
Day 4: Lai Chau – Tam Duong. ~150 km, ~7 h.
In general, this is the most demanding and remote section of the drive which takes us upstream along the left side of a Black River tributary through the forest on a bumpy dirt road past isolated pockets of Tay, Thai, H’mong and Man peoples before breaching a pass to enter the Tam Duong plain, which is covered in shark’s teeth-like limestone karts. We would visit a Mang village near Sin Ho, the guide will buy some food to give to the head of the village, and he later distributes our donations to the villagers. We stay in a hotel.
Day 5: Tam Duong – Sapa. ~100 km, ~5 h.
Tam Duong market in the morning. There are colourful Montagnard groups living in Tam Duong: Black H’mong and Dzao. ~10am: beautiful ride at a low pace on the bumpy road to Sapa. We will have a big breakfast because there is nothing to eat on the way, just ourselves with the wildness. We stay O/N in Cat Cat Hotel.
Day 6: Sapa – Bac Ha. ~120 km, ~4 h.
The ride from Sapa to Bac Ha takes ~4 hours, down from Sapa to Lao Cai (34 km) and then up to Bac Ha (70 km) with a stunning landscape. We check in a hotel before having lunch. In the afternoon, we trek to Lung Phinh village of Flower H’mong people. Stay overnight in Bac Ha.
Day 7: Bac Ha – Xin Man. ~50 km, ~3 h.
Minor roads and tracks, we are lost in the mountain. Flower H’mong savagely imposes their bright colours in these wild vastness. This road allows us to have time to stop and admire the footpaths going through wild bushes. We can visit Can Cau market, located at the heart of a mountainous circus, and very close to the Chinese border. In particular, this is the place the ethnic groups on each side of the border meet every Saturday morning.
Day 8: Xin Man – Ha Giang. ~140 km, ~6 h.
Quiet road with the joys of riding through picturesque landscape along the Lo river. Superb. We need to obtain authorizations from the authorities of Ha Giang for riding in frontier areas. Then the following stages cross the mountainous territories of the frontier ethnic groups. In addition, it is necessary to show the white leg to penetrate there.
Day 9: Ha Giang – Bao Lac. ~140 km, ~7 h.
This is probably the best day of this fantastic Grand North Loop 14 days by bike.
In fact, the road is still under construction in some parts. However, the landscape is among the most beautiful in Vietnam. In fact, the slow tempo is only more appreciable.
We cross the wild regions of the mythical province of Ha Giang. Stop for the night with Guest-house of Bao Lac, ethnic crossroads of most significant. Many other ethnic groups on the two sides of the border meet at the market every Sunday.
Day 10: Bao Lac – Quang Hoa. ~150 km, ~5 h.
Still a superb stage, we dominate the area, through many passes. A very great diversity of landscapes, which makes it possible to forget the tiredness of this long crossing.
Lodging in our host house in a family of the Nung An people. Reward, our hostess is a true cordon-bleu cook.
Day 11: Quang Hoa. ~100 km, ~3 h (~30 km, ~1 h).
Option 1
Having obtained permission from the border police, we make our way through spectacular scenery to Vietnam’s most impressive waterfalls. Weather permitting we can swim right up to where the 50 m high falls hit the river.
Option 2
In reality, Na Tau is a completely unknown area that we propose to discover it by raft and motorbike. Rivers and waterfalls everywhere are extremely beautiful and wild. It is only 15 km from Quang Hoa.
Day 12: Quang Hoa – Ba Be. ~170 km, ~8 h.
In general, today is a beautiful ride from Cao Bang province to Ba Be. There are a few passes from where you can dominate the area. The road is easy but many curves. While riding, we can stop a lot of photos. Altogether, with stops for drinks and food, it should be an 8-hour journey. Finally, we spend the night in the house of our captain.
Day 13: Ba Be. Boating.
In general, today is easy boating on the lake and river. Then go to the market (if it is the day you arrive). Stop at a waterfall, beautiful swim, etc. Ong pirate, the chief of Dau Dang waterfall where we enjoy dinner. Down the waterfall, we could visit the village and a small school (only a few pupils during the summer). Finally, we propose to stay in the stilt house of forest guards.
Day 14: Ba Be – Hanoi. ~240 km, ~8 h. End of Fantastic Grand North Loop 14 Days By Bike.
In fact, today’s ride is quite a long ride but easy (so early departure is better) from Ba Be to Hanoi 240 km.
We try to arrive in Hanoi before 5pm to avoid rush hours. Otherwise, you should be good with city traffic from the experience you got over the last days.
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