The Great Trails 7 days 7 nights

The Great Trails 7 days 7 nights is a motorbiking tour in Vietnam to the most splendid area of limestone mountains ranges and wonderful terraced paddy fields of Ba Be, Ha Giang and Sapa. Suitable to those who love adventure tours, and who prefer untouched areas and to explore customs of the hill tribes. Extremely attractive to picture-hunting travellers.

Destination:

Ba Be National Park - A wild treasure home to one of the biggest natural freshwater lakes in Asia
Bac Ha - Home of colourful markets rich of several ethnic minority groups
Ha Giang Province - Vietnam's final frontier rich of a multitude of ethnic cultures and stunning landscapes
Hanoi - Bustling capital city of Northern Vietnam
Sapa - Northwestern Vietnam's first trekking base through terraced rice fields

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Tour code: MTB06E
Duration: 7 days
Route: Hanoi - Ba Be - Bao Lac - Dong Van - Ha Giang - Bac Ha

Day 1: Hanoi - Ba Be Lake ~240 km (L/D)
- 07:30 am at your hotel. Before we kick off, we will spend about 30 minutes to check over the bikes and insure that we have all necessary tools and equipment to guarantee maximum fun all along the motorbike adventure tour. Today, there is not much to see en route, although this will be a great opportunity for you to test your biking abilities and get a feel for your bike (Russian Minsk).
  
  We will drive through Thai Nguyen city, keep moving through many other timeless villages linked to the road, which is the main artery of trade between the Northeast region and the Hanoi Capital. This is our first glimpse of rural Vietnam and sets the tone for the days ahead. Lunch on the way.
  
  Depending on traffic conditions, we will arrive at Ba Be Lake, in Ba Be National Park about midday. What is more to take a local boat trip to explore one part of Ba Be Lakes, visit Goa & Han Ma island then more cruise to the village. After arriving at our home stay in Bo Lu village, you are welcome by the host family of Tay people. Free time then to have shower, walk around the village. Dinner and overnight in Ba Be.
Day 2: Ba Be - Tinh Tuc - Bao Lac ~ 178km (B/L/D)
- Today, with a medium drive with more slopes but we will soon be enjoying the wonderful sightseeing of mountain, riding through villages. Lunch will be served on the way at a local restaurant then continue our journey to Bao Lac.
  
  Arrival at the town in the late afternoon. Check in hotel and free on your own leisure to have shower and rest. Dinner and stay overnight in Bao Lac.
Day 3: Bao Lac - Meo Vac - Dong Van ~ 96 km (B/ L/ D)
- After breakfast, we leave Meo Vac to Ha Giang. Remember to prepare your camera with lots of films for today since we will be hitting the Heaven – a more beautiful place, here we are surrounded by many rocks of all shapes and sizes, chances to see and even visit the traditional houses of the hill tribes here.
  
  The scenic route climbs over a pass, and then we descend down to Meo Vac valley, a beautiful valley situated very close to Chinese border. Have lunch in Meo Vac then we take time to climb over the Ma Pi Leng Pass where we can enjoy beautiful mountain ranges and the the Nho Que river – just an amazing place to be!
  
  We keep hitting the zigzag roads to Dong Van, visiting these remote areas, we will witness how hard the locals struggle with their environment for survival and development. We will stay in town to get the chances to visit the ancient streets with old houses of the H’mong made of clay bricks and tile roofs, built centuries ago. Sleep in Dong Van town.
Day 4: Dong Van - Yen Minh - Quan Ba - Ha Giang ~ 150 km (B/ L/ D)
- A leisurely drive from Dong Van, back to Yen Minh & Quan Ba, this day will make your itinerary a good pace, not in a rush. We will visit the infamous Vuong Palace, a H'mong family of high rank during French colonial rule - this palace attracts keen interest from architecturally minded visitors due to its mixed style of European and Chinese architecture.
  
  We then hit the road back to Quan Ba and down hill to Ha Giang for the night.
  
  Note: Quan Ba Sunday market is worth an arrangement!
Day 5: Ha Giang - Hoang Su Phi - Bac Ha ~ 209km (B/ L/ D)
- A long but stunning scenery along the zigzag road from Ha Giang to Bac Ha will make today a little busier, some parts of the road might be difficult to travel so make sure that you depart early this day from Ha Giang to arrive to Bac Ha in time before dark.
  
  Dinner and overnight in town.
  
  Note: Road from Ha Giang to Hoang Su Phi then Xin Man – Bac Ha can be bad and impossible to ride during the raining season, however a backup to travel to Bac Ha is already planned.
  
  ► Discover Ha Giang Province, a land of adventures
Day 6: Bac Ha - Sapa ~ 120km (L)
- We have this morning free in Bac Ha to roam around (if we are lucky on Sunday for the market). In the afternoon 3 hours drive to Sapa. Your free time to visit this tourist town and overnight in town.
Day 7: Explore Around Sapa - Night Train To Hanoi (B)
- We suggest to ride down hill to a village then leave your bike there then head out for some hours of trekking to Ta Phin or Ta Van village. We will ride to Lao cai train station (1,5 hours) in the late afternoon, our bikes are then loaded on the train before your own dinner in Lao Cai.
  
  Our train leaves at 8.15 pm in Sapa, then arrives in Hanoi at around 5a.m next morning. The Motorbiking Tour in North Vietnam ends at your hotel.

Tour Includes:

Motorbike jacket, rain gear, helmets
All petrol (gasoline)
Motorbikes: 1 bike per person - Honda XR150
Accommodation at ecolodges, hotels, homestays as mentioned
Experienced English-speaking guide
Meals as stated in the itinerary (B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner)
(Optional) Vegetarian and vegan food is available
Bottled water
All sightseeing tickets and travel permits on frontier
All Taxes and Fees
No extra charge after confirmation
24/7 hotline support guaranteed

Tour Excludes:

Personal expenses, tips and gratuities
Travel insurance
International flights and taxes
Beverage
Other personal expenses: drinks, souvenir, etc.

What To Take:

Pack essentials, including light comfortable clothes suitable for outdoor activities, comfortable walking shoes. Take a small day pack for hiking and trekking
It is essential to bring your passport on this trip. We also recommend packing: insect repellent, sun cream, raincoat and sun hat...

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Accommodation List

Please note that the hotels mentioned in this list are for reference only. Depending on availability and your preference, they can be changed. If we are unable to book any hotel, it will be replaced by another hotel at least of equivalent standard and value.

Sapa Village Hotel

Address: Alley 520 Dien Bien Phu, Sa Pa, Vietnam

The hotel stretches view to Ham Rong mountain and Sapa lake. Sapa Village Hotel has 7 levels - each is named after a village of Sapa such at Ta Van Village, Ta Phin Village, Cat Cat Village, Supan Village, Sin Chay Village...Most rooms overlook to the beautiful landscape of magnificent Ham Rong mountain and the legendary Fansipan, bring about the most stunning view to the center of Sapa town.

Lap Xuan Homestay

Address: Na Lo, Ta Chai, Bac Ha, Lao Cai

Located in Na Lo Community Tourism Village, 1.2km from Bac Ha Market. Lap Xuan Homestay offers peaceful accommodation in the midst of lush greenery, overlooking the plum valley, in the white flower season.

Hoa Cuong Hotel Dong Van

Address: Dong Van Town, Ha Giang Province

Hoa Cuong Hotel is located in the center of the ancient town of Dong Van district - Ha Giang, where the center of the Highland area of stone was recognized by UNESCO. The hotel opened in early 2015 is the most modern hotel in Ha Giang province

Mr Doan's Homestay

Address: Ha Thanh village, Phuong Do, Ha Giang City, Ha Giang Province

Visit Mr Doan, his wife and his two sons in a traditional stilts house of Tay ethnic minority group in North of Vietnam. He is a good chef and kind owner

Ba Be Jungle Houses

Address: Coc Toc village, Nam Mau commune, Ba Be district, Bac Kan province

A step up in amenities to Ba Be's homestays, this lakeside place in Coc Toc village takes the form of six small, spic-and-span, wood-panelled private rooms, and a dorm. Visitors are well looked after by friendly English-speaking staff.

Review

4 average based on 1 reviews.

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Bumble_beeszzz

Wrote a review 4 - 2023

7 day North West trip

Review of: The Great Trails 7 days 7 nights

Had a really good time on this trip. I believe I got to see a lot more than I would have if I had travelled independently.
Things I really enjoyed:
- Eating authentic, delicious Vietnamese food every day; my guide & driver ensured I had plenty of vegetarian options (but if you are super staunch just know that there will be meat options at every meal you have, for others to eat)
- Some beautiful hikes
- Some lovely accommodation, especially the homestay just out of Bac Ha
- The knowledge of my guide and the safe driving of Mr Bao (he has the best laugh)
- Spending a whole day without seeing a single other western tourist

Not so great:
- This is a pretty expensive trip if you are travelling solo
- Long trips in the car - not such a problem for me but as a practical tip be prepared for this and if you suffer from car sickness this may be an issue for you

Would recommend this tour to those who want to see a little more of the 'off the beaten track' but with the comfort and security of a private tour.

Date of experience: 4 2023

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The Great Trails 7 days 7 nights

Destination:

Tour Includes:

Tour Excludes:

What To Take:

Accommodation List

Sapa Village Hotel

Lap Xuan Homestay

Hoa Cuong Hotel Dong Van

Mr Doan's Homestay

Ba Be Jungle Houses

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