Pick up at your hotel and we start with a flight from Saigon to the minor central coast town of Chu Lai. Arriving just before lunch, the afternoon is free to rest, adjust and maybe explore this town where tourists are a rarity. We stay this evening in a pleasant small scale hotel.
Cycling starts with one of the highlight days of riding. We start with a visit to a fresh market where the fish come straight out of the Sea and into the baskets of this small market. As you are interested in their fish, the vendors will be just as interested in you and will be more than happy to pose for a photo, a real novelty in this well-off-the-beaten-path location. We ride dirt roads through sleepy fishing villages with friendly faces popping out to say hello. We then take a boat ride to reach Hoi An, a fitting way to enter this ancient port town.
An early start today takes us inland from Hoi An into the low hills of the hinterland. We ride on country trails through cornfields and small communities and by late morning reach the Cham Towers of My Son. This impressive collection of clay towers that still stand somewhat intact is the remnants of the once mighty Kingdom of Champa, a Hindu cultural group that ruled the southern coast of what is now Vietnam. After some time exploring the ruins, we have a bite to eat, then return to Hoi An where you can spend the afternoon exploring this heritage-listed town. Hoi An has a long history dating back as far as the first century but is known mostly for its role as a trading port for Chinese and Japanese sea merchants during the 17th and 18th centuries. The beauty of the town was miraculously spared the damage that many towns suffered during the American-Vietnam war and today Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed town that cannot be compared to anywhere else in Indochina. It is an intriguing, photogenic old town, located just a short distance from a beautiful beach where you can sit and sip a coconut.
Today is the most scenic day of the ride as we ride through Danang and then climb Hai Van Pass, a 10km long, winding road on a gradient averaging 5.8%. At the top, we enjoy some amazing views over the coast before we take the thrilling descent into the charming beachside town of Lang Co. Our resort this evening is right on the long beach with white powder sand.
Cycle through small back roads to the last Imperial capital of Vietnam, Hue. Along the way, we pass many cemeteries as this is considered a suitable place for burial by the ocean with a mountain backdrop. In addition to graves, there are a number of memorials for those who, in attempting to flee after the fall of Southern Vietnam, were taken by the ocean. Relatives who resettled in other countries have since returned to construct these memorials.
We explore Hue by bike and aside from the most well-known sites of the Forbidden City and Tu Duc’s Tomb, we will take in some lesser-known ones, to get a full picture of this much-visited, but under-explored city.
We take a morning flight to Hanoi. In the afternoon we walk the streets of this buzzing city with its constant clash of new and old and the continuing theme of delicious, plentiful food. The tour concludes at the door of your hotel.
Join in group departure dates: 8th and 28th monthly
Group sizes: From 2 to 16 cyclists
Tour Inclusive :
* Support transport by A/C minivan, bus, truck
* Trek & Giant MTB and helmets, spare parts, aid kits, tool kits
* Entrance fees, Boat trip on a tour
* B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner as mentioned in the tour itinerary
* For daily cycling only: Water, snacks, fresh fruits, wet towels
*Accommodation in the tour for 7 nights
* Experienced English-speaking bike guides
Tour Exclusive :
* Travel insurance
* Other personal expenses
* Drinks at restaurants and tips for guide and driver
* Accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi after day 7.