This north Vietnam 8 day motorcycle tour from Hanoi offers a full chance to taste Ha Giang, Ba Be National Park, Ba Be lake, Mai Chau valley, and Sapa… They are the most attractive destinations in north Vietnam. You will have a great album of the stunning landscape of the mountainous region and colorful hill tribes after an 8-day riding motorbike in northern Vietnam with the experienced local team of Saigon Riders. This is one of the most picked in our Vietnam Motorcycle Tours Collection.

Destination: Hanoi – Ba Be Lake – Meo Vac – Dong Van – Ha Giang – Sapa – Than Uyen – Mu Cang Chai – Phu Yen – Mai Chau – Moc Chau

Please click here to view the route!

Day 1:  Hanoi  – Ba Be Lake: 240 km

This great motorcycle tour to the north of Vietnam starts at around 8 aM. We try the best to avoid busy city roads in the morning until Cho Chu town( in Thai Nguyen province) where we have lunch. After lunch, we surely have an enjoyable motorcycle ride to Ba Be because the roads have less traffic and give you a lot of grand mountain views. At about 4 PM. We arrive at Pac Ngoi – a beautiful village of Tay people located peacefully at Ba Be lake’s side. Diner and stay with the Tay’s family.

Having been formed approximately 200 million years ago, the lake is surrounded by limestone cliffs, which in turn are covered by primary forests. The lake comprises three zones named Pé Lầm, Pé Lù, and Pé Lèng. Three rivers, named Năng, Tả Han, and Nam Cường, are the main inflows of the lake. The Năng river enters the lake through a large waterfall called Đầu Đẳng. In the lake, there are also three islands, named Án Mã, Khẩu Cúm, and Po Gia Mải (literally “Widow’s Island”).
Ba Bể Lake is a featured geographical science and is a biodiversity reservoir. It is a part of the Ba Be National Park.
It is home to a range of animals and plants.

 Day 2:  Babe Lake  –  Meo Vac:   170 km

Saying goodbye to the family, we’ll ride the motorbike on the back-roads through some rustic villages and the jungle. Then we motorbike across some streams. This promise to be a great day for off-road Vietnam motorbike tour. We will stop in Bao Lac town for lunch and then continue the beautiful North Vietnam 8 day motorcycle tour to Meo Vac by taking a scenic route climbs over many Passes where we can enjoy beautiful mountain ranges and the Nho Que river.  Arrive at Meo Vac by 5.00 PM. Dinner in town, Hotel stay.

Meo Vac Town is located in the heart of the Dong Van Rock Plateau, which was recognized as part of the Global Geo-Park Network in 2009, the Dong Van old quarter is home to age-old and unique architecture near Ha Giang Province’s border with China. Therefore, the Motorbike tour to Ha Giang, Dong Van is always the best choice of the motorcyclists.

Day 3: Meo Vac  –  Ha Giang:   180 Km

Today’s ride promises to be the highlight of this motorcycle trip in north Vietnam as we will visit one of the most remote lands in Vietnam where we can see many ethnic groups with their unique cultures and imposing mountains such as Pi Leng Pass – one of the 4 longest and most beautiful passes in North Vietnam, the Rock Plateau, the Vuong palace in Dong Van, The “Heaven Gate” in Quan Ba. This is for sure the best motorbike ride in Vietnam with many interesting and amazing things in every meter of the road.  Arrive Ha Giang in the late afternoon.

Dinner and stay with the other Tay’s family or stay in a hotel in Ha Giang city

Ha Giang, 300 km away from Hanoi, located at the highest latitude in Vietnam. It is surrounded by Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, and Yen Bai. It shares a border with China in the north. Many ethnic minorities, including the Dao, H’mong, Tay, and Nung, live in Ha Giang province Vietnam.

Day 4: Ha Giang   –   Sa Pa:   220km

Today we head straight towards the North-western mountain where the main Fanxipan Mountain range dominates the road until Sapa. The road is very smooth with a good view of green mountain, rice fields between lovely villages of the hill tribes. After a short break in Lao Cai to see the Chinese border, we will have a very beautiful motorbike ride up to Sapa. This motorbike ride is up and up to 1.600 meters above sea level. It offers a great view of the mountain with terrace fields and it must be one of the best motorbike rides in North Vietnam.

Arrive in Sapa at around 5: 00 pm, overnight at hotel in Sapa.

Day 5:  Sapa   –  Mu Cang Chai:   150 km

You are free to explore Sapa until 1.00 PM, check out the hotel and we continue the route to Than Uyen, we will make a splendid climb up from Sapa to the top of the highest road pass in Vietnam (Tram Ton Pass). Crossing into Lai Chau Province at over 2000m above sea level. This is a short motorbike ride but could be the most enjoyable motorbike tour from Sapa. The ride offers you an amazing view of the Hoang Lien mountain ranges for miles and miles. We arrive in Mu Cang Chai by 5.00 PM,

Dinner and overnight in a hotel or doing home-stay with the Tay family.

Day 6: Mu Cang Chai –  Phu Yen:    190 km

We keep riding up and down into a forested and high mountain region populated by H’mong peoples. We will hike up a very high mountain pass before descending into a mountainous tea-growing region. Soon after we follow along the valley floor covered in a sea of rice surrounded by Hmong and Thai villages all the way to Phu Yen. Especially, after lunch in Tu Le – a famous land for terrace fields so the ride through the villages and rice terraces. This is another highlight of this Motorcycle tour North Vietnam.

Arrive Phu Yen town at 5:00 Pm. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 7: Phu Yen – Mai Chau Valley    160 km

It is a short motorbike tour to Mai Chau valley, but it’s also an enjoyable motorbike ride! It offers some different views from the days before with different hill tribes. Right after Phu Yen town, we will have a great ride along the Da River lake on the winding road between the river lake and mountains. it is likely a motorcycle tour on the coastline in central Vietnam.  After crossing the Da river by a ferry, we will motorcycle up and up to Moc Chau plateau where we stop for lunch. After lunch, we’ll make a turn to the quiet mountain road named Hua Tat – it’s built by the French during wartime and nowadays, it seems like a forgotten so the short ride to Mai Chau is also the best part of the Northern Vietnam Motorbike Tour.

Arrive Mai Chau at 4:30 PM. Stay in Poom-coong village of the Thai people – Homestay.

Day 8: Mai Chau – Hanoi. – 170km

Having a short walk around the villages of the Thai people in the morning, feel the peaceful life of the locals by walking around the valley and then start the motorbike ride back to Hanoi at around 9 AM. After 2 beautiful mountain passes – Thung Khe and Doc Cun we will have lunch and then join the high way back to Hanoi. We will be back to the hotel before rush hours in order to end the 8 day motorbike tour in north Vietnam safely.

The post North Vietnam 8 day motorcycle tour to Ha Giang, Ba Be lake, Mai Chau valley and Sa pa appeared first on SAIGON RIDERS.

Get ready!

Day 1: Saigon to Dong  Xoai, via Cuchi tunnels

Leave bustling Saigon behind, head to the back roads in the northwest of the city by riding following our Saigon Riders guide. On the way, you will see how the Saigoneer manages to go to work by motorbike in this amazing traffic. You also will understand the chaotic order of sharing the road. Leaving the city behind you will enter the beautiful countryside to discover that Cuchi is not only about the tunnels. No other tour will take you out through this scenic countryside. And you will continue on by driving along dirt trails zigzagging through villages, rubber plantations, and rice paper drying fields.

Not interested in the tunnels? No worries, we can skip it. It will save more time for the off-road parts of this three-day motorcycle tour from Saigon. We keep our ride through the rubber plantation to Dong Xoai city for an overnight stay in the hotel.

Day 2: Dong Xoai to Nam Cat Tien

We have some selections of the route today, depending on your riding skills and weather. But all the routes provide a very challenging run today with single trails through cashew plantations, crossing streams.

After lunch, we’ll cut through the agricultural bounty of this part of Vietnam – cashew, rubber and coffee plantations before heading through the pleasant rural town of Da Te. Nam Cat Tien is the overnight destination for day two of our three-day motorcycle tour from Saigon. On the way, we’ll take some back roads through remote rural ethnic villages to take in some spectacular and diverse landscapes. A solid day’s ride followed by a good meal and a welcome night’s rest.

Day 3: Nam Cat Tien – Saigon

The day starts with a quick breakfast on the edge of Cat Tien National Park before we continue our dirt bike tour from Saigon. It’s a rich lowland tropical forest and biosphere reserve in southern Vietnam which protects a variety of breathtaking flora, birds as well as animals including Asian elephants, sun bears, gaurs, and a variety of smaller mammals. We’ll have to leave visiting Nam Cat Tien for another day and instead concentrate our energies on more important matters which are your goals for today: enjoying the trail riding and managing not to fall off your bike!

The area surrounding Nam Cat Tien provides very challenging muddy and slippery trails in the rainy season. In the dry season, dirt riders also find challenges in conquering the tracks through cashew plantations and stream crossings. After negotiating these obstacles we’ll continue on past Tri An lake and return to Ho Chi Minh before the traffic on the way back becomes chaos in rush hour

A mix of off-road and on-road, a dirt bike tour ride with family, friends, and colleagues to Nam Cat Tien and back is a great taste of the muddy tracks and dusty trails in thick jungle and diverse rural settings.

No pain no gain! More adventurous motorbike tours (Vietnam) are waiting for you!

Price:
-Group of one: 260 USD/Day
-Group of two: 180 USD/Day/Person
-Group of three: 170 USD/Day/Person
-Group from four: 160 USD/Day/Person

What’s included:

• High-quality Japanese 250cc motorbikes with spare parts.
• Guide, gasoline, B&B accommodation (double/twin shared room, extra $40/night for the single room), entrance fees, all meals, and water.

What’s excluded:

• Bike damage (e.g. broken levers, heavily bent rims/handlebars/frame, broken or cracked headlight, burnt-out clutch plates due to improper gear use……).
• Insurance, emergency transportation. Bike transportation by truck in case of being heavily damaged.
• Tips to guide.

See the route here:

The post Three day motorcycle tour from Saigon to Dong Xoai and Nam Cat Tien appeared first on SAIGON RIDERS.

Tour just runs on the weekday and for pillion passengers only!

Inclusions: Guide, manual motorbike, driver, entrance fees, cold water throughout, and a great insight into the contrasting lifestyles of Saigon.

Exclusions: Insurance, emergency transportation, personal expenses. Tips to guide

This Saigon city tour, the Beyond Contrasts of Saigon, is perfect for those who have already had a regular city tour and yearn to see more different things, different areas of the city, and want to get out of the comfort zone that a simple city tour provides.

Highlights:

• A visit to a short tunnel close by the city center which the Vietcong used as their base in the early stage of the war.
• A stopover at Giac Lam, one of the oldest pagodas in the city. It was built at a time when Saigon was a promised land for all the immigrants and refugees from the north.
• A stop to witness the vibrant liveliness of Chinatown, checking out the bustling wholesale market and side markets that service other sectors of the economy like motorbike spare parts or haberdashery to name a few.
• Somewhere in the cacophony of scooter and motor vehicle traffic, not far from the modern downtown, many locals still live a very traditional lifestyle, typical of many generations of recent immigrants to the city. In nearby District 8, we will explore the low land district with its many small stilt houses located along the canal to the Sai Gon River. The insight to these conditions will amaze you and as we leave you’ll see how much of a contrast it is to the comfortable lifestyle in the newly built luxury residences in District 7.
• The journey to the contrasts of Saigon continues to the home of an admirable family that dug a secret bunker in their house to hide ammunition for suicide attacks on the nearby Presidential Palace by Viet Cong during the Tet Offensive in 1968.

Saigon Riders – Providing off-road tours with amazing trails and riding experts in Vietnam

Hotline: +84 919 767 118

Website: saigonriders.com

Facebook: Saigonriderstours

The post Saigon city tour – Beyond contrasts of Saigon appeared first on SAIGON RIDERS.

Tour starts at 8.30 am at our location and ends at around 4 pm at our location in Tan Binh district

Highlights

• Stunning Saigon off-road ride suitable for all rider levels
• Amazing scenic rural
• Delicious local beef dishes

What’s included:

– Saigon Riders English speaking guide.
– Saigon Riders’ motorcycles (Kawasaki KLX 250s or Honda CRF 250L including gasoline).
– Lunch. Saigon Riders can cater for vegetarian requirements – talk to us about any other special dietary needs

What’s excluded:

– Bike damage (e.g. broken levers, heavily bent rims/handlebars/frame, burnt out clutch plates due to improper gear use).
– Insurance, emergency transportation.
– Tips to guide.

Itinerary:

Our guide will see you at our location in Tan Binh district at 8 am. Then let follow your Saigon Riders guide at 8.30 am to head to the Saigon off-road. On the way, you will see how the Saigon locals manage to negotiate their ride to work in the heaving traffic as well as understand the chaotic order of sharing the road. We’ll escape that and take you out through the scenic Saigon country trails and continue on by driving along paths zigzagging through villages.

Along the country trails, there are numerous interesting places on the way that are worth stopping over. These are rice noodle drying fields, farms, plantations… The riding is long and tough, so it’s a good opportunity to take a break in some of these places to explore the locals’ life, productions, and of course to hydrate.

This Saigon dirt bike tour will take you to the picturesque scenic rural on the left bank of Saigon river, a sea of green color everywhere you look to the endless horizon. As usual, we stop anywhere and you can shoot at will.

As we pass by the Cuchi firing range, you will have the opportunity to fire a range of assault rifles or machine guns.

Please note that shooting range costs are outside of the inclusions on this Saigon surrounds by dirt bike tour.

This off-road tour stops at a nearby restaurant where beef is the main highlight. It is a good chance to explore local cuisine such as barbecue steak, crispy rice with five-spiced beef with a variety of mints. What could be better than sitting back, checking out some photos taken in the bike ride while waiting for your steak, and enjoying an icy cold Saigon beer!

A mix of off-road and on-road, a dirt bike ride with family, friends, and colleagues to Saigon country trails and back is a great taste of the muddy tracks and dusty paths in diverse rural settings.

No pain no gain! More adventurous motorbike tours (Vietnam) are waiting for you!

Additional information

• This motorcycle tour requires an adventurous spirit and a strong backside.
• Sturdy outdoor clothing and footwear is recommended.

• Tips for tour guide/driver are highly appreciated

The post Saigon surrounds by dirt bike appeared first on SAIGON RIDERS.

– day central Vietnam motorcycle tour brief itinerary:

Day 1: Hoi An/ Da Nang – Hue: 130km

Day 2: Hue to Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park: 230 km

Day 3: Discover The Phong Nha National Park: 70 km ride

Day 4: Phong Nha – Khe Sanh: 220km

Day 5: Khe Sanh – Prao: 190km

Day 6: Prao – Kon Tum: 270km

Day 7: Kon Tum to Quang Ngai: 210km

Day 8: Quang Ngai – Da Nang/Hoi An: 180km

Detailed itinerary:

Day 1: Hoi An or Da Nang – Hue: 130km

Our local guide will see you at 8:00 am, then start the 8 days central Vietnam motorcycle tour after fitting the bikes, helmets, and strapping the bags…We will head up North of Hoi An to visit the Marble Mountains, explore caves, pagoda on the mountains, and sculptures which were made by hand from passion stone. We will take you along the My Khe beach which has been voted the most beautiful beach on the planet.

Then to Hai van pass, from here we can admire the beautiful panorama and enjoy the most beautiful scenery in Vietnam. We will then go down the mountain to visit an amazing lagoon as well to see the Oyster farm. You can choose foods for lunch at the floating restaurant or on the beautiful beach without tourists as well as have lunch here. We will then ride along quiet roads, stop to see the mushroom farm make by rice tree, see farmers working with fresh air and beautiful scenery filling the senses, and stopping to take pictures via Tam Giang lagoon with beautiful views before to Hue. Stay in a standard hotel.

Day 2: Hue to Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park: 230 km

It’s a long ride today and it must be the highlight of this central Vietnam motorcycle tour, it offers plenty of stops at the historical relics besides some coastline motorbike ride and smooth Ho Chi Minh roads. The first stop is in Quang Tri citadel which suffered 81 days and nights of firebombing in 1972. We will follow small roads through the countryside before to Vinh Moc Tunnels, where an entire village went underground in 1960 to survive the bombing.

Amazing built-in wells, kitchens, and rooms for each family. Then onto the Hien Luong bridge was the border of Northern and Southern Vietnam in 1954. In the afternoon we will start the Ho Chi Minh trail motorcycle tour on the eastern side before arriving Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park. Stay in a guest house.

Day 3: Discover The Phong Nha National Park: 70 km ride

It’s an easy and enjoyable day to explore Phong Nha National Park, we’ll take a morning motorbike ride to the Paradise limestone cave, Asia’s longest limestone cave. After a traditional Vietnamese lunch at the National Park’s restaurant, you can wander around the grotto systems or swim in Chay River.

Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park comprises an area of 85,754 ha and contains terrestrial and aquatic habitats, primary and secondary forest, sites of natural regeneration, tropical dense forests and savanna and is rich in large, often spectacular and scientifically significant caves. It’s short to spend just one day here but we hope the experience we have today at the park will make this Vietnam motorbike tour from Hoi An become much more interesting.

Day 4: Phong Nha – Khe Sanh : 220km

As a specialist for motorcycle touring in Vietnam, we’re able to take you on the remote western branch of the Ho Chi Minh Highway through majestic limestone karst and spectacular old-growth jungle. Words are not enough to describe the interest of this ride on the historical western Ho Chi Minh trail, We’re sure that you will wish the road have been longer. At the end of the motorbike ride, we’ll have an interesting stop at the Khe Sanh museum that was built on the former battlefield it another high point to make this become the best motorcycle touring day in Vietnam.

Day 5: Khe Sanh – Prao: 190km

After leaving Khe Sanh, we’ll continue the motorbike tour on the Ho Chi Minh trail. We today will visit a lot of different hill tribes along the trail, stop for swimming in the waterfall then

go to visiting minority village out near the town of Ta Rut we will visit the Co Tu, Pa Co minority people and walk through their village and one of the longest and most stunning passes in Vietnam while traveling on a new and quiet road, amazing scenery of primitive forests in the imposing Truong son mountain range. You will be surprised by the jungle, mountains, and the quietness. Stay in a guest house.

Day 6: Prao – Kon Tum: 270km

It’s a big but great day of this central Vietnam motorcycle tour, we’ll keep riding on the Ho Chi Minh road to highlands where you can learn about the Vietnam War before 1975 and visit more interesting villages of the ethnic people as well as enjoy the breath-taking nature of the area. Then along the way to visit other ethnic minority villages such as Xơ Đăng, Bana,… to learn about their traditions, cultures. Stay overnight in the hotel in Kon Tum.

Day 7: Kon Tum to Quang Ngai: 210km

It’s another big day of the tour but it offers different things and the view from what you’ve experienced on the days before because it will no longer ride a motorbike on Ho Chi Minh trail but motorcycling mostly on the mountain passes and countryside back-road…We’ll visit beautiful Mang Den waterfall, stop for a relax and swimming, motorbiking through villages of the hill tribes and crossing the Violac pass with 1300m high also it’s a border of Kon Tum and Quang Ngai, it’s another highlight of this 8-day motorcycle tour from Hoian Vietnam. Stay overnight in the hotel.

Day 8 : Quang Ngai – Da Nang/Hoi An: 180km

We’ll start the final day of this great central Vietnam motorcycle tour from the early morning because we’ll have a long and busy day of visiting historical sites and crossing the water by ferry.

The first stop is the famous My Lai village where the American troops had a mass killing of between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam in 1968, after that we’ll have enjoyable motorbike ride on the coastlines, crossing by local ferry go on a small island with many shrimp Lake of a local family, take another local ferry to go on small roads along seaside before heading to Da Nang. We’ll end the tour and say goodbye to the team of Saigon Riders in Da Nang or Hoi An at around 4:30 pm.

Price:
-Group of one: 260 USD/Day
-Group of two: 180 USD/Day/Person
-Group of three: 170 USD/Day/Person
-Group from four: 160 USD/Day/Person

What’s included:

• High-quality Japanese 250cc motorbikes with spare parts.
• Guide, gasoline, B&B accommodation (double/twin shared room, extra $40/night for the single room), entrance fees, all meals, and water.

What’s excluded:

• Bike damage (e.g. broken levers, heavily bent rims/handlebars/frame, broken or cracked headlight, burnt-out clutch plates due to improper gear use……).
• Insurance, emergency transportation. Bike transportation by truck in case of being heavily damaged.
• Tips to guide.

The post 8 day central Vietnam motorcycle tour appeared first on SAIGON RIDERS.

Saigon Riders will guide you on this 2-day motorbike tour (Vietnam) and provide you with the best dirt bike tour experience. It is suitable for all rider levels and aimed at those who do not have enough time for a long ride but still want to challenge their skills.

Highlights

• Challenging off-road, trails, off the beaten tracks under thick jungle canopies
• Riding through farmlands, plantations
• Local cuisines, overnight stay on the bank of Dong Nai river

Price:
-Group of one: 260 USD/Day
-Group of two: 180 USD/Day/Person
-Group of three: 170 USD/Day/Person
-Group from four: 160 USD/Day/Person

Tour includes:

• Guide, 250cc dirt bikes, gasoline, B&B accommodation (double/twin shared room, extra $40 for the single room), entrance fees, all meals, and water.

Tour excludes:

• Bike damage (e.g. broken levers, heavily bent rims/handlebars/frame, broken or cracked headlight, burnt-out clutch plates due to improper handling……)
• Insurance, emergency transportation, and related costs. Bike transportation by truck in case of heavily damaged, burnt-out clutch plates…
• Alcohol drinks
• Tips to guide.

Get ready? Here is the detailed itinerary:

Following your Saigon off-road tour guide, you’ll leave bustling Ho Chi Minh behind and head to the back roads. On the way, you will see how the Saigon locals manage to negotiate their ride to work in the heaving traffic as well as understand the chaotic order of sharing the road. In this motorbike tour (Vietnam), we’ll escape that and take you out through the scenic countryside and continue by driving along dirt trails zigzagging through villages, and rubber plantations.

Day 1: Saigon to Nam Cat Tien

The route will take us north of Saigon up through Ma Da jungle with all the hidden trails and Dinh Quan district at the lower reaches of the Central Highlands.

Lunch on the way is at a restaurant where dear, wild boar are the main highlight. It is a good chance to explore local cuisines such as barbecue dear, wild boar, and a variety of herby mints. Sit back checking out some photos taken on the morning offroad ride while waiting for your steak and enjoying an icy-cold drink!

After lunch, we’ll cut through the agricultural bounty of this part of Vietnam – cashew, gum trees, and orange plantations before crossing Dong Nai river to our lodge in  Nam Cat Tien. On the way, we’ll take some back roads through remote rural ethnic villages to take in some spectacular and diverse landscapes. A solid day’s ride followed by a good meal and a welcome night’s rest.

Have a look at a short video of this 2 day’s dirt bike tour to Nam Cat Tien park and surrounds

Day 2: Nam Cat Tien to Saigon

The day starts with a quick breakfast on the edge of Cat Tien National Park before we continue our dirt bike tour. It’s a rich lowland tropical forest and biosphere reserve in southern Vietnam which protects a variety of breathtaking flora, birds as well as animals including Asian elephants, sun bears, gaurs, and a variety of smaller mammals. We’ll have to leave visiting Nam Cat Tien for another day and instead concentrate our energies on more important matters which are your goals for today: enjoying the trail riding and managing not to fall off your bike!

The area surrounding Nam Cat Tien provides very challenging muddy and slippery trails in the rainy season. In the dry season, dirt riders also find challenges in conquering the tracks through cashew plantation and stream crossings.  After negotiating these obstacles we’ll continue on past Tri An lake and return to Ho Chi Minh with arrival on Sunday evening.

A mix of off-road and on-road, a dirt bike tour ride with family, friends, and colleagues to Nam Cat Tien and back is a great taste of the muddy tracks and dusty trails in thick jungle and diverse rural settings.

No pain no gain! More adventurous motorbike tours (Vietnam) are waiting for you!

See the route here:

The post 2 day dirt bike tour to Nam Cat Tien park and surrounds appeared first on SAIGON RIDERS.

This Vietnam dirt bike tour hits the countryside roads to get to the central highlands first then continue down to the coastal town of Mui Ne instead of taking the dreary, tiresome main highways. The off roads around and through plantations, reservoir lakes, jungles, and highlands passes will definitely give you a vista into the natural beauty of Vietnam.

Day 1: Saigon – Nam Cat Tien National Park, 182km

Getting out of busy Ho Chi Minh, the first highlight of your 4 day Vietnam dirt bike tour is the off-roads surrounding Nam Cat Tien National Park.

A ferry brings us to the other side of the Dong Nai River for our drive on to and around Tri An lake. This lake is one of the largest lakes in Vietnam and was built for producing hydropower.

We take the back roads through the jungle of Ma Da. Here, we have an opportunity to explore the tunnels of Duong Minh Chau, which were the base of the Viet Cong in the 60s.

Next, you continue your Vietnam the dirt bike tour on smaller roads through the fertile natural reserve before you get on another ferry taking us to nearby Nam Cat Tien National Park. This biodiversity park hosts many rare mammals, birds, reptiles, and flora.

This section may prove to be the toughest of the trip. No worries about photo stops and lunch. We know you are on vacation, so we offer a very relaxed trip with many photo opportunities. Whenever you need to eat or rest, we will arrange it!  Overnight in a lodge next to the park.

Day 2: Nam Cat Tien – Da Lat, 182 kms

On your Vietnam dirt bike tour today, we head to the highlands where tea and coffee plantations dominate the area. The route will take us through some minority villages that rely heavily on growing and harvesting these staples.

Meandering along trails, through and around waterways, the plantations to and from Da Pal lake is a highlight for the dirt bike ride today

We’ll take an overnight stop in Dalat city before tomorrow’s descent to the coast.

Day 3: Downhill to Mui Ne, 160 kms

After breakfast, we take a stunning winding drive down to the coast to the oceanfront town of Mui Ne.

The trip certainly can stop at vegetable and flower farms, coffee plantations to get a look at the changes in land use as we emerge from the lower central highlands. Winding by forested mountains for much of the way. The road hits 1000 meters as we first ascend before traversing the pass for the descent. This Vietnam dirt bike tour also includes some spectacular views along the way down to the coast.  Off-road riding for fun is a must.

We will stop in Mui Ne for a relaxing afternoon on the beach and taking in some of the nightlife of busy Mui Ne.

Day 4: Mui Ne –  Saigon, 250 kms

Waking up in the early morning,  you have more chances to explore the simple life of locals with their fishing net, small wooden boats. It is usually to see the one-man traditional fishing vessel, the coracle.

Then, we take the picturesque coastal road past some salt farms and many dragon fruit plantations. This motorcycle ride will get closer to the sea in Ho Tram and Ba Ria then finally Ho Chi Minh.

This enduro tour, of course, requires an adventurous spirit and a strong backside. Sturdy outdoor clothing and footwear are recommended

For meals, we can cater for vegetarian requirements. Talk to us about any other dietary needs:

Price:

-Group of one: 260 USD/Day

-Group of two: 180 USD/Day/Person

-Group of three: 170 USD/Day/Person

-Group from four: 160 USD/Day/Person

What’s included:

• High quality Japanese 250cc motorbikes with spare parts.
• Guide, gasoline, B&B accommodation (double/twin shared room, extra $40/night for the single room), entrance fees, all meals, and water.

What’s excluded:

• Bike damage (e.g. broken levers, heavily bent rims/handlebars/frame, broken or cracked headlight, burnt out clutch plates due to improper gear use……).
• Insurance or emergency transportation. Bike transportation by truck in case of being heavily damaged.
• Tips to the guide.

Note: this is a self-drive tour, therefore it is the responsibility of the client to ensure that they are compliant with local motorbike license regulations. We can obviously discuss this with you at the time of booking. Also, if you would like to ride pillion, please contact us for more details.

Route of the journey

The post 4 days Vietnam dirt bike tour, highland and coastline of south Vietnam appeared first on SAIGON RIDERS.

Highlights

• Adventurous riding journey
• Must-try local street food
• Old Saigon’s historical antecedents vs. modern Saigon’s lifestyle

What’s included

• Tour guide
• Saigon Riders’ motorcycles
• Entrance fees
• Beer and soft drinks
• Street food and barbecued seafood

What’s excluded:

• Insurance or emergency transportation.
• Tips to guide.

Planned route

Waiting at your hotel, we will pick you up and then we start heading to our very first destination where you can have a splendid panoramic across the cityscape by Saigon River. It cannot be more interesting if you warm up the night with a drink (beer or mocktail or smoothie as you wish) before immersing in the Saigon’s nightlife.

After that, oh hell yeah, it’s time for the first course of the night, which is “Banh hoi thit nuong”. “Banh hoi” is super thin rice noodle which is light, fluffy, and woven into intricate bundles or mats. On the other hand, “thit nuong” is ubiquitous smoky grilled pork which is the hallmark of a lot of street-side barbeques. Banh hoi is served as a layer on a plate and topped with thit nuong. For adventurers who don’t like pork, “bo la lot” (grilled beef rolled in pepper leaves) is your alternative choice.

Banh hoi thit nuong (Soft thin vermicelli with marinated char-grilled pork)

Next, you can have a real adventurous feeling while we ride on zigzag roads through many small business areas to Chinatown. Then, we are off to District 8 to sightsee small stilt houses along the canal to the Saigon River. This area is worth exploring at night. We can stop for a drink and have a closer look at local life along the canal. This old town is a totally contrast to newly built, comfortable, and luxury residences in District 7.

Bo la lot (Grilled beef rolled in pepper leaves)

The last destination of this journey is District 4. Barbecued seafood and exotic street food are waiting for us to enjoy. You have the chance to show off your cooking skills as you can have your food processed right at your table. Sitting on the sidewalk and eating street food, you look like a real Saigonese at this moment.

BBQ Seafood

Now, we believe that your belly is full and your mind is blown away with both historic and modern pictures of Saigon. This tour calls for adventurous taste-buddies and a strong backside. However, you really don’t need to taste all dishes. If you don’t like seafood or any specific kind of street food, please let us know in advance for alternatives.

Additional information

• Sturdy outdoor clothing and comfortable footwear are recommended
• Tips for tour guide/rider are highly appreciated

The post Saigon by night – flavorful street food appeared first on SAIGON RIDERS.

A self-driving Mekong delta tour where you will be guided by one of our skillful and knowledgeable teams. You will be amazed from adventures, culture, local people and food in this wonderful 6-day Grand Mekong delta loop. Before departure we’ll go through a mandatory test of our equipment, checking gears, brakes and safety wear etc to ensure we are ready for the travel ahead. After that all we need is some riding skill, a Gopro or smartphone camera and most importantly, a good dose of adrenaline. That’s enough to get us going.

A variation on our popular estuaries of the Mekong delta tour that gives you a more comprehensive look at the whole Mekong delta. A dirt bike tour that takes you not only through the heart of the Mekong allowing you to appreciate how fundamental are the rivers of the delta to the lives of the folk who live here and to see the stunning beauty of U Minh Thuong National Park and the coastal province of Kien Giang.

Mekong, a single word that evokes such tremendous feelings for nearly twenty million Vietnamese living on its delta. For locals, it’s their everything!

The river was called “gift of water” by the famous French adventurer Jacques Cousteau in 1993. Cousteau spent a memorable time going up and downstream to capture and present to the world the Mekong’s rich array of resources and varied civilizations. You can watch Mekong delta via Cousteau to see more of this land existing simultaneously in the present and past.

Our expedition stretches not only along the river like Captain Cousteau before but also across its many estuaries, on two wheels, as close to the water’s edge as possible.

Highlights

• Riding along the narrow tracks and the maze of backroads on the edge of the delta waterways
• The changing varieties of scenery and flora as we travel from the edge to the center of the delta
• Crossing many huge river mouths with all kind of amazing watercraft
• Brackish area and how farms and plantations can adapt to the soil and salted water
• Local customs and cuisines

Price:
-Group of one: 260 USD/Day
-Group of two: 180 USD/Day/Person
-Group of three: 170 USD/Day/Person
-Group from four: 160 USD/Day/Person

Tour includes:

• Guide, 250cc dirt bikes, gasoline, B&B accommodation (double/twin shared room, extra $40 for the single room), entrance fees, all meals, and water.

Tour excludes:

• Bike damage (e.g. broken levers, heavily bent rims/handlebars/frame, broken or cracked headlight, burnt-out clutch plates due to improper handling……)
• Insurance, emergency transportation, and related costs. Bike transportation by truck in case of heavily damaged, burnt-out clutch plates…
• Alcohol drinks
• Tips to guide.

Planned route

Day 1: Saigon to Ben Tre
• Distance: 140 km
• Ferry crossing: 4 times
• Tip of the day: don’t fall in the water and try to get used to your bike

Ben Tre is a big fertile island province carved by several of the main branches of the Mekong river. During the Vietnam War, spontaneous uprisings in Ben Tre spread resistance and conflict to many other areas of South Vietnam. Now it’s the center of a famous coconut, topiary and bonsai industry, and fishing and aquaculture.

Our guide will meet you at 7.30 am and depart to the south of Saigon to the bumpy roads through wooden boatyards, past shrimp farms, and mangrove before crossing the first mouth of the Mekong. More riding through the scenic rural ideal before a late morning river crossing followed by a lunch break in a fishing town.

Like many fishing towns and villages, an array of piers and wooden structures are dotted along the water’s edge. These are the landing places for the many small fishing vessels and the hive of activity is a great chance to take some great photos of local fish trading activities. Later is the time to test your skill by riding on tight trails and across narrow bridges with no handrails.

Overnight stay will be in a guest house in a small town on the main island of Ben Tre province. As we don’t pass through any urban area of substance on the first day, the accommodation is modest and local. If you need a more comfortable upmarket hotel room, don’t hesitate to ask us to rearrange the route for suitable accommodation.

Day 2: Ben Tre to Soc Trang
• Distance: 148 km
• Ferry crossing: 8 times
• Tip of the day: Fill up your belly and mind with caffeine and energy drinks as required and take the time to have small talks with locals on the ferry crossings.

Today we pass through the provinces of Soc Trang and Tra Vinh where Khmer communities have dominated this isolated wetland for centuries before the immigration of the Viet and Chinese. They all contribute prosperity to this land through farming and trading and enrich Vietnam culture through religious ceremonies, festivals, beautiful temples, and monasteries. We will ride through sleepy Khmer hamlets, passing by countless shrimp farms, and witnessing the shrimp harvest. Today will be filled with river crossings by ferries of all size and shape bringing an array of interesting challenges.

Please note that we are the first and the only company providing this type of tour to the Mekong estuaries, expats and foreign tourists are rarely seen all along the way we ride. So take the opportunity to interact with locals on ferries and food and drink stops. It may provide you with one of the most genuine and interesting parts of your visit to Vietnam. A real conversation piece.

Day 3: Soc Trang to Rach Gia via U Minh Thuong National Park
• Distance: 226 km
• Ferry crossing: 4 times
• Tip of the day: Don’t fall in the water and watch out for chooks and pets. Keep your camera battery charged – a long-lens camera is a good option for the visit to U Minh Thuong. Get ready to taste exotic food at the national park.

We start the day with a visit to Mahatup pagoda. It’s a large pagoda with Khmer origins; it’s also known as Bat Pagoda because it is home to a colony of giant fruit bats. We then depart Soc Trang heading to U Minh Thuong National Park. The concrete pad roadway tracing its way through the villages en route has countless narrow bridges making it a great challenge for any rider.

U Minh Thuong NP is one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the country and a wetland of international importance, highlighting an array of mammals, fish, and waterbird life native to the Mekong delta. We’ll take lunch before we cruise a shrimp-tailed boat along the canals to the bird reserve located in the core of the national park, a highlight of this 3^rd day.

After the visit to the NP we continue our overnight stay in Rach Gia.

Day 4: Onward travel to Phu Quoc island or return to Saigon via Chau Doc
• Distance: 130 km
• Tip of the day: You can choose one of two options, which is heading to Phu Quoc Island or returning to Saigon.

Option 1: from Rach Gia to Phu Quoc Island
After taking an early breakfast in your hotel, we will transfer and board the express boat, the Superdong, to Phu Quoc island.

Daily departures at 7:30 am and you will dock at the main pier on the island at 10 am.

Departure from Rach Gia is included in our service.

Option 2: from Rach Gia to Chau Doc
Tips of the day: Be prepared for an emotional visit to Ba Chuc massacre site. A fully charged battery camera is highly recommended and a long-lens camera is a good one for the low-lands and Tra Su.

• Tip of the day: Be prepared for an emotional visit to Ba Chuc massacre site. Once again have your camera fully charged and a long lens camera is a good option for the low lands and Tra Su.

We leave Rach Gia on the back roads, through a vast rice paddy country on the way to Ba Chuc massacre site. It was here in 1978 that units of the regular army of Democratic Kampuchea’s army, the Khmer Rouge, emboldened by their victory in Cambodia, spilled over the border massacring thousands of local villagers, leaving only two survivors. The memorial and pagoda erected at the site is a poignant reminder of those attacks and stands alongside Tuol Sleng, the Killing Fields and My Lai amongst others as haunting testaments of the depravity of that time in southeast Asia.

After Ba Chuc we continue onto Tra Su bird sanctuary, a low land national park made up of mangrove and melaleuca as far as the eye can see. We’ll glide through the interwoven mesh of canals with only the calls of birds and swish of paddles to disturb the quiet. This rich oasis of biodiversity and its quiet beauty is a gem inside a country crammed with over 90 million people. We’ll take lunch of local specialties in the middle of the park before moving on for panoramic sunset views over the Mekong delta floodplains from the summit of Sam Mountain. Overnight in Chau Doc

Day 5: Chau Doc to Can Tho
• Distance: 173 km
• Ferry crossing: 5 times
• Tip of the day: Experience the cultural diversity of Chau Doc and the rich bounty of the upper reaches of the Mekong.

We start the day by a visit to a fishing village and fish farm nearby Chau Doc. It’s all raw and rural but the people here are proud of their product, be it rice or basa fish as its top quality and exported worldwide. From here our motorbike ride takes us through rice paddies, villages consumed with producing straw mats and citrus farms along trails that take us to the largest city in the delta, Can Tho.

After all the riding through the rural reaches of the Mekong, stopping at a large city like Can Tho sounds like a jarring experience contrast, but it’s a little-big city, with all the facilities of a city but a pace that hasn’t changed for a hundred years mirroring the pace of its rural surrounds. After checking into our accommodation for the night, we’ll do what many locals do in the evening and head to the riverside promenade for some relaxation.

Day 6: Can Tho to Saigon
• Distance: 200 km
• Ferry crossing: 4 times
• Tip of the day: The best-floating market experience in the Mekong delta – remember to charge that camera and get up close to the locals.

We continue to explore the waterways with an early morning boat ride to the bustling Cai Rang floating market, the biggest in the Mekong delta. As we weave amongst the anchored boats, we’ll see vendors line up their boats and hang fruit and vegetables on a bamboo pole to advertise the goods they are selling. Moving on from the floating market we will visit an inland market to compare the differences as well as a nearby noodle factory.

After that, it’s time to explore the land with a ride through farming villages and small laneways on the way back to Saigon. We can stop as often as you like and there will be plenty of impromptu breaks to meet up with lots of friendly locals. Something you won’t get from the package coach tour out of Saigon.

Whether continuing your Vietnam holiday with a trip north or flying home, you will leave the Mekong delta with fond memories of the friendly locals, colorful markets, and vibrant scenes discovered on this tour.

The post 6 day Vietnam motorcycle tour, grand Mekong delta loop appeared first on SAIGON RIDERS.