Fabulous backroads riding in Mai Chau,
Pu Luong, Cuc Phuong & Ninh Binh
in this perfect short motorbike tour

3 DAYS|MOTOBIKE|640+KM|EASY/MODERATE

Guaranteed departure on scheduled dates for 2-4 people or more and at least 6 weeks’ notice – see the Information tab. Traveling solo or want different dates? Contact us!

+84 9 1464 9182

sales@otherpathtravel.com

At a glance

Great backroads riding in Mai Chau, Pu Luong, Cuc Phuong and Ninh Binh — close to Hanoi but so far away — in a fully guided motorbike tour.

This is the perfect short break tour. No other short tour offers such diversity, beauty, spectacular scenery and fabulous back roads coupled with easy access from Hanoi.

Enjoy some of the best lowlands roads for motorcycle touring, through three very different rural landscapes.

Mai Chau is gorgeous rice fields in a broad valley set among steep limestone hills. Relatively developed, there are some good resorts to relax in and use as a base for exploring the valley, the excellent back roads and good food.

Pu Luong is all craggy rainforest-clad mountains, winding roads & passes, deep green valleys and pretty ethnic hamlets. It’s amazing how remote it feels compared to Mai Chau and Ninh Binh. There are some great places to stay with wonderful views and terrific off the beaten path touring. One of our favorite places.

Discover the wilderness rain forest of Cuc Phuong, Vietnam’s oldest National Park. Home to the Muong hill tribe, it boasts an incredible diversity of flora and fauna.

The hidden waterways and steep limestone cliffs of Ninh Binh are UN World Heritage, and one of the most spectacular and extraordinary places you will visit in Vietnam. There are good resorts to relax in here too. With a little knowledge you can mostly escape the crowds and explore great small roads amid stunning landscapes.

It’s the combination of excellent touring through such contrasting places that makes this trip so good. See the itinerary below for more details.

Helping you discover the best of North Vietnam

Highlights

  • Ride great less traveled roads from Hanoi through rolling countryside, along the edge of stunning Hoa Binh lake to beautiful Mai Chau valley
  • Explore fabulous back roads, walk or bike through gorgeous rice fields and search out delicious authentic food
  • Discover remote and tropical Pu Luong, with spectacular scenery and some of the best lowlands motorbike touring in North Vietnam.  Ride challenging trails, or trek through stunning rice terraces and ethnic villages, or kayak a peaceful river, or just relax at a resort with a beer and a view
  • Experience Cuc Phuong, Vietnam’s oldest and largest National Park, and its magnificent wilderness forests. Observe extraordinary wildlife at the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre
  • In Ninh Binh, glide on small sampans along hidden waterways, twisting through the spectacular karst mountains and caves of Trang An Landscape Complex – one of the wonders of Vietnam and a UNESCO World Heritage site
  • Cruise beautiful roads threading through idylic rice fields and lakes
  • Take in some of the oldest and best Buddhist temples in Vietnam

What our travelers say

“Amazing motorbike riding. Mai Chau was beautiful, a small gem, while Pu Luong was spectacular, vast and much less traveled.”

“The waterways of Trang An, hidden between incredible limestone mountains, were breathtaking, astonishing and a highlight of the trip. “

Arrival and airport transfer

If you have requested an airport transfer, an Other Path Travel representative will meet you at Hanoi airport, and take you to your hotel in the Old Quarter or city center.

If you are spending time in Hanoi before the start of the tour, you might be interested in exploring Hanoi off the beaten path with one of our half-day Insiders’ Tours.

Afternoon before day of tour departure

In the afternoon of the day before the tour departure, we will gather at a pre-arranged time for a welcome refreshment, introductions and a pre-trip briefing where we will walk through the itinerary, discuss riding a motorbike in Vietnam and answer any questions you might have. We will also provide some panniers and talk through packing.

On the day of the trip start, we will get together around 8am (after your breakfast at your hotel), where will allocate motorbikes to people and give everyone a chance to get familiar with their bike and riding on the streets of Hanoi before we depart.

Arrival and airport transfer

If you have requested an airport transfer, an Other Path Travel representative will meet you at Hanoi airport, and take you to your hotel in the Old Quarter or city center.

If you are spending time in Hanoi before the start of the tour, you might be interested in exploring Hanoi off the beaten path with one of our half-day Insiders’ Tours.

Afternoon before day of tour departure

In the afternoon of the day before the tour departure, we will gather at a pre-arranged time for a welcome refreshment, introductions and a pre-trip briefing where we will walk through the itinerary, discuss riding a motorbike in Vietnam and answer any questions you might have. We will also provide some panniers and talk through packing.

On the day of the trip start, we will get together around 8am (after your breakfast at your hotel), where will allocate motorbikes to people and give everyone a chance to get familiar with their bike and riding on the streets of Hanoi before we depart.

Arrival and airport transfer

If you have requested an airport transfer, an Other Path Travel representative will meet you at Hanoi airport, and take you to your hotel in the Old Quarter or city center.

If you are spending time in Hanoi before the start of the tour, you might be interested in exploring Hanoi off the beaten path with one of our half-day Insiders’ Tours.

Afternoon before day of tour departure

In the afternoon of the day before the tour departure, we will gather at a pre-arranged time for a welcome refreshment, introductions and a pre-trip briefing where we will walk through the itinerary, discuss riding a motorbike in Vietnam and answer any questions you might have. We will also provide some panniers and talk through packing.

On the day of the trip start, we will get together around 8am (after your breakfast at your hotel), where will allocate motorbikes to people and give everyone a chance to get familiar with their bike and riding on the streets of Hanoi before we depart.

Booking in advance

We strongly recommend booking well in advance.

Accommodation choices can be limited, especially in less traveled parts of Vietnam. In more popular locations demand can be high, particularly at peak periods. If possible, we recommend booking 2 or more months in advance.

Our minimum advance period to book online for this tour is 5 weeks – shorter than that and you need to email us with a reservation request and we need to confirm availability.

Of course, we will always work with you if you have to book at short notice – just contact us.

Peak Periods

Peak periods include: northern hemisphere summer holidays (July – August); Christmas period and southern hemisphere summer holidays (mid-December – early February); Easter; peak Ha Long Bay periods (September – November and March – May); Vietnamese domestic summer holidays (June – early September); Vietnamese lunar new year, Tet festival, usually sometime in February.

Remember, while these are the peak periods, Vietnam is busy all year round.

Booking in advance

We strongly recommend booking well in advance.

Accommodation choices can be limited, especially in less traveled parts of Vietnam. In more popular locations demand can be high, particularly at peak periods. If possible, we recommend booking 2 or more months in advance.

Our minimum advance period to book online for this tour is 5 weeks – shorter than that and you need to email us with a reservation request and we need to confirm availability.

Of course, we will always work with you if you have to book at short notice – just contact us.

Peak Periods

Peak periods include: northern hemisphere summer holidays (July – August); Christmas period and southern hemisphere summer holidays (mid-December – early February); Easter; peak Ha Long Bay periods (September – November and March – May); Vietnamese domestic summer holidays (June – early September); Vietnamese lunar new year, Tet festival, usually sometime in February.

Remember, while these are the peak periods, Vietnam is busy all year round.

Booking in advance

We strongly recommend booking well in advance.

Accommodation choices can be limited, especially in less traveled parts of Vietnam. In more popular locations demand can be high, particularly at peak periods. If possible, we recommend booking 2 or more months in advance.

Our minimum advance period to book online for this tour is 5 weeks – shorter than that and you need to email us with a reservation request and we need to confirm availability.

Of course, we will always work with you if you have to book at short notice – just contact us.

Peak Periods

Peak periods include: northern hemisphere summer holidays (July – August); Christmas period and southern hemisphere summer holidays (mid-December – early February); Easter; peak Ha Long Bay periods (September – November and March – May); Vietnamese domestic summer holidays (June – early September); Vietnamese lunar new year, Tet festival, usually sometime in February.

Remember, while these are the peak periods, Vietnam is busy all year round.

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