Overview
Venture along some of the best broken-roads and optional easy enduro trails in Northern Vietnam. Discover an impressive vastness of mountain ranges, high peaks and remote villages, experience the adventure of this wonderful country all from the saddle of your bike. The RAMS Karst Rider Vietnam Tour follows the Chinese border along trails made by generations of Vietnamese villagers crossing forests, streams, and mountains in order to survive. Stunning passes, roads cut into the mountains and huge drops make this ride spectacular and literally breath-taking. Enduro motorcycles, jaw-dropping scenery, and warm culture that you will love.
Highlights
- Starts and ends in Hanoi
- Explore the vibrant city of Hanoi
- Riding on the spectacular Sapa Pass
- Venturing in the amazing Ba Be National Park
- Service of a medic, mechanic, and support vehicle
- 10 nights accommodation
- Motorcycle rental
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi
Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is known for its centuries-old architecture. You stay in the chaotic Old Quarter of the city with its quirky tall buildings and street traders the pace of life will amaze you. Tonight you will go to the Minsk Bar to meet the team and enjoy our first beer and then jump on the overnight train to Lao Cai.
Day 2: Hanoi to Lao Cai aboard the night train
After breakfast, the day is your own. Check out the downed B52 Bomber in the lake, the War Museum, or the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. You will meet late afternoon to check out the bikes before they get loaded onto the night train. After dinner, you also board the train and bed down for the night. Arrive at Lao Cai the next morning around 6:30 a.m.
Day 3: Lao Cai to Sapa Village (120 kilometers / 75 miles)
Time to get on the bikes and start the adventure. You ride out of Lao Cai and soon turn off onto the mountain trails. Small broken roads and stone paths take you high with your first chance to see the scale of the surrounding landscape. Lunch at Ta Van, but check out the minority hill tribe people. View the Sapa pass, a ribbon of tarmac draped over the mountains with incredible switchbacks and elevation changes, and then ride it. Tonight you stay in Sapa Village, a small trading post with many markets and tourist shops to explore.
Day 4: Sapa Village to Xi Man (180 kilometers / 112 miles)
As you head down the mountain tracks from Sapa you again return to Lao Cai for lunch at the Chinese trading post and border crossing. Small pushbikes laden with goods come into the town from China to trade at the local markets. You leave Lao Cai along the river border on single-broken roads as you ride into back into the hills.
Day 5: Xi Man to Ha Giang (160 kilometers / 99 miles)
Today is the day of waterfalls, switchbacks, and long drops. Roads are a great mix of smooth tarmac, broken trails, and hill tracks to the town of Ha Giang. Here you go to ride through the hotel on your bikes, a great opportunity for a photo but remember no wheelies in reception.
Day 6: Ha Giang to Dong Van (165 kilometers / 103 miles)
Huge peaks shadow your ride as you wind your way through endless valleys along the river to Dong Van. Tonight you sample the Vietnamese hot pot, which involves a noodle soup, some raw ingredients, and a small cooker on the table, great fun with plenty of rice wine. Chúc sức khoẻ (cheers)!
Day 7: Dong Van to Bao Lac (80 kilometers / 50 miles)
Each of you will buy the inner line permits that allow you to enter the next province. You may notice the mountains start to change shape, huge limestone boulders seem to have some symmetry to each other as you weave around their bases, stunning. Today you will ride the famous Sky Road goat track but only for those who have a head for heights.
Day 8: Bao Lac to Ban Gioc (220 kilometers / 137 miles)
After breakfast, it's straight on the bikes and into a small off-road section that takes you through some tiny bamboo villages. The villagers are always welcoming to strangers with a cup of hot green tea and maybe a glass of rice wine, my advice is to stick to the tea. Great trails give way to the daddy of all waterfalls at Ban Gioc on the Chinese border. Tonight you sleep overlooking the falls.
Day 9: Ban Gioc to Ba-Be Lake (180 kilometers / 112 miles)
Following an early start on the bikes, you head along the border, following the river you soon head back into the hills for more mountain trails. On arrival at Ba-Be, you jump on a small boat and explore the tiny bays, waterfalls, and caves around the lake. The accommodation is basic but wait until the morning, you will have a treat with the sun rising over the lake.
Day 10: Ba-Be Lake to Hanoi (160 kilometers / 99 miles)
Back on the bikes for one last time as you try and “sneak” back into Hanoi using some of the best back roads in Vietnam. You will ride through tiny villages until you hit the traffic of Hanoi, now there’s an experience. Tonight you say goodbye to your new Vietnamese friends.
Day 11: Leave Hanoi
This is the end of the tour. You will return home with beautiful memories.
Ride Details
- Terrain
- 70% mix of smooth / broken road, 30% easy trails (optional)
- Bike
- rental bike (Kawasaki KLX 250, Honda CRF 250L, Honda CRF Rally suitable for pillion passengers, Kawasaki KLX 150 with reduced seat height)
- Mileage
- 1,400 kilometers / 870 miles
- Daily rides
- 80 - 180 kilometers / 50 - 112 miles
- Meals
- breakfast, lunch, and dinner included unless otherwise specified
What's included
- Motorcycle mounted guide(s) and mechanic(s)
- One or two UK-based medics riding with the group (depending on the size of group)
- Fuel for the bikes
- Meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner unless otherwise specified
- 10 nights accommodation on a twin share basis
- Train tickets
- Third-party and Public Liability Insurance
- Support vehicle(s)
- Luggage transportation from each accommodation
- Motorcycle rental and transportation of bikes to the start of the event and from the end of the event
- Regular wear and tear to the motorcycles of both rider and guide
- Fully comprehensive motorcycle insurance, excess 500 USD
- Airport pick-up and drop-off, unless arriving/departing independently of the main group
- Branded tour T-shirt and buff
Not included
- Any alcohol consumed during the course of the tour by the participant
- Any accident damage caused to a participant's motorcycle while on tour. All accident damage costs must be paid by the participant
- Expenses incurred that are not listed as part of the itinerary
- Any airplane flights
- Medical treatment or evacuation of a participant either as a result of being on tour or not as a result of being on tour
- Medical or evacuation insurance
- Cost of transferring deposit money
Accommodation
RAMS Adventures tries and books the best accommodation they can, however, they also try and give you the best experience in the most beautiful places. Every overnight stay will be clean, have laundered bed linen, Wi-Fi and en suite facilities with exception to the train.
Food
The cuisine in Vietnam will always be fresh, fragrant, and full of flavor. Vietnamese food is often rice or noodles but often has an accompaniment of fresh vegetables, pork, fish, or chicken and you add the heat with optional chillis on the table. The food is often placed in the middle of the table. You are given small bowls and chopsticks and you help yourself. The Vietnamese thinking is they never want to see their guests go hungry so they will keep bringing out the dishes until everyone has stopped eating. Rarely do you see a menu in Vietnam, it is usually what they have they will bring out but don't worry if you have any intolerances to food or any preferences, let RAMS Adventures know u
