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Biking in Vietnam! with Alyson Adventures

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An active, outdoors vacation with Alyson Adventures.

Ride through the beautiful countryside of northern Vietnam

 


Cycling Vietnam: Biking in Vietnam!

Explore Hanoi and the Surrounding Hills

Vietnam is a land of immense geographical and cultural diversity. Its varied climate and landscape range from the year-round tropical temperatures of the balmy south to four distinct seasons in the mountainous north. Our journey will focus on northern Vietnam, a jewel of unspoiled beauty in Asia: mist-shrouded mountains, peaceful valleys, and cultural wonders – a land where you might look for Shangri-la. While turmoil has been a large part of Vietnam’s recent past, it is now a peaceful land of harmony, balance, and beauty.

We start with two nights in Hanoi, then head into the countryside to ride among the hills and rice paddy terraces, and through remote and charming mountain villages on our way to the Sapa hill station. For our riding, we will have use of 24-speed road bikes made by the Merida company of Germany (subject to availability).

Highlights:

  • Explore Hanoi with its charming architecture and exquisite food.
  • Cycle through the beautiful countryside of northern Vietnam, visiting ancient villages about to be buried under the reservoir behind a new dam, and the new towns being built on higher ground.
  • Walk amongst the rice terraces surrounding the Shangri-la hill station of Sapa.
  • Share the road with water buffalo and meet members of several ethnic groups in off-the-beaten-track villages.
  • On selected departures, extend your stay and relax for two nights on a chartered Chinese "junk" in Halong Bay, with one additional night in Hanoi.
  • See a part of Vietnam that tourists rarely visit.

Is it the right vacation for you? This is our most strenuous, exotic and remote bike tour, featuring local food and lodging (including a village home stay), and averaging 30-70 miles a day over a mixture of both flat and hilly terrain. Roads may be rough and very bumpy. Note that due to the many hills, this is perhaps our most challenging ride. The reward? An amazingly intimate insight into the hill people of northwestern Vietnam and their landscape.

Testimonials about our trips: "This was our first trip with Alyson Adventures and it was the best vacation we've ever had!!"— Eric Britten, Anchorage, Alaska

"Far and away the best vacation I've ever had. Well planned with just the right balance of sightseeing, physical activity, great food, and most of all, fun people."— Susan Eaton, San Diego, Calif.

Dates and Price:
We don't offer every trip every year, and no departures are currently scheduled for this trip. Our home page will make it easy to locate forthcoming departures of interest.
Prices are per-person, based on double occupancy. Tours often fill up months before departure. We regularly update our travel schedule to show the status of this and other trips.

Travelling Alone?
So are most of the people who travel with us. You do not need to pay extra to travel by yourself. Prices are per-person, and the single supplement applies only if you'd like a room by yourself. For selected trips, including cruises, we will charge half the single supplement if you request a roommate but we can't match you with someone.

Location: Starts and ends in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Price includes: All ground transportation within Vietnam as outlined in tour itinerary, including train from Sapa to Hanoi; Use of European bikes and support van (including some shuttles); Accommodations each night in double occupancy, sometimes in nice hotels and sometimes in the "best available" local accommodations, which may or may not have private bathrooms; Single supplement available, but not guaranteed at smaller local hotels; All meals except one dinner in Hanoi, including wine or soft drinks at Welcome and Farewell dinners; Support by local guides and an Alyson Adventures tour director throughout; All hotel service charges, government taxes, porterage, and meal gratuities.

Not included: Transportation to and from Hanoi; Transfers between Hanoi Airport and our hotel; Meals not shown as included; Visa for Vietnam (visa information will be sent to those who register for the trip, about three months before departure); Airport departure taxes; Personal items including: bike helmet, alcoholic beverages, snacks, laundry, and telephone calls; Gratuities for local guides and for Alyson Adventures tour director(s).

 

 

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