Vietnam biking holiday
| country: | Vietnam |
| trip type: | Adventurous cycling holidays |
| departures: | 2008: 6 Sep, 4 Oct, 16 Nov, 21 Dec 2009: 15 Feb, 19 Apr, 13 Jun |
| price: | From US $1850 (13 days) excluding flights. Price includes accommodation, most meals, transport and local guides. |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Vietnam is a place that has become so much a part of Western culture that it remains a 'must see' destination for many people. While this is largely the case due to the Vietnam War experience, Vietnam now attracts visitors for its vibrant culture, long history, village life and great travelling experiences. And, of course, cycling is the best way to explore this country dominated by two wheels.
One of Asia's classic cycling journeys, riding from Hanoi to Saigon seems to have captured the travelling world's imagination so much so that even people not interested before in cycling tours have taking up the ultimate way to travel. Our Hanoi to Saigon tour is unashamedly a coastal journey. With thousands of kilometres of stunning beaches and beautiful coastal roads as well as some of the freshest seafood going this trip is an indulgent experience. We are never far from a beach and stay in comfortable hotels to make this trip our most cushy adventure tour.
One of Asia's classic cycling journeys, riding from Hanoi to Saigon seems to have captured the travelling world's imagination so much so that even people not interested before in cycling tours have taking up the ultimate way to travel. Our Hanoi to Saigon tour is unashamedly a coastal journey. With thousands of kilometres of stunning beaches and beautiful coastal roads as well as some of the freshest seafood going this trip is an indulgent experience. We are never far from a beach and stay in comfortable hotels to make this trip our most cushy adventure tour.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-2: | Hanoi. After arriving into Hanoi we take to the streets walking this manic city taking in some of the many sites. On the evening of day 2 we will catch a sleeper train south bound. |
| Day 3: | Hue. Explore the ancient capital of Vietnam on two wheels. |
| Day 4-6: | Cycling to Hoi An. Cycling up and over the famous Hai Van Pass, the geographic north-south divider of Vietnam, is a great challenge to take you to picturesque Hoi An where you have a day to enjoy this historic town. |
| Day 7-11: | Cycling to Quy Nhon. Taking the coastal route you'll pass beautiful beaches, friendly villages and thousands of waving children. Out route avoids the traffic of Highway One and follows a fantastic route that is unique in Vietnam. In Quy Nhon enjoy a free day on the beach, the perfect way to end a ride! |
| Day 12-13: | Saigon. After a day of travelling we arrive in Saigon, now know as Ho Chi Minh City, where you'll have a whole day to explore Vietnam's biggest and busiest city. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
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On this cycling tour, apart from your tour leader, all the crew including drivers, guides and crew are locals from the region through which we travel. Part of our commitment to our crew is to teach them about bicycle maintenance so that both our tours run better and our crew can learn new skills.
Plastic usage is a big problem in Asia so we use large refillable water bottles to fill your drink bottle. When we prepare picnic lunches (at the times where there are no local restaurants to eat in) we don’t have prepacked meals made for each person. Instead we buy locally from markets and prepare the lunch ourselves which cuts down on the plastic waste. In Quy Nhon we support the Nguyen Nga project which helps young people with disabilities to gain an education, learn skills for their future and live within a supportive community. Quy Nhon is quite off the main tourist trail so our support has more impact compared to supporting a project that in is in a well travelled area. We take our clients to the project centre where they learn about the project, experience a music and dance show and have an opportunity to buy crafts made by the project. Some groups also donate money to assist further development of the project. We keep our group size to a maximum of 14 clients. This is both a reflection of the limits in the accommodation of the smaller towns that we stop in and our desire to not be too over powering in our impact on a destination. We only run this tour a few times a year and have no desire to bring weekly groups through these regions. Our small office is, apart from accounting requirements, paperless. We deal with customers electronically and do not print brochures to distribute. By remaining only as an online presence we reduce the wastage associated with producing annual brochures. All accommodation - apart from one - used on this tour is locally owned. They employ all staff locally. The one foreign owned resort that we stay at - Whale Island - has an environmental program. Through protection efforts and transplanting sea coral in the surrounding waters there has been a dramatic increase in the diversity of marine life. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |