For groups of 2 to 6 people. Sorry, no solo travellers, please.
Day 1 - Transfer from HCM city to Highland town of Bao Loc. If daylight arrival, cycle 40 km. round-trip to Damb'ri Falls. Sleep at a 2-star hotel.
Day 2 - From Bao Loc, cycle 35 km. to Di Linh. Rolling tea plantation country with 1 downhill pass. Sleep in a family-run clean guesthouse in Di Linh District.
Day 3 - To Li Liang (Gung Re) Waterfalls in the morning. Two downhill sections. After lunch, Go 74 km. to Da Lat. Short descent into the town from the top of the pass. Sightseeing in Da Lat, which is quite hilly, so it may well be on foot. Market, hilly streets, coolest climate in all of southern Viet Nam. Fun to walk around at night, too. Sleep in Da Lat at a 2-star hotel. Upgrade available, charged extra.
Day 4 - Cycle past nurseries, temperate vegetable farms to pine forest. Eat at a neat local restaurant which has jars of different exotic types of rice wine with animals preserved inside. Sleep in Da Lat.
Day 5 - Early start! Morning trip from Da Lat for double ascent to 1,600 m. then enjoy the terrific double descent to the semi-desert Song Pha Valley. Due to strong headwinds during the SW monsoon from May to November, we will definitely use the bus to the coast then. We visit the Cham ruins in Thap Cham, evidence of the powerful Champa Kingdom that held sway until its defeat by the Vietnamese in 1471. We can then cycle the 31 km. from Phan Rang to Ca Na Beach, which looks much like Baja California in Mexico! Eat fresh seafood! Sleep in Ca Na in cottages.
Day 6 - Transfer from Ca Na back to HCM City. Picnic in a rubber plantation along the way. We sleep at the Hong Hoa Guesthouse.
Day 7 - From Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta town of Cao Lanh by 24-seat van. Eat banh xeo, a delicious yellow crepe made with egg and rice flour, with minced meat and vegetables inside, eaten with lovely tasty herbs, some of which are only grown in the delta region. Sleep in a 2-star hotel in Cao Lanh.
Day 8 - Morning - Visit Xeo Quit, re-creation of National Liberation Front (NLF) HQ during the war. Afternoon - transfer to the pleasant town of Hong Ngu. Will stop at the T juntion of Voi Lua Ferry and go across the river to Cho Moi, then another ferry, then through the Holy See of the Hoa Hao Buddhist sect, the main temple, and then cycle to the ferry at Cho Vam, and 9 km. to Hong Ngu. Our evening meal consists of delicious Vietnamese sour soup made with Mekong catfish, tomato, pineapple, and other vegetables in a tamarind broth. After that, it is fun to sit outside and eat ice cream at one of the many sidewalk cafes. Sleep in a family-run hotel in Hong Ngu. The hotel rules in English are hysterically funny!
Day 9 - All day - Visit Long Khanh Island in the Mekong River. Very rustic. Can go by bicycle-pulled carriage or cycle. The people are fantastic. Nice pagodas, both Cao Dai sect and a very old Vietnamese Buddhist pagoda. Sleep in Hong Ngu.
Day 10 - Transfer to Long Xuyen via Cu Lao Tay Island, another quiet island with small roads. We eat in Cho Moi and take a small road to the ferry to Long Xuyen town. Eat a Chinese-style meal in the air-con hotel restaurant. Sleep at a large 2-star hotel in Long Xuyen.
Day 11 - Ride in van 13 km. to junction with lovely 44-km. road to Tri Ton, in the magical Seven Mountains area, a nice change from the flat delta countryside. Sleep in Tri Ton at a family-run hotel.
Day 12 - Visit the scene of the 1978 massacre by the Khmer Rouge at Ba Chuc Village, 19 km. away. The countryside gets drier. The ricefields are tucked between the hills, and there are Cambodian ethnic villages in the area as well. On the way, we can stop to see an old Khmer temple. Sleep in Tri Ton.
Day 13 - Transfer to Can Tho. Stay at a pleasant resort outside of the city designed in the style of a royal garden in the imperial city of Hue. A good place to relax and enjoy the ambiance. Eat outside in one of two lovely pavilions with ponds around them.
Day 14 - [Groups of 4 - 6: go by boat to see the floating market.] Transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City. Roughly a 6-7 hour journey through the delta across the majestic Australian My Thuan bridge over the Mekong, back to the big city. Sleep at a nice hotel in HCM City or transfer to airport.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Our fees include airport meet, bicycles, guide, air-con transport van, hotel or guesthouse accommodation, double-occupancy twin-share basis, 3 meals per day, water, and transport scheduled within our sojourns. Some items excluded are: medical care, alcoholic drinks, onward transportation, lost or damaged property kept with guest. Non-cyclists are always more than welcome to join!
Payment: First payment at the end of Day 1, 50%. At the end of the half-way point, the 2nd payment of the remaining 50% is made. How's that for fairness?
Also see tour packages in:
Asia
Vietnam
Bicycle Touring
Email it to a friend:
Click here to email this vacation to a friend
|
