Day 01: Arrive Hanoi Welcome at the airport by your local guide and transfer to the hotel. After check-in, climb into a traditional cyclo (pedicab) for a 90-minute tour of the colonial city’s traditional “36 streets of 36 wares” in the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake vicinity. In the evening enjoy a traditional water puppet show before dinner at one of the finest restaurants in town. Briefing with cycling tour Leader. Overnight at the hotel. Day 02: Hanoi City tour Full day cycling tour of Hanoi’s finest sites, including: the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum, the One-pillar Pagoda, Quan Thanh and Tran Quoc pagodas, and the Fine Art Museum. After lunch, visit the thousand-year-old Temple of Literature, Museum of Ethnology. After finish the Museum, you will start to test your bike with assists of our mechanic to make sure you will have a comfortable and good bike for the journey. Return to the hotel. Dinner at restaurant and overnight in Hanoi. Day 03: Hanoi – Bat Trang – Ancient Temple – Hanoi Morning, we will leave Hanoi and cycle along the top of dike road, rice field and villages of the Red River Delta to one of the most beautiful ancient Temple located right on the bank of Red River. Picnic lunch in the garden of the Temple. Afternoon, you will return to Hanoi with stop at Bat Trang ceramic village, we can visit the most famous artist and his family, we might have a chance to paint on some of productions. Shopping is easy and recommended here. If it is heavy for your hand luggage, shipping is possible. Arrive back in Hanoi just in time for a shower before dinner at a restaurant in town. Overnight at the hotel in Hanoi. Day 04: Hanoi – Perfume Pagoda - Mai Chau Depart Hanoi at 7:00 AM to Perfume Pagoda by vehicle, this is one of the holiest sites in Vietnam. Enjoy a sampan cruise along the Yen River to the pagoda with dramatic limestone mountains dotting the countryside. Hike one hour up to the main cave of Perfume Pagoda where we have our picnic lunch, followed by a descent down the other side through lush jungle and beautiful mountains. The vehicle is carrying our bike and will be awaiting at the other bottom side. Set off on a short 20-km ride through rolling countryside, enjoying the small villages on the way to Kim Boi with vehicle in attendance behind you. Drive from Kim Boi to Mai Chau and arrive just in time for shower and dinner. Evening enjoy a traditional Thai dance performance. Overnight at a rustic stilt house. Day 05: Mai Chau – Co Tang – Mai Chau Spend the morning biking through Mai Chau Valley to remote Thai villages nestled at the base of the mountains. After lunch, cycle 35 km through a pristine forest preserve, and then trek 20 minutes to Co Tang village. Enjoy one of the most beautiful H’mong ethnic minority communities in the North before returning to Mai Chau by vehicle for dinner and overnight at the stilt house. Day 06: Mai Chau – Hoa Lu In the morning, we say goodbye to the family and leave Mai Chau on vehicle, start biking from Man Duc to Hoa Lu as we savour the beautiful scenery along the way (150-km mix of biking and driving). Visit the famed Dinh and Le Temples upon arrival in the citadel town of Hoa Lu, an early capital of Vietnam. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Hoa Lu. Day 07: Hoa Lu – Hai Phong We will start the day with a relaxing boat trip to visit Tam Coc, a stunning area known as “Halong Bay of the rice paddies.” Hop on your bike and start heading for the colonial port city of Haiphong, visiting the Keo and Dau Pagodas on the way (160-km mix of biking and driving). Arrive Hai Phong late in afternoon, check in hotel. Dinner and over night at hotel in Haiphong. Day 08: Hai Phong – Ha Long – Kayaking Morning, we leave Hai Phong for Halong Bay on our bike, crossing 02 ferries boat and arrive around noon. Leave our bikes behind and board a traditional wooden junk and begin an exploration of magical Halong Bay, one of Southeast Asia’s premier tourist destinations. An excellent, fresh seafood lunch will be served on the boat while cruising to the first point, a floating village of fishermen. We’ll have safety instruction before get on our kayaks. Paddling for 2,5 hours through the most dramatically limestone formation, giant cave , beaches and hidden lagoons. Relax on a small beautiful beach upon on arrival. Dinner and overnight on the comfortable and charming junk. Day 09: Kayaking - Ha Long – Hanoi Wake up early in the morning to enjoy the aquamarine water of the bay at its best. After breakfast and early swim, we slip on our kayaks again for 2 hours paddling to an isolated beach, floating village of fishermen. Meet our Junk at lunch time and motor back to the harbor in Halong. Transfer back to Hanoi by vehicle. Farewell dinner at a restaurant in town and overnight at the hotel in Hanoi. Day 10: Hanoi – out Free until transfer to the airport for flight home or on to next destination. |