By motorbike - Ha Giang highlights, 5 days -1167

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621$

Spectacular Ha Giang mountains loop —

best medium motorbike tour in Vietnam

Spectacular Ha Giang —

best medium motorbike tour in Vietnam

5 Days | Motorbike | 350+ km | Easy / moderate

Guaranteed departure on scheduled dates for 2 or more people, and at least 4 weeks’ notice. Less notice? Then we need to check availability before confirming a booking. See the Information section below for details. Traveling solo or want different dates? Contact us!

+84 9 1464 9182 [email protected]

At a glance

Explore the highlights of spectacular Ha Giang on a fully guided, small group motorbike tour through the remote mountains of unspoilt north Vietnam.

This is the best medium-break motorbike riding in the country, traversing less traveled regions near the Chinese border, and boasts great roads and amazing scenery — incredible karst limestone mountains and plateaus, breathtaking canyons, beautiful remote valleys and stunning rice terraces.

Fascinating ethnic minority villages, wonderful people and customs, and delicious, authentic regional food.

Ride the famous Ma Pi Leng pass high above the awe-inspiring gorge of the Nho Que river, and discover the fabulous twisting roads of the Dong Van Karst Plateau with its surreal limestone pinnacles.

Explore the remote frontier towns of Dong Van and Meo Vac.

Experience one of the best ethnic minority markets in North Vietnam, full of color and energy, with local hill tribe people dressed in beautiful traditional costumes. A heaven for photographers.

Wonderful trekking along paths overlooking mountains and canyons.

Boat rides along gorges with vast slopes and peaks towering above.

Fabulous twisting back roads.

We take you off the beaten path to explore the Ha Giang tourists rarely see. Let us show you the Ha Giang we love and know so well.

For more detailed information see the itinerary below.

There is travel that fits within the expected and then there are journeys that go beyond. At Other Path Travel, we specialize in small group tours that will take you to a Vietnam that most travelers never see, extraordinarily beautiful, amazingly diverse, off the beaten path.

From astounding natural beauty to scooter-packed streets in vibrant cities, we offer a range of experiences to suit your interests and travel style whether that’s exploring extraordinary scenery by private car or motorbike; cruising spectacular islands by boat From astounding natural beauty to scooter-packed streets in vibrant cities, we offer a range of experiences to suit your interests and travel style whether that’s exploring extraordinary scenery by private car or motorbike; cruising spectacular islands by boat From astounding natural beauty to scooter-packed streets in vibrant cities, we offer a range of experiences to suit your interests and travel style whether that’s exploring extraordinary scenery by private car or motorbike;

cruising spectacular islands by boat From astounding natural beauty to scooter-packed streets in vibrant cities, we offer a range of experiences to suit your interests and travel style whether that’s exploring extraordinary scenery by private car or motorbike; cruising spectacular islands by boat

Highlights

Experience the best motorbike riding in Vietnam among remote and beautiful mountains and valleys

Ride the legendary Ma Pi Leng pass, suspended above the vast Nho Que canyon

Explore remarkable Dong Van amidst the surreal limestone pinnacle landscape of the Dong Van Karst Plateau, and ride / trek among ethnic villages and amazing mountains near Meo Vac

Experience the diversity, friendliness and culture of the ethnic minorities of the northern mountains

Visit the Meo Vac ethnic minority market, amazing and unspoilt, full of color and energy

What our travelers say

“Fantastic riding on remote, twisting mountain roads. The limestone peaks and canyons were amazing, and Ma Pi Leng Pass was one of the best riding roads anywhere. Plus the people and the towns and the food — and our guide – a great trip.”

“We rode some of the most spectacular roads for motorbiking anywhere, and visited fascinating villages & hill-tribes, well off the beaten path. Loved the market in Meo Vac, so colorful and authentic.”

Tour Itinerary

Information

Tour Itinerary

Information

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Road to Yen Minh, cave excursion, Hmong weaving village

After breakfast, we ride on towards the town of Yen Minh, on roads that wind through picturesque mountain and valley landscapes, with many hairpin turns and great photo opportunities.

Along the way we have the option to explore an impressive limestone cave, with excellent examples of flowstone and other cave formations.

If time permits, we may also visit a small Hmong village with a traditional linen factory, where cloth with beautiful ethnic patterns is woven from raw materials and decorated by hand. It’s a great example of a small scale tourism initiative by a local village – and the linen is gorgeous too.

Not far before Yen Minh, we climb steeply up a spectacular new road that winds high above a vast gorge of the Lo River far below, and then cuts through some karst limestone mountains to emerge on a high ridge at the head of a huge valley falling away to the town.

The views over the rice-terraced slopes to the backdrop of serrated karst mountains are fantastic.

We wind down the ridge to Yen Minh, where we stop for some refreshment.

Fantastic roads on Dong Van Karst Plateau, hidden villages, Opium Lord’s Palace

We ride on towards Dong Van, climbing through various switchback passes and then on through the Dong Van Karst Plateau, on one of the best and most scenic roads in Vietnam.

The road threads through spectacular gorges and extraordinary limestone mountains and pinnacles, and deep valleys dotted with small villages.

Along the way we have the opportunity to detour into a beautiful, almost hidden valley with an old Chinese village surrounded by karst mountains, the last remnants of a largely vanished Chinese population.

We can also explore Vuong Palace, the splendid fortified former mansion of an opium lord. This is one of the best examples of authentic stone and wood architecture in the region.

Dong Van

Soon after, we reach Dong Van, the district capital, nestled in a pretty valley surrounded by hills and karst outcrops. The town is an interesting mix of the old and new, but still retains a lot of its traditional, frontier feel.

We explore the town and then, depending on time and energy, we might ride out to a fantastic viewpoint over the great Nho Que gorge, its steep slopes falling away to the river far below and then the valley walls rising up to China.

Other options include a short trek up a karst outcrop for a stunning sunset view over the town, or a challenging ride around a nearby mountain with some of the best views in the area.

Or we can just relax with a drink at a local bia hoi, watch the sunset over the town and then enjoy a delicious dinner.

We stay overnight in a comfortable hotel in the middle of town.

Accommodation: Hotel, Dong Van
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Spectacular mountains & canyons, riding the legendary Ma Pi Leng Pass, exploring border country

After a relaxed breakfast at a local café, we zigzag through yet more amazing Tolkienesque outcroppings of conical limestone peaks and deep, awe-inspiring valleys, until we suddenly emerge at Ma Pi Leng pass with its incredible view of mountains towering over the vast gorge below.

The Ma Pi Leng road twists away before us, clinging to the vertiginous slopes. It’s an awesome sight and perhaps the most spectacular motorcycle ride in all of Vietnam. We ride along slowly, stopping to take photographs along the way.

Taking a side turn, we drop into the enormous gorge, following a narrow road as it snakes down and down. The views are amazing.

We cross the river and then climb up the vast slopes that reach up to the highlands that stretch to the border with China. This is remote country, not often visited. The views from the top of the climb, looking back across the gorge to the great karst mountains, are magnificent.

We retrace our steps, re-cross the river and then ride on towards the town of Meo Vac.

For those who wish, there is an optional moderate half day trek that we can take, walking on tracks that sidle along the great slopes, with stunning views over the gorge, before turning inland via several small villages. This is one of the best half-day treks in the area.

Meo Vac and a traditional inn

We end in the small town of Meo Vac, where we drop our bags in the beautifully restored headman’s house where we will stay the night.

The inn is a gem – the careful renovation mixes traditional styles and methods with a few more modern creature comforts (note: to keep with traditional architecture, bathrooms are shared and external -- if you would prefer a private ensuite bathroom, we can offer a modern 3* hotel nearby: please indicate your preference in the optional message area as part of the booking process).

Meo Vac itself is an interesting if somewhat dusty market town, a center that services the large number of ethnic minority villages clustered among the surrounding hills.

We explore the town before relaxing at the inn and enjoying a traditional dinner.

Accommodation:Traditional Inn, Meo Vac
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Road to Hanoi, options for Thac Ba Lake & Duong Lam Ancient Village

After a delicious early breakfast of ban cuon at a renowned local hole in the wall, or local specialties in a Ha Giang café, we are collected by our private car(s) for the journey back to Hanoi, about 6 hours away.

We have several options, depending on how the group feels.

We can go direct to Hanoi, stopping at a café on the highway for lunch.

Or we can detour through pretty lowland hills to beautiful Thac Ba Lake for a delicious lunch at a traditional, friendly homestay, about halfway to Hanoi. This follows backroads and bypasses quite a bit of the highway, but adds about an hour or so to the overall journey.

As an alternative, closer to Hanoi, we can also detour to visit the old town of Duong Lam, which has some of North Vietnam’s best preserved old houses and temples – this also adds about an hour.

Headwaters of Chay River, backroads to Thac Ba Lake

Turning off the main highway, we take smaller less travelled roads heading south west towards Thac Ba Lake.

We drive through lovely open country between ranges of low hills as we approach the upper parts of the lake, then follow its Eastern flank, sometimes near the water and sometimes inland.

The lake is spectacular with its small islands with dense crowns of trees which dot the surface, giving the lake a surreal feel.

We stop at a friendly local homestay where we can stretch our legs before a delicious traditional lunch.

Red River basin and Duong Lam Ancient village

After lunch we drive south and enter the typical lowland rural landscapes of the upper Red River plains, an interesting contrast to the northern mountains and the flatter plains of the Red River delta south of Hanoi.

The landscape becomes more built up, and houses, villages and shops line the roads more densely. We broadly follow the heart of the Red River basin until we divert to the village of Duong Lam, which has some of North Vietnam’s best preserved old houses and temples.

Duong Lam Ancient Village is a UNESCO site recognized for its preservation of old buildings, with history dating back more than a thousand years. Two of Vietnam’s kings, Phung Hung (761-802) and Ngo Quyen (896-944) were born in Duong Lam, and are famous for leading resistance against invasion from the north.

The village has many traditional houses dating back up to 400 years, which provide a rare window into ancient Vietnamese culture and architecture, as well as some fine communal houses and older temples and pagodas.

We spend some time walking around the ancient town, exploring some of the old houses and temples, having a coffee break and stretching our legs.

We head on to Hanoi, traversing back roads through pretty farmland on the urban outskirts before driving through Tay Ho and back to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

A great way to go

There is no better way to travel through Vietnam than by motorbike -- the feeling of connection to the landscapes and people is exhilarating. It's how we like to travel ourselves.

Vietnam is a motorbike rider’s paradise. The country has not yet developed to the point where cars and trucks are crowding bikes on rural and back roads: there are cars and trucks of course, but motorbikes are still dominant. On the other hand, the country has developed enough to have (mostly) reasonable sealed roads. In addition, the landscapes and people are fabulous. This all adds up to fantastic back roads riding.

This tour is aimed at people with moderate motorbike riding experience as well as more experienced riders. We modify the daily riding distances and choose roads and side excursions to suit the experience and desires of the group -- from relaxed to demanding.

There is also the possibility of riding pillion behind one of our experienced local riders -- you can select this as part of the booking process.

If you would like to discuss your riding experience and options, please contact us -- we are always keen to help!

'Slow travel' and types of motorbike

In general, we have a ‘slow travel’ philosophy and try and ensure that daily distances are not too large – we take time to enjoy what we are passing through.

Not going too fast is the secret to riding in Vietnam: there are so many fantastic side excursions and so much to experience. In any case, winding back roads make fast riding impractical a lot of the time -- in the mountains, speeds of 30 - 60 kmh are common. Of course if you want to ride harder and cover more distance, we can do that too.

We generally ride modest sized semi-automatic bikes of around 110cc-125cc, or slightly larger manual bikes of 150cc. Both are well suited to the winding roads of Vietnam.

The 110cc - 1225cc bikes are less expensive, are light and easy to manage, and handle dirt roads well. These are what the locals ride everywhere. You'll find them more approachable if you're riding what they're riding. These are the default, included in the price of the tour.

The 150cc bikes are heavier, a bit more expensive and can of course cover long distances more quickly. You can select 150cc bikes for your group as part of the booking process.

Western riders used to larger bikes often want something bigger -- and if you want to ride Vietnam's crowded highways, then a larger bike makes sense (although bikes of more than 175cc involve more stringent driving license requirements) -- but we do not recommend them for our tours.

Off road bikes are also available for those who wish to add some more challenging dirt roads to the mix – we can provide as much challenge as you can handle. However, it's not our key focus and if you want a pure off-roading experience, then you should look elsewhere. Contact us if you are interested in a larger motorbike or mixing in a bit of more serious off-road.

See here for more information on riding a motorbike in Vietnam.

Motorbike licenses

Ideally, you will have a motorbike license in your own country that you can use as the basis to get an International Driving Permit (IDP) before you leave.

Vietnam does not recognize domestic motorcycle licenses by themselves as being a valid license to ride a motorbike in Vietnam, but it does recognize the combination of a domestic license and an IDP from a number of countries: see here for more important information and a link to a list of countries.

If you are from one of the countries where an IDP is not recognized (including USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Ireland, Spain), then please contact us to discuss options.

Note that the rules for what is required to ride validly in Vietnam are always changing -- we try and keep up to date, but it's always best to contact the Vietnamese embassy in your country to confirm.

Choose Your Style

This tour is aimed at both people who are interested in being active as well as those who want a more relaxing trip instead. We have designed the route and itinerary to accommodate both preferences.

For those who want to be active, we are happy to provide as much additional riding and / or trekking as you desire – and it’s great stuff: fabulous back roads and trails, amazing mountains and gorges, wonderful treks to remote ethnic minority villages, stunning rice terraces and beautiful forests.

For those more interested in a less-active trip, the core riding itinerary provides great, relaxing touring through spectacular and incredibly diverse landscapes and villages. We can adjust the itinerary for each day in accord with the interests of the group.

Tour Options – Add Something Special to Your Tour

Customise Your Tour with Our Optional Activities

Take your tour further and add some extra experiences we think are not to be missed. From landscapes to people watching, trekking to markets, simply choose the option(s) that’s right for you and click reload your revised tour to open a new tab with an amended itinerary.

At this time we don’t have pre-prepared itineraries for every combination, so please contact us if your combination doesn’t load a new itinerary and we can work with you directly.

Beautiful, unspoilt Ha Giang valleys & villages

6 Days | 400+ km | Easy / moderate

Combine a morning motorbike ride to a remote, beautiful, hidden valley with an afternoon leisurely trek through scenic hills and ethnic Tay villages to experience Ha Giang off the beaten path. From our breakfast at a rural restaurant for locals to the hamlets we ride through, this is authentic, unspoilt Vietnam.

Mountains, canyons & back roads of Dong Van & Meo Vac

6 Days | 440+ km | Easy / moderate

Explore the Dong Van and Meo Vac area in more detail. Ride some of the most spectacular roads in Vietnam, through fantastic mountains and deep ravines. Trek to remote ethnic minority villages, along paths overlooking amazing canyons. Dig deeper into the rich tapestry of ethnic minority culture and way of life. Discover the less traveled places that make this area so special.

Beautiful Thac Ba lake & ancient Duong Lam village

6 Days | 700+ km | Easy / moderate

Return to Hanoi from Ha Giang via beautiful Thac Ba Lake and the ancient village of Duong Lam. This is a great off-the-beaten-path alternative to csr from Ha Gisng, riding our motorbikes through varied rural country, and exploring a different side of Vietnam as we journey from the northern mountains down through the historic Red River Basin.

Spectacular Ha Giang mountains loop —

best medium motorbike tour in Vietnam

Spectacular Ha Giang —