Day 1 Saigon The morning is free for you to explore the city. Post-lunch, 12:30 pm, our guide meets you at your hotel for a walking tour to explore some of the most popular sites (Ben Thanh Market, Saigon Opera House, Continental Hotel, The Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and Post Office, The War Remnants Museum). This walking tour gives an excellent introduction to the city's history and will provide you with plenty of opportunities to soak up the unique mix of chaos and tranquility that is modern-day Saigon. We convene tonight to celebrate the start of our awesome journey on a bike.
Day 2 Saigon Today bike to the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an immense network of connecting underground tunnels. A shuttle transfer of about 90min brings us to the countryside of the city. After a short ride through narrow rural trails, take a ferry to a nearby island and bike past typical rural hamlets, rubber plantations and paddy fields. Another ferry brings us closer to Cu Chi Tunnels. Our guide takes us on a walk through the tunnels and share anecdotes along the way. Try the famous Cassava with green tea and peanut dip, food of soldiers living in the tunnels during the war. After lunch at a local restaurant by the Saigon River, shuttle back to the city.
Day 3 Da Lat Get up early today for a short flight to Da Lat, the jewel of the central highlands. The region is dotted with lakes, waterfalls, pine trees and infinite flowers, making for a picturesque cycling adventure. Here we take a classic ride around Da Lat. Take in some spectacular views as we ride along Da Lat's pine-forested hills, picturesque flower farms past Xuan Huong Lake and Mount Langbian.
Day 4 Da Lat Today ride through various farms and reach to the forest paths, where we start our off-road journey. The first section of trail is over Victory Lake and is wide and very quiet. Later, be ready to ride the undulating trail. Enjoy the evening at leisure. Da Lat is a beautiful town to walk around, known for its cool climate. If you have a flair for vegetables, do try tasty local produce here, including strawberries, avocados and artichokes.
Day 5 Nha Trang An awesome day on a bike today. Ride through a lush mountain range and conquer Hon Giao 1,600m mountain pass before arriving at Nha Trang, a classic beach resort town. Initial stretch is undulating past pine forests and then it's a sheer drop of 1,500m to the low lands. Break for lunch at a local restaurant by the river and continue riding on flat terrain through some gorgeous village trails. Hop into a shuttle for the last section to avoid busy road.
Day 6 Tuy Hoa After a visit to nearby Cham temple, ride a spectacular coastal trail to the nearby village. A shuttle transfer from here brings us to our lunch point by the ocean. Today, we have an early lunch. Continue riding along the sea and admire the delightful ocean views around the Dai Lanh beach before meeting the pass which is a natural border between the provinces. Descend down to stunning Vung Ro bay and take a break for a swim and some snacks. This is our first day of riding along the Vietnamese coast and it's a long ride. Enjoy it to the fullest.
Day 7 Quy Nhon A transfer of about 1hr today takes us off the highway and to the remote area where we start biking with the view of gorgeous forests and hills. The biking is through undulating terrain past beautiful villages and mountain views. After lunch, continue riding towards the main highway. Avoid the last leg of 10km as traffic picks up and transfer to Quy Nhon.
Day 8 Quang Ngai Visit Cham tower - built by the Champa civilization who ruled the southern Vietnamese area for over a millennium up until the early 1800s. Descendents of this culture, the Cham people, still live in Vietnam and neighboring Cambodia as well as Thailand. Later bike in the tropical countryside, past tree-canopied rice farms and lush green fields and paddies. Arrive at Sa Hu?nh and spend a night at a beach resort. The Sa Hu?nh culture flourished between 1000 BC and 200 AD, were most likely the predecessors of the Cham.
Day 9 Hoi An A transfer of about 1hr brings us to our start of the day with a visit to My Lai Massacre Memorial. During the Vietnam War, a company of American soldiers brutally killed the majority of the population of My Lai. Ride from here through corn and vegetable plantations with our first true view of cow herds. After a ride of about 30km, take a shuttle again to Tam Ky for lunch and then ride past network of lush rice fields and narrow interior rural trails. We end our day at Hoi An with a short transfer.
Day 10 Hoi An The architectural beauty of Hoi An will captivate you as this UNESCO World Heritage Site offers a melange of Vietnamese, European, Chinese, Japanese monuments in an unhurried, timeless setting. Today you can plan your own day, and enjoy the enchanting Hoi An town at leisure. A paradise for shoppers, a walk through the town gives a feel of an open-air museum.
Day 11 Hue We avoid riding in Da Nang busy roads and transfer straight away to the point, 5km before the climb. Bike on over gradual hills in the coastal ride to climb Hai Van pass for views of this splendid bay and of wooden fishing boats, waterfalls, mountains and pine forests. Ride the downhill with utmost care and stop for lunch by a delightful lagoon. A short transfer brings us to Phuoc Tuong where we ride the undulating mountain terrain and cross the gorgeous estuary of the Perfume River. Recharged, ride through the backroads and beaches of this region towards Hue, a must-visit in Vietnam.
Day 12 Overnight train to Hanoi Today take your bicycle out for a leisurely loop around the imperial town of Hue. Ride past the Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda, Mausoleums and the merchant
Day 13 Hanoi Our representative picks you up at the station and transfers you back to the hotel. Arrive and settle into your hotel. Late morning, bike the busy streets of Hanoi visiting some of the cultural and historical highlights of Hanoi. Start with the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, which was constructed nearly a millennium ago, and is delicately elevated in a pond. Also, visit the Temple of Literature, dating back close to a thousand years, is a wonderfully preserved piece of ancient Vietnamese architecture and stands to honor the scholarly achievements of the country's academics and philosophers. Continue exploring the area around Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake, old quarter including Ngoc Son Temple, which sits perched on a little island in the lake.
Day 14 Departure Make arrangements as per your onward travel plans. You can also extend your vacation here with a visit to Halong Bay and Sapa.
Vietnam.14 days $2,995.00
