3 Day Biking Trip from Sapa to Binh Lu - Ban Hon - Tam Duong - Paso

Day 1: Sapa - Heavens Gate - Binh Lu - Tam Duong (new Lai Chau town) (L,D)

You commerce from Sapa by having a transfer uphill towards Heavens Gate. On the way, you will pass Silver Waterfall and then head to Heavens Gate, where you will be amazed by breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains including Fan Si Pan, the highest peak of Indochina. From the highest point on a road of Vietnam, your ride will be mostly downhill. At Binh Lu T-Junction, you will get off the main road for visiting Bo village of the Black Thai and Lu ethnic minorities. After enjoying a cup of green tea with the friendly villagers in their stilt houses, you will continue the ride on bumpy village road until getting back on the main road to Binh Lu again. Upon arrival at Binh Lu town, you will visit a small market before having lunch in a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, you continue your cycling on a quite flat road in the middle of Binh Lu valley with high mountains and rice terraces on both sides. You then cycle uphill onward the top of Giang Ma Pass, from there you will have a very good view over both Binh Lu and Laichau valleys. After you have relaxed for a while, your ride will be easier downhill and straight to Lai Chau town where you will stay tonight.

Approx: 40 minutes driving/ 6 hours cycling
Up / Straight /Down - 15 km/ 15 km / 40 km

After breakfast, you leave Laichau and continue the second day's ride to Pa So. After having a warming up for around 20 minutes on a good flat road, you start ride uphill the Hong Thu Man Pass. Then, you pass by several villages stretching along the banks of Na River. You will see some places of gold exploration along the river. You also pass by many villages of Thai minority spreading along the way before reaching to Muong So where you will be served lunch in a small restaurant or lunch box brought by your guide. After lunch, you will be transferred by support vehicles to Ma Lung Thang Border where you have chance to see the trading atmosphere between the Vietnamese and the Chinese in this very remote area. From the border, you cycle on a shadowed good road paralleled with a river to Paso town, where you stay overnight.

Approx: 5 hours cycling/ 1 hour lunch/ 1 hour driving.
Up / Straight /Down - 15 km/ 20 km / 30 km.

Your support car will transfer you back to Tam Duong town. You then start your ride from the centre of the town to a colourful market where the Thai, the Black Dao, The Lu and so on gather for trading and socializing, with the most crowded day on Thursday. You will then take a turn into a dirt road which is quite bumpy but has very beautiful view of picturesque valleys of rice terraces and Limestone Mountains. On the way you have stops to visit the Giang village of the Day, Hon village of the Lu, Na Hum village of the Thai ethnic minorities. Later, you will arrive at Pa Pen village where, if it is a class day, you have an opportunity to visit a small school. Leaving the school in the curious sight of the children, you will then get out of the dirt road and arrive at Binh Lu town, where you enjoy lunch in a local restaurant.

Approx: 4 hour cycling/ 1 hour lunch/ 2 hour driving

Up/Straight/ Down: - 6 km/ 20 km/ 16 km

Note: On the whole trip you will have a supply vehicle, which can give you a lift whenever you feel tired. The itinerary between Binh Lu and Tam Duong on the back road could be changed due to high level of the river. Therefore the night spent in the local house could change into hotel accommodation.

Tour Cost:

Inclusive

•English or French speaking guide
•Good mountain bikes and helmets
•All indicated meals (B as breakfast; L as lunch; D as dinner)
•Water on the whole trip
•Supply car/ motorbike
•All entrance fees
•For the overnight trip in the village
•Sleeping bag and mattresses
•Silk sleeping bag
•Waterproof bluebag for luggage
•Tents if needed
•Mosquito net
•Overnight in local house or tent

Exclusive

•Personal Pocket Money
•Soft drink (beer, coca cola...)
•Insurance
•Hotel/ guesthouse
•All other services not indicated above

DISCOVERING THE GREAT TRAVEL TO SAPA