Hanoi

Arrival day and welcome dinner

Arrive in the thriving city of Hanoi and check in to your hotel any time from 2pm. Spend the afternoon finding your feet, before meeting up with the rest of the group in the evening for dinner. There is lots to fill spare time in Hanoi: walk around beautiful Hoan Kiem Lake, with the reflection of modern office buildings, old Buddhist temples and the tangle of ancient streets in its still surface, or maybe dive into culture at the Vietnam Fine Art Museum or The Vietnamese Women’s Museum.
We’ll dine together for dinner at KOTO restaurant, a social enterprise restaurant focusing on vocational training for marginalised local youth.

Hanoi

Explore Hanoi by bike

This morning you’ll get the chance to explore the Vietnamese capital in more depth by bike. Full of parks, lakes, and tree-lined boulevards, the city is known for its laidback atmosphere. We’ll spend the morning learning from our first NGO. In the afternoon, you’ll have time to visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, which includes the Buddhist temple One Pillar Pagoda and the former residence of Vietnam’s most famous revolutionary, Ho Chi Minh. There’s also time to explore the vibrant Old Quarter, an architectural museum where blocks of ochre buildings give off the air of a 1930s provincial French town. 

Ninh Binh

River riding, local villages and coffee stops

Leave behind the hectic pace of life in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi and journey to Ninh Binh, you’ll really have the opportunity to soak up one of Vietnam’s most spectacular views – limestone karst peaks thrusting out of serene rice paddies, the sounds and views of the river, which winds through the fields and has boats parading up and down its length. Following our bike ride, we’ll stop for lunch at a local restaurant before visiting Trang An, a new addition to UNESCO’s list of heritage sites. Here, we’ll board row boats for a 3 to 3.5-hour journey through caves, passing local villages along the river system of the Red River Delta.

Cuc Phuong:

National parks, rivers and primate rescue centre

Leaving Ninh Binh in the morning by bus and drive about a half-hour to Dong Dao plantation, where we start cycling. Today we cycle about 30 km on the panoramic road to Cuc Phuong National Park. We will go through the pineapple plantations, valleys, villages, meeting friendly locals along the way. Arrive in Cuc Phuong about at noontime; we enjoy our lunch at the local restaurant here. Afterwards, make a visit to the Primates Rescue center.

Crossing into Laos:

The land border crossing into Laos

After breakfast, we’ll make our way towards the Laos border. There is still some distance to cover, so there will be a mix of scenic cycling and transit by van. The aim is to get to the border in the early afternoon, where we’ll do a land crossing. At this point, we say goodbye to our Vietnam guides and hosts, as we transfer to Laos and meet the Lao team, who will be with us util the end of the trip. After crossing the border, we’ll transit to Viang Xia.

Viang Xia & Ban Tad Saleuy

Morning caves, afternoon cycling

After breakfast, we’ll spend the first part of the morning exploring the natural beauty of the famous Viang Xia caves. We’ll venture through Khayson, Souphanouvong and Nouhak caves, all named after former leaders and royalty. The evening will be in the small village of Ban Tad Saleuy where we’ll spend the evening in a local homestay.

Nam Nern Night Safari

Bamboo huts, river boats and tiger spotting

Immersed in the magical world of Nam-Et Phou Louey National Park, Nam Nern eco-lodge has rightly been the winner at the World Responsible Tourism Awards twice. The bungalows are built by locals, the food is locally grown and prepared. We’ll have the chance to enjoy authentic, delicious dishes like Soop pak (a traditional Laotian steamed veggie dish) and Khmu tempura. As an incentive to preserve the local wildlife, the more endangered animals you see, the more money the local villages receive, thus encouraging further eco and conservation projects. We’ll take multiple boat rides (day and night) and go on hikes to salt licks with expert trackers, all the while learning about the conservation programs. This is by far the most interactive NGO experience of the trip.

Vieng Thong:

Mountain cycling, scenic views and local culture

After a home made family breakfast, we will say goodbye to our hosts for the night and start cycling to Vieng Thong. The 95km journey comprises of some challenging mountain climbs and downhills. The beautiful bends in the well paved road make for some of the most scenic cycling in Laos. Viengthong District was under the same jurisdiction as Pak Xeng District, Luang Prabang Province and was a Buddhist settlement called Muang Hiem, which means “beware of the tiger”, alluding to tiger attacks in the area.

Pak Xeng:

Mountain top cycling, rural life

The first 12km from the guesthouse head straight up. An above sea level height of 350m turns to 1050m in just 12k. It’s enough to make the strongest riders jump in the van, although if you’ve had enough coffee, you’re welcome to attempt it (provided the road is in good condition). The undulating road for the following 60km is an incredible insight into local village life amidst beautiful tree lined roads.

Luang Prabang:

Cycling into Luang Prabang

The road feels almost flat (compared to what you’ve just done) as we enjoy our last cycle day into Luang Prabang. On the way, we’ll visit Pak Ou caves and then look to take a boat for our final journey into Luang Prabang.
Our last dinner together will be enjoyed at Friends International restaurant, Khai Phaen. You’ll have the chance to learn from one of the Friends International leaders and find out more about local challenges, programs and initiatives set up within the ‘Saving Lives’ and ‘Building Futures’ programs. If there is no ‘clients’ at the time of our visit we will be able to visit their social drop-in center next door.

Departure day, or continue to Vientiane

Today a minivan transfer to the airport will round up our trip. If your trip is later in the afternoon you will have the afternoon off to explore this beautiful UNESCO world heritage city! Should you wish to extend your stay for a few days, just let us know and we can offer an extension package as per requests.
If you’re continuing your journey to Vientiane with us, then you have the day to relax and explore Luang Prabang.

Phou Khoun

Cycling the mountains

It’s a tough day today, with a total distance of 135km from Luang Prabang to your hotel, and very little of it is flat! An early start will beat the small amount of traffiic that roams Luang Prabang and you’ll be able to cycle as far (or as little) as you’d like. We’ll allow the day for strolling through the beautiful mountain scenery and get into Phou Khoun for around 5pm, whether it be by bicycle or by car.

Phon Savan

The ultimate challenge, and the hardest day of ANY Social Cycles adventure, ANYWHERE

Slightly less km’s than yesterday, this 128km ride is doable, but it’s not easy. The support van will be around all day to give you a lift if and when you need it. We’ll start early in the morning to escape what we can of the midday sun. With a little luck, there might be some cloud cover that day. Let me assure you though, this is some of the best cycling on the planet. The scenery is incredible and the villages are breathtaking. The reward of conquering this day is well worth the effort.

Paksan:

Plain of Jars, UXO ordinance and a local NGO

In the morning, we’ll visit a local NGO that works with victims of land mines, still remaining from the Vietnam War. Before we start the days cycling, we’ll pop out to the Plain of Jars, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It’s a tough ride today, taking us through remote areas and deep forest, where villagers still live almost untouched by civilisation. The 93km ride will be followed by the van the whole way if you fancy taking a break.

Thalat

National parks, river cruises and waterfalls

Today we venture though Phou Khao Khouay to get to Thalat. In the morning we’ll head out of Paksan towards Tad Leuk waterfall at the side of the park. After lunch we’ll cycle through the park before getting a boat, for a two hour cruise through the National Park from Longsane village.

Vientiane:

Rainforest cycling

The last day on the road! This epic adventure is almost at an end. Today you’ll click over the 800km point (if you started in Hanoi). The road flattens out somewhat as we near Vientiane. The cycling comprises of some more beautiful rainforest scenery as we ride near Nam Ngum lake. The ride finishes up in Ban Mixaiphoun, before we transit to Vientiane.

Departure Day!

Congratulations! You’ve cycled across a couple of countries, covered almost 700km in the saddle and more than scratched the surface as to what these fantastic countries are about. We’ll enjoy a final breakfast together before we get you off to the airport and on your way home.