Itinerary:
* What to expects?
+ Awesome scenery and interesting journey
+ Fantastic view, enjoy sunset and sunrise with cloud ocean on the mountain
+ Challenging trails with different terrains, through narrow Dinosaur backbone mountain or Magic Forests
+ Overnight in the remote village (homestay), live out of modern life
+ Meeting lots of friendly ethnic minorities
* Best time to ride ?
+ October to March: Usually cool, dry but would be cloudy a bit. You should go at this time to be able to admire the most beautiful sea of clouds.
+ January & February: Cherry blossom season. When spring comes, cherry blossoms bloom along the provincial road, beside the wooden houses of the ethnic people here. The life of the H’mong ethnic minority in these festival months also attracts many tourists and photographers.
+ May & June: Rainfall season: The Northwest is famous for the beauty of terraced fields during the pouring season. And, of course, Ta Xua is also not an exception. With the mountains and the people living in the height, terraced fields are indispensable beauty here.
DAY 1: HANOI MOTORCYCLE TOUR TO TA XUA PEAK
Start our motorbike tour by leaving Hanoi on a weaving dyke-road running along the Red river till Trung Ha Bridge to avoid the heavy traffic on the main roads, then we’ll follow the National Highway 32 passing extensive farming lands comprising a sea of paddy fields split by tree-lined roads punctuated by limestone karst scenery till we reach Phu Yen for lunch. After lunch at a local restaurant, we’ll head across Giap wood to Bac Yen township. Here, the true challenge begins. We’ll embark on a 12 km seemingly vertical mountain trek with our bikes, a tough feat even on dry and sunny days, with chilling and breathtaking scenery pushing us forwards all the way. We’ll get to our destination at a clearing right beside the “dinosaur backbone”.
Ta Xua is a mountain range in the Bac Yen district in Son La province. At the highest point of 2865 meters, the Ta Xua peak is the tenth highest peak in Vietnam. The three most important peaks form a line that looks like the backbone of a dinosaur. It is a real off the beaten track destination for adventure travelers
If time permits, we also try some dirt-track experiences to get deeper into remote villages around to see how the locals live & work otherwise it’s our time for beer, and relaxation amid this remote and pristine nature’s playground amid the clouds.
Overnight in a house-on-stilts of the H’Mong people.(homestay in the village)
* Summary:
+ Distance: 220 km
+ Meals: Lunch, Dinner
+ Offroad Ratio: 25% – 40%
+ Accommodation: Home-stay
DAY 2: TA XUA MOTORBIKE TOUR BACK TO HANOI
In this morning, after waking up a bit earlier to chill a hot cup of coffee while watching clouds flying over Ta Xua peak to enjoy a peaceful time in this amazing land before we will keep riding some dirt tracks to uncover hidden charms of some remote areas / villages with beautiful landscapes.
We then find out ways to get back either Phu Yen or Bac Yen before running straight back to Hanoi
And depending on the riding skills and the weather conditions, we can suggest 1 of following options:
Option 1. The dirt track to Phu Yen.
If the weather is good and dry, we can challenge the tracks as you see in the video above, and ride all the way to Phu Yen. This ride is about 50km and there are some real off-road parts. However, these parts are not possible if it’s wet or rainy because they are super slippery and there are possible landslides. Dirt bike lovers enjoy riding this route because it’s much more fun.
From Phu Yen, it’s about 4 hours ride back to Hanoi via the mountain road and then along the rider. Despite the long ride, we would return before the rush hour in Hanoi.
Option 2. The secondary road back to Bac Yen.
In case the weather is not really good and wet, it’s advisable to take this secondary road from Bac Yen to Ta Xua Spine and back to Bac Yen. It’s still possible to include some off-road parts if you are game. In fact, most inexperienced would take this road for safety reasons.
From Bac Yen, we ride back to Hanoi on the same road we followed on the first day.
* Summary:
+ Distance: 220 km
+ Meals: Lunch
+ Offroad Ratio: 25% – 40%
+ Accommodation: No
End of the trip
* Inclusions:
- Motorbike(s) (Honda or Yamaha)
- Helmet(s)
- Driving gears
- Gasoline on tour
- English speaking guide
- Mechanic (only for group from 6 passengers)
- Accommodation as indicated in the itinerary (based on twin or/and triple shared)
- Homestay permission
- Meals as indicated in the itinerary
- Entrance fees & Sightseeing fees
- Fruits and Coffee on tour
- Government’s taxes
* Exclusions :
- Travel insurance
- Visa
- Air-ticket
- Tips
- Personal expenses
- Damages to motorbike
