Vietnam hilltribe motorcycle tour

Your hill tribe motorcycle tour begins with arrival in Hanoi. The transfer takes you from the airport in about half an hour to the vibrant old quarter, where you spend the night in a centrally located hotel among small alleys and shops.

On this stage you leave the busy capital Hanoi heading north. Along the Red River the traffic becomes calmer, until you reach the small town of Nghia Lo, home to Dao and Hmong families.

The route continues further north, past green rice terraces clinging to the mountainsides. Over the highest pass of the tour, you reach Sa Pa at 1,500 meters, once a summer retreat of the French colonial era.

On your rental motorcycle you ride a paved stretch to Lao Cai on the Chinese border, before continuing into the valley of Bac Ha – a typical North Vietnamese village with colorfully dressed residents.

In the morning you explore the H'mong villages around Bac Ha on foot or by motorcycle, before this stage takes you over unpaved tracks through rugged highlands and past rice terraces to the provincial capital Ha Giang.

This stage takes you over a magnificent mountain ridge into the remote region around Dong Van and Meo Vac, where you encounter rare hill tribes for whom travelers are still a genuine curiosity.

As a guided tour, your travel companion leads you over quiet roads through hilly rice terraces to Bao Lac and onward to Ba Be Lake in the national park of the same name, with its striking karst landscape.

The final riding stage of this hill tribe tour brings you back to the capital. Traffic becomes increasingly dense, and the chaotic yet fascinating bustle of Hanoi marks an atmospheric end to the ride.

On the last day it's time to say goodbye, or to start the Halong Bay extension: by boat through the spectacular karst landscape of Halong Bay, before your flight home.