Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh To Hanoi Listed In Top 10 Toughest Bike Rides

The Top 10 toughest bike rides list was taken by Lonely Planet. These are top 10.

Ho Chi Minh to  Hanoi, Vietnam: The bike trip begins from lush plain of Mekong Delta, winding through stunning mountains around Da Lat, with hard climb through the Hai Van pass, then reaching Northern mountainous provinces. Besides absolutely abrupt routes, the searing tropical heat will make cyclists drop back into state of endless water refill. 

Travelers indulging in Vietnam cycling usually challenge themselves to take a biking Ho Chi Minh trails - the Vietnamese famous historical road. Active Travel Asia (http://activetravel.asia/) also recommend travelers exciting motorcycling tours (here) on this road. 

Photography by Nguyen Minh Son

Col du Tourmalet, France: This extremely abrupt distance on the Pyrenees’s highest road is a classical Tour. Starting in 1910, it has been included than any other pass on Tour de France – the famous three-week race. Arriving Col du Tourmalet is possible from two directions. The classic route from the west is 19 km in length, reach a hard climb of 1,404 m. The gradient is up to 7.4%.

Photography by Cyclingtips

L’Alpe d’Huez, France: This Alpine epic hauls around a seemingly endless series of hairpin blends stretching consecutively 13.8 km on the L’Alpe d’Huez mountain near Paris, will make cyclists choke.

Photography by Theclimbingcyclist.com

El Camino de la Muerte, Bolivia: As a hard challenging road, “El Camino de la Muerte” means “Road of death”, which sounds less horrifying in Spanish. This bike trip just for pro-cyclists descends a precipitous mountain pass, commencing at 4,700m and winding at 1,200m. Let’s face it. Solace cyclists with the truth that most deaths relates in cars rather than cycles. 

Photography by Rinconabstracto

Passo di Gavia, Italy: Passo di Gavia, in the splendid Italian Alps, is 26 km in ride length and climb a massive 2621m. The road is closed in winter due to thick snow. However, the climate can also be really harsh even in warm months. Summer is perfect time to conquer this class race’s hardest climbs. 

Photography by Londonbikers

Manali to Leh, India: This extreme ride through the Indian Himalaya is just only for experienced and sufficiently fit cyclists. Starting in Manali, the route leads through pine forests, ascending rugged and craggy slopes along dirt tracks and sealed trail, before reaching back switchback nearby Leh.

Photography by Sidnsam

Lake Louise to Whistler, Canada: This journey lasting in many days will take cyclists to an 11km slope in total of 1000 km, traversing the Rockies, heading straight into Canada’s Coast Mountain toward the resort of Whistler. Just thinking about it, travelers may feel backside ache.

Photography by Beediverse

Cape Epic, South Africa: This off-road classic changes its route yearly, but the theme is always the same. Eight days of ascending mountain cycling through some of South Africa’s the most spectacular and rugged terrain, with 698 km in length and 15 km of slopes, Epic Cape makes La Tourmalet just like a ride in a park.

Photography by Capetown.travel

Three Peaks Challenge, Australia: Try on your own, it’s really hard. Australia’s Three Peaks challenge takes place every year. The road contains 235 km in 13 km, crossing Tawonga Gap, Mount Hotham and Falls Creek. To conquer this trail, it is necessary to have professional riders going alongside.

Alto de L'Angliru, Spain: Recently, the Vuelta d'Espana has earned a reputation as the most abrupt stage of both famous bicycle races - Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. Alto de L'Angliru, located in the Northern Asturias region, is disputably its toughest climb. It is just only 12.5 km in length, but the average gradient is a creepy 10.13%. 

Photography by Scoda.co.uk

Cycling Southern Vietnam

By Dan Moore 

Welcome to our last installment of Tour de Vietnam, where we share photos taken from the cycling lane. (In case you missed it, you can check out our snapshots from the North and Central region as well.) A massive thank you to everyone who has commented, tweeted, sent words of encouragement and virtual high-fives, and basically kept us inspired throughout our trip. Cycling Vietnam sure wasn’t easy, and if it’s wasn’t for you we might have found ourselves on the first bus barreling past. 

Seriously, you guys rock! This is our last installment of Tour de Vietnam, but we have an extensive post cram-packed with anything you could possibly want to know about cycling Vietnam coming at ya on Thursday. We are covering everything from how to buy bikes to cycling itineraries to where we slept and how we found toilets. If you have specific questions you want answered, send them our way and we will address them. Again, thank you for joining us on our journey. Hope to have you along for many more! And now, here’s a glimpse of Southern Vietnam!

 

Cycling North Vietnam

By Dan Moore

They may not capture the children who run to the roadside, posed for a high-five as we pass by. Or the old women who try to cycle faster than us, laughing and balancing small mountains of rice on their own bikes all the way. They don’t show the locals who slow their scooter-pace, only to ask where we are going and where we are from, never driving off without first volunteering to pull us the rest of the way. And of course, you can’t hear the hundreds of ‘hallos’ called out to us each day, or the fits of giggles that follow when we wave or smile back.

Unfortunately we aren’t too good at simultaneously taking photos and cycling Vietnam – we’re working on it, we promise. In the meantime, here are a few images from our first few days of biking North Vietnam. They still offer a pretty good snapshot of our surroundings in the beautiful, mountainous north.

Northern Vietnam

Northern Vietnam

Northern Vietnam

Northern Vietnam

Northern Vietnam

Northern Vietnam

Northern Vietnam

Biking Northern Vietnam

Cycling in Vietnam

By Mike Spradbery

Travelling by bicycle has to be one of the most interesting and rewarding ways to see any country - and Vietnam is certainly no exception. There is something for everyone, from rugged mountain biking in the Northern mountains to much gentler touring through the Mekong flood plains in the South. And to see as much of the country as possible, the inevitable ride along Route 1 (which runs the length of the country between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh) will take you on the most varied journey through a diverse country.

Biking Vietnam

GETTING THERE

I flew to Vietnam with Vietnam Airlines. If you are lucky they may decide to let your bike fly free, however, be prepared to pay up to $100 if they decide to weigh it and charge you for excess baggage. Whether or not you box your bike is a matter of personal preference, at the very least you will need to deflate the tyres, remove the pedals and twist the handlebars parallel to the bike frame.

If you are planning on cycling into Vietnam from a neighbouring country, you can enter via any of the standard land border crossings.

Biking Vietnam

WHAT TO TAKE

Cycling in Vietnam is very safe, however, it is strongly recommended that you wear a helmet. Roads can be busy and you will not necessarily have the rights of way that you are used to. As a general rule, the largest vehicle has right of way - this is very unlikely to be you! It is also recommended that you take a comprehensive first aid kit in-case of an unexpected dismounting.

Think about what the weather is likely to be doing when you travel and take suitable clothes. Pack some good sun cream as it is very easy to get badly sunburned if you are cycling through the hottest part of the day. Also make sure you carry plenty of drinking water with you as it can be difficult to buy between towns. If the weather is very dry it can become quite dusty, so sunglasses or cycling shades are a good idea.

Biking Vietnam

WHAT TO EXPECT

Expect to have a brilliant, if sometimes difficult, time. There are times when roads are dusty, noisy and congested; times when it's hard to find good food; times when the locals seem intimidating; times when it is hot, humid and you are cycling up hill.

Remember that the sight of a foreigner, let alone a foreigner on a bike, is unusual in the smaller villages in Vietnam. Locals are often inquisitive and may well gather round you to squeeze your brake levers, hold your handle-grips, touch your tyres or simply stare.  

Be careful of people riding alongside you on their bikes or mopeds. Having someone trying to practice their English whilst riding two or three abreast on a busy road can be a bit hair-raising. Large groups of school children can be even more dangerous - you can outrun them (on their one-speed bikes) at about 30 km/h, but they love the chase! Occasionally you may even get young kids throwing stones or people extending a hand into your path as you cycle by.

Be careful of the road surface. While roads are generally fine, potholes or rocks can be hard to see, especially if the locals are drying their crops on the sides of the road.

BIKE AT NIGHT

Security can be a problem if you have an expensive bike, so take good locks. Generally though, hotels will let you take your bike into your room at night at no extra cost.

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA would like to recommend West to East Biking Exploration tour.Our unique biking trip in northern Vietnam takes place against a backdrop of endless lush green paddy fields and irregular tree-covered limestone mountains. Providing a fleeting insight into the traditional lives, friendly tribes and exotic landscapes of north-west and north-east Vietnam, our trip also delivers surprisingly good riding across the mountainous area of northern Vietnam. There are technical sections, easy hills, huge flowing descents and some glorious singletracks.

Highlights: 

• Colorful tribes
• Stunning scenery
• Glorious single tracks of Sapa and Bac Ha
• Homestay among friendly tribesmen

Discovering Pu Luong Natural Reserve

The houses-on-stilts nestled between the mountains, the yellow terraced fields and green primitive forests., white cloud around…making a natural and wild picture dream. That is scenery you may see when arriving Nature Reserve (NR) Pu Luong.

Pu Luong Natural Reserve, Vietnam

Located in the two districts of Quan Hoa and Ba Thuoc in the northwestern area of Thanh Hoa Province, Pu Luong Natural Reserve has preserved a primitive landscape and plentiful and diversified flora and fauna. With the above natural values, it has now become a fascinating destination for those who love to discover the beauty of nature.

Pu Luong Natural Reserve, covering an area of 17,662ha, is the largest low area of limestone mountain forests left in the north of Vietnam with three major forest types: thick forests on low land and low mountains; forests on limestone mountains and floristic compositions of bamboos, Neohouzeaua and bushes.

According to the statistics of Pu Luong Nature Reserve’s Management Board, the reserve has 1,109 species of vascular plants, under 447 branches and 152 families. There are 42 special-use varieties of plants of Vietnam and four species listed in the World’s Red Book. Furthermore, it is the place where there is the second largest population of Vooc mong trang (Trachypithecus delacouri) in Vietnam with 31-38 individuals, after Van Long Nature Reserve in Ninh Binh Province.

In Pu luong, tourists have different choices for their tours, such as discovering the beauty of the natural landscape, ecological forests with plentiful fauna and flora or learning the simple and interesting customs and habits of the Thai and Muong people.

A hamlet of the Thai people with wonderful terraced fields

Day life in Pu Luong

During their trip, tourists can see immense terraced fields and learn the traditional farming methods of the ethnic people or discover mysterious caves in Hang and Kho Muong Hamlets. One of the destinations that tourists should not miss is Hieu Hamlet. Following a path, not far from Pho Doan Town, tourists can see many water wheels, a typical tool of the Thai people. After crossing over a suspension bridge and climbing a slope, tourists finally arrive in the place where two waterfalls rush noisily. From afar, tourists can hear the rumbling sound of these waterfalls. Here, small branches of a stream run around the hamlet, through houses-on-stilts at the foot of staircases, to paddy fields and then merge into two grandiose waterfalls.

A hamlet of the Thai people with wonderful terraced fields

Water wheel_beautiful image in Pu Luong

After a day discovering Pu Luong, tourists can stay in airy and spacious houses-on-stilts of the local ethnic people. It is a form of eco-community tours that has strongly developed in the locality. The tours are held by the local people based on nature and culture with the aim of improving the living standards and protecting the environment. Sitting near the fire, both the host and the tourists can enjoy delicious dishes, such as Com lam (sticky rice cooked on bamboo tubes) and a salad of banana inflorescence. They can drink Can wine and enjoy traditional dances and songs of the ethnic people.

Trekking Pu Luong

Arriving in Pu Luong Nature Reserve where there are immense green forests and green terraced fields, tourists seem to be lost in a valley, completely separated from the outside world, with many mysteries expecting to be discovered. 

With many foreign tourists, Pu Luong Nature Reserve is the interesting ideal for trekking trips  or cycling options. Biking in Pu Luong is one of the best ways to discover the natural beauty of the region and exotic culture of minority groups. 

Source : Vietnamtourism

Recommend Biking tour or Trekking tour in Pu Luong Nature Reserve  by ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA

Biking Pu Luong Nature Reserve: On biking tour we will ride on the first part of the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail and spend 3 nights in villages of Thai people.

Highlights:

• Biking on the first part of Ho Chi Minh Trail
• Homestay in villages of Thai people
• Stunning scenery
• Traditional foot massage

Trekking in Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Highlights:

• Unspoiled Pu Luong Nature Reserve 
• Friendly ethnic minorities
• Homestay in villages
• Beautiful trails
• All meals included