Top Hanoi Day Trips - page 110

I spent 10 days in Vietnam and this whole day adventure was the most beautiful and fun way to end it. Man was a funny and wonderful guide. We saw a temple, rode bikes on rice, did a cave tour on water and hiked the steps of the "Lying Dragon"- Epic fun!

I took a walk around historical sights with Emilia and it was such an informative lesson and experience. She was professional and patient. She was in no hurry to finish the tour even with the heat we were faced with. The next time you're in Hanoi please add this to your itinerary.

Easy 5 stars. My wife and I were paired with Kom and driver Vivi, with Danny tagging along as a trainee. All were quite knowledgeable about the route, the local flora and agriculture, and the history of the Karen people whose villages we rode through. They went the extra mile to get us a seasonal fruit we’d never heard of called longsat as well as lychee from a roadside stall on our way to the route. At one point Vivi identified some wild mangos and cut them up as trail snacks, and hunted down some mini wild bananas which we tried. The planned snacks included watermelon, bananas (full size) and grilled sticky rice with banana or sweet potato inside (great “energy bar”). Vivi followed us in the car for the whole journey and provided ice cold water/cola as needed, so a very luxurious ride by mountain biking standards. The route itself was 25km of 90% paved roads through beautiful countryside studded with fruit trees, rice paddies, livestock farms and small villages backed by lush green mountains. You definitely need to be in shape to have a good time, but not particularly good at mountain biking. It’s more of a road ride with occasional gravel, the most difficult aspects are tackling the bigger hills in the hot and humid climate, not technical biking. My wife had never mountain biked before and was able to handle it, with the periodic walking break when she got winded. Overall it was an excellent reprieve from the touristy feeling of Chiang Mai’s premier neighborhoods, a great way to experience picturesque countryside and beautiful mountain scenery while breaking a sweat, if you’re into that kind of thing.