Cycling Pu Luong nature reserve

Pu Luong is located southwest of Hanoi. The nature reserve offers a perfect ground for mountain bikers and big outdoors addicts. Not too hard but demanding enough, cycling requires you to be fit. But the reward is huge and offered by Mother Nature herself. Lush green forest, deep valleys, cascades, and natural pools. The trip also takes you through Mai Chau valley and to the splendid Pu Luong ecolodge.

• Theme tour: Adventurous explorer
• Kids friendly: No
• Destination: Less traveled

• Well paced cycling on various grounds
• Landscapes made of mountains, forest, river, cascades and terraced rice fields

• Sun & rain gear (including sun scream)
• Insect repellent
• Warm clothes in winter (mid Nov to early Mar)
• Cycling shoes/sandals
• Daypack for hiking
• Toiletries, towel and flashlight
• Original passport

Meals: lunch, dinner | Accommodation: Homestay at a traditional house-on-stilts

8.00 am – departure from your hotel. On the morning drive to Mai Chau, we’ll leave the city behind and pass through craggy, mountainous landscape. We drive up a massive pass and end in the mountainous circus of Mai Chau. On arrival in the small remote village of Mai Hich, we’ll check in to the traditional guesthouse of a Thai ethnic minority family, wooden and on stilts, like we love them.

In the afternoon, you take a warm up cycling ride around the green hills letting your guide point out and explain the wonders along the way. If the weather is good, we can also go check out the nice cascades hidden somewhere, few kilometers behind the village. Afterwards, we return for dinner and overnight in the stilt house with our friendly Thai hosts.

With ‘Homestay’ experience, your overnight accommodation is provided by a local family in their traditional house-on-silts. There’s no private room and you’ll sleep on the floor in a large communal area. The sleeping corner is set up with a single mattress (thin, but adequate), blankets (ditto), pillow and mosquito net. The restroom is at international standard and a few steps from the main house.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner | Accommodation: Pu Luong ecolodge – private bungalow

After breakfast, say goodbye to our hosts and have a quick transfer to the entrance of Pu Luong Nature Reserve. We start cycling on an easy sealed road and cross the nature reserve from West to East on a small road first to end on easy trails. The total ride is about 50km and offers beautiful views on the valleys and terraced rice fields. We will go through villages and won’t miss an opportunity to share some time with locals. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant en-route.

We arrive in the afternoon at the Pu Luong ecolodge, a very nice spot nested between two streams at the foot of a limestone mountain. Spend the rest of the day at leisure enjoying the cascades and natural pools all around your private bungalow.

Pu Luong ecolodge (aka Les-Bains-de-Hieu) is located in the heart of the Pu Luong Nature Reserve and only accessible by foot for motorbike ride so it’s advisably to travel light with a day pack. The lodge has only 3 traditional bungalows, each has private veranda but no air-conditioner. There’s no attached toilet but you’ll share stylish rest room a few steps away

Meals: breakfast, lunch | Accommodation: not included

The program today is flexible. The ride can range from 10 to 40 kilometres. So take it easy and tell your guide if you’d rather spend an easy morning at the eco-lodge, take a short trek to a waterfall nearby or more cycling.

Take an early lunch at the lodge then we make our way to Pho Doan, where we get back in the car and drive to Hanoi (The arrival time will depend on how much you did cycle in the morning, average would be around 18:30