9 Day Central Highlands and Mekong Delta Guided Motorcycle Tour

Day 1: Arrival - Ho Chi Minh City

You will be picked up at Ho Chi Minh airport by a local contact person who will bring you to the hotel in the center of the city. In the hotel you will meet the tour guide. During lunch or dinner the tour guide will tell more about the details of the trip.

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City - Cat Tien

After picking up the motorbikes, we ride out of town at the busiest moment of the day. In the beginning the roads are totally crowded with small motorbikes and scooters. To ride through this chaotic traffic is an adventure in itself. On the outskirts of the city it gets busier with trucks. We will follow the main road until lunch. Immediately after lunch we leave the main road and follow a network of narrow roads and paths along the border with the Cat Tien National Park. We take two small local ferries and follow some rather difficult off-road tracks before arriving at our destination.

Day 3: Cat Tien - Phan Thiet

This is the only real mountain leg of the trip. After a taking another small ferry, we

ride into the mountainous region of the Central Highlands. There are wonderful views over

the lake created by a dam. In this mountainous area, one comes across a number of different

peoples and even some Hmong people from the north. However, today is mostly all about the

magnificent views. At the end of the day, we descend to the coast and stay overnight in Phan

Thiet.

Day 4: Phan Thiet - Vung Tau

From Phan Thiet to the coastal town of Lagi we more or less follow the coast line.

Just before our coffee stop in Lagi, we take some challenging small dirt roads. After the coffee

stop we follow the scenic coastal route until lunch. You will notice that the beautiful coast of Vietnam has been discovered by mainly domestic investors. The number of beach resorts is

growing very fast. We try to arrive on time in the port city of Vung Tau, so that you still have

time to go to the beach. Vung Tau is the oil capital of the country. Post Vietnam war

mostly Russian companies have been active here. This city is a real port city with many cafes,

restaurants and, evidently, night clubs.

5: Vung Tau - Ben Tre

In the morning we take the boat to the Mekong Delta. The motorcycles are taken

on board via a narrow ramp and we sit in the back of the boat. The crossing is two and a

half hours long. On arrival, it is instantly evident that you have arrived to another part of the country. This is the Mekong Delta. The land is flat and everything revolves around the water.

We ride almost immediately onto the narrow trails through the paddy fields, crossing over

the distributaries of the Mekong River by several small ferries. We eventually arrive via narrow

paths in the town of Ben Tre. It is a lively town with a bustling night market near our hotel.

Day 6: Ben Tre - Long Xuyen

We start the day again immediately with narrow roads along the river. The support

vehicle cannot follow most of the time. We stop in the city of Vinh Long for lunch. Before

this, however, we need to take a number of ferries. In the afternoon we once again follow narrow paths through rice fields and small villages. These paths are usually surfaced but some

are unsurfaced and difficult to tackle when it has rained. We also cross over dozens of small

bridges. At the end of the afternoon we arrive in the larger town of Long Xuyen. At first

sight, there does not seem much to do here. As one gets closer to the river, however, the

importance of it becomes apparent.

Day 7: Long Xuyen - Chau Doc

After breakfast we take the ferry to one of the many islands in the Mekong river. Here we follow a narrow path to the next ferry and continue our way along the little tracks. After the third ferry, we will visit a local brick factory. We take another ferry and stop for a coffee

break at the local market. After the coffee break, we follow a beautiful dirt road along a canal.

In case we still have time after arrival in Chau Doc, we can take a boat trip to the colourfull

floating villages nearby.

Day 8: Chau Doc - Ho Chi Minh City

After a couple of large ferries, we take another a scenic route along narrow paths. Here, too, there are countless bridges to cross and we are always greeted by friendly people who are very surprised to see us. It is totally enjoyable to ride your bike through this beautiful countryside. After lunch, we come to the larger road back to Ho Chi Minh City. Just before the city another challenge begins...the busy traffic. Through the chaos, we reach our hotel in the center of town.

Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City – Departure

You will be taken to the airport for your flight back home.