10-Day Vietnam Highlands Motorcycle Tour

The Central Highlands

Tour Info

The ultimate highlands motorcycle tour of Vietnam. Hit up the ancient towns of Hue and Hoi An, discover the awesome UNESCO World Heritage Site Phong Nha National Park, and ride deep into the country’s untouched hill country.

Location

central Vietnam

Distance

1400 km

Duration

10 days

Difficulty

Intermediate

Pillion

pillions welcome

Itinerary

Day 1: Hoi An – Mang Den

From the ancient town of Hoi An, follow the coastline south past the Marble Mountains, an impressive cluster of marble and limestone hills. After lunch in a small ethnic village you’ll head into the highlands, through miles of virgin forest, and on the township of Mang Den. There’s actually an old US military base in the area. The runway there, long abandoned, is a fun place to take a motorcycle…

Day 2: Mang Den – Dak To

It’s only about 4 hours from Mang Den to Dak To, and the scenery along the way—rolling hills and deep green valleys—is gorgeous. Dak To’s an interesting place, too: right on the borders of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, it was the site of a series of major battles during the Vietnam War.

Day 3: Dak To – Kham Duc

The winding road that leads through Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve (dubbed the ‘Roof of Southern Vietnam’ due to its elevation) was only recently opened. This was due to the recent increase in ginseng production in the area, and means you’ll be passing through villages inhabited by hill tribes which have had very little interaction with foreigners. The characteristic openness of the locals remains one of our favourite things about touring Vietnam.

Day 4: Kham Duc – P’Rao

Follow the Han River Valley before heading back up into the hills, to the town of P’Rao which sits right on the Laotian border. There are a few cool reservoirs along the way and loads of clusters of stilt houses, but the highlight of the day is arguably P’Rao itself. We love the vibe in this sleepy, traditional town, and it’s location up there in the highlands means it’s a comfortable place to chill out even at the height of Summer.

Day 5: P’Rao – Khe Sanh

Enjoy some really fun little roads as you skirt the Laos border on your way north towards Khe Sanh, perhaps stopping off at a couple of hot springs and waterfalls along the way. This area was where the longest battle of the Vietnam War was fought. We’ll take the time to check out Ta Con Airbase when we’re there because it’s fascinating: you’ll see old American bombers and helicopters, and the whole place is littered with spent ordnance.

Day 6: Khe Sanh – Phong Nha

The Ho Chi Minh Highway is probably Vietnam’s most famous road, and for good reason: endless twists and turns through coffee plantations and virgin forest, culminating in a chill descent that winds up in Phong Nha National Park.

Day 7: Exploration Day

Before starting east out of the highlands and back to the coast, enjoy an exploration day in UNESCO World Heritage Site Phong Nha National Park. One of the largest protected karst landscapes in South East Asia, it’s home to limestone mountains, biodiverse forests and some absolutely massive caves. We often like to take a boat along the Con River when we’re there, but it’s an exploration day so you’re free to just chill out by the pool if you prefer!

Day 8: Phong Nha – Hue

Our first stop after leaving the highlands is Vinh Moc Tunnels, a network of tunnels built during the War. They’re arguably better than the more famous Cu Chi Tunnels near Saigon, since they’re large enough to explore without having to crawl! Once at the coast, you’ll ride through a few really cool little fishing villages before crossing Tam Giang, one of the largest lagoons in South East Asia—it’s beautiful there, and nice and close to our destination, Hue, Vietnam’s Ancient Capital.

Day 9: Exploration Day

Hue is famous for two things: being the capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen Dynasty (the citadel, the old seat of power, is still standing), and having some of the best food in the entire country. As such, it’s a fantastic choice for the second exploration day of the tour. Check out the citadel, explore the ancient trading district and try some delicious local delicacies.

Day 10: Hue – Hoi An

Made famous by Top Gear’s Vietnam Special, the Hai Van Pass is arguably the most awesome mountain pass in a country replete with awesome mountain passes. 12 miles long, it winds up the mountainside and offers spectacular views of the coastline and beaches below. Follow it down to Hoi An, another UNESCO World Heritage due to its status as a trading port dating back to the 15th century. It’s a great place to explore on foot, and we’ll have the final meal of the tour in one of it’s many world-class restaurants.

Pricing X Availability

Honda XR 150 $1800/rider

Honda CRF 300 $2000/rider

R.E Himalayan 400 $2100/rider

Honda CB 500X $2200/rider

BMW 1250 GS $3200/rider

Tour Gallery

Inclusions X Extras

English-Speaking Guide

Each of our guides has years of experience running motorcycle tours and is an expert on the local area.

All speak English and the local language, and guides who can speak other languages are sometimes available on request.

Motorcycle X Fuel

The cost of hiring your motorcycle is included in that of the tour. All running expenses, including fuel, are included as well.

Food X Drink

All meals are provided, as are drinks and snacks along the way.

You’ll dine sometimes in your accommodation, sometimes at quality local restaurants.

Let us know in advance of any preferences or dietary requirements and we are happy to cater for these.

Accommodation

Accommodation is minimum 3-star quality.

Standard is a twin share room but on occasion (due to remote location) we will share one large, dorm-type rooms: in a stilt house or a yurt, for example.

All locations have been scouted beforehand and checked for cleanliness and good service.

Waterproof Gear

Conditions in many of our destinations, in Asia, for example, may be really different from your home country.

Rain can be heavy, and start falling at a moment’s notice.

We’ll sort you out with a waterproof rain poncho and overtrousers where necessary.

Private Accommodation

We offer twin-share accommodation as standard. In most locations, though, we can arrange single occupancy if you prefer.

This comes at a small surcharge, but in most tour destinations is quite reasonable.

Motorcycle Gear

While most riders prefer to bring their own gear, we do have a limited range of extra gear (boots, gloves, armour and helmets, for example) in most of our tour destinations.

Naturally, whether or not we’ll be able to supply you with gear depends on size and availability.

Pre X Post Tour Accommodation

We are happy to provide suggestions on pre and post-tour bookings in accommodation: knowing the area well, we know the best places to stay at all price points.

We can even book for you as an added extra without any service fee, sometimes even at a discount.