MAI CHAU MOTORBIKE TOUR

About Mai Chau & Pu Luong By Motorbike

This 3-day challenging motorbike adventure takes you from Hanoi to Mai Chau and Pu Luong, combining scenic mountain roads, traditional villages, challenging off-road trails, and a relaxing stay with a friendly Thai host family. You will also spend time exploring the beautiful Pu Luong Nature Reserve, one of Northern Vietnam’s most rewarding areas for adventure motorcycling.

Our standard Mai Chau trip takes two days, but by adding one extra day, we can create a much better Mai Chau motorbike tour that explores the surrounding mountains, villages, and countryside at a more relaxed pace. The Thai people are known for being friendly, welcoming, and easy-going, making a homestay an excellent way to experience local culture and traditional life.

Just watch the video below to get an idea of what one of our Mai Chau motorbike tours is like. If you would like to see more riding videos, please check our YouTube channel.

Day 1: Hanoi – Mai Chau. (~200 km, ~6 h)

We start riding at around 9:30 am, well after the morning rush hour. To avoid the crazy traffic in central Hanoi, we take the Red River dike road toward Son Tay. In reality, this is a relatively straightforward 45 km ride to Son Tay. We then turn left at Trung Ha Bridge and follow another scenic river road along the Da (Black) River toward Hoa Binh. From here, the real challenge begins as we tackle Cun Pass, the gateway to Northwest Vietnam.

Once we leave the Red River Delta, with its traditional farming villages and busy agricultural activity, the landscape quickly changes. We ride through dramatic limestone monoliths and into the forested foothills inhabited by the Muong people. Continuing toward the main mountain range, we cross a high and beautiful forested pass before descending into the hidden Mai Chau Valley.

We spend the night with local friends in a traditional Thai stilt house, giving you a chance to experience the peaceful atmosphere and hospitality of rural Northern Vietnam.

The Mai Chau Valley lies between the Da River and Ma River, creating fertile farmland and a landscape filled with mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, rice fields, and countless small footpaths. The area offers excellent opportunities for trekking and off-road motorcycling.

Around Mai Chau, you can meet several ethnic groups, including the Muong, White Thai, and H’mong, who mainly live at higher elevations, and the Dao people, whom we may encounter in local markets or remote villages.

Day 2: Mai Chau – Pu Luong. (~100 km, ~3 h)

If you enjoy challenging off-road riding, today is the day to put your skills to the test. We leave Mai Chau and take demanding mountain roads toward Pu Luong Nature Reserve. Although Pu Luong is not far from Mai Chau geographically, the difficult terrain and narrow trails make this a surprisingly long and challenging ride.

This section gives experienced riders an excellent opportunity to test their ability on single dirt tracks, rough mountain trails, and remote rural roads. The scenery becomes increasingly wild as we move deeper into the mountains, with traditional villages, forested slopes, rice terraces, and isolated farming communities along the way.

Pu Luong Nature Reserve is located in Quan Hoa and Ba Thuoc districts of Thanh Hoa Province in North Central Vietnam. It borders Mai Chau, Tan Lac, and Lac Son districts of Hoa Binh Province. The reserve stretches along two parallel mountain ridges running from northwest to southeast and is divided by a central valley containing traditional settlements and extensive agricultural land.

With its rich biodiversity, limestone mountains, forests, rice terraces, and ethnic villages, Pu Luong is a fantastic destination for adventure riders looking to get away from the more touristy routes in Northern Vietnam. Its natural environment is also closely connected with the wider ecosystem around Cuc Phuong National Park, located about 25 km to the southeast.

Day 3: Pu Luong – Mai Chau – Hanoi. (~220 km, ~6 h)

We leave Pu Luong and ride back toward Mai Chau before taking the route via Bai Chao for our return journey to Hanoi. This is another long day on the motorcycle, but the roads are scenic and offer plenty of opportunities to enjoy the changing mountain landscapes.

After two days of riding through increasingly remote terrain, you should be much more comfortable dealing with Vietnamese traffic and busy roads. We then return to Hanoi via Highway 6 and Ha Dong, completing a challenging loop through the mountains and countryside.

The final section provides a completely different kind of riding challenge: flowing with the heavy traffic as we approach Hanoi. For many riders, navigating the busy roads around the capital is an adventure in itself and a memorable way to finish this 3-day Mai Chau and Pu Luong motorbike tour.

We aim to arrive back in Hanoi at around 4 pm, before the evening rush hour begins.

Contact us at [email protected] if you would like more information, pricing, or alternative options for our Mai Chau and Pu Luong motorbike tours.