3 Countries 16 Days

redspokes 3 Countries in 16 Days: South Asia holiday is a thrilling journey from Thailand’s relatively unexplored Northern provinces, through rural land locked Laos and on into the mountains of North West Vietnam. Our holiday offers challenging cycling through minority community areas and dramatic landscapes.

redspokes 3 Countries in 16 Days holiday begins in Chiang Rai. We cycle from Chiang Kham district to Phu Lang Ka where we will witness an unforgettable morning sun rise over craggy karst peaks cloaked in mist. Northern Thailand is characterised by thickly forested mountains, traditional temples and teak house villages. Distinct hill tribe communities migrated to the area from China, Tibet and Burma settling in farming communities and villages.

We ride on to beautiful Laos enjoying a scenic boat trip on the mighty Mekong River, passing the confluence with the Nam Ou river, site of the holy Pak Ou caves where there are over 4,000 Buddha icons. We stay in historic UNESCO world heritage town Luang Prabang. Luang Prabang is a gleaming historic city where ancient monasteries sit alongside French colonial architecture, nestled in mountains in an idyllic riverside setting.

Following quiet mountain roads through the least populated areas of Northern Laos we reach Vietnam, cycling to historic Dien Biên Phu where the French military were defeated in 1954 during the most dramatic confrontation of the First Indo China War. We cycle over the Tram Ton, South Asia’s highest mountain pass, to reach hill tribe town Sa Pa close to Fan Si Pan, the highest mountain in Vietnam.

We end our cycling with a 35km downhill ride from the steep streets of Sa Pa and transfer to the Vietnamese capital city Hanoi where our 3 Countries in 16 days South Asia bicycle holiday ends.