Day 1 - Long Khanh to Bao Loc - 60km – B/ L/D
Your adventure will begin with a collection from your hotel at 7:00 am. The bus will transfer you an hour outside of Ho Chi Minh to the starting point of the ride at Long Khanh. At Long Khanh, you will be served a local breakfast and refreshments. Before starting the ride your bike fit will be checked and safety procedures explained.
On the first day, you will be guided down winding gravel paths, past fruit orchards, and on to the green open countryside. Here you will ride along winding trails through rubber plantations which provide welcome shade. As you ride through the plantations your guide will explain the process of rubber extraction and production.
There are some small technical climbs, which should be challenging enough to make you sweat, but fear not there are also some short and fast descents. For the last 10 km of the day's ride, you will pedal through the lush green jungle, where you be able to see many butterflies and perhaps some tropical birds. After the morning riding, you will be able to cool off with a refreshing dip in a remote spring.
After you are refreshed and changed, you will eat lunch before taking a 2-hour bus transfer to Bao Loc, Lam Dong Province, in the Central Highlands. Bao Loc is famed for its cooler climate, rolling hills, and local B’lao Tea. Once in Bao Loc you will check into your hotel for the night and have the evening free to explore.
Day 2 - Bao Loc X-Country to Ethnic Minority Village - 55km - B/L/D
Bao Loc is in the Central Highlands and is known as the ‘Tea Kingdom’ of South Vietnam with its cooler weather, blue skies, green forested mountains and red soil. It’s not known for its tourism, a mere stopover for traveling Vietnamese.
Eat hearty this morning - you will need fuel for exploring this hilly countryside. Once out on the trails, you will be challenged with winding climbs up beautiful green hills. The climbs will eventually lead you to rewarding views of the endless tea plantations, rolling hills, and colourful temples.
After your climb, you will ride the red dirt trails through this truly spectacular and remote landscape. Eventually, you will reach a charming, secluded village, home of the Ma people, one of Vietnam's 54 ethnic minorities. The Ma is a Mon-Khmer-speaking people in Vietnam, with a population of around 50,000. At the village, you will be welcomed by a Ma guide who will share more about the culture and history of the Ma. For dinner, you will be treated to a traditional meal in a family's home, where you will sample typical Ma food as well as traditional rice wine.
Day 3 - Bao Loc to HCM - 46km - B/L
After refueling with a nutritious breakfast, you will be ready to head out After refueling with a nutritious breakfast, you will be ready to head out on the trails once more. Today’s riding will be a mix of tough climbs and super fun flowing trails through mountainside coffee plantations. Throughout the ride, you will see stunning views of some of the best landscapes that Central Vietnam has to offer. As well as stunning views, you will see many stunned and waving locals! This ride really is off the beaten track, foreigners rarely, if ever travel through this corner of the Central Highlands.
After the final days of tough riding, there will be the opportunity to relax with ice-cold beers and swim in a picturesque waterfall. The waterfall is the perfect place to share stories of the past 3 days of riding, and of course, plan your next cycling adventure!
After finishing at the waterfall, you will make a 3.5-hour transfer back to HCMC, with an estimated time of arrival of 6:30 pm at your hotel.