Four Treasures of South-East Asia

After arriving at Chiang Mai airport (approx. 1.5 hours flight north of Bangkok), you will be transferred to your hotel. Please plan to arrive in Chiang Mai before 12 noon, as the transfer to the service centre of our partner Bike Tour Asia will take place at 3 pm for the welcome briefing, where all open questions will be answered and the motorbikes handed over. This is followed by a short drive back to the hotel and then the first dinner together in this South-East Asian country, which is still so foreign to us.
Overnight stay in Chiang Mai.

We leave Chiang Mai in a westerly direction and drive to Mae Wang, which is known for its elephant camps. We continue on minor roads to Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand at 2,565 metres. Shortly before Mae Hong Son, we make a short detour to a Japanese war museum in Khun Yam. Overnight stay in Mae Hong Son.

Before we set off, we visit a village of a "Karen tribe". The women of the tribe typically wear heavy brass rings around their necks to give them a stretched or elongated appearance. After our visit, we continue our journey to explore the north of Thailand. A short but very winding half-day drive on a route with 1,864 bends is just waiting to be travelled by us. After arriving in Pai, we visit the famous "Pai Walking Street" in the early evening to reflect on the day.

Another varied journey lies ahead of us. We take our lunch break in Chiang Dao, a beautiful mountain resort known for its many caves. We then continue to Fang, where we will cross another mountain range to Mae Suai. Before we reach our hotel in Chiang Rai, we make a stop at the famous white temple "Wat Rong Khun".

We quickly leave Chiang Rai behind us and drive to the famous Golden Triangle, where the three borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet. We drive up to the
Wat Sop Ruak temple, from where we have a magnificent view of the Golden Triangle. From this point, we continue our journey on the "Paradise Road", which takes us to Chiang Khong - our first border crossing on this journey between Thailand and Laos. In Laos, we switch to the right-hand side of the road and drive on a main transit road towards China over a mountain range, past some remote villages and small towns to Luang Namtha, our final destination today.

From Luang Namtha, we continue towards the Chinese border before turning east towards Muang Xai. Here you will see the new high-speed railway line that connects the Laotian capital Vientiane with Kunming in China. The railway line is financed by China and has significantly changed the north of Laos. From Muang Xai we continue to Pack Beng, which lies on the Mekong. Pak Beng developed as an overnight stop for freight and passenger ferries. The hotel is picturesquely situated at the mouth (= Pak) of the Nam Beng into the Mekong. Enjoy a cold drink and the view from the hotel's infinity pool.

The first stretch of the day takes us to Hongsa, which is best known for its huge lignite-fired power station. From Hongsa, we take a brand new road over the mountains to Luang Prabang. The landscape is made up of unspoilt primeval forests and rolling mountains. We reach Luang Prabang in the afternoon. The old capital of the former kingdom in the north of Laos lies in a valley at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. The centuries-old city was the country's royal capital until 1975. Overnight stay in Luang Prabang.

Today is our first rest day. The city of Luang Prabang is the former royal capital of Laos and can easily be explored on foot or by bike. The 32 wats (temples) in the area and the nearby Khung Si waterfalls are well worth seeing, to name just a few interesting sights. But sitting quietly with a drink and counting the number of monks in saffron robes also has its charm. Overnight stay in Luang Prabang.

We follow the Nam Ou River in a northerly direction. It is a pleasure to drive this road with its gentle curves. At Pak Mong we cross the Song Cha mountain range and via Muang Xai we drive out into the marvellous landscape to our resort in the middle of the Laotian jungle. Overnight stay in Muang Xai.

Our motorbike tour along the "Four Treasures of South-East Asia" continues on a provincial road with little traffic all the way to the Vietnamese border. Initially, we ride along the Nam Phak River to enjoy the scenery. At Pak Nam Noy, we cycle again on mountainous terrain to the Vietnamese border. There is not much going on at the Lao-Vietnamese border, but it can still take some time to complete the paperwork. Our Vietnamese tour guide is waiting for us at the Tay Trang border crossing and together we drive to Dien Bien Phu. The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the climax of the First Indochina War. Overnight stay in Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam.

A long and exciting day lies ahead of us today. After breakfast, we drive on the NR12 to Muong Lay and then up to the Taphin Plateau to travel a very scenic and breathtaking road through the Sin Ho Valley. We stop at the Sin Ho market, which is livelier and busier if we arrive early. We continue the journey on a less travelled road to Lai Chau and continue along the winding road towards Sapa. We make a stop at the O Qui Ho Pass. On  2,005 metres, we now have a spectacular view of Phan Xia Pang, the highest mountain in Vietnam and Southeast Asia at 3,143 metres. Once we arrive in Sapa, there are plenty of restaurants, souvenir shops and bars to suit every taste.
Overnight stay in Sapa.

Our journey continues in a southerly direction. We reach Nhiah Loh on well-maintained mountain roads. Many villages and countless rice fields adorn the landscape here. There are countless opportunities to take beautiful pictures along the way. The closer we get to Nghiah Lo, the more spectacular the landscape becomes. At the "No. 1 viewpoint" we have the opportunity to climb a watchtower and get an overwhelming view over the rice fields in this area.
Overnight stay in Ngiah Lo.

Today we have a shorter day of travelling ahead of us. We leave Nghia Lo behind us and drive along country roads past endless villages and tea plantations. We stop for lunch in the 1,500-year-old village of Duong Lam. From here it is another 50 kilometres to Hanoi. The closer we get to the capital, the heavier the traffic becomes. The last stretch into the city centre is an experience in itself. Hanoi, a city of eight million inhabitants, has a vehicle population of 6.4 million, 5.6 million of which are motorbikes (scooters). We spend the night in a hotel in the old town, which is full of restaurants, bars and shops.

Today we have 2 options to choose from.
Option 1: We can take a city tour in Hanoi and explore the most important sights such as the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, the Temple of Literature, Hoàn Kiếm Lake and Hanoi's Old Quarter. If you are interested, you can also visit a traditional puppet theatre.
Option 2: We have the opportunity to experience the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hạ Long Bay, whose name means "descending dragon". In the bay, there are thousands of limestone karsts and islands in various shapes and sizes. We can discover Sung Sot Grotto, Luon Cave and Ti Top Island, go kayaking in the bay and enjoy lunch on board. This full day tour starts at 7am and ends at 9pm.

On the way out of Hanoi, we stop in Tam Coc for lunch and a break. It is a small town full of guesthouses, cafés, restaurants and souvenir shops. This is a good opportunity to buy cheap Vietnamese handicrafts. This was once the ancient capital of Vietnam, founded in the 10th century. From here we continue south to Cua Lo Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam. Along with Sam Son beach and Sapa beach, this is one of the main weekend destinations for visitors to Hanoi.

We begin to follow the main coastal road that connects Hanoi with Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam. Our first destination today is the town of Vinh, from here we take the "Ho Chi Minh" road inland. On the inland roads, we can expect less traffic, a pleasant journey and beautiful scenery. Our destination today is the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, which was added to the World Heritage List in 2003. The park covers a total area of 123,326 hectares and borders the Hin Namno Nature Reserve in Laos. Overnight stay in Phong Nha.

Today we have a relatively short route to ride and you can again choose between two options.
Option 1: Visit Paradise Cave, one of the most beautiful caves in the area. The cave system stretches over 31.4 km and reaches heights of up to 60 metres. The width varies between 30 and 150 metres. The cave impresses with its unique stalactites and stalagmites. We then continue to the "Liberty Bridge" (Hien Luong Bridge) on the 17th parallel above the Ben Hai River. Further east, we visit the Vinh Moc Tunnel, which offered protection from the bombardment by the US army. The tunnel stretches over almost 2,000 metres with a total of 13 entrances.
Option 2: Visit to the Khe Sanh military base, which we reach via the Ho Chi Minh Trail. This base, which was never captured, experienced one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War. A small museum on the site displays fascinating photos, reconstructed bunkers and American aeroplanes. A large part of the site is now planted with coffee, and traders offer local Arabica beans for sale at the entrance. Overnight stay in Dong Ha.

Today we visit two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We start with the historic old town called Huế, which was the imperial seat during the Nguyen dynasty and was the country's capital from 1802 to 1945. We also visit the huge 19th-century Đại Nội Citadel, which is surrounded by a moat and thick stone walls. From Hue, we cross the spectacular Ocean Cloud Pass. We then drive around the bustling trading town of Da Nang before reaching our hotel in Hoi An, which is located right on the beach. From the hotel, we drive to the well-preserved old town of Hoi An, which is criss-crossed by canals, for dinner. The history of the former harbour town is reflected in its architecture, a mixture of different eras and styles. Overnight stay in Hoi An

We drive along the coast for a while before travelling inland over the Violac Pass to the town of Kon Tum. Here there is an old wooden church and a Catholic seminary, a legacy of the French missionaries from over 100 years ago. We then drive to our hotel in Pleiku, where we will spend the evening and our last night in Vietnam.

We have quite a long day ahead of us, as we have to cross another border. We drive to Le Thanh and enter Cambodia, our fourth country on our journey through South-East Asia. After crossing the border, we stop at the volcanic lake "Yeak Laom", where we can have lunch and then go for a swim. The last stretch of the day takes us to the village of Stung Treng, where we will meet the Mekong River again. Overnight stay in Stung Treng, Cambodia.

Today we start by meandering through a few small villages towards Siem Reap, which has become Cambodia's - and possibly Asia's - most sacred pilgrimage site. Be prepared for a few more people than we have seen in the last few days. Siem Reap is a busy trading town because of the nearby temples. However, a vibrant nightlife with pubs, bars and restaurants also awaits us here. It's a great place to relax and have a few drinks while soaking up the atmosphere. Overnight stay in Siem Reap.

Today we take a rest day. Here you have the opportunity to visit Angkor Wat. This temple complex is on a par with Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal or the medinas of Marrakesh. The sheer scale of the temple complex is overwhelming. A visit to Ta Prohm is also very special and impressive, as the authorities have left much of the site as they found it. This place is simply awe-inspiring.

On our way out of Siem Reap, we drive along the West Baray, the largest water reservoir in Angkor and one of the largest hand-cut water reservoirs in the world. The route runs along an easy to drive gravel road, and we stop briefly at a Buddhist temple and food stalls along the 8 kilometre long lake. After turning off the main road towards Thailand, we follow smaller roads towards our destination of Pailin. We pass small villages, rice fields, orange farms and more. In the town of Bavel, we will visit a local market. This is the real rural Cambodia.

We cross the border back into Thailand, where we switch from the right to the left side of the road again. It's about 400 kilometres to Pattaya Beach, where we'll almost certainly have a "boot beer" (or two) before the famous promenade on our doorstep shows its wild nocturnal scenes. Last evening together and overnight stay in Pattaya, Thailand.

Depending on your departure time, you can use the time to pack or explore Pattaya on your own. We hope that you were so enthusiastic about South-East Asia and our trip that you will come back with us for another motorbike tour one day.
End of the journey.

If you would like to add a few more days for swimming or sightseeing: we are happy to offer you something, please just contact us!