Dinosaur Loop
Four national parks and the Dinosaur Spine.
From $840/rider
1 Reviews:
5.00000/5
Vietnam Motorcycle Tour Map - 7 Day Dinosaur Loop - Rentabike Vietnam - White

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Hanoi
7 Days, 6 Nights
860 km
Pillions Welcome

Overview

Experience the quieter side of Vietnam! Ride through and stay in four of Vietnam's most serene national parks and nature reserves: Cuc Phuong, Pu Luong, Xuan Son and Ta Xua. Check out some of north Vietnam's awesome mountains, forests, valleys and jungles, and traverse the famous Dinosaur's Spine single track at the top of Ta Xua mountain.

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Professionally maintained. Maximum reliability.

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Transparent pricing. No hidden charges.

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Full coverage as standard.

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4 riders
Ho Mac in Cuc Phuong National Park
150 km
4 hours
following the Red River down to Hung Yen; Cuc Phuong National Park
This is a fairly long ride and serves as an introduction to the roads and traffic of Vietnam. We take it slowly at first and get out of Hanoi quickly. It isn’t long before we are on smaller winding roads and the pressure is off. From then on we get to keep one eye on the road and the other on the interesting sights of Vietnamese life. Once we get to the park you will appreciate the peace and quiet, which will seem awkward at first, trust me :)
arriving in Pu Luong Nature Reserve
120 km
4 hours
Pu Luong Valley
This is a long drive and we need to be up and out early if we are to visit any of the conservation centres AND make it to our homestay before dark. We skirt the national park and take a few back roads before entering the nature reserve and getting to our secluded homestay.
handlebars and a Mai Chau dirt road
80 km
3 hours
back roads behind Mai Chau; H'Mong country
This is a short hop which means we do not need to rush and that we can take a detour if needed. There is plenty of time for pit stops, selfies, and group photos on what are very quiet roads. We may even be able to see the locals producing bamboo items such as toothpicks and chopsticks.
Hoa Binh Water Park, Hoa Binh Lake
90 km
4 hours
Hang Kia back roads; Go Lao waterfall; boat across Hoa Binh Lake
Today, we head up to the Hoa Binh Dam Lake and hop across to Da Bac. From there we can head for Xuan Son which is another peaceful oasis that gets very few visitors. Here we have the chance to visit the caves or swim in the freshwater spring before feasting on a delicious home-cooked meal.
Ta Xua Lu Tre Homestay-looking North towards the dinosaur spine
180 km
6 hours
Bac Son back roads; Ta Xua Valley; Dinosaur Spine
Now, we head up into the hills and it may get a little chilly. However, it means we get to see the spectacular views in Ta Xua and the ‘dinosaur spine’. We stay at the highest homestay in the park and have an early night so that we can get up early for ‘cloud hunting’ and to view the often spectacular sunrise.
Xuân Sơn National Park Vietnam
100 km
4 hours
Xuan Son National Park
Back down the hill and we retrace some of yesterdays route before heading South down to the Black River and then up to the often misty Moc Chau Plateau. We stay in a secluded homestay nestled amid fields of Peach and Plum trees. This is especially beautiful in Spring.
Black River Loop Dave coming off the ferry
140 km
5 hours
quiet roads along the Black and Red Rivers
This is the home run and quite a long one it is too. We can take a small detour along the Hoa Binh Lake but the majority of this is fast tarmac as we need to make good time. We still get to see a few new sites along the way and many seasonal fruits being sold on the roadside. We will make it back to Hanoi in time for our farewell dinner and drinks.
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FAQ

Choosing a professionally guided tour allows you to make the most out of your adventure.

You’ll take roads and visit areas well off the beaten track that only someone with a lot of riding experience in the country could know about.

And, you get to focus entirely on your adventure, since everything from your meals, accommodation and motorcycle to things like route planning and motorcycle maintenance is taken care of.

The bulk of our tours start in Hanoi because the best riding in the country is easily accessible from here. However, we have offices in Hanoi, Danang and HCMC so we are able to start and end tours from any of these three locations.

Yes, this is what we do. We can assist with reservations in any hotel in Hanoi and also provide a FREE airport pick-up that will take you to your hotel of choice. Good hotels can be had for 30-40usd per night and they will also store any excess gear you may have until you return from tour. You can choose from staying in the heart of the city’s old quarter or closer to West Lake and our office.

Up in the North, it is hard to say as each of the four seasons has distinct advantages and drawbacks. The Summer is usually around April to October and ranges from warm and wet to boiling hot with the occasional torrential downpour. This also leads to the risk of flooding and landslides. The Autumn, October to December will generally be dry and cool with the potential for cold fronts to descend creating cloudy drizzly days. Winter, January / February, will be relatively cold (10C) and colder at altitude (Ha Giang, Cao Bang), but often quite dry and clear. Spring, around February to April will often have mixed spells of warm and cold air with dry or drizzly days. 

Driving North/South or South/North means that you pass through a whole range of climatic regions (northern, central and southern) and it is very difficult to answer which is the best time. This is because the weather may be great to ride in one regions but not optimal in another. We suggest not passing through the central or southern regions in Summer as there can be a lot of storms and flooding.

You will see that we do not list tours less than 5 days on our site. This is because it takes a day to get out of Hanoi / Sai Gon and to get to the ‘countryside’. While this may be interesting and a culture shock for many, we don’t think it is what you came here for. You then have 3 days of pleasurable riding, which, in all honesty, will leave you wanting more. Therefore, we would say an optimum length of tour to be around 7 – 9 days with one or two rest days thrown in so that you can take some time off at key points and transform from being a motorbike tourist to just a tourist. 

North / South – South / North Route

You will need more time to complete this tour due to the distance covered. It simply isn’t wise to cover 1,600km in 8 days. We recommend around 10 days as a minimum and 14 – 16 days being perfect.  

The longer you have, the more chance we have of getting you to the most remote places that offer the highest rewards.

Absolutely, yes. Generally, speaking foreigners are left alone and not hassled other than by pesky tourist touts (just like any other country). Vietnam is a predominantly Buddhist and partly Christian country and women play a vital role in daily life. They are not wall flowers and nor are they hidden away. They are strong and capable and, although, there are some extra precautions that a female traveller might feel necessary, these are no more or less than most countries in the world. Also, bear in mind that this is a guided tour and there is plenty of support from our staff in all aspects of the tour. Contact us for details of female guides and female only groups.

Yes, we can let you know what tours we have arranged and whether they are willing to accept a new member. Often times this is possible but it takes a little understanding on both sides due to different skill levels, needs and desires. We have found that most people can get along quite well and this isn’t an option.

No, definitely not. Whilst the country does not shut down as it did in the past a large number of businesses, including ours, will close for at least one week and perhaps longer. It will be difficult to find services available and there will likely be a holiday ‘premium’ applied. 

Further to this, travelling on the roads at this time can be quite dangerous du to the levels of traffic, distraction and, unfortunately, drink driving.

You need a valid passport with a minimum of 6 months validity to obtain a visa for Vietnam.

We have an excellent visa agent we work with, and will be happy obtain visa invitation letters for all riders in your group for free!

All you have to do is provide us with copies of your passports, and we’ll send you your invitation letters before you arrive in Vietnam. With your invitation letters sorted, you each bring two 3x4cm passport photos and around $20USD for the visa stamping fee to the immigration counter, they’ll give you your visas and you’re ready to start your adventure!

All riders in your group must have a valid motorcycle license.

If you can get an International Driving Permit, then you should do so. However, you must check to make sure that Vietnam is named on this. There are two different conventions and Vietnam signed up to the 1968 Convention so this is the one that you need.

You must have your own personal medical insurance that covers you for riding a motorcycle in Vietnam, and you must adhere to the requirements of that insurance.

We strongly recommend taking out our motorcycle damage waiver. For $5/day (Honda Future 125 or Honda XR 150) or $10/day (Honda CRF 250 or Honda CB 500), we cover you against loss, theft or any damage to the motorbike caused by an accident or fall and you will be covered should the bike be damaged beyond repair. This is not a license to go crazy as you will not be covered for misuse of the bike. The policy excludes any personal medical insurance, 3rd party liability or damage / injury caused by other vehicles or drivers. The peace of mind this offers is worth its weight in gold.

Yes, you are welcome to bring a pillion passenger. The cost of a pillion is $100 per day, as we provide the same service only minus the bike.

No. We do not allow bikes other than our own on tour. This is because we cannot be sure of the history of any strange bike and we do not wish to jeopardize the enjoyment and safety of the whole tour because of this. What would a bricklayer say, if you asked them to build a wonky wall?

Technically, we have no maximum number. However, we assign one guide and one mechanic to a maximum of 12 riders. This means that if you have 13 or more, we will split into two groups for the daily ride. 

The advantages of this are a higher level of safety and comfort along with the ability to group riders according to riding skill.

We require a minimum number of 4 riders on a tour to offer the listed prices. However, if you have a smaller group we can custom build a tour and price this accordingly. There are a number of fixed costs that mean a tour with fewer members is often more expensive per person.

In a nutshell, better accommodation and better food. 

For the VIP tours, we stay in a better class of hotel and homestay and we tend to stay in more hotels than homestays. This means that you get a little extra comfort, which can make a tough tour less tough. This is of particular importance in the colder months when piping hot showers are preferred to draughty bathrooms. 

On a VIP tour, we take better food with us that allows the lunch options to be more interesting and varied. We also have more scope to feast in our accommodation and request larger than average portions. This can be needed when we have some long tough driving days ahead of us.

You can book via the website! The booking form will give you a full breakdown of all the options available to you, and calculate the cost for you.

We’ll then get back to you within 24 hours to confirm.

We request a deposit of 15% of the tour fee, per person, to secure a booking with us at the time of reservation. We will then confirm those dates and make the necessary arrangements for the tour. 

Full payment must be made no later than 2 weeks before the start date of the tour. Failure to do so will result in the loss of the booking and any deposit paid.

Online 

We use OnePay as our online payment gateway and can send an invoice to you requesting payment. OnePay is a subsidiary of VietComBank and is secure and reliable. 

Bank Account 

We have bank accounts in the UK and Vietnam and can accept inward remittances in GBP or VND. 

Wise

If you prefer we can use Wise to accept payment. This is well known, safe and secure.

This varies greatly on the tour and the level of the riders. We can arrange long days on the bike or short days. We can also offer tour routes that allow rest days in interesting locations such as: Ba Be, Phong Nha, Sa Pa etc… 

We recommend not planning to be onthe bike for more than 5hrs per day and also arranging our leaving time so that we can arrive at our accommodation early int he afternoon. However, due to many factors this cannot always be guaranteed.

Yes. You know your gear and it is well worn and comfortable. This will increase your pleasure and safety on the tour immeasurably. It is a no-brainer. However, are you willing to pack or carry your gear? Do you have enough space? Can you be bothered? Ask yourself and if the answer is no, you will need to use our gear, which is up to international standards but is likely to be a little less comfortable or suited to any particular need of yours.