Graded cycling, kayaking and cave trips in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
Tours · Vietnam and Cambodia
Vietnam and Cambodia multi-sport, 14 days
Sea kayaking in Lan Ha Bay, caves and karst roads at Phong Nha, canal lanes in the Mekong Delta, the river into Cambodia and Angkor by bike. Grade 2 in the base programme, with the hardest climbs offered as extras.
The trip in numbers
- Length
- 14 days, 13 nights
- Party
- Private, 2 – 12
- Starts
- Hanoi
- Ends
- Siem Reap
- Grade
- 2 of 4
- Price
- On request
Who this trip suits
This is the trip for people who want to try every activity on this site in one go, and who have two weeks. It runs north to south because that order follows the dry season most closely from February to April, and because the effort builds: short hilly rides and paddling first, the karst roads in the middle, the long flat delta days towards the end when you are riding well.
The base programme is Grade 2. On the two days where the full ride would be Grade 3, the Ho Chi Minh Road and the long delta day, the van covers the hilliest or busiest section and the full ride is offered as an extra. That keeps the trip open to a mixed party, where one person rides everything and another rides half.
The cost of seeing four regions in fourteen days is transfer time: one overnight train, one domestic flight, a river crossing and a long road day in Cambodia. We would rather say that plainly than hide it in the itinerary.
Day by day
Day 1
Arrive in Hanoi, bike fitting
Airport pick-up and a short briefing in the late afternoon: the route, the grade of each day and the weather plan. Bikes are fitted in the hotel courtyard and checked again on day 2 before the first ride.
Day 2
To Cat Ba, first ride
Road and speedboat to Cat Ba, about 3 to 3.5 hours. An afternoon ride of about 18 km to the national park gate and back, with one real hill.
Day 3
Lan Ha Bay by kayak
Entering an enclosed lagoon by kayak at low water
A day boat to the lagoons and channels of Lan Ha Bay, with two kayak sessions of 75 to 90 minutes each. Routes follow the tide.
Day 4
Ride Cat Ba, then the night train south
A morning ride of about 30 km across Cat Ba's hills, finishing by 11:00. Return to Hanoi in the afternoon and board the overnight train to Dong Hoi, which takes about ten hours.
Day 5
Phong Nha: the river cave and Bong Lai valley
Arrival at Dong Hoi in the morning and a drive of 35 to 45 minutes to Phong Nha. After a rest, the boat into Phong Nha Cave, then an easy ride of about 20 km through the farm lanes of the Bong Lai valley.
Day 6
The Ho Chi Minh Road and Paradise Cave
Base programme: about 40 km on the Ho Chi Minh Road with around 300 m of climbing, the van covering the steepest middle section. Full ride as a Grade 3 extra: about 55 km and around 600 m. Either way the day ends at Paradise Cave: a 570 m sloping path, about 300 wooden steps down and 524 stone steps out.
Day 7
Dark Cave and the Chay River (weather reserve)
A wet day: Dark Cave's swim and mud, then about 90 minutes paddling the Chay River. This day is the reserve for the Phong Nha section; if rain closed Paradise Cave on day 6, it moves here.
Day 8
Fly south to the Mekong Delta
A domestic flight from Dong Hoi to Ho Chi Minh City, then a drive of about two hours, depending on traffic, to Ben Tre. A short evening ride of about 10 km on coconut lanes.
Day 9
Lanes and ferries to Can Tho
Base programme: about 45 km of lanes and small ferries, with the van covering the busier stretches into Can Tho. Full ride as a Grade 3 extra: about 65 km.
Day 10
Cai Rang at dawn, on to Chau Doc
A boat to the floating market at first light, then a drive of about three hours, depending on traffic, to Chau Doc and a short ride of about 20 km across the river by ferry.
Day 11
By speedboat into Cambodia
The speedboat leaves at 07:00: about four hours on the river and about two hours at the border. Cambodia's e-visa is not accepted at this crossing; the visa is bought on arrival. A Cambodian team with a van and bikes meets you at the Phnom Penh pier.
Day 12
To Siem Reap, riding the middle
A long road day of roughly 5 to 7 hours, broken by a ride of about 30 km on rural roads away from the highway.
Day 13
Angkor by bike
The causeway at Angkor Wat before the heat builds
In through the gate at 05:00 for the early light at Angkor Wat, then the Bayon, Ta Prohm and Preah Khan by bike, about 40 km for the day with a midday break.
Day 14
Last ride, departure
A loop of about 20 km through villages at the edge of the park, back by 10:00, then the airport.
Sources: Cat Ba bus-and-boat operator — how to get to Cat Ba; Travelfish — Dong Hoi transport; Paradise Cave page of a Phong Nha cave-tour operator; Chau Doc – Phnom Penh speedboat operator — ticket information; Angkor Enterprise — available tickets · checked .
Grade check
| Section | Hardest day, base | Hardest day, with extras | Main other effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lan Ha Bay & Cat Ba (days 2 – 4) | about 30 km, about 300 m | — | about 3 h kayaking |
| Phong Nha (days 5 – 7) | about 40 km, about 300 m | about 55 km, about 600 m | 800+ cave steps, wet cave |
| Mekong Delta (days 8 – 10) | about 45 km, flat | about 65 km, flat | heat |
| Cambodia (days 11 – 14) | about 40 km, flat | — | temple stairs |
Base programme Grade 2; with both extras, Grade 3. Each extra is decided the evening before, so you can see how you feel. The grade scale explains the bands.
Price
| Party | Comfortable hotels | Characterful hotels |
|---|---|---|
| Private, 2 travellers | On request | On request |
| Private, 3 – 4 travellers | On request | On request |
| Private, 5 – 8 travellers | On request | On request |
| Private, 9 – 12 travellers | On request | On request |
| Solo traveller | On request | On request |
The domestic flight and the train are booked at the fares available on the day we confirm, and shown as separate lines. The Angkor three-day pass, Phong Nha cave tickets and the Mekong speedboat are third-party costs shown at the published price. See the pricing page for every cost line and the how-to-book page for the steps.
Included and not included
What the price includes
- All transfers from Hanoi airport to Siem Reap airport, including the overnight train and the Dong Hoi – Ho Chi Minh City flight
- Thirteen nights at the hotel level you choose, one of them on the train
- Bikes, helmets and a support van on every riding day, in both countries
- Kayaks with buoyancy aids at Lan Ha Bay and on the Chay River
- Cave tickets, the Mekong speedboat and a three-day Angkor pass
- English-speaking guides throughout; meals as listed
What it does not include
- International flights
- Visas for Vietnam and Cambodia
- Travel insurance naming cycling, kayaking and caving
- Drinks, tips and dinners not listed
- Paradise Cave's 7 km guided route and other optional cave products
Gallery
Who this trip is not for
- Travellers who dislike changing hotels: this trip has nine different beds, counting the train.
- Anyone who cannot sleep on a train: the Hanoi – Dong Hoi night is part of the plan, with a flight as a costed alternative.
- People who want depth in one region rather than a sample of four: one of our shorter tours plus rest days may suit you better.
- Travellers in September to December, when Phong Nha's rain is heaviest; the trip then needs a different middle section.
- Riders wanting Grade 4 days: there are none in this trip.
When to go
No two-week window is dry in all four regions. February to April comes closest: Hai Phong is mild and drizzly, Ha Tinh records under 90 mm a month, and Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap are in their dry season, though April is very hot in the south. November works in the north and the south, but central Vietnam is still in its rainy season. The when-to-go chart shows the overlap month by month.
Sources: WMO World Weather Information Service — Hai Phong; WMO World Weather Information Service — Ha Tinh; WMO World Weather Information Service — Ho Chi Minh City; WMO World Weather Information Service — Siem Reap · checked .
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Can I swap the overnight train for a flight?
Yes. There is a daily flight from Hanoi to Dong Hoi. It costs more and saves a night, but you lose the afternoon on day 4 to airport time instead.
Can this trip include Laos?
Not without adding several days. Southern Laos is better done as its own week, or added to the end of the Mekong to Angkor tour with extra travel days.
What if one of us does not want to ride at all?
They travel in the van on riding days and share every kayak, cave and temple activity. Tell us at enquiry so we plan the van seat and lunch stops.
How many hotel changes are there?
Nine stops in thirteen nights, counting the train. Phong Nha is the longest stay, three nights in the same room.
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Mekong Delta to Angkor, 9 days
Nine days riding flat delta lanes into Cambodia, ending at Angkor, Grade 3.
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Tours · Prices
Prices
The cost lines behind a quote, and what makes one quote cheaper than another.
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Tours · Booking
How to book
The steps from the enquiry form to the first ride, and what we need from you.
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Plan · Grades
Difficulty grades
The four-step grade scale behind every tour, with a self-check you can do at home.
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Start planning
Tell us about the trip you have in mind
Dates, party size and the grade you are comfortable with are enough to start. You get a draft route with daily distances and a quote for that route, not a brochure.