5 hours of straight riding from Hanoi, Pu Luong is an area which has just been newly introduced to the travel map of Vietnam. Yet, it is a strikingly beautiful area with incredible mountain scenery. A motorbike tour to Pu Luong is a must to enjoy the beauty of mountains and jungles.
Pu Luong is first and foremost a Nature Reserve of Vietnam, an area of dense forests with a rich system of flora and fauna. There are 02 parallel mountain ridges running from North-west to South-East, and the nature reserve is located along these 02. There are verdant valleys in and around the area where the locals use for agriculture.
Pu Luong Nature Reserve is close to Mai Chau – the familiar overnight stay for many travelers. However, due to the once-poor-infrastructure, Pu Luong lured no one in staying overnight. Things are starting to change after when some main roads leading to small communities of the Thai and Muong were surfaced, and the locals in Pu Luong started to learn of accommodating travelers. As the photos were posted online, Pu Luong now turns out to be a region of extreme beauty: Roads soaring into the sky offering stunning panorama, picturesque mountain landscapes, amazing texture of rice terraces, peaceful local life, and much more. On our Pu Luong motorbike tour, you will get to see and enjoy these all.
Pu Luong motorbike ride – the road conditions
Our road – the one we choose uniquely for our Vietnam motorcyclist tours – at first passes through the countrysides of the Red River Delta, letting you see life along the way. Starting from Xuan Mai, we start taking an off-road, a dirt track gently worn out by the gazing buffaloes.
The scenery on this part of the road is like going back in time, poetically it’s like before human time. You’ll get to enjoy the solitude amidst the mountains and valleys.
A part of this road is tough and doesn’t tolerate first time motorbike riders as the dirt track twists while edging mountain sides(well, we have another road for beginners, of course). Once in a while, you’ll get to see small plantation of the locals, such as taros. After what takes around 2 hours on this part, the road becomes flatter and the surface is asphalt again. The scenery is still incredibly peaceful
And the fun road goes on…
Before getting to Mai Chau, we part QL 6 and a left turn gets us uphill again. The road goes up constantly, offering jaw-dropping panoramas at all time. Every now and then your altitude is higher than a cloud-shrouded mountain top. Then you’ll get to a point where the weather is cool all year round, where houses on stilts dot the mountain slopes and the locals herd their gazing animals, a kind of Vietnamese Shangri-la:
From here, the road twists itself back and forth down the mountain, as it negotiates with the steep incline of the mountain side.
Finally, here is the place to stay overnight: Don village.
The accommodations in Pu Luong
There are multiple choices when it comes to staying in Pu Luong. Places we tend to stay on our Pu Luong motorbike tour are:
However, if you’re really looking for an authentic experience, stay in one of the local Thai or Muong houses on stilts, a kind of wood-and-thatch home which sits on a raised platform. Inside, there’s 1 large room with soft mattresses to accommodate travelers. There are hot showers outside the main home, which are equipped with hot showers and appropriate bathroom facilities.
There’s no restaurants outside, unless you’re in Doan town, which is a 25 minute driving from Don village. So you might want to inform the host that you will be having this/that meal at their place, since they need to go to the market to have things prepared.
Best time to ride motorbike to Pu Luong
Pu Luong is beautiful in every time of the year, there’s no doubt. But considering you’re on a motorbike, you might consider winter months, when the weather is cool and sitting on a motorbike would make it even colder. These months are late December, January and February.
Eco Trai Vietnam is a wonderful motorbike tour that includes Pu Luong as a destination. We hope to have you as a part of this beautiful journey.
