Traveling to Ha Giang in a self-driving motorbike is becoming increasingly popular. More and more groups of friends who are passionate about experiences choose this form of travel for the Ha Giang loop trip. So let’s find out what you need to know when taking the Ha Giang loop tour self drive.
How to take Ha Giang loop tour self drive
Self-driving is one of the most interesting forms of traveling to explore Ha Giang that you can experience. So here are two ways for you to start your trip to explore the Ha Giang loop by self driving.
Renting motorbike to self drive
The easiest way is to rent a motorbike to drive yourself. If you are confident enough to explore the roads and conquer the difficult roads of Ha Giang on your own, this is the right choice for you.
In Ha Giang there are many Ha Giang motorbike rental addresses to rent motorbikes. Normally, after moving to Ha Giang city, tourists will rent a motorbike here and start the journey to explore Ha Giang.
When renting a motorbike, you should remember to prepare from 1 million to 3 million and some personal documents such as passport and ID card to complete the motorbike rental procedure. After you complete the trip and return the motorbike, the motorbike rental agency will return your money and personal documents.
When renting a motorbike, in addition to being provided with a motorbike, you will be equipped with necessary items to ensure the safety of your trip such as helmet, protection limb, driving gloves, round elastic, etc. If you already have personal safety gear, you can use your own.
Motorbike rental prices usually range from about 150,000 VND to 180,000 VND per day. Before receiving the vehicle, you should carefully check the engine, brakes and other functions of the vehicle to ensure the quality of the vehicle during the trip.
Book a motorbike tour self drive
If you don’t have enough confidence to travel on your own during your trip in Ha Giang, you can book a self-drive motorbike tour. With this service, you will have a guide and companion with you throughout the trip.
Not only will you have a tour guide, you will also have a pre-arranged itinerary so you will need to think about the places you need to go. On that schedule, you will go to extremely interesting destinations in Ha Giang. During the travel process, you can also ask the tour guide to guide you to other locations that are not on the itinerary.
Most of the tour guides here are native people or have a long time experiencing the roads of Ha Giang. Therefore, the advantage of having a tour guide is that you have someone who is knowledgeable about the terrain and the route. So they will show you the necessary experience to conquer Ha Giang when driving by yourself.
Recommended motorbike for self driving in Ha Giang loop
Which type of motorbike is suitable to conquer the steep mountain passes of Ha Giang is one of the questions that many tourists wonder about when wanting to drive themselves. Semi-automatic motorbikes and dirt bikes are two types of vehicles you should choose to be able to drive yourself for your trip.
Semi-automatic for everyone
Semi-automatic motorbikes are the perfect choice for people who want to take a self-driving Ha Giang loop tour.
With a semi-automatic motorbike, you can more easily control your speed when driving, especially when you are going through steep, narrow and bumpy passes in Ha Giang. The speed of the semi-automatic motorbike will remain constant based on the gear you choose. So you will not encounter cases of losing speed control while driving.
Furthermore, semi-automatic motorbikes have two types of brakes: hand brakes and back brakes. When using back breaks, the speed will gradually decrease without being too sudden like the brakes of automatic motorbikes. Therefore, you will also be able to easily control your speed when you want to stop or go downhill, especially when the road is slippery and it is raining.
The fuel used by a semi-automatic motorbike is also less than other types of motorbikes. The average fuel consumption of a semi-automatic motorbike is about 1.55 liters per 100km of travel.
Dirt bike for skilled drivers
If you are a skilled driver, you can choose dirt bikes to conquer the roads in Ha Giang.
Dirt bikes can easily conquer rough roads or rough terrain. With large wheels and improved shock absorbers, you’ll experience a smoother ride than other vehicles. That’s why tourists who want to explore new and strange roads always choose dirt bikes to self-drive.
Famous attractions for Ha Giang loop tour self drive
The following are attractive destinations in Ha Giang that you can choose for your self-drive motorbike trip in Ha Giang.
Ma Pi Leng pass
Ma Pi Leng pass is known as one of the four great passes in Vietnam. It is a 22 km long road next to the mountainside, one side is high mountains, the other side is cliffs. Besides, this pass also has steep sections and difficult turns, requiring you to have skilled driving skills to be able to maintain a steady speed when going downhill. After successfully conquering Ma Pi Leng pass, you can stop at one of the Ma Pi Leng homestay to rest.
Lung Cu flagpole
Lung Cu Flagpole is the northernmost point of Vietnam, where you can enjoy panoramic views and visit a flag tower symbolizing national sovereignty. After reaching the foot of the mountain, you will park your motorbike and walk to the flagpole.
Nho Que river
Nho Que river is certainly too familiar to you when mentioning Ha Giang. After conquering Ma Pi Leng pass, you should experience boating on the river. However, the road down to the river is considered quite difficult, so you need to pay attention and be careful when self-driving on this road.
Hoang Su Phi
Hoang Su Phi Ha Giang will challenge your driving ability through small and narrow dirt roads, especially the roads going deep into the villages in the district. Although the road is difficult, in return you will admire the rustic and majestic scenery of hills, mountains and terraced fields. You can also stay overnight at Hoang Su Phi homestay to experience more of the daily lifestyle of the people here.
Crucial advice when self driving in Ha Giang
To have a smooth self-driving trip to Ha Giang, you should pay attention to the following necessary tips.
You should practice your driving skills when choosing to drive a motorbike yourself. Ha Giang’s terrain is not a place for you to practice your motorbike driving skills because the rugged terrain with many obstacles will require you to have quick and accurate reflexes when driving.
You should know when to brake, when not to brake, and how to brake. If you brake too fast and too harshly, your motorbike will sometimes derail, causing you to fall. This is extremely dangerous on the road. So you need to be as careful as possible.
Don’t go too fast when it’s raining or the road is slippery. When the road is not dry, the possibility of falling or slipping is very high, so you need to control your speed to avoid unfortunate situations.
To ensure safety, you should use full motorbike safety gear such as helmet, driving gloves, limb protection, etc. These are extremely necessary items when driving on long journeys like the Ha Giang loop. These items will help you minimize injuries in an accident.
Above is detailed information for the Ha Giang loop self drive that you can refer to. Hopefully with the shared experiences, you will have a fun trip or a joyful tour with your friends.