Vietnam

The active travel company with the funny name, Pedalers Pub & Grille (PP&G), announces a line of culturally rich, family-friendly, multi-sport adventures in Asia for 2009. Programs coincide with spring break, summer vacation and late year holidays.

Traveling at the speed of a bike, this is a great way for kids to learn about other cultures outside the classroom while having fun at the same time, says Tom Sheehan, founder and general manager.

“We get off the main tourist paths and invite more spontaneous interaction with the local people we meet. We’re as curious a sight to them as they are to us,” he says.

There’s paddling and hiking mixed in with the primary activity of cycling. The trips are:

Discover Bhutan, July 1 and Aug. 5 departures, 8 days, $3,395 adults, $2,995 ages 13 to 18 and college students up to age 25, $2,795 ages 8 to 12. Cycling is on small paved roads with little traffic, Class 2&3 whitewater rafting. Trips span 122 miles and average 31 miles daily.
www.pedalerspubandgrille.com/bike_tours/bhutan/Bhutan_Multisport.htm

Thailand Land & Sea, Mar. 23, Apr. 6 and Dec. 21 departures, 7 days, $1,795 adults, $1,625 ages 8 to 18, $1,525 ages 16 and under sharing room with 2 parents. Cycling is on paved roads with moderate traffic. Trips span 186 miles and average 46 miles daily.
www.pedalerspubandgrille.com/bike_tours/thailand/Thailand_Land_Sea.htm

Vietnam Highlights, Mar. 9, Apr. 13 and Dec. 23 departures, 10 days, $2,095 adults, $1,895 ages 8 to 18, $1,795 ages 16 and under sharing room with 2 parents. Cycling is on small paved roads with moderate traffic, some hills. Trips span 108 miles and average 27 miles daily. A junk cruise on Ha Long Bay and sea kayaking are part of adventure.
www.pedalerspubandgrille.com/bike_tours/vietnam/Highlights_Multisport.htm

Age 8 is the minimum to participate; younger children are accepted, but a parent must travel in the sag wagon with them and/or bring a trailer from home for the cycling.

The active travel company with the funny name, Pedalers Pub & Grille (PP&G), puts cyclists to the test on its new “Vietnam: Journey to Sapa” cycling adventure with three scheduled departures in the coming year. Home to numerous ethnic tribal groups, this challenging journey takes in the northeastern mountains and some of the country’s most alluring scenery and cultures.

Departing on Dec. 8, 2008, Mar. 9 and Dec. 7 2009, the 10-day trip is the only excursion that actually pedals the quiet back roads to Sapa; most other visitors arrive by air or train, blurring by the hill country and villages that define the true essence of the region.

Sensitive to the area’s cultural diversity, company founder Tom Sheehan says that each departure will take in different villages en route to Sapa. “We don’t plan to visit the same community more than once a year, so that the indigenous hill tribes stay as unaffected by tourism as possible. This also gives us the opportunity to distribute school materials to more children who could otherwise not afford them.”

He notes that the supplies they give away are bought at regional markets to support local business and keep more of the money in the area.

This trip will also focus on Hanoi’s ancient past and the more recent French influence in the graceful colonial architecture and tree-lined boulevards that accentuate the capital city.

Except for international air, the program is all-inclusive at $2,250 per person, based on double occupancy (single supplement is $425). The tour begins and ends in Hanoi.

The rate includes accommodations distinguished by history and authenticity (including the turn-of-century Metropole in Hanoi), all meals, bilingual guides, full van support, daily route directions and maps, sightseeing and cultural activities, plus airport transfers. Personal departures may be scheduled year round for private groups and bike clubs with the most popular season running from November to March when the days are typically sunny and warm.

Over the course of the trip, which is rated challenging in level of difficulty, cyclists will roll inn to inn covering 341 miles (550 km), averaging 57 miles (92 km) per day.

A four day trip extension exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Halong Bay via sea kayak and junk is also available. Add-on price is $700 ($250 single supplement).

More details can be found online at:
http://www.pedalerspubandgrille.com/bike_tours/vietnam/Journey_to_Sapa.htm