HCM City – Ta Dung – Mui Ne – 5 Day Loop
Route Summary:
Duration: 5 days - 950 kms
The National Park, an amazing lakes system and two beach towns your four overnight stops. With a day to explore the National Park and another one on the beach this could easily be a relaxing week away.
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HCM City - Cat Tien via River
Distance - 165 Kms
Over a decade based in Saigon there mustn’t be a route out to the North I haven’t tried. This is one of two favourites and between the two makes the Cat Tien National Park a great weekend escape.Â
The Park covers an area of 750 km² in the provinces of Dong Nai, Bình Phuoc and Lam Dong and preserves one of the largest areas of lowland tropical forests left in Vietnam. Easy to spend some time there if natural beauty in peace and quiet appeals as a nice change of pace.
(A) Is a nice tourist development nicely located for an interesting rest stop with coffee and food available.Â
(B) A coffee shop more a a way point to keep you off the main arterial. Keep at and enjoy the next stop.Â
(C, D and E) are view points to the Tri An Lake. (C) the better of the lunch options in the area.
(F) Just a short, unavoidable stretch on the main road crossing the Dong Nai river. The fisherman live in these shanty dwellings and store their catch live in nets ready for their time at the market.Â
Some great concrete back roads through the farmland. Just the odd local tending to their rice paddies otherwise you have the place to yourself.Â
(G) is this great photo stop just shy of the night destination. This shot is many years ago. Looks a bit different these days.
(H) One of many accommodation options. I use this one mostly for its proximity to the National Park if having a day off to explore. The cabins on the river bank are basic but comfortable and affordable. The restaurant food, mostly Vietnamese is also good and reasonably priced.Â
The park is a great day out with your partner or children. Lots to see and do. The accommodation has bicycles to hire as motorcycles are not allowed to be taken across the river ferry into the park.
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Cat Tien - Ta Dung
Distance: 200 kms
If you’ve ridden with me or followed our rides you’ll know I enjoy the dawn. This is one of the places the early riser is rewarded. The rogue rooster doing his thing somewhere down the river. Some Gibbons singing if you’re lucky. Just do it!
If you’d like to explore Cat Tien a little. The Gibbon Island tour is informative and a great morning walk through the jungle. The first boat crosses the river at 7am. Check with your accommodation for up to the minute on that.
Go early and you’ll still get this day in but if back to nature is your thing a great area to spend an extra day if you have the time.
This map is around 200 km and is all sealed so a leisurely day with loads of great photo opportunities.
Although Google doesn’t recognise it, there is a bridge between (A) and (B) and it’s a nice way to go. Once over the bridge the map will correct your route.
North with a couple of minor diversions until the left turn West. This stretch is up with my favourite roads in the South. Very open and quiet so on the right machine encourages spirited riding.
(C) is a beautiful area. Often paragliding seen here
You’ll run around the back of the Dong Nai River dam wall which creates the lakes system and the beauty of Ta Dung separating the Dak Nong and Lam Dong provinces.
(D) This Waterfall isn’t up with Vietnam’s most spectacular, but a nice ride in, so worth the detour.
From here to the night stay some great views but keep your focus on the job. Gravel at times kicked onto the road by heavy vehicles.
(E) A good first proper look at the lakes system.
(F) Very impressive also from your night stop.
If travelling with ladies in the group I strongly recommend including this in your itinerary as a night stop. The accommodation really isn’t anything special but food and the views are very good and the place is loaded with interesting photo opportunities that the girls tend to love. At least a lunch stop.
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Ta Dung - Mui Ne
Distance: 240 kms
The morning coffee with this view isn’t the worst thing in the world.Â
(A) and (B) is a nice little side excursion to check out a lake.Â
(C)Â You can ride up onto the dam wall and the village is quite interesting. A pretty ordinary road through there but well worth it.Â
(D) just gets you around the usual police stop and avoids Phan Thiet city.Â
(E) The Red Sand Dunes is worth a look or some fun in the dunes. Hire a 4WD with a driver or take your own quad bike. Barter on price if going this option.Â
(F) and (G) to your destination is a nice coastal section. A photo shot over the ocean or a walk up the Fairy Stream on the way in a nice way to conclude the ride.Â
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Mui Ne - Vung Tau via Coast
Distance: 195 kms
As is my habit, a morning swim in any beach town is a great start to the day. Mui Ne though is not the beach paradise of the last few days if you’ve been coming down the coast.
Some areas are decent but unless staying at the adjoining beachside resort most are inaccessible to the public. In most of the town there simply is no beach at all.
All accommodation options have a good pool to fix this problem and we have a great time here regardless. A big breakfast and we get out of town on the coast.
This is a simple and relaxing relatively short day to Vietnam’s Southernmost beach town on the mainland.
(A) Is a viewpoint to keep you off the A1.
(B)Â At 64 metres high and built by the French in 1899 the oldest and highest lighthouse in Vietnam. A great first stop to have a walk and check out the area.Â
(C) One of two recommended lunch stops. Good VIetnamese menu right on the beach so a swim opportunity also.
(D) If a seafood lunch appeals this is the best of many great restaurants in the area.
(E & F) Takes you through a fishing village.
(G & H) PÃns to keep you on the coast to our preferred accommodation options.
(I) Twisted Throttle Tavern for a few cold beers and great pub food.
Vung Tau, the city I choose to base myself, has over 500,000 residents but doesn’t feel that big. A clean city with a good year around climate and a lot to offer visitors. To date not particularly well marketed but I feel that will change with the development of the beach areas in progress and planned for the near future.
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Vung Tau - Cat Lai Ferry via Lakes
Distance: 150 Kms
One of many inaccuracies I hear from foreigners here is that the ride to and from Saigon and Vung Tau is terrible. On the arterials yes, but this diverse farmland ride through rubber, corn, banana, pepper, sweet potato and cassava is relaxed and interesting.Â
If you’re on a loop I likely had you on the river tracks down as it gets you out of the city traffic the quickest but this lakes run is my favourite. Be aware in wet season the trails through the rubber plantations are very slippery.Â
Plenty of great deviations off this map too so if you have time, follow it loosely and enjoy some exploring. Many of the trails aren’t on maps but it doesn’t matter you’ll pick it up again later.Â
(A)Â is a popular photo stop. Usually a lady set up there for a morning coffee too.Â
(B)Â takes you on the beach road through a fishing village and marks where you turn inland to the rubber plantationsÂ
(C) is a memorial cross in memory of the 18 Australian and 245 Vietnamese soldiers killed In the August 1966 Battle of Long Tan. Â
(D) and (E)Â gets you to the next lake though casava and pepper crops.Â
(F) A chocolate factory is your lunch stop on another lovely lake. Orders take a while but the food is good and the portion sizes very generous.Â
(G)Â takes you past two more lakes and is the point we turn left on some trails. Nothing technical but easy to map around it if necessary.Â
(H)Â is a random coffee shop marked only to take you around a favourite police haunt for their coffee indulgence.Â
(I)Â on the ferry and if returning to our D2 shop just 13km dealing with most riders daily reality here.Â
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These are supplied to all our touring bike customers and excluded from the above itinerary.
