Mekong delta homestay 2 days tour with cycling trip in non touristy villages | Mekong Delta Tours

Mekong delta homestay 2 days tour with cycling trip in non touristy villages | Mekong Delta Tours

Vietnam

(32 Reviews)

from/per person: $ 225.00 - 345.00
  • 2 days
  • Min People : 2
  • Tour guide
  • Flexible
  • Min Age : 4+
  • Homestay
  • Bicycle
  • Boat
  • Car

Overview

The Authentic Mekong Delta 

We love the authenticity of Mekong Delta and avoid touristy areas in Mekong Delta as much as you do! You will have a chance to visit remote areas, experience a mix of classic highlights, fun, and unique activities with local people in real Mekong Delta homestay (staying in their homes, cook and eat with them…), have the unsurpassed knowledge of a local guide, taking you out of the guidebooks and into a world you’re waiting to discover. Our passion is to give you authentic insights into local culture and perspectives of the Mekong real life with our Mekong delta tour 2 days - Mekong Trails & Tales.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Off-the-beaten-path routes
  • No tourist shops or traps
  • Visit a colorful local market
  • Visit local homes and enjoy fresh tropical fruits
  • Spend a night at an authentic Homestay with a friendly host family
  • Visit Cai Rang floating market - the worthwhile floating market in Vietnam
  • Join an interesting cooking activity and enjoy a home-prepared dinner with the host
  • A motorized boat trip and hand-rowed sampan trip through the peaceful canals (Venice’s canals will look like a small city block after ours)
  • Enjoy a picturesque bicycle ride (2 - 2,5 hours) through rural villages with the abundance of tropical orchards and Vietnamese children will be waving and cheerfully saying “Hello!” to you.

SCHEDULE DETAILS

 
DURATION 2 days
TOUR TYPE/SIZE Small group (min 2 pax - max 8 pax/ Private tour
MEETING Your hotel. Please note that we only offer free hotel pickup and drop-off in District 1,3 (some exclusions apply).
We kindly request guests staying outside of our pickup areas to meet us at the suggested meeting point in District 1.
ENDING POINT Your hotel in HCMC OR Can Tho bus station or Can Tho airport.
DEPARTURE/ENDING TIME
07:00 AM - 4:00 PM (in HCMC on day 2)

Itinerary

NOTICE

The tour includes a short cycling trip that suits children from 12 years or above. For safety reasons, we do not provide small bikes for young children who are under 12 years of age, as local traffic behavior is quite different from the West or developed countries. Children under 12 are REQUIRED to sit on the back of the bike. In some exceptional cases, Western children (ages from 9-12) are taller the average Asian children, she/he can ride a bike her/ himself.

Day 1: Saigon – Ben Tre – Vinh Long (_, Lunch, Dinner)

7:00: We will pick you up from your hotel and begin our trip with a 2,5 hours drive to the picturesque and friendly Ben Tre Province where you’ll be one of the rare foreigners who make it here.

We will take a break to enjoy the fresh air and variety of tropical fresh fruits from Mekong Delta on a boat trip and begin touring a region known as Vietnam’s rice bowl. After putting your footprints on the coconut kingdom, the Xe Loi (a motorized cart, a form of local transportation) will give you a short trip to see around the peaceful island and visit some local workshop.

Then get boarded to a hand-rowing sampan to wind through some green, lush, picturesque canals between lines of nipa palm.

Continue your journey by car to an untouched area of Vinh Long. Be greeted by the host family and then you will be served home-prepared dishes of delicious Vietnamese food for lunch.

After lunch, we will have a stunning bicycle ride as your guide will take you weaving through the canal trails, orchard paths into the charming villages with friendly, welcoming people.

Finish the bike trip, we will get ready to cook dinner with the host then enjoy home-prepared dishes as well as share stories about life on the Mekong Delta.

Day 2: Vinh Long – Can Tho - Cai Rang Floating Market - Sai Gon (Breakfast, Lunch, _)

06:00: Start your day early to enjoy peaceful fresh air in Mekong Delta. We say goodbye to our friendly hosts before heading to Can Tho. Upon arrival at Ninh Kieu Wharf, we will transfer to a local boat to visit Cai Rang - the worthwhile floating market in the Mekong Delta. You will be able to observe authentic trading customs on boats and see daily life on rivers.

Then let’s stop by a colorful land market for a different view of trading customs as well as watching the friendly market goers buying their food for the incoming meal. At our next destination, your guide will drive you to visit an ancient Khmer temple to learn more about the local belief as well as discover the multi-culture of community in Mekong Delta.

On the way back to Ho Chi Minh City, you will stop to visit a beautiful island which is known as the heaven of fruits such as durian, rambutan, guava, and jack fruit...and fill your stomach with delicious seafood from Mekong river at our lovely restaurant.

This tour ends upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh City at your hotel around 4:00 PM or Can Tho city at around 10:00 AM where you can continue to Rach Gia /Chau Doc on your own by bus/ private car and then taking an express boat to Phu Quoc/ Phnom Penh. In addition, you can also take a flight from Can Tho to Phu Quoc. 

Note: some activities can be rearranged due to unexpected situations (weather, tidal systems, etc.)

Prices & Offers

PRICE

  • Rates are in USD per person.
  • 30% surcharge applies for: Apr 30 & May 1; Sep 1-2; Jan 1, 2025

SMALL GROUP TOUR'S POLICIES:

  • Please note that the price applies for the number of people in the combined group (maximum 8 pax) on the date of the tour. So, we will REFUND you if we have more customers joining with you. In case, there is only your group, the tour will be organized as a private option.

  • Although we do accept solo traveler (or solo adult with children), we’ll need to match you with other travelers who wish to take the tour on the same day as you. The tour is only guaranteed to depart with a minimum of 2 adult travelers. In this case, please contact us by either phone or email to confirm the availability. 

FEATURES & INCLUSIONS

Included:

  • Free hotel pickup and drop off in District 1,3 (some exclusions apply),
  • Homestay in Vinh Long, (Double / Twin Share / Communal room),
  • Meals (cater to vegetarian, food allergies, etc): 1 breakfast, 2 lunches, 1 dinner,
  • 2 small bottles of water/ passenger,
  • Transportation( Car, boat, bike),
  • English speaking guide,
  • Entrance fees and activities,
  • Tropical fruits

Excluded:

  • Bus to Rach Gia/ Ha Tien/ Chau Doc,
  • Tips/ Gratuities for tour guide & drivers,
  • Personal expenses,
  • Insurance.

Important Notes

CONFIRMATION OF BOOKING

When you submit your booking, it does NOT mean your tour is booked. You will receive a confirmation email from our booking staff shortly. 

If you do not hear back from us within 24 hours of your booking request, please check your SPAM or JUNK mail folder or contact us again via [email protected] or call us at (+84) 834391331. Thank you!

ESSENTIAL TRIP INFORMATION

1. We only offer free hotel pickup and drop off as long as your hotel is located in District 1 (some exclusions apply). We kindly request guests staying outside of our pickup areas to either meet us at the suggested meeting points in District 1 for the start of the tour.

2. Although children under five are free of charge. 50% of the adult price will be charged for the second child (if there are more than 1).

3. There will be quite a bit of driving on this tour as we have to cover a vast region.

ITINERARY DISCLAIMER

Please note that while we operate successful trips in this region throughout the year, some changes may occur in our itineraries due to inclement weather and common seasonal changes to timetables and transport routes. This can happen with little notice so please be prepared for modifications to the route.

Occasionally our itineraries are updated during the year to incorporate improvements stemming from past travellers' comments and our own research.

The order and timing of included activities in each location may also vary from time to time.

TOUR FAQs

What to prepare for the trip? 

Passports

Sun cream

A small backpack

Sandals or similar

Mosquito repellent

Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, towel, soap, shampoo etc)

Luggage?

You can either ask to leave those at your hotel (if possible) and carry a small bag/ backpack for your trip OR you can carry them on the tour. Those can be left on the car/ at the homestay.

Wear?

We do not have a dress code for our tours however, dress standards are conservative throughout Asia, especially outside major cities. To respect this and for your own comfort, we recommend modest clothing. This means clothing that covers your shoulders and knees. Loose, lightweight, long clothing is both respectful and cool in the predominantly hot Asian climate.

What is the homestay like?

Feel like home is what we can describe. Simple, basic but is sure to be a lasting memory of your tour. Our homestays are real local homes where you will stay with locals and see how the locals live, work and eat.

The room type is private OR or multi-share dormitory-style. However, the private rooms are limited so they will be offered on a first-come/first-serve basis. So if other guests book out your desired room, before you request us this type of room, we will only be able to arrange you the multi-share dormitory-style room.

Each room at the homestay is provided Vietnamese mattress, bed sheet, blanket, mosquito net and fan. The bathrooms and toilets (western style) are shared.

Homestay alternative?

Not so keen on staying in a homestay? No problem! Let’s stay in a Hotel instead.

However, this is a pre-designed tour which specializes in homestay and cycling. If you join a group tour we cannot change the activities out of consideration for our other guests. Thus, we have to make this tour private OR customize this tour base on your requests.

If you are still interested in the cycling, cooking and have dinner at a homestay, you still can take the "Mekong Trails & Tales" PRIVATE tour, we will just change the overnight at homestay to a 3-star hotel option. We will travel to Can Tho (takes 30 minutes) after dinner time (8 or 9 PM) to check-in to the hotel.

Otherwise, you can take a CUSTOM tour. 

Is cycling safe and children-friendly?

Yes! Our tour is kid friendly. We design the tour to be entertained and suitable for guests from 4 years and older. Family with the child is under 4 is NOT recommended for this tour.

However, for safety reasons, we do not provide small bikes for young children who are under 12 years of age, as local traffics behavior is quite different from that from the West or developed countries. Children are under 12 are REQUIRED to sit on the back of the bike, baby seat for the bicycle is provided for children from 4-5 years.

In some exceptional cases, the Western children (ages from 9-12) are taller the average Asian children, she/he can ride a bike her/himself.

What is the riding like?

The cycling is approximately 10 - 12 km long and we cycle mostly on flat concrete paths and small paved, rural roads. We will make a few stops during the trip to visit local sights such as local workshop, temple, rice fields and also a water break. Thus, anyone who can reasonably ride a bike can do this ride.

Please note that our tour includes a 2 - 2,5 hours cycling as a sightseeing activity, it is NOT a cycling type of tour. Therefore, the bikes which are provided on the tour are typical Vietnamese student bikes.

Cycling alternative?

Can not/ do not like riding a bicycle? No problem. We will provide an alternative.

However, if you join a small group tour we CANNOT change the activities out of consideration for our other guests. Therefore, you will have to take a CUSTOM tour. Please send us your requests and we design your own special tour!

Continue to Phu Quoc / Phnom Penh after the tour?

Yep! This tour is for you.

The tour ends either in Ho Chi Minh City at around 4 pm (default) or Can Tho at around 10 am where you can take a bus to Rach Gia (3 hours) OR Chau Doc (3,5 hours) and then continue your way to Phu Quoc / Phnom Penh.

Please note that boat to Phu Quoc only starts TWICE per day at around 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM, AND the express boat to Phnom Penh only start ONCE per day at around 7:30 AM. This means you have to stay overnight in Rach Gia / Chau Doc on the date of your tour finish.

Is there any malaria or dengue fever in the Mekong Delta?

Malaria is now under control in Vietnam so the risk of malaria is very low but dengue should be more of a concern which is common in Vietnam.

Although Mekong Delta is NOT a malaria area and mosquitoes are only active at dusk and dawn, you should consider using insect repellent if you intend to take on the trip.

Is tipping customary in Vietnam?

Although our trips are inclusive of all costs and we ensure our guides and local staff are paid fairly, if you’re happy with the services provided a tip – though NOT compulsory – is appropriate. While it may not be customary to you, it’s of great significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels and inspires excellent service. Although can be difficult to source we advise you to carry small notes of local currency each day to make tipping easier.

The following amounts are per person suggestions based on local considerations and feedback from our past travelers:

  • Restaurants: Local markets and basic restaurants – round your bill up to the nearest US$1. More up-market restaurants we suggest 10% to 15% of your bill.
  • Drivers: You may have a range of drivers on your trip. Some may be with you for a short journey while others may be with you for a few days. We would suggest a higher tip for those more involved with the group, however, we suggest US$2-US$3 per day for drivers.
  • Your Tour Guide: We suggest US$4-US$6 per day for your tour guide for outstanding service throughout your trip

Of course, you are free to tip more or less as you see fit, depending on your perception of service quality and the length of your trip. Remember, a tip is NOT compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service. However, please DO NOT tip with coins, very small denomination notes, or dirty and ripped notes. This is regarded as culturally as an insult.

Average Reviews

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From 32 Reviews

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Write a Review

J

Jan Bosch Schips

21:31, 23/10/2019

The tour was excellent. Hao is a wonderful and lovely guide, who treated us like friends from the first moment. We enjoyed it from beginning to end, and we wouldn't change a thing. We are also very thankful of how quickly our tour was organised with such short notice, due to our very late booking (the day before).

R

Rebecca

21:17, 23/10/2019

We took Mekong Trails & Tales with Hao. It was incredibly insightful. The tour was exceptional: cycling to visit the village, homestay and breakfast on the floating market. The tour let you immerse fully in Vietnamese culture. The cycling trip takes you to connect deeply to locals and with beautiful and incredibly friendly people. The recommendation is basic but truly and authentic. I recommend to everyone should take part in tree planting which is added on tour. The lunch of the second day was delicious, I would encourage Innoviet to look for a local home that is located amongst the beautiful and tranquil rice fields to add to the experience :D All-in-all, I highly recommend this tour!

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