Far and Away Cycling

Our Cycling Destinations

We choose our destinations and routes with care.  A lot of factors go into making a particular destination "good" for cycling:  the roads, the people, the culture, costs, food, safety, lodging, likely weather conditions, etc., etc.  There is plenty to consider.  The bottom line though is we keep going back to the places we like and we always keep looking for new and interesting destinations. 

We do not schedule all of our destinations every year and we only schedule tours when the weather is likely to be good for cycling.  In the case of SE Asia, it's a window over the Fall and Winter months.  For Europe, it is Spring and Fall.  These are the tours that we currently have in our "portfolio", so to speak: 

Corsica - "The Beauty"  - 7 nights

Our very first tour.  What a special place this is:  a mountain range rising out of the Mediterranean Sea.  It's one of the few places where you can ride on low traffic roads right along undeveloped coastline.  Add great food and you have something very special.  It's part of France, but Corsica is a world apart. It is not a big island, but it rides very "big".  We cycle around the top half of the island on this tour.  

Corsica - "Le Beast" - 8 nights

It's the same island, but a different tour.  In the Fall, when people are in better shape, we frequently schedule a ride that goes all the way around the island.   It's a leg breaker.  "The Beauty" is challenging enough for most people, but we also like to put together some rides for the true devotee.  

Spain - "The White Villages of Andalusia" - 8 nights

Andalusia is the far southern tip of Spain.  The climbing is similar to Corsica by we head inland to ride through the "White Villages".  This part of Spain was occupied by the Moors from North Africa for some 500 years which give the villages their distinct flavor.  Some of the winding cobbled passageways are so narrow you can barely get a bike through.   Walk into bar or cafe here and there will be hams hanging from the ceiling....drying.  This has to be the ham center of the world.

Slovenia - "The Julian Alps" - 7 nights

Slovenia is just east of Italy and south of Austria.  It doesn't feel Italian, it feels Bavarian.  About 60% of the country is forested.  That, plus the fact we are riding over the Julian Alps, gives this a tour a very alpine feel to it.  We start and end in Ljubljana, which has to be one of the more laid back capitals in Europe.  Sidewalk cafes are everywhere.  This tour features a tough climb, the Vrsic pass.  We ride up the beautiful Soca Valley towards it.  It looks like there is no way out.  It turns out there isn't.  The only way out is up.

Croatia - "Istria and the Apsyrtides Islands" - 7 nights   

While Slovenia only has only some 40k of coastline, Croatia has 1000's of kilometers of coast.  Much of it though, is not all that bike friendly.  The magic of Croatia is largely inland.  We cut diagonally across the Istrian Peninsula on roads that do not carry as much traffic as the coastal roads.  The towns in the interior of Istria are largely perched on mountain tops....spectacular walled villages.  Istria was part of Italy before WW II and it retains an Italian feel to it.  When we cross onto the islands of Cres and Krk, it feels even more Italian.  Just like Italy, there are lots of truffles.

Laos - "Journey Back in Time" - 14 nights

When my family members first heard me talking about cycling in Laos, I think they thought I was nuts... in need of some sort of family intervention.  I wasn't nuts, I was fortunate.  Laos really is a trip back in time.  It doesn't have a lot of infrastructure, but that's the charm.  It's a spectacular place with friendly people, an interesting culture and surprisingly good roads for biking.  Things are changing fast though.  There is only only one place left on our tour where your shower is a bucket of hot water (on the early trips, hot water was a luxury in a few spots).   If you have to pick one place to go, pick this one.  People keep coming back to Laos more than any other destination I know. The more it gets picked, the faster it will change.  When you find a hair dryer in your room, it's all over in Laos.  You go to Laos for a glimpse of what SE Asia once was. 

Vietnam - "TheTonkinese Alps" 12 nights

We start in Hanoi.  The old quarter of Hanoi is a virtual human beehive and no place to bike.  Just crossing the street is nerve racking.  We catch a lift out of town and then head Northwest.  This a spectacular and mountainous part of Vietnam.  That's why the French called these mountains, the "Tonkinese Alps".  It's also the hill tribe center of SE Asia;  The Red Dao, the White Dao, Flower people, etc.   The customs and culture of these hardy mountain people is fascinating.  Vietnam has  86 million people, which means that things are a lot busier on the roads in Vietnam than in Laos (6 million).  But, it is no less interesting.

Vietnam and Laos - "Tour d'Indochine" -19 nights

It's a long flight to SE Asia. To fit more into one trip to Asia,  we had people hook Laos up with tours from other cycling companies.  We also had people do our Vietnam tour and then fly to Laos and do our Lao tour.  Things changed when the border crossing at Tay Tranh opened this past year.   The opening allowed us to offer the best parts Vietnam and Laos in one tour.  It takes fortitude though.  It's 700 miles in total.  Plus, it takes us through a remote and unpaved section of road in Laos.   It's spectacular, but it's not easy.  Muong Khua has electricity for only 3 hours a day: 6 to 9pm.  Last time we arrived at 8:50pm.  This tour is for the hardy adventurer that wants to do it all.

India - "In the Garden of the Gods"- 14 nights

India was a revelation for me.  I had this image of trying to ride my bike through masses of humanity.  Well, there are the masses, but we don't ride through them.  We head through hill stations and spice and tea plantations on back roads; we have a night on a houseboat and cruise Venetian-like canals; we have a couple nights on the Malabar Coast where there is mile after mile of beach with fishermen getting up each morning to cast their nets.  India is eclectic; it is an enigma wrapped inside a riddle.  It's a place where you order a beer and it shows up in a teacup; where you ask a question and get a head wobble.  Ask again and you get a bigger wobble.  It is a place of gods and spirituality.  It can be anything you want it to be. 

Canadian Rockies - "Ride the Divide" - 7nights

We start in Kananaskis and head north to Jasper down the Icefields Parkway.  It's our only tour that is in North America.   It's truly spectacular.  Where else in the world can you walk out onto a glacier in your spandex?  The answer is nowhere.   Last time we did this, we had fantastic weather.  Perfect.  However, since it is Canada and the Rockies, it can snow in any month.  You have to be prepared.