How To Get To Ba Be Lake By Motorbike

Overview Of Ba Be Lake

This spot is a wonderful destination to tour and not as crowded as some places such as Ninh Binh, Sa Pa, and Ha Long. You will not only reach the beauty of this place but also encounter the charm of this route if you get there by motorbike.  The largest value of the lake is the original geological landscapes which came with a high value in terms of ecological diversification and landform.  In 2004, the Ba Be National Park was acknowledged as a natural heritage site in ASEAN. In 1995, the destination was listed in the top 20 unique natural lakes which need to be preserved (voted by the World Lake Conference).

Some opt to stay here for two nights to have enough time to chill on a hammock or on a boat/ kayak to view great areas around this lake (Puong Cave, Dau Dang waterfall, Fairy Lake, Ba Goa island). Also, you can spend time driving on some loops around Ba Be Lake or rowing the boat to some islands for picnics.  The only drawback is maybe that this destination is fairly far from HaNoi capital. Although it can take you a whole riding day to reach there and vice versa, the view that you capture on the way and the lake won’t let you down!

Best Season To Get Ba Be Lake Motorcycle Tour From Hanoi 

The lake fits neatly in virgin forests and limestone karsts. That explains the air here is always fresh and cool. Accordingly, summertime is the best season to visit the lake by bike and enjoy the cool breezy wind hitting the face.  If fantastic festivals are really your cup of tea, take a motorbike tour here in the springtime to take part in annual festivals that take place on 9th and 10th January – Lunar Calendar- with a series of interesting traditional activities like dancing, archery, wrestling, racing, or throwing a cotton ball. 

How To Get To Ba Be Lake By Motorbike 

The First Route: Hanoi – Ba Be Motorbike Tour (Pass Thai Nguyen)

This route is pretty long, and it can take a whole riding day to reach the capital. You will find on the Google navigation application that it’s pointed at approximately four hours traveling. Yet this won’t contain any late pit stops, traffic, departures, or just guesses in general. Thus, leave early; it would be best before 9 am.  The first mile of this journey via Thai Nguyen is quite dull and busy with traffic. You have to draw your attention not to ride on the CT07 since this way is closed to motorbikes.  You can set your navigation map to “avoid highways/ tolls” or “motorbike mode” to get this. If you have your friends’ company for this motorbike trip, you all should gather at Thai Nguyen, which has a big roundabout and many great cafes nearby. 

For the first leg of this journey, we recommend you head further to the North through Thai Nguyen province to reach Yen Do. Then you should cut on the QL3 and turn off the much quieter and more interesting route- QL3c/ DT268 – to get to the end of the Ba Be Lake.  Next, you ride right to the DT254, and it would be better if you chose the DT254B to take the quiet road and enjoy the fresh atmosphere of this small route. You then set foot on Cho Don. There are quite a lot of little eateries and cafes here; you can drop by and try some local food to learn more about their cuisines. From there, you can easily get to the lake since the way becomes deserted and very peaceful.

The Second Route: Hanoi – Ba Be Motorbike Tour (Pass Bac Kan)

The second choice to reach Ba Be is to tear through Bac Kan from Ha Noi, which is also known as an interesting ​​Bac Kan motorbike tour.  It isn’t hard for you to find that the new road to Bac Kan is a clear and fast stretch of the expressway, and you will certainly have a great time on it. On this route, you have a quick stop in Thai Nguyen before turning off Bac Kan to the west. So, it is quite easy and fast for any new motorcyclists.   From Bac Kan, you head to Cho Don/ Bang Lung on the DT257, which is indeed a good way. Then keep heading towards North and turn off DT254. Also, you could reach Bac Kan via the QL3 to get Yen Do, yet it seems illogical to opt for that. The DT254 and the QL3 are pretty similar though the second one has a bit more traffic. You might be trying to make your trip longer for no use by choosing this. Then, five kilometers before Bang Lung, let’s take the small back way to Ba Be Lake.  In fact, there are some other options to visit Ba Be Lake, such as from Bac Me, from Na Hang, from Cho Ra. Yet, the two above routes are the most common, peaceful, and easiest to travel. 

Final Thoughts

Are you there? If your reply is yes, we trust that our post succeeded in keeping your interest in finding an answer for how to get to Ba Be lake by motorbike. After this guide, perhaps you have opted for the right route for you or your companion on the motorcycle trip.  It would be best if you kept a camera for your journey to save great moments on the way. Also, don’t forget to have a clear schedule of what you all will do when you get there. These things will allow you to enjoy the wonderful destination more wisely. Lastly, thank you for reading our blogs, and see you in the coming post about other spectacular Vietnam motorbike tours. Let’s hit the road to touch in the beauty! What riders have said about Vietnam Motorcycle Tours on Tripadvisor!