Art of Bicycle Trips Reviews 111

We recently went on the Bike, Hike & Kayak trip in Vietnam with Art of Bicycle. We felt that it was a well-organized and well-coordinated tour. We visited and saw some amazing and stunningly beautiful areas. The tour really covered the highlights for us. Joining us were three other adventurers for a total of five and we all hit it off well and had a lot of fun and laughs together.
Our bike guide, Ham, was THE BEST. We also felt the same about our Van driver, Diep and Truck driver, Hung. The support, comradery and guidance were outstanding, and we couldn't have asked for more. They took wonderful care of us, and we all felt like family by the end of the biking portion. We were sad for it to end. I would like to note that they do need to review the profiles for the biking as NONE of the elevation matched what we did, only the mileage matched. Needs updating!
Onto the hike portion... Sapa was a beautiful area to go hiking, however it has been discovered by the masses and where we believed that we would be hiking in the wilderness without many people, we were wrong. Not only were there plenty of tourists out on our routes, but we were also joined everyday by local village ladies who really pressured us to buy their handicrafts. Not the experience we were expecting. Plus, our hiking guide... well, how to put this nicely... he was just not a good guide and neither a licensed or certified guide! Without going into examples, I'll just say that we found him unprofessional and didn't have the basic knowledge to answer many of our simple questions... his knowledge base seemed to be limited to local, herbal medicine, and he took all opportunities to criticize western medicine, which we felt very unprofessional. Any of our geographical questions, we had to go to Google for answers. We feel a guide should know about their area. We also encountered some very technical route, which was fine, but it would have been beneficial to have poles.
The accommodations... we were disappointed in many of the accommodations as we felt they were mainly budget accommodations, which were mostly disappointing. One, was just dirty. Accommodations in the areas we visited are very inexpensive and, for the difference of maybe $20/night more, we could have stayed in far nicer quality places. Many of the accommodations on the initial itinerary, that we received, had changed by the time the trip happened. So those that we had looked up to see where we were staying, were not our lodgings when the trip happened. For what we paid for this tour, we felt that Art of Bicycle could have put us in nicer accommodations.
The food... was fantastic and there was LOTS of it. However, once we were in Sapa, the dishes were pre-ordered and were the same each day for both lunch and dinner - no variation. It would have been nice to have the option to choose what we wanted to eat off a menu, even if only for one meal of the day.
The organization of the trip was well put together and worked seamlessly. Pickups, drop-offs, timing, it all was coordinated very well. We felt well supported before and during the trip but feel disappointed that we never got any follow-up from Art of Bicycle for our feedback on the trip.
All-in-all we would recommend the Art of Cycling to others. The only significant issues, for us, were the very under qualified and non-professional guide for the hiking portion and for a few dollars more the accommodation could have made a huge difference.

My partner and I and 7 other people have just completed the South Vietnam to Cambodia Bike Tour. It was over 14 days and 13 nights. I can highly recommend this tour. A moderate level of fitness is required. Be prepared for hot and dusty conditions. We rode an average of 60 kms per day. This tour is a complete immersion into the ordinary lives of the local people, it can be confronting but absolutely intriguing. The local people we encountered on the ride were friendly and happy. We learnt about their culture and religion. Our guides, Happiness and Art were fabulous. They had an intricate knowledge of their countries and its history. They organised our day to day activities with great enthusiasm. The support crew were also happy, friendly and competent. We felt very safe in their care. There were only 3 people on the ride who were not known to us, they were all great people. We all enjoyed each other’s company immensely.

Communication prior to the trip was poor. I had to send repeated e-mails to get basic information and only on the day of travel did I get the requested final travel planner with emergency numbers, etc. Our guide, though pleasant, had only a fair grasp of English and a speech impediment that made it a challenge to understand him. We had to repeatedly seek clarification of directions, schedules. etc. The itinerary as outlined was enticing and the first week followed the itinerary. The second week, did not meet expectations or resemble what was outlined. We walked instead of hiked. We spent more time walking in commercial town centers than hiking in surrounding green hills. The homestays were basic. One had no heat and one was borderline unsanitary. BUT, we are seasoned travelers and flexible so we had a GREAT trip. Our guide did bring us to sights that were not on the itinerary, chopstick mill, glass noodle production, bamboo water wheels. fish and frog farming/truck stop. If you are flexible and due diligent then do consider Artofthebicycle. Many of their itineraries are onlies. You will not find any other outfit offering the same. And their prices are reasonable.

Our guide Nole was truly amazing: competent, caring, funny, and energetic. But the company Art of Bicycle left him and us out to dry on our tour through Albania and Montenegro. I could not recommend Art of Bicycle or its woeful band of liars to anyone.

When choosing a tour company we all do our due diligence and pay attention to reviews in making our decisions. But it is easy for companies when nothing goes wrong, but when it does, this really shows the quality of the company.
We have used Art of Bicycle for trips elsewhere in the world and were impressed with the quality of the tours and guides. This trip was a 14 day Vivid Sri Lanka Bike Tour, and it did not disappoint our overall expectations. You see the best of Sri Lanka, the temples, the historical sites, the wildlife, and the fauna. Our tour ended up to be a private tour, which gave us the opportunity to do what we want, when we wanted. As mentioned above, when something goes wrong, this really shows the integrity of the company. One of our hotels, the River Garden Resort in Belihuloya was rated ok on several sites, but upon arrival, ended up to be severely lacking in many areas. NO WIFI in main area or rooms, dead flies on the room floor, and was generally dirty both in the reception and other areas. We immediately told our guide we could not stay there and they contacted the company to make other arrangements. This was done in about an hour, and our disaster turned around to be fantastic. This company really stepped up and I cannot recommend them enough as a result.
Many other companies would not have done anything so don't look elsewhere chose Art of Bicycle.

We have just returned from a 7 day bike trip in Laos which was amazing, organised reliably by Art of Bicycle Trips through a local company. As two 70 + year olds it was good to be joined by another 70 + year old and we greatly appreciated the flexibility shown by our Hmong guide and support van driver for a fairly challenging holiday. Customer support excellent.

Our trip with Sarane in Vietnam was a once in a lifetime experience for my 13 year old and I - we were the only ones in it and so it was perfectly tailored to our needs. We rode for 4 hours with lunch most days and then enjoyed our gorgeous hotel in the afternoons. As it was very hot, the guide and driver were accommodating in our water and food needs. Sarane is knowledgeable and passionate about his country and it was enjoyable to learn so much as we toured amazing locations. Cannot recommend highly enough!! Book it!

Our custom private biking, hiking and kayaking tour in Vietnam and Laos was spectacular, and the Art of Bicycle Trips did a wonderful job in every way, I would highly recommend them to anyone. Well organized, informative, responsive to our particular requests and needs... and most importantly, the 4 guides we had in different areas were all truly fantastic, each in different ways. We learned a lot, did some great biking, hiking and kayaking, and had a fabulous time!

South to the Sea Bike Tour in Cambodia - Overall not good value for the money. Guide seemed to be making the route up as we went along, and only one day out of four was really scenic. Last two days of the tour were spoiled by food poisoning from one of their "trusted" stops. Accommodation options in serious need of refurb and too basic for a good night's rest.

After having been on a great trip in Rajastan with Art of Bicycle, we knew they organized excellent trips. So when we heard about the Eastern Hokkaido trip in Japan, we had to go. The trip was wonderful: Well organized, great guides, cozy and often extravagant accommodations with onsens usually on site. Not to mention fabulous Japanese food always provided at lodgings.
The terrain was varied. We saw wildlife and we stopped to see other sights along the way ( Ainu museum, hatchery , etc) We will look forward to another Art of Bicycle trip
In the future!

Great company using local guides dedicated to bicycle trips in more remote areas of the world. They chose a challenging but doable route with comfortable guest houses along the way. Bikes were in excellent condition and tuned up daily. Liked the sag wagon so I could jump in when it was raining or when I was done for the day.

From the minute we met our guide and driver (Lok & Bot and then later Nam & Kong) we knew we were in good hands for our journey south to north through Vietnam. Great people to travel with and they customised our cycling distances etc to our needs on the fly! The food, accommodation and wider cutural experiences were genuinely enriching and made for a truly fantastic experience. The organisation prior to the trip was very efficient and friendly. We highly recommend The Art of Bicycle Trips!

Great trip and company! Would definitely recommend!

The Glimpse of Saigon Bike Tour from Ho Chi Minh city to Seim Reep (Angkor Wat) was such a great adventure. Not being seasoned cyclists, we chose an “Easy” rated trip. Our longest day was 63 KM but with almost no elevation gain. While it was hot our tour Guides and the Drivers with the support vehicles took amazing care of us with snacks, mineral water and electrolyte drinks every step of the way. We were treated like family. Even though we selected a more modest package the accommodations were just great ranging from quaint cottages in the Mekong Delta to a first-class Hotel in Phnom Penn. The care and support we received along the way was truly great. Our routes were never on busy thoroughfares but rather on well maintained and safe routes through villages and rice fields. The people of Vietnam and Cambodia were incredibly friendly. We even “crashed” a Vietnamese Wedding being invited to take our picture with the Bride and Groom and sample the Rice Wine. We are already considering our next trip with Art of Bicycles. We would highly recommend this company.

We loved this trip. We cycled for 1 week with a brilliant guide and excellent van back up.The second week we hiked with another equally excellent guide. Both took us through amazing scenery and taught us so much about the history, flora, and fauna of this beautiful country. We sampled delicious local food and stayed in a great variety of accommodation along the way. This was booked as a special holiday for us celebrating our retirement. It exceeded all expectations and we would highly recommend this company

We had a wonderful trip. The itinerary took us to places we didn't know we wanted to see and the pace was perfect. Our guide, Ky, was enjoyable to travel with, knowledgeable, and resourceful. The hotels and meals were amazing. I look forward to another Art of Bicycle Trips tour.

We really enjoyed our trip. The care, kindness and hospitality of our guides and drivers will remain with us forever. The daily distances was manageable and terrain not too difficult but it requires some level of fitness to fully enjoy the cycling experience and withstand the heat. Knowledge of the guides about the history of Cambodia as well as nature is commendable and we learned a lot about nature, daily live and the people. Were also exposed to the local cuisine which we enjoyed. Will certainly make use of the Groups’ services again

Fantastic guides, amazing scenery, very diverse cuisine and mostly great accommodations. The e-bikes however were faulty and a drag on the whole group because the guides spent lots of time troubleshooting them. There were also a couple of hotels that I never need to see again.

My family and I loved our Vietnam tour.
The tour was planned perfectly and professionally, we felt safe and taken care of the entire trip.
The tour guides were able to tailor the tour to our needs and pace, which was greatly appreciated. The hotels that we stayed at were all very nice. It was the perfect amount of touring in the mornings and down-time in the afternoons to relax or explore the area.
We were able to ask the tour guides lots of questions that they answered, and we were able to put in requests that they always helped us with.
The e-bikes that some of our family members used were brand new too, and had just been unwrapped from their plastic. So it is good to know the bikes get upgraded and are nice and new for those touring in the near future.
Biking through Vietnam was the most perfect way to see the country. We went off the beaten track, saw the main tourist attractions and saw how the locals live. Highly recommend!

Our leader Cuong and driver Bangh were spirited, energetic, helpful and fun. They made the excursion a delightful experience.