Since 2006, Vintage Rides has been designing Asia motorcycle tours far from mass tourism: Nepal and Bhutan, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos, the steppes of Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka and the volcanoes of Indonesia.
An experienced English-speaking tour leader takes you along the finest roads and hidden trails, a mechanic looks after the bikes and a support van carries your luggage and spare parts. All you have to do is ride, and enjoy every stop along the way.
Our India tours have their own page: India motorcycle tours. For every other destination, see all our motorbike holidays on five continents.
The Himalaya. In Nepal, From the Jungle to the Gates of Mustang (13 days) rides from the jungle of Chitwan to the foot of the Annapurnas, and Upper Mustang: Adventure in the Forbidden Kingdom (15 days) climbs into the high desert of Upper Mustang. In Bhutan, The Dragon Kingdom (12 days) crosses the last Himalayan kingdom from east to west, to the Tiger’s Nest.
The steppes. In Mongolia, The Wild Spirit of the Steppe (10 days) and In the Tracks of Genghis Khan (14 days) ride the summer steppe from yurt camp to yurt camp, and the Frozen Ride (8 days) crosses frozen lakes by sidecar in January. In Kyrgyzstan, The Nomad Odyssey (11 days) loops from Osh over passes above 3,000 metres to the lakes of Son Kul and Kol-Suu.
South-East Asia. From Chiang Mai, northern Thailand has The Mountains of the Golden Triangle (7 days) and On the Edge of Siam Kingdom (12 days, with the Mae Hong Son loop), and Beyond the Mekong (12 days) crosses the Mekong into Laos. In Vietnam, Across the Mountain Passes of Ha Giang (12 days) explores the karst passes of the far north, and The Jungles and Shores of Central Vietnam (11 days) follows the Ho Chi Minh Road to Hue and Phong Nha.
The islands. On the Roads of Ceylon (12 days) loops through the tea country and ancient cities of Sri Lanka, and From Bali to Java on the Volcanoes Trail (12 days) rides the volcanoes of Bali and Java in Indonesia.
Our Asia tours do not all ask the same of you. For a first ride in Asia, choose a tour on mostly paved roads at a relaxed pace: northern Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bali and Java, or central Vietnam, which is entirely on tarmac. The roads are often narrow and winding, and traffic can be busy near towns, but there are no technical sections.
Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Upper Mustang and Beyond the Mekong in Laos are our most demanding rides, with long days, sections of track that can turn muddy after rain, and stages far from the nearest hospital. They are for riders with off-road experience, and a passenger is only possible if you both already ride tracks. Each tour page gives its level, its daily distances and what the terrain is like.
Every tour is a small group of 10 motorcycles at most, led by an English-speaking tour leader, with a mechanic and a support vehicle that carries the luggage and spare parts. Local guides join the group on many tours to bring the culture of each region to life.
The price includes the motorcycle, fuel, accommodation, most meals and the airport transfers. You sleep in hotels and guesthouses, in yurt camps on the steppe, and sometimes in homestays in the villages of northern Vietnam. You book your own international flight, so you can leave from the airport that suits you; in Bhutan, the flights from Delhi and back are included.
Vintage Rides was born in India in 2006, on the Royal Enfield, and we still ride it everywhere in Asia: the Classic 350 or the Himalayan depending on the tour, and your travel advisor confirms the bike for your departure. It is simple, robust, easy to repair anywhere, and it opens doors: in every village, the sound of a single cylinder brings people out to talk.
India has its own page: discover our India motorcycle tours, from Ladakh to Rajasthan and Kerala. And if you want to build confidence before an adventure tour, our off-road training courses are the place to start.
From design to completion, Vintage Rides humanizes travel. Over 15,000 of you have experienced it around the world.
See all reviewsFrom October to April, head for South-East Asia and Sri Lanka: Thailand (October to February), Laos (October to April) and Sri Lanka (December to April). In spring and autumn: Nepal (March to May, October and November), Bhutan (March and April, October and November) and northern Vietnam. In summer: Mongolia (May to September), Kyrgyzstan (June to September) and Indonesia (May to October). Central Vietnam runs from late January to September, and Mongolia by sidecar in January and February. India has its own page: India motorcycle tours.
The gentlest is The Jungles and Shores of Central Vietnam, rated Accessible and ridden on tarmac only. Next come tours rated Intermediate that stay mostly on the road: northern Thailand, from 7 days, On the Roads of Ceylon in Sri Lanka, From Bali to Java in Indonesia, The Dragon Kingdom in Bhutan and From the Jungle to the Gates of Mustang in Nepal. Whichever you pick, you should already ride regularly.
The easiest two-up tours stay on the road: Sri Lanka, Bhutan, northern Thailand, Indonesia and central Vietnam, each with a pillion fare. In Nepal, on From the Jungle to the Gates of Mustang, and in northern Vietnam, the rider should already have ridden a little on tracks. In Laos, Kyrgyzstan and summer Mongolia, a pillion is accepted if the rider is very confident off-road. Upper Mustang and the Frozen Ride have no pillion fare.
Per rider, flights extra: £1,690 (€1,890) to £2,990 (€3,290) in Thailand; £2,690 (€2,990) to £2,990 (€3,430) in Vietnam; £3,090 (€3,450) to £3,890 (€4,290) in Nepal; £3,090 (€3,490) in Sri Lanka; £3,090 (€3,490) to £3,990 (€4,490) in summer Mongolia; £3,290 (€3,690) in Laos and Kyrgyzstan; £3,490 (€3,790) in Indonesia; £4,990 (€5,490) in Bhutan, Delhi flights included, and on the winter sidecar tour in Mongolia. Pillions pay less.
On our Asia tours rated Sustained: Mongolia, where much of the steppe is crossed on tracks, Kyrgyzstan and its passes above 3,000 metres, Upper Mustang in Nepal, up to Lo Manthang, and Beyond the Mekong, with a real day of tracks in Laos. They call for off-road experience: our one-day off-road training in France is a good way to start. Northern Vietnam adds a little track to its mountain roads.
