Shangrila Adventure Pte. Ltd.
Copyright © 2024

Tour description

Hokkaido Cape to Cape - Bikepacking

» Hakodate to Wakkanai Cape Soya

fr SGD2700

10Days

750km

Description

This is our 1st series of "Bikepacking Tours" concept post pandemic.

Hokkaido Cape to Cape is a guided bikepacking cycling tour that traverse across the prefecture of Hokkaido, the 2nd largest island of Japan. It offers superb cycling on quiet countryside roads, especially appealing to avid cyclists who want some level of challenge while enjoying it as a cycling holiday.

You start from Cape Tachimachi in Hakodate & cycle across Hokkaido to the northernmost point of Japan of Cape Soya in Wakkanai.

We designed the cycling route to utilize as many small quiet countryside roads whenever possible, keeping in mind the key sights of Hokkaido that you should not miss as a tourist such as night view from Mount Hakodate, Lake Toya, Mt Yotei, windmills in Wakkanai, & historical spot where Hokkaido gets its name.

It also passes through main cities of Sapporo & Asahikawa to have a well-balanced itinerary.

As with all our cycling tours, Hokkaido C2C comes fully-supported with our SSV (Support Sweeper Vehicle), following 100% behind the group. Daily accommodation is a balanced mix of hotels and Japanese-style ryokans for that traditional cultural experience, almost all the time with hot-spring onsens.

Our itineraries are meticulously planned and crafted with years of experience operating cycling tours directly.

Sufficient time has been taken into consideration for photos stops, lunch break, and morning & afternoon rest points

Cyclists can either join us for the entire 40 days Trans Japan Cycling (TJC), or a portion of it from Segment 1 to 4. Typically,1 rest day is planned for every 4-5 cycle-days so that you can recharge & have some free time for yourselves.

Overview of TJC Segment S1-4:

1) TJC S1 (10D): Kagoshima to Shimanami Shikoku

2) TJC S2 (11D): Shimanami Shikoku / Tokyo (including Mt Fuji)

3) TJC S3 (11D): Tokyo / Hakodate Hokkaido

4) TJC S4 (10D): Hakodate / Wakkanai (i.e Hokkaido Cape to Cape)

Highlights

+ Charming city of Hakodate / Cape Tachimachi / Mt Hakodate night view

+ Scenic Lake Toya/Shikotsu/Mt Yotei

+ Vibrant Sapporo city (1 rest day)

+ 2nd largest city Asahikawa (famous for ramen)

+ reindeer farm/windmills/dairy farms

+ Northernmost point of Japan, Cape Soya

+ Bike paths of Sapporo / Ishikari & Asahikawa

+ Quiet countryside roads/open pastures

+ included several local gourmet of north Hokkaido such as "black soba of Otoineppu"

+ Optional: extension to Rishiri (round-the-island cycling)/Rebun islands (talk to us)

Information

Style: Bikepacking, travel light, access to main luggage every 2-3days

Event Grade: 4 (Enthusiasts/Challenging)

Discipline: Road tarmac / coastal undulating / some climbs

No. of Cycle Days: 07

Cycle Distance: est. 750km (ave 100km/day)

Ascent: 7300m (fully-supported with van for luggage transfers)

Terrain: 100% road tarmac (with climbs)

10D Land Cost: S$2700/pax (single room)

Twin-share: less S$500

(average price for 10D full-support cycling in Japan is SGD4000)

* Early-birds: $100 disc, book before 31Mar

Includes:

1) 9 nights accommodation (good hotels every 2-3days)

2) Full route planning & logistics arrangement

3) 2-way airport transfers (main group arrival/departure)

4) main luggage transfer between hotels

5) Very Experienced Cycling guide

6) Detailed Pre-Departure Briefing & Trip Preparation

* Excludes All International & domestic airfares

Add-on: rental of bike (road/hybrid/e-bike)

We will advise you on the recommended international flight (for main group) to Sapporo

Further queries, pls email: ask@shangrila-adventure.com

Closing Date: 1 month before departure OR seats fill up

>>>>> TRIP REGISTRATION <<<<<

1) Make an online Pre-Trip Booking deposit of $50 via our secured payment gateway Paypal/Stripe.

2) State the Tour, Your Name & Contact details (mobile & email)

3) We will get in touch with you within 3 business days (what's next, other details, balance payment etc)

Detailed itinerary

Day01 - Arrive to Hakodate (via Tokyo)

Meet & greet for airport transfer to hotel.
Tour of the star-shaped Goryokaku from the 107m viewing tower; bike setup & preparation; free & easy till your group welcome dinner.
After dinner, take the cable car ride up to the top of Mount Hakodate for a fabulous view of the city set between the curves of the Tsugaru Strait and Hakodate Bay.

Day02 - Ride C1: Cape Tachimachi to Oshamambe (113km, ascent 969m)

Cycling starts today. After breakfast, we cycle 4km out to Cape Tachimachi, the starting point of your C2C journey.
Take in the beautiful sight of Komaga-take, a twin-peak shaped mountain on your right. We will make a short detour for you to taste & try the popular Japanese red-bean/black sesame mochi near Lake Onuma.
The rest of the journey follows the coast of Uchiura Bay as you head north towards the small town of Oshamambe.

Day03 - Ride C2: Oshamambe to Lake Toya (55km, ascent 1296m)

The route today is undulating with 2 main climbs of about 310m, as you pedal your way to scenic Lake Toya, a volcanic caldera lake in Shikotsu-Toya National Park. If time permits, we can go for the 38km round-the-lake cycling around the lake which offers a good view of the Nakajima island in the centre of the lake. Alternatively, you may simply take a relaxing walk along the promenade to admire the beautiful Mount Yotei, or Ezo Fuji, a cone-shaped stratovolcano that resembles Mount Fuji.

Day04 - Ride C3: Lake Toya to Sapporo (123km, ascent 1633m)
Long ride today, we cycle pass another caldera Lake Shikotsu, is the 2nd deepest lake (363m) that never freeze in winter. With Mount Eniwa as it backdrop, it offers a stunning spot for our lunch.
As we approach Sapporo, the traffic builds up as we break away from the road & take you into the city using a scenic bikeway along the Toyohira river via Makomanai Park, a special route in our Hokkaido cycling tour.

Day05 - Sapporo Cycling / Rest day (optional)
Yes, you deserve a good rest in the capital city of Hokkaido after yesterday long ride. Take a walk in the evening to enjoy the charm of this bustling city, with her iconic Sapporo Clock Tower beautiful arrays of billboard flashing eye-catching advertisements in downtown Susukino. There are many restaurants with large varieties of cuisine to satisfy your palette. Those more adventurous could explore the pristine Hokkaido University or make a trip down to Sapporo Beer Museum for a pint or two. For those who yearn more cycling, we have in plan for extra 70km easy cycling along the scenic Toyohira River using the bikeways to Ishikari coast.

Day06 - Ride C4 Sapporo to Asahikawa (137km, ascent 1022m)

After a good day rest in Sapporo, we set off again for another long ride to Asahikawa, the 2^nd largest city in Hokkaido after Sapporo. We continue to use the bikeway along Toyohira river to navigate out of the busy city traffic towards Ishikari river. The route is generally flat with small incline that is hardly noticeable.

Day07 - Ride C5 Asahikawa to Nayoro (99km, ascent 619m)

After breakfast, we will depart Asahikawa using the bikeway along Chubetsu river that has its source from Asahidake, the highest mountain of Hokkaido in Daisetsuzan National Park. One of the important landmark that we cycle through is Asahibashi bridge, a heritage iron-arch bridge built in 1932 & is one of the biggest bridges in Hokkaido at 225m in length. The rest of the day is a pleasant journey as we cycle on quiet countryside roads running parallel to JR Soya line to Nayoro.

Day08 - Ride C6 - Nayoro to Nakagawa (90km, ascent 691m)

We continue our journey up north, following the Teshio river to a historical site where Hokkaido gets her name, from the indegenious Ainu people during the Edo period. It is about 7km from Otoineppu village, between the city of Nayoro & Nakagawa. We arrive to Nakagawa onsen hotel for a nice relaxing hotspring to soothe your tire legs after 3 days.

Day09 - Ride C7: Nakagawa to Cape Soya (115km, ascent 602m)

This is last day of cycling, as our journey cross the 45^th Parallel North, a geographical marker that signifies the half-way point between the equator & the Earth?s North Pole. We make a quick stop at Tonakai reindeer farm before continuing to Toyotomi for lunch.

We cycle a stretch of the Soya Scenic Bikeway before turning off for a majestic view of rotating windmills, an iconic landmark in Wakkanai. You could see Mount Rishiri on your left, a beautiful mountain on Rishiri island that rises from the Sea of Japan.

The final stretch along the coast of Soya bay to arrive at Cape Soya, or Soya-misaki, the northernmost point of Japan.

From here, it is just a mere 40km from Russia Sakhalin?s islands.