Rural Kyushu Bike & Gourmet Tour

You will arrive at Kumamoto airport, and after a short introduction, you will board your transportation and head towards Aso. On the bus you will be briefed about the area and the upcoming days.

The first destination will be the ancient hot spring area of Tsuetate Onsen. This hot spring area has been nestled in this valley between Oita and Kumamoto for over a 1000 years. Before cars were invented, this hot spring area with its healing qualities used to be a haven for travelers to refresh and recuperate before crossing through the steep hills and valleys of the Aso area. There will be time to freshen up in the onsen before dinner.

Today, together with a local guide, you will explore the rustic back streets of Tsuetate onsen that retain the post-war era feeling of the Showa period in Japanese history. At once, you can feel the volcanic presence with natural white steam rising all around the small town. Before leaving Tsuetate Onsen, you
will enjoy a steamy lunch made by cooking local ingredients using the volcanic steam that seeps out all around town.

Once recharged and ready to head out, you will saddle up the bikes. Leaving Tsuetate Onsen behind you, you will set out towards the Aso volcano and start the journey. This first day you will bike through the hilly areas on top of the north rim of the caldera. Here you will pass through forests and small villages scattered throughout the mountains of the Oguni area. This area has some of the oldest human fossils found around Aso, indicating that people have lived here for at least 30,000 years. Their lifestyle might have changed drastically, but through your cycling, you will see how it has developed.

Arrive at Manganji Onsen, the oldest settlement of what currently is known as Minamioguni Town. Tonight’s dinner will be had at a small local restaurant specializing in local cuisine.

Today, you will keep exploring the rural landscapes and idyllic mountain villages as we head towards the north rim of the caldera’s highest point, the Senomoto Highlands. On the way, you will stop by the idyllic ”Gonbei Village,” a small campsite and B&B run by an older married couple. Here you will enjoy an interactive farm-to-table experience that will introduce an authentic Japanese lunch. Get past language barriers as you put your hands in the soil, harvest vegetables, cook, and enjoy a relaxing time in the atmospheric setting with your lovely hosts.

After enjoying a lovely time at Gonbei Village, you will keep climbing towards the vast grasslands that stretch out at Senomoto Highlands. As you reach the top, you will start to see the final goal, the majestic Aso volcano towering in the distance. From here on, you will cycle through the stunning grasslands of Aso that seem to flow like waves on a sea, reminding you that the landscapes once were shaped by the pyroclastic debris that flowed out from the volcano covering the lands. Finally, you begin your descent, going down inside the vast caldera. In contrast to many calderas around the world, the Aso caldera is a bustling and flourishing world where you can find everything from forests and rice fields to roads and railways.

The highlight of the tour is just ahead! Get ready to see an active volcano up close. Today, you have a full day of intensive cycling on and off-road, uphill and downhill. You will leave the hotel in the morning and enjoy an early breakfast.

Begin cycling from the 2000-year-old Aso shrine. Today you will make full use of the e-bikes as you ride an uphill course that will take you through forests and pasturelands until you reach the rocky and otherworldly areas around the volcano. Now heading downhill, feel the speed of the bicycles as you breeze through stunning landscapes while stopping along the way to explore points of interest, such as a restricted lava tunnel. You will keep riding all the way to the hotel, where to celebrate your last evening together, the group will enjoy dinner and drinks at an izakaya (Japanese pub) in the atmospheric Uchinomaki Onsen area.

On the final day, you’ll have a relaxing morning before departing to the airport and saying your goodbyes.