Thailand North & South

You can arrive any time today. A driver will meet you at the airport to deliver you to your comfortable hotel in Chiang Mai. Tonight you are free to enjoy the evening at your leisure.

Your guide will meet you this morning at your hotel. Starting from the historic old city of Chiang Mai, ride out to the forested foothills of Doi Suthep then cruise along some of Chiang Mai's newest, slickest bike lanes to ride a forest-covered bike trail up to the Teung Tao Creek Reservoir. After a spin around the lake, get off the bike to sit down for some shoreside lunch and perhaps a swim if you brought your suit. On the way back, bike through rice paddies and vegetable gardens on small back lanes and alleys to experience a bit of the non-touristy part of Chiang Mai. Today's ride ends back at your hotel.

Our cycling exploration of the Chiang Mai countryside starts at Wat U Mong, an ancient forest meditation temple on the outskirts of the city. From here we pedal over the small foothills before heading across the valley to Lumphun. Along the way to Lumphun, cycle past a local market before stopping for a bit of shopping at Ban Tawai, a local handicraft village. Entering Lamphun, we'll bike along the canals to our hotel. In the evening enjoy a walk around the old town and a mouth-watering Thai meal.

Start the morning with a quick visit to Lamphun’s most famous landmark, the ancient pagoda of Wat Haripunchai. From here we ride to the train station to catch a train which will take us on a scenic ride over the mountains to the Province of Lampang. After passing through Thailand’s longest train tunnel, disembark from the train at Mae Tan Noi to start your ride across fields, paddies and farmlands of Lampang. At the end of the ride, visit Wat Phrathat Luang Lampang, the most auspicious temple of Lampang province.

Today’s ride will be a loop around the city of Lampang. In the morning, ride up the banks of the Mae Wa River to the town of Lampang where you stop at a teakwood temple built by Burmese loggers, ride through the historical business district, visit an old teakwood house once occupied by the Lampang royal family before striking out across the countryside to a hilltop temple which houses 500 dogs. Cycling back to town, we’ll follow the meanderings of an irrigation canal. After our ride we'll transfer to Lampang's conveniently located airport for your short flight to Bangkok and a night in the bustling capital.

After pick up from your hotel in Bangkok it is a 2-3 hour transfer to Hua Hin, the start of our ride. Today offers an easy ride following back roads through small towns and along quiet coastline. In Pranburi we stay in a comfortable resort right on the coast, well away from the bustle of Bangkok where you started the day.

More quiet back roads and beaches await on this great day of riding. A highlight of today is cycling past the stark limestone mountains of Sam Roi Yot National Park. If you are really lucky you might spot monkeys hanging onto the rocks. Prachuap Khiri Khan sits on a beautiful curved beach and is a small relaxing provincial town which few tourists visit. This makes it a perfect place for us to stay!

Leaving Prachuap we cycle through an Air Force base and over their runway to visit a colony of gentle langur monkeys. A little further down the road we stop at Waghor Aquarium, an amazing centre that displays the wonders of the underwater world that is just off the coast that we are cycling by. Passing through the narrowest part of Thailand - only 11km wide - the ridge to our right marks the border with Myanmar. Today we ride on a mix of paved and unpaved roads, passing fishing villages on the way to Ban Krut and another lovely resort on the coast.

Today's ride will take us alongside more beautiful coastline and beaches but also through plantations of fruit and rubber. We'll make a stop at one rubber plantation to learn about the long process of extracting the tree sap to turning it into car tyres and condoms. The ride ends at lunch and then we transfer to Chumphon, just north of the main town and ferry where we enjoy a last night on the Thai mainland.

An early start is required this morning to make it in time for the ferry to the island of your choice: Koh Tao, Koh Phangan or Koh Samui. When you arrive at the island, we will have a transfer arranged to take you to your hotel. If you would like to return to Hua Hin or Bangkok we can transfer you in our support vehicle. Meals: B

This tour is all about riding on quiet back roads. We avoid the big highways and take pleasant rides along small village roads much of the time. The rides on this tour are not overly long and generally flat but there are some hills on a couple of days in the north. We take a slow and relaxed pace so this trip is well suited to those new to cycle touring who are looking to find out what it's all about or fit riders looking for a relaxing tour. There is always a support vehicle on hand so if you need any help you can jump in the bus and take a break from cycling.

Central, North & Northeast Thailand
This region of Thailand has three seasons: 'the cool', 'the hot' and 'the wet'. November to February is cool and dry (sometimes even chilly in the far north), with temperatures starting to rise in March to reach a peak in late April and May. The onset of the rains, in late May, helps to bring temperatures down, with showers being generally heavy but short.