Travel by tributary and trail on this exploration through the remote jungles and mountains of tribal Thailand and Laos. Explore the fascinating network of trails and villages inside the famous Golden Triangle, before pushing deeper into tribal territory in Laos. Local encounters, raw countryside and wilderness, and great trails abound on this two-wheeled trek through regions seldom seen by outsiders.
Beginning in Chiang Mai, Thailand's second city, slowly meander into the countryside and backroads along the peaceful Ping river. Local farmers planting rice, corn, and papaya wave as you journey deeper into the countryside, past sleepy Thai villages that seem to withstand the frenetic pace of the rest of the country. As the scenery changes, growing ever more mountainous, hop aboard traditional long tail boats and cruise through river valleys, getting a different view of local life in the region.
Cross the border into Laos, and watch the pace of life change before your very eyes. Share the road with barefoot local tribespeople and their herds, as you weave through ever larger foothills and into some of the region's still-standing primary forest. By boat again, sail into the beautiful town of Nong Khiau to relax and admire the stunning scenery. A fantastic ride filled with fascinating local sites into the final stop at Luang Prabang.
Thailand's northern city of Chiang Mai is the starting point of this adventurous tour. The tour starts leisurely with a ride along the Ping River and heads to the handicraft centre at Ban Tawai for some shopping.
Today is a treat for mountain bikers as the trail winds from rice fields among soaring limestone cliffs through local hilltribe villages. After lunch at a forestry camp, the riding continues along serene mountain trails.
On backroads, we ride through many small villages and see how the locals live and work. We top off with a stay at a beautiful resort along the banks of the Mae Kok River.
From a Lahu village we hop onto a boat for a leisurely cruise down the Mae Kok River. The morning riding is off-road, with beautiful river views, before the surface switches to tarmac for our final push into Chiang Rai.
Another picturesque ride is on good roads with rice fields and along the Mekong River and to the infamous Golden Triangle. Today's highlight is the lovely lodge set right in the middle of a Hmong village, allowing you to learn and mingle with villagers and have tea with the shaman.
We leave Thailand behind, cross to Laos, and spend our day relaxing on the Mekong River. We have a private boat, so we can stop if we want to visit some riverside villages along the way.
Embark on an epic day with a challenging ride on a broken track along the Beng River, through peaceful Lao villages and lush mountain scenery. Exploring rural Laos, you'll have to make way for all types of colourful vehicles and livestock.
We are now in the central highlands, and there are some spectacular views across the rugged mountain landscape. We cycle through Hmong villages few people will ever visit and through some of the region's last remaining rainforest.
After two challenging cycling days, we boat down the Nam Ou River to Nong Khiau. Watch life on the river, from the fishermen to the children playing in the waters.
The last long ride of the tour! We cycle on an undulating road along the Nam Ou River and stop at Pak Ou to visit the famous caves filled with Buddha images. Then, we ride on to Luang Prabang to the hotel to freshen up for our farewell dinner.
Rise early to watch the monks in their saffron robes collecting alms before we say goodbye at breakfast.
Day 1 - Meet in Chiang Mai Ride 40km. +354m / -346m.
Superb guiding from knowledgeable kind individuals who taught us so much. The guides were most exceptional and should be highly commended. Noom was charming, professional , funny personable and an absolute legend, whilst Mr Choy had a much harder job and was equally marvelous. All in all, I thought it was a marvelous trip and I cannot commend you any higher to my friends back here - It was a life changing experience nearly, capturing the everyday of such a fascinating culture .
The cycling in Laos was excellent, long rolling routes through lovely scenery–mountains, small villages, valleys, and rich agricultural lands.
Our biking adventure takes us from the bustling and energetic city of Chiang Mai to one of the prettiest and most magical cities in Southeast Asia, Luang Prabang, and a great place to hang out and soak up the atmosphere.
The road surfaces are mixed: most days, we ride on reasonably good quality asphalt roads, but there are enough rides on broken roads or dirt tracks to mean you will need a mountain bike, not a road bike, preferably one with front shocks. Having said that, there is nothing technical involved on this tour, and anyone, assuming they are fit enough, will be able to join. We cover up to 713 km in 9 cycling days, and much, if not most, of the terrain is mountainous with very few flat sections. As we have some shorter days, we will get to our destination in the mid-afternoon which and allows you time to explore the area. Day 7 is the toughest with several long climbs and a long distance – but the support van is never far behind. Traffic will be very light, and some days we will see virtually no cars at all. Along the way, the scenery is constantly changing: we go from narrow roads shaded by jungle vines to shimmering rice paddies. The mountain views are second to none and on several mornings, you will look down into cloud-filled valleys as you ride.
Apart from cycling, we take boat journeys on the Mae Kok and Nam Ou Rivers (Days 6 & 10), a chance to take in the jungle scenery straight out of Apocalypse Now. We end our odyssey in Luang Prabang, which is arguably the most beautiful city in Southeast Asia.
Suitability: This trip has three days in excess of 100 km; however, most days are around 70-80 km and not too hilly except for Days 2 and 7, which have several climbs. Anyone who is reasonably fit will find the tour to be a good cycling holiday, with some challenging days. Fitness, of course, will be helpful, but the tour is fully supported, and the bus is always close at hand. If you are in doubt, please contact us for advice or a list of references.
Biking Conditions: A mixture of good quality tarmac roads and pot-holed, broken roads, and also some off-road sections in Thailand. There are some hills on Day 2 in Thailand and Day 7 in Laos as we cross the mountains towards Luang Prabang, but a support truck is always available to help when required.
We meet in the afternoon at the hotel where the guide will brief everyone thoroughly and make sure the bikes fit. We then head out for a nice and easy ride along the Ping River to get accustomed to riding in Thailand. The ride takes us to the handicraft centre at Ban Tawai, where you will have to time to enjoy some shopping before riding back to Chiang Mai.
We transfer from Chiang Mai to the Chiang Dao caves to the start of our ride. This ride is a real treat for mountain bikers. We ride through rice fields and among soaring limestone cliffs before hitting the dirt. We ride truck paths cut by local hill tribes, and we meet Akha, Lisu, Lau, and Palaung people. The colourful Palaung are recent migrants, and you will see their women adorned with heavy brass waist-bands working the fields. We stop for lunch before a memorable afternoon riding some quite outstanding mountain trails. Our support vehicle will be waiting at the trailhead to transport us to our comfortable Thai-style inn.
After an early breakfast, we ride backroads through many small villages before arriving in Fang and our stop for lunch. In contrast to the previous day, much of the ride is flat, and we make the distance quite quickly. The ride is scenic as we pass orchards and farmlands. We arrive at Thaton along the banks of the Mae Kok River and our resort nestled in the valley. The hills of Thaton afar is Thailand's natural border with neighbouring Myanmar. A dip in the swimming pool is a great way to relax after today's journey.
A short transfer to a Lahu village this morning, where we hitch a ride on a long-tail boat (with our bikes) to a scenic riverside area. We have a brief stop at the forestry reserve before heading off for another 20-km off-road ride. We have lunch at a local restaurant by the river before continuing biking on tarmac all the way into Chiang Rai. We stop to visit Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, on the outskirts of the city. Created by a local artist, this modern temple stands out for its distinctive style. Overnight is at a resort with a nice swimming pool centrally located in the town.
After breakfast we transfer up to the very tip of the golden triangle, on the intersecting borders of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. The first 9 km are off-road, cycling away from the Mekong, until another 7km of easy tarmac. These first sections are mostly flat with minimal climbs, into the village of Chaeng Saen. From the village, we'll ride along the edge of the Mekong for the rest of the day's ride on a mixture of flat and rolling terrain, all the way to a final tough climb at Huay Sai Mam viewpoint. After taking in the view, we'll transfer to the hotel, or you can continue on for another 8km climb to the hotel.
After breakfast, we take a short transport to Chiang Khong and cross the border into Laos. After immigration, we load the bikes into our private riverboat (please note we do not use the public boat for safety reasons) and spend a relaxing day cruising downstream into the interior of this enigmatic country. We stop to visit some riverside villages before reaching the charming town of Pakbeng before dusk.
Today can be an epic day, if you are up for the challenge! Our best overnight choice is a 144-km away, but we’ll see how the group does and transfer as necessary to cover the distance. Setting off on our bikes from Pakbeng, we cycle along the Beng River, riding through pretty Lao villages and unforgettable mountain and jungle scenery. We have a picnic lunch before we head into the north of Udom Xai province where the broken road and dirt tracks double as thoroughfares for the local people (the population here is made up of an astonishing 23 ethnic groups), sharing the trail with all manner of colourful vehicles and livestock – a glimpse of real rural life in Asia. Towards the end of the day, we have a long downhill into Udom Xai (also known as Muang Xai), which has a large market where the various languages of the area mingle along with the aromas of the produce.
We are now in the central highlands, and there are some spectacular views across the rugged mountain landscape ahead in an area that suffered extraordinarily heavy bombing during the 'Secret War' against the Americans during the early 1970s. The morning sees us start with a climb, but then it's an overall gradual downhill, and the last 60 km is relatively flat. Although this is a long day, the support vehicle is always available to hop in, if the distance is too long. We stay in a basic guesthouse on the banks of the Nam Ou River.
After two challenging cycling days, it’s time to take it easy as we boat down the Nam Ou River to the pleasant town of Nong Khiau. Watch life on the river, from the fishermen working to the children playing in the waters. We'll stop at a village for lunch and a quick stretch of the legs. We'll spend about four hours on the boat.
The last long ride of the tour! Cycling an undulating road, we head west along the Nam Ou River, which makes for a very scenic ride. The road undulates the whole way with a couple of short climbs of 1 to 2 km. We stop for a break at Pak Ou to visit the famous caves, filled with sacred Buddha images. Our countryside scenic ride continues to our destination, Luang Prabang. This is one of Asia's most picturesque towns and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and our ride through the streets is an unforgettable experience. Once we reach this historic town, we head to our hotel and freshen up for our farewell dinner.
A free day to explore Luang Prabang before we part ways. Watching the monks collecting alms at dawn, or an optional early morning ride to Krungsri Falls (33 km). Ask us about our optional extension stay in Luang Prabang.
Because some people can't imagine going on a trip without their own beloved bicycle, we do not provide them as part of this tour. However, you can hire bikes locally for the price listed in the tour pricing section. The bikes are Trek mountain bikes with lightweight alloy frames, 24- to 27-speed gearing, v-brakes, and Shimano components and front suspension. If you bring your own bike, please make sure it is a mountain bike, preferably with front suspension, in good mechanical order.
All nationalities require a passport for entry into Thailand. Please ensure your passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond the duration of your stay in the country. If staying less than 30 days then a visa in advance is not required by European, North American, Australian and many other nationalities. Please check this page to see if you qualify. You will need to show proof of an onward flight out of Thailand to be eligible for the visa on arrival. This is strictly enforced.
Thailand generally has a tropical climate with fairly high humidity. The North and Central region have a tropical climate with fairly high humidity. Northeast Thailand has a humid hot and dry weather alternatively with medium rain while the coastal areas of the east is humid and hot with intermittent rain. The South of Thailand has a tropical climate with fairly high humidity.
There are three seasons: from March to June it is hot and dry, with temperatures between 27˚C/80 F and 40˚C/104 F, with night temperatures in the 20s. The rainy season is from July to October, but temperatures are slightly lower, because of the effect of the rain. During this time it will not rain continuously, but in sharp bursts, and the sun can come out quickly. The cooler season is from October to February, with average temperatures between 20˚C/68 F and 30˚C/86 F.
Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner. Most meals are local and feature noodles, rice, curries, and soups. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.
Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit, and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere but is NOT included in the price.
SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for traveling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveler of the same gender and if we cannot match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.
We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$20 per day, for incidentals.
The Thai currency is the baht. ATMs, which are abundant, are the easiest ways to get Thai baht. Have a supply of US dollars in cash on hand, just in case your card doesn’t work. Banks or the rarer private moneychangers offer the best foreign-exchange rates. Credit cards are accepted in big cities and resort hotels but you’ll need baht for family-run guesthouses or restaurants.