EXPLORING THE VERY NORTH OF THAILAND on a BIKE
November 6 till 16, 2023
INTRODUCTION
- Cycling around CHIANG MAI and CHIANG RAI is an alternative way to visit both cities, their surroundings, and sights. On a bike you will see much more of the countryside and its beautiful scenery and how people organize their daily lives; and there is anyhow a limit on the number of Wats and elephant sanctuaries one can bear to see.
- We went for a 5 Day/4 Nights tour with Chiang Mai’s TRAILHEAD info@trailhead.co.th and for a 3 Day/2 Night tour of Chiang Rai with CHIANGRAI BICYCLE TOUR chiangraibicycletour@yahoo.com, (CRBT). Trailhead is more of a sporty outfit focused on the thrills mountain bike trails can offer, CRBT is a small family set up with Mr Bee as the main owner/ guide/bicycle repair man/ car driver offering a relevant tour of CR and the Golden Triangle! Both organizations turned out to be a great choice!
- Note that we didn’t visit Doi Inthanon, Phayao, Pai and Mae Hong Son, i.e other interesting spots around. We keep these for a next visit.
A short description of the ROUTES we did
CHIANG MAI (CM)
DAY 1 Arrival and city tour on a city bike
We visited the Silver Temple, the Khlong Mae Ka and passed by the night market and Thae Pha Gate (East gate) starting at Trailhead’s HQ in CM, a good introduction by guide TK to the city and some of its sites.
We are a bit disappointed with the city though, especially with the “Old City” which we expected to be much cosier and rather to the likes of Siem Reap, Pokhara or even Thamel…. Chiang Mai still needs a lot of “embellishing” and less traffic to stand any comparison…! But still: pleasant Thai chaosl!
We were put up in CM at Hotel de Charme by Trailhead (4 nights’ accommodation included in the package) Hotel ok. (Try to avoid the back (= east side: there is some sort of a water plant with an attendant running the thing very early morning while coughing and clearing his throat continuously.)
DAY 2: BUFFALO SOLDIER trail: 24km downhill
Meeting point at the Green House, HQ of Trailhead in CM and welcomed with some of the best coffee on offer! We were given helmets and knee protection caps, an indication for what the day would bring…. After fitting we drove in a van to the Northwest of CM passing Bhubing Summer Palace and reaching Doi Pui summit. After trying our enduro bikes (double suspension), we set off for an exhilarating downhill of 24 Km, well guided by Kom (King of the Mountains) and Tieu. For us the trail was borderline intermediary/advanced…(wet trail)!! But no sweat: crossing that line meant just getting of the bike…
Attractions on the way: coffee plantations, coffee houses, kalamansi (orange) plantations, and great scenery!!!
Arrival at Mae Rim Lake for late lunch and transportation back to CM. A splendid day!
DAY 3: STICKY WATERFALL: 35km, 547m ascent and 369m down. Technically an easy day…but quite tough uphill parts when not taking the boat!
The route takes you from the Mae Kuang Dam to Bua Tong Waterfall (Sticky waterfall). Today with Lek. Kom and Tieu had to accompany another (slower) group.
We were convinced by Lek we could manage the steep part of the unpaved road after the bridge over an arm of the dam – normally skipped by doing a stretch on a boat – as we didn’t want to wait for the other group…! So, after the bridge: steep up, unpaved!!! A real lung stretcher…!
Further attractions on the way: 2 bat caves, Red Earth Plaza, and pleasant trails in the rainforest.
With a great arrival at the Sticky waterfall, so called because the limestone where the water runs over allows you to climb it! (The waterfall must be great early morning when quiet!)
Another wonderful day!! And a well-deserved dinner!
DAY 4: FIELDS OF GOLD: 24km, 219m up, 173m down and RURAL EXPLORER: 19.3km, 460m up and 384m down. Technically again an easy day…but even tougher than day 3
Lek decided that our condition allowed us as well to combine 2 tours on one day…
Fields of Gold: a ride through rice plantations and lovely nature; when ripe, really gold! Rural Explorer: a ride on backroads and washed away road, often with quite steep parts… but even more amazing countryside. (note: after the usual lunch location, we drove for about 5 km, mostly uphill, skipping the steep start (and steepest part) of the trail.)
Arrival at Mok Fa waterfalls: worth the ride!!!! (see pictures)
We drove to the Buraphat resort (ok) where we stayed for the night. Good views on the Chiang Dao Mountain (3rd highest of Thailand) from our terrace.
DAY 5: CHIANG DAO MOUNTAIN, LINE A: 25.2 km, 375m up and 1443m down. Technically demanding (only 1 km after the tea plantation actually: “rock garden”)
We drove up to the Highland Agro research station of Pagia (Mae Taeng) at 1530m altitude. After untangling our intestines and putting our organs back in place, we first biked (rather hiked) a bit higher still and started at 1720m altitude for another exhilarating downhill with fantastic views over the Chiang Dao Mountain range.
A stop at an idyllic tea plantation signals the beginning of a very technical bit for about 1 km, but soon after, the fun takes over again!!
Towards the end of the downhill, you need a stop at the surreally located Phasamsao Coffee shop! Arrival at Ban Mae Ta Man (village) for a late lunch. Great last day!
CONCLUSION TRAILHEAD:
A well-managed setup with fun as a first goal! Run and well guided by Dan, Kom, Lek, Tieu, Dao and TK and….! They all look very well after you with at least every 10k a stop with goodies (sticky rice with coconutmilk, bananas, watermelon, water, etcetera) and a very welcome ice-cold young coconut to finish the ride with! Their bikes (Enduro or Treks (Marlin) and other equipment are good. In short: very recommendable!!
Chiang Mai: restaurants we went to and would go again to:
- Its good kitchen
- The Writer’s club and bar
- Dash
- The posh choice: House by Ginger
Hotels we think are worth checking out:
- Villa Klang Wiang
- T. Heritage
- We stayed also at Terracotta (Phor Liang Muen: good but there is a market just behind where at 3.00 am butchers start deboning and filleting carcasses and vegetable vendors yell the news of the day to each other)
CHIANG RAI
We were picked up by Bee. He is basically the jack of all trades and the main man of the outlet. But a very capable, knowledgeable, and fun man!!
Chiang Rai is in comparison to Chiang Mai a very small city (about 50,000 people): as soon as you leave the city, you enter countryside while in CM you must ride a considerable number of kilometres outside of the old city with immediate mountains, then…
DAY 1: WHITE TEMPLE – MAE FAH LUANG ARTS and CULTURAL CENTRE: 54km, 259m ascent
A very nice first ride on your Trek bikes through mainly teak forest and rubber plantations brings you to the White Temple, arguably CR’s most iconic cultural treasure! Think of Jeroen Bosch meets The Matrix in a modern Buddhist style.
When the ride doesn’t go through forest, then on interesting backroads and this to the Mae Fah Centre. The Centre now serves as a central preservation place for wooden relics and regalia of surrounding old temples and places of worship, kept in a Buddhist Garden and building which dates to the King’s grandmother and which was originally destined as a school for underprivileged girls. This centre is everything what the White Temple is not: authentic and quiet. A must visit!
Towards the end of the ride, we made an unnecessary stop at the Pong Phra Bat hot springs. At this time of year, you’d still prefer a hole in a frozen lake…
We stayed at the depressing Mohn Fah Sai home resort which a shrieking and screaming parrot in a cage renders the place anything but homey… (a blot on the whole 3-day experience…)
DAY 2: Happy Buddha – Mekong River at Laos border: 62km, 274m ascent.
Interesting backroads in ditto countryside to an inviting coffee shop: Kwai Din Dak Art Coffee followed by a ride passing or visiting and walking up to the Happy Buddha, allegedly the biggest bronze cast buddha in the world?
After the Buddha and once hitting the Chiang Saen Lake, the ride becomes wonderful again! If lucky you will have some water buffalo families roaming past.
Arrival in Chiang Saen. We stayed at the not unpleasant Siam Trangle Hotel, recommended for its location on the river plus balcony overlooking the Mekong river and Laos.. Dinner somewhere in the city.
DAY 3: CHIANG SAEN – OPIUM MUSEUM – GOLDEN TRIANGLE – MAI SAI – MYANMAR BORDER: 52.42 km, 150 m ascent.
The most splendid and varied day of all! The ride starts with having a better impression of Chiang Saen passing by Wat Chedi Luang and along the old moat and city wall of what was once the first royal settlement in Northern Thailand before the seat was moved to Chiang Mai (New Capital).
Bee then takes you on a beautiful ride in the direction of the river, passing plenty of pineapple, cassava and rambutan plantations followed by an interesting visit to the Opium Museum.
Highlight of the day: a view of what is left of the “golden triangle” (see picture) and a little speedboat trip passing a fascinating bend in the Mekong; but also the saddest sight of the day and a calamity of the current eras: casinos built on leased land by the ubiquitous Chinese businessmen for gambling and all the other vices it brings; and where local police doesn’t dare to (or is told not) to patrol…
We got on the bike again passing the territory of the Sim farm, with well-kept plantations and pasture land..
Lunch at the quirky Hay Day.
The afternoon ride you do mostly with Doi Chang in view, known for its coffee plantations and its brand of coffee. The tour could not end without a last Buddha viewing, this time the Bamboo Buddha so called because his whole frame is made of it.
To end the day with a 2nd sad view: the border crossing between the “UNION (Dis-Union rather) of Myanmar” and Thailand. And as such the end of a wonderful 3-day Tour.
CONCLUSION CRBT
A low key but very well organised and pleasant 3-day tour with the ever interesting Bee to visit Chiang Rai!!
In CR we stayed at the Mora Boutique Hotel in CR, recommended!
We had dinner at La Gatta Italian Restaurant in the city (good!) no Thai for a change…!
NOTE: Transfer between CM and CR is comfortably done with the Thai GREENBUS COMPANY. Their website is not very clear, though. Buy tickets via www.bookaway.com or www.12go.asia.
Note that for the return, Mae Sai belongs to Chiang Rai province, and buses do stop in Chiang Rai Terminal 1 and 2!
We love to travel 