Chiang Mai Bicycle

We pick you up at your hotel and travel by car to a small village outside Chiang Mai where your bikes are waiting for you. The tour takes you through villages where time seems to have stood still. You will see farmers working in rice paddies and there is a stop at a local school. Then the road seems to descend into a lake and pop out again on the other side. In 1989 this valley was submerged to create a water supply for the entire Doi Saket area. You and your bikes will go on a boat to the other side of the lake, floating above the sunken villages.

You continue your tour through a forested area until you reach Bua Thong waterfall with its dramatic white limestone cliffs. Bua Thong waterfall is called Sticky waterfall by the local people. The water is from a calcium-rich spring which flows down over the boulders of the waterfall and makes the rocks almost creamy white. Here you enjoy your picnic lunch.

After lunch, the ride will take you into the pretty and pristine natural environments of the Si Lanna National Park towards Mae Ngat Dam, a hydroelectric dam which impounds the Mae Ngat River where you switch your bikes for canoes. You cast off for a relaxing canoe trip to a floating hotel on this lake surrounded by tranquil hills and forests. The calm and quiet surroundings are only disturbed by the sound of birds and the wind, making this a peaceful and relaxing journey. Once arrived at the floating hotel there is time to relax and swim and after which you return to Chiang Mai.

Here you meet up with your mountain bike guide, dedicated to this circuit. This tour will first take you through rice paddies and then will gradually start gaining height while tackling some dirt roads leading up into the lush greenery at the bottom of the mountain slopes surrounding Doi Kiew Lom.

We have a stop to visit a Karen minority village. We take time to stroll around and learn a thing or two about their lifestyle and culture. Further up the road, we visit a Hmong tribe village and here you have time to walk around and get a feel for their lives too. Next, get ready for some pretty intense uphill riding. While climbing up the hills around Doi Kiew Lom, you will see incredible mountain scenery with beautiful greens and some wildlife. There is of course time to stop and admire the views along the road, and ultimately we join a paved road again that will gently bring us down the hills while we enjoy more beautiful views of the surroundings.

After a pick up from your hotel and transfer by car to a small traditional village about 20 minutes outside of Chiang Mai, you will choose your bicycles for the ride. The tour will take you along quiet country roads through rice fields, local villages and beautiful scenery to Baan Tawai. Baan Tawai is a village known for its wood sculpting and handicrafts. There is a market to explore and a chance to talk to the craftsmen.

You continue our trip through fertile lands due to the proximity of the Ping river. You will see lots of fruit trees and taste some of the fruit in season. Your guide will explain about the many sorts of fruit that grow around here. You will stop along the way to meet local people and visit temples and markets. Getting closer to Chiang Mai city you reach McKean Rehabilitation Center, a former leper asylum and now a home for disabled people. It is located on an island in the Ping river with lovely tree-shaded lanes around the beautiful complex. Very tranquil.

From there you continue to the ruins of Wiang Kum Kam, the former capital of the Lanna kingdom. Wiang Kum Kam will give you an idea of the rich cultural history of Chiang Mai. This former capital was an influential city in the 13th century but was ultimately abandoned because of continuous flooding. Last stop is the market halls of Chinatown where you will tickle your senses with a visit to the local flower and vegetable market. And your guide will explain all the different herbs and vegetables used for the famous Thai cuisine. From there you return to your hotel.

This tour takes us to the north of Chiang Mai, where we will cycle through the countryside and visit 2 lakes and Sri Lanna National Park. The countryside is tranquil with small roads through rice paddies. Both lakes are man-made, for water storage and electricity production, but the views and environment are breathtaking. We will spend the night on one of them in a floating bungalow. Sri Lanna National Park is pristine greenery and the route along the Ping river towards Chiang Mai has beautiful scenery. Very relaxed biking in the Chiang Mai countryside.

This is your chance to experience the Thai countryside by bicycle. After pick up from your hotel in the city center we transfer you by car to a small traditional Thai village about 20 minutes from Chiang Mai. Here we will start our tour and cycle through the valley of Chiang Mai. We will visit traditional villages with wooden houses on stilts, stop at a village school, ride through the rice fields along lazy back roads and the forest areas connecting the small villages. Encounters such as water buffaloes crossing the street or children being surprised by the unusual sight of foreigners cycling through their village can be expected. There is sufficient time to stop, have a rest or refreshment and chat with the villagers to get a feeling of the local life.

The tour ends at a local restaurant for a Thai meal and some rest. From there we will take you back to your hotel.

First, you visit the ruins of Wiang Kum Kam, the former capital of the Lanna kingdom. It will give you an idea of the rich cultural history of Chiang Mai. Wiang Kum Kam was an influential city in the 13th century AD but was ultimately abandoned because of continuous flooding. Excavation and restoration of the ruins started in the mid-’80s and it is delightful to visit these ruins with a bike, especially the ‘hidden’ ruins such as Wat Ku Padom and Wat Huanong, our favorite.

The tour continues to the McKean Rehabilitation Center, a former leper asylum and now a home for disabled people. It is located on an island in the Ping river with lovely tree-shaded lanes around the beautiful complex. After this, we cycle along the Ping river banks and breathe the local atmosphere that makes Chiang Mai so special. Via a different route, we cycle back to the city center for some refreshments and rest before the transfer back to your hotel in Chiang Mai.

Not everybody likes group activities or tour guides showing them around. We also offer self-guided bicycle tours. You have the freedom and flexibility to discover the countryside at your own speed and preference combined with the backup of a professionally organized tour. If something goes wrong we are there to assist you.

The cycling route on the first day will take you through traditional villages, rice fields along lazy back roads and the forest areas near the foothills surrounding Chiang Mai. The second day the route takes you to Baan Tawai, the wood carving village and then on to Lamphun for the second night. The Haripunchai temple is worth a visit in Lamphun. The third day you will ride to San Kamphaeng through the fertile valley of Chiang Mai along the river Ping and its tributaries. Overnight in San Kamphaeng and the last day a ride to Doi Saket for a visit to caves and hot springs. A great way to experience the Thai countryside the adventurous way.

This tour is very suitable for active families with children. You will be staying in Nam Phrae district where you check into a nature resort. The cycling tour will take you through traditional villages, rice fields along lazy back roads and forest areas. The best way to experience the Thai countryside. The next day you go to Mae Wang, to an elephant sanctuary for feeding and bathing the elephants. Then a hike to a Hmong Hill tribe village to get a feel of their lifestyle. In the afternoon bamboo rafting on a beautiful river with great scenery, and more hiking, now to a Karen village and a nice waterfall for a cooling swim.

You have the freedom and flexibility to discover the countryside at your own speed and preference combined with the backup of a professionally organized tour. If something goes wrong we are there to assist you.

The 5-day tour lets you appreciate the beautiful natural surroundings of Chiang Mai with an overnight stay at a beautiful resort outside of Chiang Mai for the first night. The cycling route on the first day will take you through traditional villages, rice fields along lazy back roads towards Baan Tawai, the wood carving village and then on to Lamphun for the first night. The Haripunchai temple is worth a visit in Lamphun. The second day you will ride to San Kamphaeng through the fertile valley of Chiang Mai along the river Ping and its tributaries. Overnight in San Kamphaeng. Next a ride to Doi Saket with an option to visit the Muang-On caves and hot springs. Overnight in Doi Saket. Then onward to Mae Taeng via Mae Khuan Dam, Bua Thong Waterfall and Mae Ngat dam (optional) via the Sri Lanna National Park and overnight in Mae Taeng. The last leg is back to Chiang Mai through Mae Rim. A great way to experience the Thai countryside the adventurous way.

That makes this tour interesting for both new and recurring visitors, even for those ‘who have seen it all’. The less well-known areas will show the poorer side of the city, the slum areas where Thailand’s prosperity has not reached its inhabitants yet. And also here you will be greeted with that famous Thai smile.

Our tour will also bring you to local markets, food stalls and small restaurants to discover and sample the authentic Northern Thai and Chiang Mai food, sharing with the local Thai themselves. Our guide and the stall owners will be more than happy to explain food preparation and maybe even share their cooking secrets! A good way to pick up some basic Thai words and expressions for when you order your next Thai meal. The tour distance is relatively short to give you plenty of time to enjoy the food.