See all of Thailand in one fell swoop on this extended motorcycle tour steeped in luxury. This four-week ALL-THAILAND motorcycle tour is perfect for sharing with a loved one. There are off‑bike activities galore every day featuring five days of scuba diving.
There are a great many reasons why Thailand is Asia’s number one vacation destination. Across this splendid country are dozens of fantastic places to visit and spend time in, and this motorcycle tour will serve-up just about all of them in the span of twenty-eight days, stitched together by some of the most beautiful and challenging motorcycle roads on our planet.
In four unforgettable weeks you will: get to know the lovely Thai people intimately by witnessing close-up their daily life and culture; sample their great culinary arts every time your stomach growls; discover the purest form of Buddhism, foray into tropical rainforests with its intricate-beyond-belief ecosystem; visit several ancient cities in various stages of renovation and restoration, spend the nights in first-class lodgings, and ride roads in the Golden Triangle that will sear themselves into your memory forever.
The featured off-bike activity on this tour is scuba diving. Not to worry if you do not know how because included in the tour price is diving instructions leading up to full certification by the time you go home. If you are already certified, then ten dives over five different days in the best spots in Thailand are part and parcel of this package. Other off-bike activities possible on this tour are rock climbing (the world’s best is found in Krabi), golfing on outrageously gorgeous courses, sea kayaking, elephant camps, national parks, waterfalls, caves, visits to several UNESCO World Heritage sites, and the list goes on and on and on. Then, after scrumptious nighttime feasts, traditional Thai massage is always close at hand to work out the fatigue in your body and soothe your demeanor in general. |
This motorcycle tour runs past so many points of interest that we built in an unusual number of two-night stays: eight in all, enabling us to absorb each locality in depth. There is no need on such a lengthy tour to rush past such gems. We cover so much ground but the pace is never rushed.
The ALL-THAILAND motorcycle tour starts down south in Phuket, Thailand’s most famous beach resort, and four weeks and 5,000 + kilometers further on, the tour ends in Chiang Mai, a jewel of a city in Thailand’s far north. The detailed itinerary now follows. If you have the time to spare there is simply no better way to spend a month out of your lifetime. I cannot think of a better place to recuperate from jet-lag than Phuket. While you acclimate to your new time zone in a first-class hotel a multitude of leisure activities are tugging you in the complete opposite direction. |
3rd & 4th Nights
KOH LANTA is our next stop and our second dive destination. It takes two ferries to get to Koh Lanta, and the second crossing will certainly raise an eyebrow or two.
We encourage you to ride your bikes around Koh Lanta on your own to investigate this relatively unknown island. A picturesque Sea Gypsy settlement sits at the southern tip. Our lodging is a quaint seaside bungalow resort on a secluded stretch of sand, the surf a short stroll from your bedroom.
5th & 6th Nights
We spend the next two days in KHAO SOK NATIONAL PARK, Thailand's largest, contiguous, undisturbed rainforested area, and a stunning road leads us there. Our first night's nest is spent up in the tree tops, in a well-appointed tree house built in rare virgin forest. In the national park next door are excellent, self-guided nature walks.
The next day we shift to a huge reservoir and sleep in rustic floating bungalows. Never will you witness more dramatic or beautiful scenery then on the boat cruise to the bungalows. Achingly beautiful gibbon love songs float across the waters every morning. Hornbills and eagles soar lazily above. Totally quiet. Totally untouched. A truly magical place.
7th Night
SONGKHLA is a medium-sized seaside Thai town that is base to an army, air force, and navy camp and services the nation’s off-shore oil industry, plus is home to a large fishing fleet, so you know we are going to eat copious quantities of great seafood. My favorite is simple, super fresh, batter‑fried squid. Unbelievable! A lot of Thai Muslims live in Songkhla and maybe this will be the first time you witness Islam as a way of life?
Tomorrow’s ride, long and scenic, due north to Koh Samui hugs the Gulf of Thailand.
8th & 9th Nights
A huge bird sanctuary and several interesting Buddhist temples line today's route. We can’t delay too much because it is a long hot drive and then we have to catch a scheduled ferry to KOH SAMUI for more diving. Tons of stuff to do on Koh Samui, before and after diving.
A pleasant road encircles Koh Samui, perfect for a day ride if you can possibly ply yourself off the sugar-sand beach. Try to ration your energy because home is a two night stay here, and their full moon parties give Roman debauchery a run for the money.
10th Night
An early ferry brings us back to the mainland. We hug the Gulf of Thailand on our way north to RANONG, another large fishing port. Our lodging here is a hotel built on top of a hot spring. Thermal-heated water is directed into your room’s oversized tub, and immersion in these waters do wonders for a saddle-sore body. Another outstanding seafood feast is scheduled for this evening; maybe the best of the tour if that is possible.
11th Night
Today is a straight ride up the skinny mid‑section of Thailand to CHA AM, a weekend getaway spot for the Bangkok crowd. The Cha Am strip looks like a mini‑Miami Beach with high-rise condo towers lining the beachfront. Lots of night time entertainment on tap because there is nothing Thais love to do more than party.
12th & 13th Nights
There’s nothing I can possibly add to what has already been written about PATAYA. To sum it up in one sentence, “You got to see it to beleive it.” And you will be believing it over two straight nights. The final two dives on this tour are scheduled for Pataya if you have the energy because from here we leave the coastal areas for good and head inland into the mountains.
14th Night
The Bridge over the River Kwai is a real bridge and it is in KANCHANABURI. There, the Japanese in World War II forced allied prisoners of war and all the civilians they could snare to build a railway connecting Thailand and Burma. 160,000 died during the construction, and a couple of memorial museums, war cemeteries, and the railroad tracks themselves, are grim reminders of what horrors took place.
Around the Kanchanaburi area, Thailand starts becoming mountainous and rural and this marks the beginning of two weeks of superlative motorcycle riding.
15th & 16th Nights
Sukhothai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was once the seat of Thailand’s earlier kingdom. They left behind 193 temples and other antiquities either partially or fully restored. Sukhothai’s two sister sites, Kamphaeng Phet and Sri Satchanalai are not far away and we will explore them as well. This is a great stop for lovers of archeology, history, and Buddhism.
17th Night
Today is the start of motorcycle riding as good as it gets yet somehow the roads keep getting better and better for the remainder of the tour. We head southwards along the Burma border to the remote village of UMPHANG. Along the way we visit a Gibbon Rehabilitation Center that takes in crippled and abused gibbons from anyone, no questions asked. Most of these apes were former pets that outgrew their cuteness to become unmanageable and were then cruelly mistreated by their frustrated owners
The terrain we are now riding through is actually the foothills of the Himalayas. Burma lies across a small river just off to our west.
18th Night
We reverse directions and start heading north up to MAE SARIENG, which was once an important caravan stop on the ancient trading route between India and China. Today it is a sleepy town but it is also our gateway onto the Mae Hong Son Loop, one of the top motorcycle roads in the world.
19th & 20th Nights
Over the next two days we attempt to conquer the MAE HONG SON Loop, the road of 1,864 curves. Turn after non-stop turn makes you dizzy, and it takes all your riding skills and concentration to handle them because they never stop coming at you.
Corkscrewing mountain roads, paper-clip turns, towering forests, waterfalls, lakes. An exciting drive through breathtaking scenery. Rest-day activities in MAE HONG SON are a visit to a Long Neck hilltribe village right on the Burma border and later on we take an elephant trek through the forest.
For two nights our lodging is a bungalow resort surrounded by paddy fields and forest, such a tranquil setting. A great on‑premise restaurant serves the finest northern Thai cuisine.
21st Night
We finish the remaining portion of the Mae Hong Son loop on our way to CHIANG DAO, where there is an important Buddhist cave shrine. A wild detour takes us up to Thailand's third-highest peak and a magnificent view of the northern plateau. Another side road takes us to the largest cave system in Thailand. Hilltribe villages are everywhere. We visit a few and if we are lucky, maybe catch one of their festivals or ceremonies.
22nd Night
Today is filled with amazing scenery as we start driving through karst country again. Karsts are bizarrely‑shapped limestone mountains. This region also projects a strong feeling of China, especially in and around DOI MAE SALONG because this is where a portion of the Chinese Nationalist Army (KMT) fled to after losing their civil war with Mao Tse Tung. They bought to Thailand their love of tea and now many tea estates cover the hills. Also in Doi Mae Salong is a pair of gorgeous shrines dedicated to the late King’s Mother of Thailand. Plus, one of the best Chinese feasts you can eat anywhere (and this includes China) is scheduled for tonight.
23rd & 24th Nights
It is only ninety kilometers to MAE SAI, yet today’s route has some of the best riding segments on the tour, definitely the most interesting. Some parts are so steep that if you do not keep your elbows locked into your handlebars you could slide off the front of your bike. One ridge road we take is the actual border line of Burma. It is disputed, so both countries’ army camps face each other from across opposite sides of the road.
We need all day to cover these ninety kilometers because of all the interesting stops. The highlight is mountain top Wat Doi Tung. It is said if you ring every one of their hundreds of bells you are guaranteed a place in heaven. A deal like that doesn’t come along every day.
25th Night
For the last 3,000 + kilometers we have been shadowing the Burma border. But today, we swing around the actual apex of the Golden Triangle, which is where Burma, Thailand, and Laos meet, and we start following the Lao border southeastwards for the next couple of days. The geography, though, remains exactly the same, as does the great biking.
Pu Chi Fah is built high up on a cliff overlooking Laos far below. Once the sun sets, the world slows way down in this isolated outpost. Great views on a clear night.
26th Night
Just when you think the riding can't possibly get any better, it does! The ride to NAN is steep and winding with stunning views. Such marvelous motorcycling never gets stale. One of today's highlights is a visit to an ancient salt mine where salt is still extracted the same way from time immemorial. Nan is an attractive town with an important temple that has old murals depicting life in and around the royal court and palace grounds.
27th Night
PHAYAO lies to our west and sits on the shores of north Thailand's largest lake. Phayao has a couple of important temples and it is also famous throughout the country for their delicious regional cuisine, which of course we will sample fully.
28th and final Night
The motorcycle grand tour concludes in CHIANG MAI, but first we have to drive over the last few mountain passes. On this last route we stop off at another beautiful waterfall and ride through a town known for their distinctive residential architecture built with the trunks of trees.
And this winds up the ALL‑THAILAND MOTORCYCLE TOUR. All that is left is to relive the highpoints with your tour mates over a celebratory dinner.
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(If the motorcycle tour dates you desire are not listed, custom tours can be arranged to fit into your time frame,especially if you have formed your own group. Please contact info@asianbiketour.com.
2009 ALL-THAILAND GRAND TOUR:
28 DAYS including 5 days of scuba diving with instructions.
October 4 through October 31.
2010 ALL-THAILAND GRAND TOUR:
28 DAYS including 5 days of scuba diving with instructions.
October 3 through 30.
March 14 through April 10.
2011 ALL-THAILAND GRAND TOUR:
28 DAYS including 5 days of scuba diving with instructions.
October 2 through October 29.
April 17 through May 14.
Price for Rider: USD 7,995.00;
Pillion: USD 5,995.00
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info@asianbiketour.com