The absolute
best ROAD riding in Southeast Asia, perhaps even the world, is
found in Thailand's GOLDEN TRIANGLE region.
If you think one of life's greatest pleasures is taking a motorcycle tour in an exotic land on fantastic roads over terrain you truly have to see to believe, then don't dare miss Asian Motorcycle Adventures' GOLDEN TRIANGLE MOTORCYCLE TOUR. Here's why: Not so long ago the GOLDEN TRIANGLE was considered the most notorious territory on our planet. This is where Burma, Laos and Thailand meet at a wide bend in the Mekong river. Opium drug lords, rebel armies, and gunrunners operated with impunity, far from any government's control.
Today, things are the exact opposite. Law and order rule. All the
bad guys have been incarcerated, killed, or fled. The Golden Triangle
has reverted back to its sleepy, centuries-old pastoral existence,
albeit with more than their fair share of souvenir stands cashing
in on a notorious past. Historically, Laos, Burma, and Thailand have not been the friendliest of neighbors. For its defense, Thailand built a network of major arteries that allows their army, along with all its heavy equipment, to move swiftly to any part of their rugged border if potential trouble threatens. |
Uncle Sam also got into the act in Thailand and engineered many of the best north Thai roads in their crusade against drugs. To combat opium poppy production, the remotest cultivating areas in the mountains needed accessing. All these isolated valleys and remote canyons are now linked by roads and trails, and this has produced another network of great motorcycle roads.
Numerous hill tribe settlements have also done their bit for our motorcycle touring pleasure. Their villages tend to be perched on high ridges and mountain tops, and to each and every one leads a road, often only a dirt path best suited for horses, cattle, and, of course, off-road motorcycles. We must
also bless the Buddhist monks for many of the magical GOLDEN
TRIANGLE
roads. They have a passion for building their stunning temples
on top of the most inaccessible peaks and at the most scenic and
serene spots, and then they need access roads so adherents can
come pay homage with them to Lord Buddha. Since most of these
roads start and end in the middle of nowhere, hardly anyone uses
them and there is virtually no traffic.
As good as the riding is, the off-bike activities give it formidable
competition. The GOLDEN
TRIANGLE MOTORCYCLE
TOUR brings
our motorcycles to places far off the tourist trail where you will
see and do fabulous things. Few of our stops are even mentioned
in the most comprehensive guidebooks. |
1st Day. Starting point is CHIANG MAI, Thailand's second largest city, but with a small town feel to it. Thai traditional massage is the perfect anecdote after the long plane ride over and feels even better after a hard day in the saddle. (On this tour, excellent Thai massage is available almost every night.) Shopping in Chiang Mai is top notch, with a wide range of antiques, furniture and furnishings, quality native handicrafts, and textiles. Northern Thai cuisine is distinctive from the rest of the country but equally delicious. There's also all the nightlife you can handle here in Chiang Mai, plus some.
The afternoon before departure is our participant's meeting where we go over the itinerary in detail and discuss how to handle the road conditions and driving styles of the Thai road users.
The 1st morning we head up to the highest point in Thailand, Doi Inthanon. We visit a beautiful waterfall or two on the way. Then we cross a couple of mountain passes and spend a night in a rustic bungalow resort on the edge of a teak forest in KHUN YUAM.
2nd
Day.
Today we drive over the juiciest part of the most famous
biking road in Asia, the Mae Hong Son
Loop, also known as the Road of 10,000 Turns. Here you'll get a real taste
of how biking was really meant to be. Towering
jungle, corkscrewing mountain roads, waterfalls, lakes, and hill tribe
villages will not fail to impress even the most widely-traveled rider.
This is one hell of an exciting drive through some of Thailand's most
breathtaking scenery. We pay a visit to the famous Long Neck hilltribe
village right on the Burma border, and we spend the second night out in
the small town of SOP
PONG.
3rd
Day.
We
finish the remaining portion of the Mae Hong Son loop on our way to
CHIANG
DAO.
A wild detour takes us up to Thailand's 3rd highest
peak and a magnificent view of the northern plateau. Another side road
takes us to the largest cave system in Thailand. Hill tribe villages are
everywhere and we visit a few, and if we are lucky, maybe catch one of
their holidays or ceremonies. We will also visit an elephant camp
and go for a ride on their backs up a beautiful mountain stream.
4th Day.
This day is filled in its entirety with fantastic scenery as we start
driving in karst country. Karsts are bizarre limestone mountain formations
in unbelievable shapes and colors. Some sections of Thailand around here
feel more Chinese than Thai, especially in MAE SALONG,
because this is where a large portion of the Chinese Nationalist Army
(KMT) fled to after losing their civil war with Mao Tse Tung. One of the
best Chinese feasts you ever will eat anywhere is scheduled for tonight
5th
& 6th Nights.
There's a lot of exploring to do today before reaching the Thai-Burma
border town of MAE SAI. This day
has the most spectacular scenery on the entire tour and you'll have a
very hard time keeping your eyes on the roadway. Some sections are so
steep you have to keep your elbows locked into the handlebars to keep
yourself from sliding off the front of your bike!
Our
rest-day is spent strolling through the mesmerizing Burmese border town
of Ta Chi Lek. Everything is for sale here, from rubies to elephant bones,
at prices not to be believed if you can drive a hard enough bargain.
7th Day.
Today is the longest driving day of the tour over a great, high-speed
road that is usually in perfect condition. And for high-performance riders,
this is the road that will stay in your dreams for many years to come.
Hardly any traffic will interfere with our driving enjoyment. We sleep
in the tiny town of PUA tonight in a very quiet corner
of Thailand quite close to the Laotian border.
8th
Day.
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––the
whole of north Thailand seems like one, huge "top 10" road! One of today's
highlights will be a visit to an ancient salt mining area where salt is
still extracted the way it was from time immemorial
9th Day.
PHAYAO lies to our west
and lays besides north Thailand's largest lake. Phayao has a couple of
important temples and it is also famous throughout the country for their
delectable regional cuisine.
10th Day.
Our tour heads
back to CHIANG
MAI
over a couple of more mountain passes. On the way we stop off at another
beautiful waterfall and ride through a town that is known for their distinctive
residential architecture. This
winds up one hell of a motorcycle tour and we'll party hard back in
CHIANG
MAI.
Click to view GOLDEN TRIANGLE » map.
We also offer two different 5-Day
GOLDEN TRIANGLE MOTORCYCLE TOURS » for those whose time is limited.
Back to ASIAN
MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURES HOME PAGE ».
GOLDEN TRIANGLE 10-day Motorcycle Tour » - Northern Thailand.
(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:
GOLDEN TRIANGLE 10-day MOTORCYCLE TOUR
Pillion price - all dates: USD 1,395. (Note: Pillion is the British word for a motorcycle passenger.)
April 1 through April 10, 2009. USD 2,595.
April 15 through April 24, 2009. USD 2,595.
April 29 through May 8, 2009. USD 2,595.
May 13 through May 22, 2009. Low Price: USD 2,395.
May 27 through June 5, 2009. Low Price: USD 2,395.
June 10 through June 19, 2009. Low Price: USD 2,395.
June 24 through July 4, 2009. Low Price: USD 2,395.
(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.
October 7 through Oct. 16, 2009. Low
Season Price: USD 2,395.
October 21 through Oct 30. 26, 2009. Low
Season Price: USD 2,395.
November
4 through Nov. 13, 2009. USD 2,595.
November 18 through Nov. 27, 2009. USD 2,595.
December 2 through Dec. 11, 2009. USD 2,595.
December 12 through Dec. 21, 2009. High Season
Price: USD2,795.
December 30, 2009 through January 8, 2010. High Season Price: USD2,795.
2010: GOLDEN TRIANGLE 10-day MOTORCYCLE TOUR
Pillion
price - all dates: USD 1,395. (Note: Pillion is the British word for a motorcycle passenger.)
(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.
December 30, 2009 through January 8, 2010. High Season Price: USD2,795.
January 13 through January 22, 2010. USD 2,595.
January 27 through February 5, 2010. USD 2,595.
February 10 through February 19, 2010. USD 2,595.
February 24 through March 5, 2010. USD 2,595.
March 10 through March 19, 2010. USD 2,595.
March 24 through April 2, 2010. USD 2,595.
May 5 through May 14, 2010. Low
Season Price: USD 2,395.
May 19 through May 28, 2010. Low
Season Price: USD 2,395.
June 2 through June 11, 2010. Low
Season Price: USD 2,395.
June 16 through June 25, 2010. Low
Season Price: USD 2,395.
(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.
October 6 through October 15, 2010. Low Season Price: USD 2,395.
October 20 through October 29, 2010. Low Season Price: USD 2,395.
November 3 through November 12, 2010. USD 2,595.
November 17 through November 26, 2010. USD 2,595.
December 1 through December 10, 2010. USD 2,595.
December 15 through December 24, 2010. High Season Price: USD2,795.
December 29 2010 through January 7, 2011. High Season Price: USD2,795.
2011: GOLDEN TRIANGLE 10-day MOTORCYCLE TOUR
Pillion price - all dates: USD 1,395. (Note: Pillion is the British word for a motorcycle passenger.)
(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.
December 29, 2010 through January 7, 2011. High Season Price: USD2,795.
January 12 through January 21, 2011. USD 2,595.
January 26 through February 4, 2011. USD 2,595.
February 9 through February 18, 2011. USD 2,595.
February 23 through March 4, 2011. USD 2,595.
March 9 through March 18, 2011. USD 2,595.
March 23 through April 1, 2011. USD 2,595.
April 20 through April 29, 2011. USD 2,595.
May 4 through May 13, 2011. Low Season Price: USD 2,395.
May 18 through May 27, 2011. Low Season Price: USD 2,395.
June 1 through June 10, 2011. Low Season Price: USD 2,395.
June 15 through June 24, 2011. Low Season Price: USD 2,395.
(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.
October 5 through October 14, 2011. Low Season Price: USD 2,395.
October 19 through October 28, 2011. Low Season Price: USD 2,395.
November 2 through November 11, 2011. USD 2,595.
November 16 through November 25, 2011. USD 2,595.
November 30 through December 9. 2011. USD 2,595.
December 14 through December 23, 2011. High Season Price: USD2,795.
December 28, 2011 through January 6 2012. High Season Price: USD2,795.
Back to ASIAN
MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURES HOME PAGE ».
Questions / requests / feedback:
info@asianbiketour.com