Escorted Tours
Upon arrival in Chiang Rai, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Chiang Rai is a smaller and less commercial city than Chiang Mai and retains much of its original character and charm. One of its more striking landmarks is the Golden Clock, which was designed and donated to Chiang Rai by the artist Chalermchai Khositphiphat, creator of The White Temple. At the strike of 19:00pm, a flamboyant light show ensues, accompanied by music. Other more traditional attractions include the Hill Tribe Museum and Education Centre, several beautiful Wats, the Mae Nam Kok River and a night market with free Northern Thai music and dance performances. At 18:00pm we will have a group briefing regarding the next coming days. Meals: Dinner
After breakfast, there is the one and only vehicle transfer for the tour from our hotel in Chiang Rai to Mae Sai, which is the Northernmost point in Thailand. Mae Sai is a fascinating border town with a bustling market where you can buy an array of imported goods including cheap jewels (rubies, emerald and jade) from Burma, curio items, many of which are imported from China, fresh fruit, electronic goods, clothes and shoes and sandalwood. After a quick look around, we will start our cycling adventure with a short warm up ride through the famous Golden Triangle. This is the point where 3 countries (Thailand, Burma and Laos) and 2 Rivers (the Ruak and the mighty Mekong) meet! The English name Golden Triangle comes from a CIA memo relating to the regions notoriety in the 1920's as one of the world's most prolific opium producers, nowadays a tourist destination. Locally the area is known as Sop Ruak. Our ride begins on a paved road through spectacular scenery of gentle rolling hills. We pass many pineapple plantations en route to Chiang Saen and make a stop at the Buddhist Wat Phra That Chedi Luang for a quick visit before following the Ancient Chiang Saen city walls into town to reach our guest house. Chiang Sean is an historic city with numerous Temples, historic buildings and ruins. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Today, we follow the Mekong River riding through lush jungle and passing picturesque hill tribe villages characterised by simple bamboo huts on stilts. Under the huts women can often be seen weaving and children play alongside chickens and pigs. We arrived at Chiang Khong, the border crossing point from Thailand, into Laos early in the afternoon. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, the cycling starts to get tough as our route continues the ascent to Phu Chi Fa, which is the highest peak in Chiang Rai Province. Remember the support vehicle is on hand if you need to take a break. As we ascend the views are spectacular and the terrain rewarding. Look out for children carrying baskets full of crops on their backs and give a thought to the fact that they don't have any gears and more than likely, no shoes! Phu Chi Fa is stunning and surprisingly chilly, as it becomes very cold in the winter months. The diversity of insect life, flora and fauna make it a unique area of Thailand. Visitors are largely Asian, mostly from more Southerly Thai provinces and there are very few Westerners seen here. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
For a truly exhilarating experience we recommend an early start at 04:00am, to make the trek on foot to the highest point of the mountain before sunrise. The effort is more than rewarded as we watch the sunrise over mist covered jungle with the Laos border and the Mekong far beneath us. When you return for breakfast you will be feeling fantastic. Do not forget your camera or phone to take some pictures! Although we make an early start, we have an easier day of cycling. We set off downhill, hugging the mountainside and following the Thailand-Laos border on rougher surfaced curving road, passing Phu Sang Waterfall, which is a thermal spring that cascades dramatically off the mountain. We continue our journey until we reach our hotel in Chiang Kham. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today, enjoy a free day at leisure and take it easy. Why not relax and take in our beautiful surroundings for the day? Chiang Kham is home to many Thai Lue or Tai people, an ethnic group that originated from southern China's Yunnan Province and spread over many northern Thai areas. Most Thai Lue communities are now residents in Nan and Phayao Provinces. There is a Thai Lue Cultural Centre near our hotel, where you can learn about the culture, traditions and history. There are also several local Temples of interest including Wat Nantaram, Wat Phra Chao and Nang Din. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, we begin cycling a gentle uphill route following a snaking road from Yoan through a vast expanse of rice fields to reach our destination. We follow a series of rolling hills, some of them quite steep. There are many traditional Temples and Teak House villages in the area that we pass through. Around Phu Langka there is an abundance of wildflowers. Our accommodation tonight is simple, the main feature of your time here will be the stunning early morning views. You will also have the opportunity to learn about Yao culture. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
This morning, it is worth rising early to catch the breathtaking sunrise. Often shrouded in early morning mists the stunning landscape of karst rocks, mountains and valley emerge with a quite magical aura, where on a clear day you will glimpse Laos in the distance. The area has been described as the Hạ Long Bay of the Mountains. Setting off with a drop downhill we have a challenging cycle today towards Pua, a small, busy town set in a wide, fertile valley with beautiful views to the east of Doi Phuka National Park where the peaks are just shy of 2,000 metres. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
This morning after breakfast, we leave Pua cycling through beautiful jungle greenery and begin a challenging steep climb over the mountain passing Doi Phuka National Park, which is an expanse of evergreen mountainous parkland. For the final stretch of today's ride, we drop downhill to the tiny Htin Village of Bo Kluea located in a scenic valley. We are now in the far northeast of Nan Province, close to the Lao border. Bo Kluea in Thai means salt well. The village is built around two natural saltwater wells and traditional salt mining can be seen still in practice. Very few foreign visitors make it up here so Bo Kluea retains an authentic, unspoiled character. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today, enjoy a free day at leisure or to take in an optional tour to visit Doi Phuka National Park (not included). A number of minority communities live in the park area including Hmong and Thai Lue. This park also consists of caves and waterfalls as well as rare varieties of trees that can't be found anywhere else in Thailand. The Chomphu Phukha gives the park its name, bursting with flower blooms to pick every year in February. Tree fern, Caryota Gigas and Acer Wilsonii are also unique to the area. Nearby is the Nong Bua Village, set amongst rice fields along the Nan River and home to an interesting way, a small Thai Lue Museum and a classic style Tai Lue house that is open to the public. Around 10kms south of the town you can visit the three tiered Silaphet Waterfall. Also nearby is the Royal Phu Fa project, which supports Mlabri people, a formerly nomadic minority, who settled and learned to farm rice. In Phu Fa, the Mlabri grow tea and mulberries and make handicrafts from bark, which are on sale in their shop. At the Phu Fa cultural centre there is a walk explaining forest life and the traditions of the Mlabri people. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, our route today leads us from Bo Kluea following classic twisting roads with little traffic as we head the Capital of Nan Province, which is also called Nan. For Centuries Nan was an autonomous region with few links to the outside world. This beautiful town with many well preserved Temples is a perfect place to end our adventure. You will have time to visit Wat Phumin, the area's most well known Temple. Built in 1596, as if it were on the back of two immense snakes, it has four entrances with a small corridor leading to each door. The interior of the Temple is inspired by Thai Lue architecture. There are twelve teak pillars decorated with gold, black and red lacquer elephants to support the heavily decorated roof and some magnificent murals that still retain their original artwork. There is also an interesting National Museum in Nan. This evening we will gather together for a farewell dinner. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, sadly our tour ends today. Check out from the hotel and join your transfer to the Airport for your onward flight via Bangkok. Meals: Breakfast
Tour Prices are per person twin share in Australian Dollars. Conditions apply and group tours are subject to change and availability. Prices are subject to currency fluctuations. (tmt)
