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NORTHERN LAOS
This tour is a journey that joins two magical cities of SE Asia, Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang. We travel along near empty roads through magnificent mountain scenery in a part of Asia where time seems to stand still.
Starting in the bustling and energetic Chiang Mai, we head north to Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle before heading into Laos and heading down the mighty Mekong.
The combination of rugged mountain scenery and the rich, varied cultures still hardly tainted by tourism make this tour a very special experience. Traveling by boat as well as bicycle, we pass through limestone canyons and jungle covered valleys, home to many ethnic tribes. This tour gives you the chance to meet the local people of Thailand and Laos and give you a great experience of this varied and fascination part of the world.
Our final destination is the old royal capital of Luang Prabang. Nestled among mountains at the confluence of the Mekong and Khan Rivers, this delightful town has a unique and special charm. We spend the last days of the tour cycling amongst the temples and discovering the French colonial splendour that drove UNESCO to make Luang Prabang a world heritage site.
TRIP PROFILE
We ride around 650 km mostly on fairly good asphalt. There is just enough broken road or unpaved dirt roads to make a mountain bike with front suspension necessary. The route is point-to-point and fully supported: an air-con minibus and luggage truck that rigged to take bikes shadows us for the entire journey.
Northern Thailand and Laos is very mountainous and although there are no excessively long climbs there are very few flat sections except on day 9 where we have a long day with many climbs. Traffic is very light and on many days we will see hardly any traffic especially in Laos. Most riding days we will be finished by mid-afternoon which will allow you to explore your surroundings further or experience muscle relaxing massages or just relax. We spend one and half days traveling by riverboat and there is time at the end of the trip to discover the wonderful Luang Prabang.
Accommodation is varied and includes comfortable and charming hotels and guesthouses.
| ITINERARY (11 days, 10 nights starting in Chiang Mai and finishing in Luang Prabang.) | |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Meet in Chiang Mai - afternoon ride to Ban Tawai. |
| Day 2 | Transfer out of Chiang Mai and ride tribal trails to Chiang Dao. |
| Day 3 | Quiet back roads to Mae Salak |
| Day 4 | Off road ride and boats along the Mae Kok river and then transfer or ride to Chiang Rai. |
| Day 5 | Transfer out of Chiang Rai and then ride along the Mekong to Chiang Khong. |
| Day 6 | Cross border and slow boat to Pakbeng. |
| Day 7 | Ride through mountain and jungle scenery to Muang Beng. |
| Day 8 | Ride through rural Laos to Udom Xai. |
| Day 9 | Cross the Central highlands to Nong Kiau. |
| Day 10 | Boat to Pak Ou caves and Ride to Luang Prabang. |
| Day 11 | Optional morning ride to Krungsri Falls - transfer to airport or stay and enjoy Luang Prabang. |
| FACTS & FIGURES | |
|---|---|
| Tour Cost | USD $1300 Single supplement: USD $225 |
| Bike Hire | USD $135 |
| Total Distance | 650 Kilometres |
| Number of Days | 11 days / 10 nights |
| Number of cycling days | Seven full days and three half-days. |
| Road Surface | 75% paved surfaces. |
| Support | Air-Conditioned minibuses and luggage truck rigged to take bikes. |
| Group Size | Minimum 4. Maximum 16 |
| Staff | SpiceRoads cycling (for groups of 8 or more), plus a local cycling guide plus drivers and assistants for all groups. Groups of 4-7 will be led by our local guide and support team. |
| Accommodation | One night in 4-star hotel, seven nights in 2-3 star hotels, 1 night in local guesthouse (basic). All hotels have en suite facilities and fans or a/c, except one night (basic local guesthouses - shared facilities). Whenever possible we try to use hotels with charm and local character. |
| Food | All meals are included from Dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 11. |
| Biking Grade |
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Look, I could go on, but I hope you understand just how much I appreciated such a wonderful tour! I am an old man in terms of cycling tours, but I found your trip profile accurate and actually enjoyed the challenge, finding it quite comfortable in terms of difficulty. Believe me, it does help to have accurate information--distances, terrain, timings etc.--on a daily/hourly basis. 
~David Gimson
Northern Laos Tour, October 2007
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