Chiang Mai is without a doubt one of the must-visit places in Thailand. Surrounded by green mountains and influenced by a charming Lanna way of life, this famous city is an ideal holiday destination for anyone who seeks a relaxed, back to nature holiday, with a fun mix of activities.
Perfect five day adventure for my 11 year old son and I. A great mix of activities plus the bonus of staying in different types of accommodation each night.
My son and I found the Spice Roads five day family explorer tour suited our needs to a tee! Led by our excellent guide Mr Dum and our attentive driver Mr Pao we visited many and varied places - too many to mention! Each night we stayed in a different place in varied accommodation (from quite luxurious resorts to a mud brick house). The food provided was excellent, especially the biking snacks that got tailored to my sons preferences at the tour went on!
Tours in: ThailandThailand - Chiang Mai
DestinationsThailand
Tour MeetsChiang Mai
Fly in toChiang Mai International Airport (CNX)
Group Size2-16 riders
Water bottleSupport vehicleGuide(s)Meals (as indicated)Hotel pick upHotel drop offAccommodationBike and helmetSnacks and drinksAccident insurance
International flightsDomestic flightsVisa feesAlcoholTips
We ride on small back roads with little traffic and some short off-road sections. The terrain is flat, but just in case our support vehicle is always close by. This tour is suitable for families and anyone with minimum biking experience.
The trip is fully supported and your guide’s expert knowledge of the area and terrain means that you always know what is coming up in terms of distance and difficulty. This makes a tremendous difference, as does the constant supply of cold drinks and fresh fruit.
Suitability: This tour is suitable for riders with some biking experience. You can expect a fairly gentle ride each day with none of the distances being overly long. There are a few small hills, but these can be tackled by anyone with even a moderate amount of fitness. The emphasis on this tour is Thailand’s scenery off the beaten track.
Biking Conditions: This trip is a mixture of wide, hard-packed dirt trails, single tracks and smooth tarmac. An air-conditioned bus travels behind the group to support us, and participants can cycle as much or as little as they like and still enjoy the same views as the rest of the group.
After an early pickup, it's just a short transfer to start our ride outside downtown Chiang Mai. We start with a gentle ride on quiet back roads, cycling through small villages, numerous paddy fields, fruit orchards, all with a stunning backdrop of the mountains. We will ride across the dam of the sixth largest national park in Thailand, Sri Lanna, and finish at Mae Ngad Reservoir. Here we take off our bike helmets and put on our life vests and launch our kayaks for the next phase of our adventure. We first take a boat out to a floating restaurant for lunch. After a bit of rest, we take up the paddles and kayak around buffalo island, so-named for its primary residents. Back at our raft, you're free to jump or slide into the stream-fed waters. It's back to shore and a short cycle or a transfer to our resort with its own organic farm.
Ban Phraya Lanna Rimnam
Lunch, Dinner
Ride 20kmToday we'll start by exploring the Chiang Dao cave where you can see the numerous natural formations of limestone and crystals. Keep your head low as you are walking through the tunnel filled with stalactites and stalagmites. Then we take a short transfer to stunning Wat Bann Den to check out the Lanna architecture as well as the glittering Nagas. From here we get on our bicycles for an easy ride in the countryside. We take a dirt track along an irrigation canal where we cycle from village to village, meeting plenty of friendly locals along the way. Our destination is Mae Jo Baan Din, also known as Earth Home, a small organic farm promoting sustainable living. Here we'll immerse ourselves in the famous Thai cuisine as we learn about the ingredients, how to prepare them and cook them. Our host will take us to the organic garden to learn about the vegetables and herbs used in Thai dishes, and after picking our ingredients we will prepare dinner. We overnight in an adobe hut built with all natural materials. There is no hot water tonight but it's all part of the experience to go Thai-style.
Mae Jo Baan DinBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerRide 18kmToday we put our bikes aside and spend the day with Thailand's national animal - the elephant. We transfer to the elephant park, get changed and kick off the day learning about these gentle giants and how they have been exploited in the logging and tourism industries. This camp serves as a sanctuary for the rescued elephants. We get up close to these highly intelligent and emotional mammals as we spend the day preparing food, walking and bathing them; it's hard not to fall in love with your new buddy. There will be plenty of photo opportunities, so don't forget your cameras. Enjoy freshly prepared lunch served right at the park. Please note that SpiceRoads does not endorse any activities that will bring harm to the animals and therefore the elephant camp we bring you to will not allow any riding. Please stay attentive, take caution around the elephants and follow the instructions provided by the camp staff, all the while having fun! Tonight we'll spend some time with ethnic Lisu. There are approximately 55,000 Lisu living in Thailand presently in six main tribes. We'll have a villager escort us through the village and he'll take us to a local house to have a cup of tea and teach us about traditional medicine at the shaman's house.
Lisu LodgeBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerAfter breakfast, we are likely to see Buddhist monks on their morning ritual, walking in their peaceful manner for their daily alms from villagers. Thai Buddhists give alms with their highest respect. This morning a transfer takes us to the Ginger Farm, where you will have the opportunity to learn about the important role the water buffalo has played in ancient rice farming techniques. If you are willing to get your feet dirty you can participate in a hands-on demonstration of planting and harvesting rice. We have lunch at the Ginger Farm that serve a wide variety of organic food and refreshing healthy drinks to cool down with. After lunch, we cycle on flat terrain to Ban Tawai to see sculptures handcrafted from wood featuring many unique shapes that reflect the heritage of the local craftsmen. Next we ride for 15 km to visit the historic ruins of Wiang Khum Kham, the first Mon settlement dating back to the 11th century. Following our visit back in time we have a 30 minute transfer to our resort, the Horizon Village Resort surrounded by a beautiful botanical garden, a mini zoo and of course a swimming pool.
Horizon Village ResortBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerRide 25kmAfter breakfast, a short transfer to Bor Sang Umbrella Village. Bor Sang is famed for handmade parasols made from bamboo and rice paper. The village has made umbrellas for generations and the art has been handed down through a small number of families that live here. You can create your unique painted umbrella as a souvenir. Then get back on your bike and start cycling on a smooth tarmac road. Today is an easy flat ride, shaded small tarmac roads lead you through villages, pass by schools, temples and many fruit orchards. When the mountains start to appear in the background we are close to our destination – a hot spring. San Kamphaeng Hot Springs offers many different pools, including one that you can boil an egg in! Let the minerals and the heat do their magic on your biking muscles. After lunch, our tour is over and we transfer you to your hotel in Chiang Mai city or the airport.
Breakfast, LunchRide 30kmDisclaimer: The adventure cycling tours we operate often go beyond the beaten track, and the countries where we ride are not always predictable. Due to these reasons, it is occasionally necessary to reroute or update itineraries. Our guarantee is that we will not change a trip unless for safety or to improve it. Our listed hotels are always accurate at the time of writing, but should we have to change any hotel, it will always be for a similar or better one.
Bike hire is included in the tour. Child bikes and tag-along bikes (for ages 5-11, max weight: 38 kg/85 lb) are available. Adult must be an experienced rider to pull a tag-along and preferably have experience with tag-alongs. The bikes are well-known makes of hybrid or mountain bikes (depending on the tour) with lightweight alloy frames, 24- to 27-speed gearing, v-brakes and Shimano components and front suspension.
Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.
Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.
You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.
We recommend that you visit a travel medical doctor and ask about the following vaccinations: typhoid, polio, tetanus and hepatitis A. A certificate for Yellow Fever is required when arriving from an infected area within six days.
Thailand generally has a tropical climate with fairly high humidity. The North and Central region have a tropical climate with fairly high humidity. Northeast Thailand has a humid hot and dry weather alternatively with medium rain while the coastal areas of the east is humid and hot with intermittent rain. The South of Thailand has a tropical climate with fairly high humidity.
There are three seasons: from March to June it is hot and dry, with temperatures between 27˚C/80 F and 40˚C/104 F, with night temperatures in the 20s. The rainy season is from July to October, but temperatures are slightly lower, because of the effect of the rain. During this time it will not rain continuously, but in sharp bursts, and the sun can come out quickly. The cooler season is from October to February, with average temperatures between 20˚C/68 F and 30˚C/86 F.
Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner. Most meals are local and feature noodles, rice, curries, and soups. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.
Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit, and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere but is NOT included in the price.
SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for traveling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveler of the same gender and if we cannot match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.
We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$20 per day, for incidentals.
The Thai currency is the baht. ATMs, which are abundant, are the easiest ways to get Thai baht. Have a supply of US dollars in cash on hand, just in case your card doesn’t work. Banks or the rarer private moneychangers offer the best foreign-exchange rates. Credit cards are accepted in big cities and resort hotels but you’ll need baht for family-run guesthouses or restaurants.
If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:
Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.
You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.
There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.
From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).
If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.
Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.
We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.
The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.
In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.
In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.
The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.
If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).
If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).
Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.
If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.
The information in this document is given in good faith, and covers the average range of conditions likely to be found on this trip. Please note that the itinerary is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, however, we will always do our best to adhere to this original itinerary
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It was a great way to see the country, cycling through the villages and rice fields