The amazing land of Lanna
From Mountains to Temples and roads with over 1,864 Curves, experience the Best of Thailand on this 10-day Northern Thailand BMW Motorcycle Tour. This tour through Northern Thailand gives you a great insight into the land of the Lana Kingdom –the “Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields”. The roads are mainly rural two lanes with a variety of surfaces and wind through areas of spectacular mountainous beauty. From Chiang Mai, the “Rose of the North” we ride to the remote province of Nan, which for centuries remained autonomous and cut off from the outside world. Take a look at the unique village of Bo Kluea with its Salt Wells. You will visit the city of Chiang Rai and the stunning artwork of the nearby White Temple–known as Wat Rong Khun.
You will also go to rather more famous or infamous places like the Golden Triangle by the Mekong River, where Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand meet. Experience the main border crossing between Thailand and Myanmar at Mae Sai and ride the spectacular road to Doi Tung and Mae Salong. Between Mae Taengand Mae Hong Son, there are 1,864 bends or twisted turns which gives everybody a great opportunity to improve their cornering skills whatever their level of expertise. Among the highlights of the trip, you can also visit the Long Neck Women of the Karen Tribe, famous for the brass rings that they wear around their necks. Before returning to Chiang Mai drive to the top of Thailand –the highest mountain in Thailand (Doi Inthanon), 2,565 meters.
| DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION | Chiang Mai/CNX | |||||||||||
| DEPARTURE TIME | Please arrive at least 2 hours before the flight. | |||||||||||
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| NOTE |
“At JoyRides Tours we believe that good experiences and camaraderie are at least as important as the tour. Our goal is to fill your tour bag with as many positive memories as possible, so you go home with a big smile on your face. And with friends, you didn’t have before you started your adventure tour.” |
Day 1:Arrival Chiang Mai, Thailand
Welcome to Thailand!
Upon arrival at Chiang Mai airport, transfer to the hotel (arrival not later than 1 pm). At 3 pm transfer to Bike Tour Asia for a welcome briefing, answer any questions you might have and motorcycle check-out. Afterward, a short ride back to the hotel, followed by a group dinner.
Day 2: Chiang Mai - Nan
(Driving day 1: 300 km/186 miles)
We start our “Best of Thailand” tour. We get on our motorcycles, leave Chiang Mai behind and start our ride east towards Phayao. During most of the day, we cruise in varied landscapes, a great way to get familiar with riding in Thailand and your motorcycle. In Phayao we enjoy a nice lunch by the lake before we continue our journey towards Nan. Thereafter, we cross a mountain range enjoying the curves and the remote roads. There are plenty of villages and rice fields along the route. Dinner by the Nan River.
Day 3: Nan - Bo Kluea - Nan
(Driving day 2: 210 km/130 miles)
Get ready for one of the tour highlights; today we will ride the road to Bo Kluea, which is one of the best mc roads in all of Thailand. Classic twisty roads, almost no traffic, which will make this day unforgettable riding experience. The tiny village of Bo Kluea is located in a scenic valley close to the Lao border, remote and picturesque. “Bo Kluea” means salt well as the village has raised around two natural saltwater wells which have been used for centuries. From here we cross over the mountain through Phu National Park. Enjoy the stunning scenery and empty roads. In the early afternoon, we are back in Nan to visit the most beautiful temple, Wat Phumin. The temple was built as if it were on the back of two immense snakes. We will spend the evening at an authentic local restaurant on the bank of the Nan River.
Day 4: Nan - Chiang Rai
(Driving day 3: 250 km/155 miles)
We leave Nan and head south through the hinterland on small joyful back roads. We pass through rice fields and fruit plantations, and small farm villages. After a local lunch at a scenic restaurant, the ride becomes more and more spectacular. For the next hundred km or so we ride through countless turns through yet more beautiful landscapes. Just before reaching our hotel in Chiang Rai, we will visit the remarkable Wat Rong Khun (White Temple) which is today recognized as one of the main attractions all over Thailand.
Day 5: Chiang Rai
(Explorer day & fun day)
Day 6: Chiang Rai - Thaton
(Driving day 4: 220 km/137 miles)
We make a short ride to the mighty Mekong River at the legendary Golden Triangle where the three borders of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet. We swap the motorcycles for a boat and explore the river region. We take a short break in Laos (no visa needed, only bring your passport), before returning to our motorcycles. From the Golden Triangle, we continue to Mae Sai, the most northern point of Thailand, and one of the main border crossings to Myanmar.
We continue up the mountains to Doi Tung and Doi Mae Salong on yet more amazingly twisty mountainous roads. Doi Mae Salong is a Chinese settlement which was built by a division of the Chinese Nationalist Army that refused to surrender to Chinese communists after the Nationalist Kuomintang government was routed in 1949. Today the village still offers a native Chinese cuisine, lovely houses with flowers, and countless tea plantations as far as the eyes can see. The final part of today’s route will take us along gentle hills through rice paddies and farm villages. We follow the Kok River for a while before you turn left to your resort at Thaton. Enjoy a cold drink and stretch your legs by the pool.
Day 7: Thaton - Pai
(Driving day 5: 240 km/149 miles)
Welcome to another great riding day! Enjoy the splendid view from Wat Thaton over the valley, Kok river, and the vicinity. From Wat Thaton, we follow the main road and have a coffee break at the Hua Luk Royal Project. We stop for lunch at The Nest Resort with a beautiful view at the Limestone Mountains.
At Mae Tang turn right and cross the mountains to Pai. This is the beginning of the road to Mae Hong Son, famous for having 1864 bends of varying sharpness. Before we reach your hotel stop at an Elephant Camp near Pai. Once in Pai, enjoy the pool at the resort. After sunset we stroll down along the walking street, taste food from the street food stalls, or enjoy dinner at one of the many restaurants.
Day 8: Pai - Mae Hong Son
(Driving day 6: 180 km/112 miles)
Today is a very scenic riding day. Even if the distance is not that long, there are plenty of mountains and switchbacks to explore. This is also the second part of the road famous for its 1864 bends of varying sharpness. We pass two mountains with two great scenic viewpoints. Our journey takes us through some beautiful mountain scenery. We arrive at Ban Rak Thai around noon, where we eat lunch in one of the local Chinese restaurants by the little lake. They serve delicious Chinese specialties. Ban Rak Thai means “the Thai-loving village”, built around a lake on the Myanmar border. About yr 800, mainly Chinese settled here after the communist takeover of China, thus some buildings have a distinctively Chinese appearance.
We continue to the pier of the Nan River where we park our motorcycles. We enjoy a scenic boat ride on the Pai River for about 20 min to the Karen Long Neck village. The Karen, a tribal minority, historically lived in the hills on the Myanmar side of the border. Some of their women wear heavy brass rings around their necks, forearms, and shins. Many ideas regarding why the coils are worn have been suggested. Some have hypothesized that the rings protected women from becoming slaves by making them less attractive to other tribes. Another theory is that the coils originate from the desire to look more attractive. Why don’t you ask them and find out the real story? Return by boat to the pier and ride to the nearby Resort. Enjoy first a drink at the sunset bar overlooking the rice paddies.
Day 9: Mae Hong Son - Chiang Mai
(Driving day 7: 300 km/186 miles)
We leave Mae Hong Son and ride to Khun Yuam. It is a great twisted road with wide bends. In Khun Yuam we visit the local museum. The Imperial Japanese Army troops were stationed in Khun Yuam during the construction of a highway intended to cross Burma to India.
We continue to Mae Chaem on great twisty back roads. We eat lunch at a local restaurant. We continue to the top of Doi Inthanon, which at 2,565 meters is the highest mountain in Thailand.
Our next stop is the Wachiratharn Waterfall, – an impressive and powerful 80 m high waterfall. From here we ride the last part of Doi Inthanon national park. Once we are down in the valley, we drive the last 50 km to our Service Center in Chiang Mai, where we return the bikes. Thereafter, transfer to our hotel in Chiang Mai, followed by farewell dinner.
Day 10: Departure Chiang Mai - Home Travel
We say goodbye to Thailand and return home. Thanks for a great ride, good times, and sincerely thank you for choosing to tour with Explorify. We wish you a safe trip home and hope to see you again on one of our other tours in the US, South America, Asia, Oceania or Europe.
Note: This program is a guideline for activities and experiences on the tour. Deviations may occur, but we guarantee that our positive tour leaders will do their utmost to execute the program as described – as far as it is feasible and circumstances allow. We are continually working to improve the program, thus you may experience positive surprises.
Prices (USD)
From $4 495
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From $2 995