Leaving Chiang Mai, the roads are rural with low traffic density. There are nice bends and a pleasant riding environment the whole day. Riding the back road to the charming village of Mae Wang, famous for its many elephant camps. This is one of Chiang Mai’s main elephant tourist destination. Stop @ the small elephant camp “Coffee with Elephants”, take the opportunity to spend some time with those lovely animals. Further up the mountain towards Doi Inthanon National park. This is the back road to the park, meaning there is very little traffic until you come to the main ranger station. We will visit the summit of Doi Inthanon (Thailand’s highest mountain at 2’565 meters) on our way to Mae Chaem. Lunch at the Mae Chaem Gate, the restaurant is run by a Frenchman together with his Thai wife and its a popular biker stop. From here we have the last stretch to Mae Sariang, passing over the Bo Kaeo Mountain range, one of the continental divides, once on the other side of the mountain you are in the Indian Ocean basin and Mae Sariang, a small town alongside the Yuam River, located near the Myanmar border. Overnight Mae Sariang.

If you are an early bird, visit the local morning market and give alms to the monks. The idea of the alms giving is for the Buddhist monks to make merit and also to collect food for their one meal of a day. It is a wonderful opportunity to experience an ancient Buddhist tradition. If you are already up, take the opportunity to visit the local wet market, quite an experience. After breakfast we take the road to Salawin River (in Myanmar called Thanglin), border to Myanmar for a coffee and leg stretcher. This is a dead end, nevertheless well worth the trip, since not many outside visitors get to this part. Most locals belong to various hill tribes populating this remote part of Thailand. Continue in the southern direction running along the Myanmar border all the way to Mae Sot. Lunch along the way at a local restaurant and coffee shop. Why not try a noodle soup with chicken (Phatsiue Senlek gai). The road is winding, passing through many small communities like Ban Sop Ngao, Tha Song Yang and Mae Ramat. On the way we pass Maela, a huge Refugee Camp where thousands of Burmese live. In the afternoon you reach Mae Sot. If you are interested, we can ride to the border market for a visit. This is one of the two main border crossings to Myanmar. Your hotel is located in the centre of town. Take a walk and explore. 

Next destination is Sukhothai. It’s a shorter ride, First part is a scenic ride over the mountains to Tak. Once in Tak the landscape becomes rather flat while we continue to Sukhothai. Lunch along the way at a local restaurant by the Ping River in Tak. The historical Sukhothai, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, was the first capital of Siam. It was founded by King Ramkhamhaeng. The province's temples and monuments have been well restored and the park has numerous sites to explore. One of the highlights is Wat Sri Chum - the most enigmatic of Sukhothai's temples. The “temple of the Bodhi tree" was built in the late 13th century.

Since this is a shorter riding day you have time to explore Sukhothai Historical Park during the afternoon. The city walls form a rectangle about 2 km east-west by 1.6 km north-south. There are 193 ruins on 70 square kilometers of land. There is a gate in the center of each wall. Inside are the remains of the Royal Palace and twenty-six temples, the largest being Wat Mahathat. A great way to explore the area is by bicycle which is available for free at the hotel…. Alternatively the resort has a great day Spa and Pool Bar area to relax and recharge. 

Overnight in Sukhothai.

Today we leave well refreshed to take on our longest ride day (approx 410kms), which we cover in a mainly southern direction transporting us closer to the weekend target of Buriram. We could well start to see other motorcycle racing fans heading in this direction for the main event !

Our destination area of Pak Chong is the nearest town serving Khao Yai National Park. It is less than 200 km from Bangkok, making it a very popular base for Thai weekend trippers and therefore is dotted with cafes and accommodations. We select a very comfortable lakeside resort for our overnight stay with a relaxing environment and great in-house facilities for dinner and waterside drinks.

After tackling the massive breakfast selections we head off in an easterly direction following a valley region alongside the boundary of the Khao Yai National Park. with lots of local produce growing and even some local wineries. The road leads us to (and around) the Lam Phra Phloeng Reservoir built in 1962 this  large reservoir holds water for  consumption and is a popular spot for campers. Finally today we head on rural roads until meeting up with the main road 24 which takes us to our accommodation for the next 3 nights on the outskirts of Buriram.

We are based around 40 kms from the circuit and have the options of riding our motorcycles to the facility or taking a private air conditioned van and being dropped off at the main entrance. 

On arrival you will  immediately take on the exciting vibe and activity around this top class racing event. The facility inside the circuit provides lots of displays of all things motorcycling from major motorcycle brands, racing history, current models, accessories, clothing, event souvenirs  and so on… 

Our tickets are for the VIP Grandstand, located along the start/finish main straight…. big screen displays are across the track and good views of a large percentage of the rest of the circuit.

We are based around 40 kms from the circuit and have the options of riding our motorcycles to the facility or taking a private air conditioned van and being dropped off at the main entrance. 

On arrival you will  immediately take on the exciting vibe and activity around this top class racing event. The facility inside the circuit provides lots of displays of all things motorcycling from major motorcycle brands, racing history, current models, accessories, clothing, event souvenirs  and so on… 

Our tickets are for the VIP Grandstand, located along the start/finish main straight…. big screen displays are across the track and good views of a large percentage of the rest of the circuit.

With the races ‘run and won’ we turn from spectators back to riders and quickly get back into the groove on our own touring motorcycles. 

As was the case on the way down, we need to put in some kilometers to move away from the flatter, more commercial south of Thailand. Today we head north to the small city of Khon Kaen as our stepping point back into the more seriously fun riding and scenery regions.

Located in the heart of Isan (Thailand's northeast region) Khon Kaen is the commercial and political centre of the region and is well known for the high-quality silk that is produced in the province. Our city hotel is well located to take a look around the local streets or enjoy the in-house comforts.

Today, leaving the ‘cityscape’ behind we continue on main roads north , skirting around the towns of Udon Thani and Nong Khai before meeting with the Mighty Mekong River and riding to Chiang Khan, a charming village by the Mekong River which is also your end destination for the day. Overnight in Chiang Khan.

Note:

Chiang Khan has become a popular destination for Thai’s. There are plenty of restaurants, bars and souvenir vendors along the walking street.

Being a  long riding day we will make sure to leave the hotel at 8 AM latest! We will follow the Thai – Lao border the whole day. Roads are remote with endless curves, motorcycle riding doesn’t get any better than this.

Leaving Chiang Khan and making our way through the hinterland on back roads in the north -west direction following the Thai – Lao border.. First stop @ Na Haeo village, there is a small river which is the border to Lao. We can take a break at the coffee shop just at the border and wave at the kids and soldiers on the Lao side.

This is Thailand off the beaten track. Doesn’t get more local than this.  Lunch at a small local restaurant run by a former teacher and his wife.

From here the road brings us down to the valley where we meet the Nan River for the first time. This is also the “entrance” to the road 1243, the road from “Nowhere to nowhere”. Couple of years ago a 40 km stretch was in bad shape at best, and took hours to ride. Now there is a brand new road to enjoy! The remaining stretch to Nan is beautiful, lower mountains and faster curvy roads, made for motorcycles. 

Overnight in Nan

Leaving Nan behind, we ride in western direction. First stretch is over a small mountain range. You will just love the way the road snakes its way over hills and through valleys. On our way to Phayao we pass endless villages and once in town we enjoy lunch by the lake. 

From here we have the last stretch to Chiang Mai and our Service center. Expect arrival by 5 PM, followed by transfer to your hotel. 

In the evening we will host a group ‘Farewell’ dinner. 

Overnight in Chiang Mai.

Transfer to Chiang Mai International Airport. 

Bye for now but forever the memories !!   Thank you.