Motorcycle Touring in Thailand

The 600 km Mae Hong Son Loop is the definitive Thai ride. Most riders go clockwise: Route 1095 from Chiang Mai over the mountains to Pai, on through Pang Mapha and Tham Lod Cave to Mae Hong Son, then south on Route 108 through Khun Yuam and Mae Sariang, and back via Mae Chaem or Hot. In November and December, Mexican sunflowers turn the hillsides gold around Khun Yuam.

Allow at least five days, more if you take side trips to Pai Canyon or the Chinese village of Ban Rak Thai. Pai is the obvious stop on the way out, with riverside bungalows and hot springs nearby. Mae Sariang, on the quieter western arm, sits among teak forest and Karen villages with far less tour traffic than the Pai side and makes a peaceful overnight before the last mountain stage.

The Samoeng Loop is the easiest and most popular day ride from Chiang Mai, about 100 km. It curls into the hills to Samoeng village and drops back through the Mae Sa valley with its waterfalls and gardens; at a sightseeing pace it takes half a day.

Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest mountain at 2,565 m, is a full day out on smooth, well-graded roads. The climb passes waterfalls and Karen and Hmong villages to the twin royal chedis and the summit, where it can be 10°C on a winter morning, so pack a jacket. Foreigners pay the national park fee of about 300 baht plus a small charge for the bike.

A ride from Chiang Rai through the Golden Triangle is as much about culture as scenery. The route skirts the borders of Laos and Myanmar past hill-tribe villages, the old walled town of Chiang Saen and the Hall of Opium museum at Sop Ruak, with a loop back via Mae Sai and Doi Tung.

A half-day loop climbs to Mae Salong, settled by descendants of Chinese Nationalist soldiers. The road leaves the highway for a narrow, snaking mountain lane through tea plantations, and the Yunnanese food at the top is reason enough to go. Phayao can be ridden from Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai or Lampang; the road winds through forested hills to Kwan Phayao, the north’s largest freshwater lake, where Wat Si Khom Kham and its unusual Buddha statues overlook the water.

Remote Nan, near the Laos border, needs several days but repays them. Route 1148 between Chiang Kham and Nan and Route 1256 over Doi Phu Kha are widely held to be the finest motorcycling roads in Thailand, with tight switchbacks, huge views and almost no traffic. Combine them with Nan town’s temples and a night in the hills.

The road from Mae Sot to Umphang, about 165 km, is nicknamed the “Death Highway” for its 1,200-odd curves through remote jungle mountains. It is demanding, thinly trafficked and spectacular, a route for confident riders. Umphang is the gateway to Thi Lo Su, so plan two nights.

In the northeast, the wooden shophouses of Chiang Khan are the base for Route 211 along the Mekong toward Nong Khai, a gentle ride past sandbars, farmland and small river towns with Laos on the far bank.

Khao Kho in Phetchabun gives mountain riding within reach of the centre of the country: pine hills, sweeping switchbacks, flower gardens and hilltop temples. It is a popular weekend escape for Thai riders from Bangkok.

Chiang Mai has the biggest choice of rental shops, from scooters to 650cc and 1,000cc touring bikes, and most will add a phone mount, rain gear and a top box. Expect about 200 to 300 baht a day for a 125cc scooter, about 500 to 1,000 for a 150 to 300cc bike and about 1,500 to 3,000 for a big bike, cheaper by the week. Shops usually keep a cash deposit; do not hand over your passport. The GT-Rider maps and forum are the standard reference for northern routes.