Itinerary
DAY 1 | CHIANG MAI (D)
Rendezvous in the late afternoon with your guide team and fellow adventurers at our hotel in Chiang Mai’s Old City. Get fitted to your bicycle for the upcoming tour during orientation.
Options time permitting: Meet early afternoon for a walking tour of the Old City with stops at Three Kings Monument, Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh.
Options: Welcome dinner at a local secret, a tiny restaurant on the banks of the Ping River with some of Chiang Mai’s best Thai cuisine.
DAY 2 | RURAL CYCLING TO PANG HAI VILLAGE, VISIT MAE ON CAVE & TEMPLE (B, L) 42KM
You will be shuttled a little way out of town after breakfast to avoid the morning rush hour traffic. We start with a couple of visits to handicraft shops before heading out into the rural countryside of Chiang Mai. Stop for a visit to Wat Tham Mae On, a temple inside a massive limestone cave complex. Our goal for the day’s ride is the small mountain village of Pang Hai, where we bed down in traditional wooden Thai houses.
DAY 3 | MOUNTAIN ROADS, CHAE SON NP, WAT CHALOEM PHRAKIAT (B, L) 54KM
Today’s ride is a beautiful trip through the lush forests of Chae Son National Park, pedaling through stands of Teak trees and other tropical hardwoods. Shade from the overhanging trees and very little traffic adds to the enjoyment. As we emerge from the forests you will see our goal, Wat Chaloem Phrakiat Phrachomklao Rachanusorn with its white stupas floating the sky. After visiting the temple, we will shuttle to our lakeside hotel in Phayao.
DAY 4 | RURAL CYCLING, 700 YEAR OLD RUINS AT WIANG LO, TEAK TEMPLE AND TAI LUE CULTURAL MUSEUM (B, L) 76KM
To avoid morning traffic, we will do a short shuttle to the outskirts of town before starting our leisurely ride. Farmlands line today’s flat ride, small villages interrupting the rice paddies. Upon reaching Wiang Lo, we switch to samlors driven by village residents to tour the 700-year-old ruins at Wiang Lo, one of the three original northern kingdoms along with Sukhothai and Chiang Saen. After arriving at Chiang Kham town, we will visit the unique Wat Nantaram built from teak wood and Wat Phrathat Sob Wean with its museum of the Tai Lue People, the original inhabitants of this kingdom.
DAY 5 | PHU SANG NP & HOT SPRING WATERFALL, PHU TAWAN VILLAGE (B, L, D) 53KM
Today’s ride starts flat through rice fields and fruit orchards taking us to Phu Sang National Park, with its unique waterfall fed by a hot spring pool atop the mountain. A few miles further and you start the long climb to Phu Chi Fa Mountain Range straddling the Thai-Laos border. We spend the night in simple A-Frame bungalows on the U Krit Organic Farm, enjoying muukata (a popular Thai-style BBQ) while watching the sunset.
DAY 6 | CHIANG KHONG (B, L) 70KM
Another day of alpine cycling, as you roll along the ridge for a bit before starting the descent to the Ngao River valley which eventually leads us north to the banks of the Mae Khong (Mekong River). You will ride along the mighty Mae Khong to Phrathat Doi Mae Ya Mon temple, from where we will shuttle to the hotel in the border town of Chiang Khong.
DAY 7 | CHIANG KHONG BORDER CROSSING AND LAOS HUAY XAI TO PAKBENG BY BOAT (B, L)
After breakfast, we transfer you to the pier for your journey to Pakbeng. Our Thai team will leave after dropping you off at the pier. Travel by boat down the Mekong: rest and relax. Take a good book and lots of food! Our Tiger Trail Guide will meet you at the harbour and take you to riverside accommodation.
DAY 8 | RURAL LIFE AND FRIENDLY FOLK CYCLING PAKBENG - OUDOMXAI (B, L) 80KM
After a one-hour transfer, we are cycling in very rural Laos, an area inhabited by hill tribe villages who eke a meagre existence from the land. Along the way, you will pass villages of Phu Tai, Tai Lu, Hmong, Tai Dam, Lao and Khamu. The people are very friendly and not yet tired of seeing tourists. We stop at weaving villages along the way, where you still see families sitting in the shade weaving on old looms. After climbing a 300-meter pass, a long descent brings you to Oudomxai, the capital of the Oudomxai Province.
DAY 9 | CYCLE THE ROOF TOP OF OUDOMXAI TO NONG KHIAW (B, L) 80KM
We'll head back into the jungle for stretches of this spectacular route; although hilly, it soon gives way to gentler gradient and opens to magnificent scenery and finally a 30 km downhill ride to Pak Mong, a small Quaint depot town. from here it is a beautiful ride to Nong Khiaw.
This is one of the more difficult days of the trip, so push yourself. You will be rewarded with a night’s rest at a resort, riverside bungalow and a dip in the pool underneath Elephant head mountain.
Max 80 KM (transfers recommended for the beginning of the ride.
DAY 10 | 100 WATERFALLS TREK NONG KHIAW (B, L)
Nam Ou River Cruise, 100 Waterfall Trek.
Start the day with a peaceful boat ride on the Nam Ou River. Along the way, you'll be able to explore a small Lao village along the river. Then we'll hike through small streams and rice paddies to reach the base of the 100 waterfalls.
For the following few hours, you'll see only water and jungle and hear the sound of clear waterfall cascades. Your guide will lead you through the cascades and prepare a local-style lunch on the falls in the middle of it all.
A small villagers’ trail on the top of the 100 waterfalls will lead us back down into the valley, offering wide views over the landscapes of the Nam Ou valley along the way. Hiking back to the village we will have more time to see the daily life.
DAY 11 | NAM OU RIVER NONG KHIAW TO LUANG PRABANG (B, L, D) 95KM
A private boat on the Nam Ou River to take you to the starting point of flatter and better roads today that will enable you to complete the longer distance to Luang Prabang. Only a few minor passes have to be climbed before you're cycling along the banks of the Nam Ou River with stunning views of huge mountain ranges. On the last stage of the day, you'll be cycling through teakwood plantations before arriving in Luang Prabang.
Dinner at a local Vocational Training restaurant for marginalized youth and a stroll through the night market before retiring the night.
DAY 12 | KUANG SI WATERFALLS (B, L) 60KM
A one and a half hour trip to Kuang Si falls for a dip in the brilliant blue ice-cold waters is a must see in Laos. on the return trip we will stop at a local social enterprise a water buffalo dairy who work extensively with the local communities to educate in animal husbandry, animal health and dairy production here will try their delicious water buffalos cheeses and ice cream as part of a picnic lunch before returning for our last night in the city.
End of program.
