Motorcycle trip

Thailand

Our motorcycle tours in Thailand start at £1,690 (€1,890) per rider for the 7-day Mountains of the Golden Triangle, £2,990 (€3,290) for the 12-day On the Edge of Siam Kingdom, and £3,290 (€3,690) for the 12-day Beyond the Mekong, which also crosses into Laos. A pillion pays £1,390 (€1,530), £2,490 (€2,790) and £2,690 (€2,990) respectively.

The price covers the Royal Enfield with fuel, spare parts and third-party insurance, hotels, half board on riding days, an English-speaking tour leader, a cultural guide, a Royal Enfield mechanic, the support vehicle and the airport transfers. Flights, visa fees, dinners, drinks, tips and your travel insurance are yours to arrange. You also leave a refundable security deposit of 600 € for the motorcycle, and a one-off 35 € registration fee applies to your first trip with us. You secure your place with a 50% deposit.

All three tours start and finish in Chiang Mai and stay in the mountains of the north, where the best riding roads in Thailand are.

The Mountains of the Golden Triangle (7 days, around 500 miles) is the short one: Chiang Dao, Tha Ton, the Golden Triangle and Chiang Rai. It works well if you have one week, or if this is your first motorcycle tour in Asia.

On the Edge of Siam Kingdom (12 days, around 1,050 miles) is the full loop of northern Thailand. It takes in the Mae Hong Son loop and its hundreds of bends, Pai, the Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai, then the quiet provinces of Nan and Lampang that most visitors never reach.

Beyond the Mekong (12 days, around 1,090 miles) crosses the river into Laos and rides to Luang Prabang before coming back to Chiang Mai. Choose it if you want two countries in one trip.

Yes. Beyond the Mekong leaves Chiang Mai, crosses the border at Chiang Khong and rides through northern Laos: Luang Namtha, Nong Khiaw, Luang Prabang, Sayaboury and Pakbeng, before returning to Thailand. We handle the border crossing for the motorcycles, and the same tour leader and mechanic ride with you on both sides. If Laos is your main interest, have a look at our motorcycle tours in Laos.

You ride one of our own Royal Enfields, based in Chiang Mai: we keep a fleet of Classic 350s and a fleet of Himalayan 450s there, and your travel advisor tells you which model runs on your departure. The motorcycle is prepared by our mechanic, with fuel, spare parts and third-party insurance included. There is nothing to ship and nothing to rent separately. Both suit Thai mountain roads well: light in the bends, easy to handle in villages and unhurried enough to take in the scenery.

We do not rent motorcycles on their own. Every departure is a guided tour with a tour leader, a mechanic and a support vehicle.

Our Thailand tours are rated Intermediate. You ride mainly on small paved secondary roads, with 5 to 6 hours in the saddle every day and some stretches of rolling track, so you need a full motorcycle licence, regular riding practice and decent fitness. The Mae Hong Son loop alone is famous for its 1,864 bends.

Thailand drives on the left, as in the UK and Ireland. Pillions are welcome, one per motorcycle. If you are unsure about your level, tell your travel advisor how and where you usually ride and they will point you to the right tour.

November to February. This is the cool, dry season in northern Thailand: clear skies, mild days in the mountains and fresh mornings, with the rice fields still green at the start of the season. Our departures run from October or November to February, and into March for the tour that continues to Laos. We do not ride during the monsoon, from June to September, nor at the peak of the hot season.

Every tour starts and ends in Chiang Mai. You book your own flight, so you choose your departure airport and fare, and we meet you at Chiang Mai airport and drive you to the hotel. Most riders connect through Bangkok.

Bring your passport, your national motorcycle licence and an International Driving Permit that covers motorcycles. Check the entry rules for your nationality on the official government travel advice pages before you book, and take out travel insurance that covers medical costs and repatriation when riding a motorcycle abroad: it is compulsory on our tours.

A Vintage Rides tour leader who knows the route, an English-speaking cultural guide, and a Royal Enfield mechanic. A support vehicle carries your luggage and follows the group from four participants upwards; on smaller groups the motorcycles are fitted with luggage carriers. Groups are limited to 10 motorcycles, so the pace stays relaxed and nobody gets lost at the back.